Humberto Blanco

This updated and expanded second edition textbook, describes all main aspects of soil management, to address the serious problems of soil erosion and the attendant environmental pollution.

This updated and expanded second edition textbook, describes all main aspects of soil management, to address the serious problems of soil erosion and the attendant environmental pollution. The global high demands for food, fiber, feed, and fuel put a constant strain on the environment, which can only be mitigated by soil conservation. This edition incorporates new concepts and provides an up-to-date review of soil management principles and practices. The authors also added new chapters on cover crops, crop residues, soil water management, nutrient management, perennials in crop rotations and organic amendments. All practices have a clear perspective on addressing soil erosion, physical and chemical problems, carbon dynamics and sequestration as well as non-point source pollution. The restorative nature of many practices, also consider water conservation as a main pillar of sustaining a healthy soil. This textbook is valuable for students and professionals in soil science, agronomy, agricultural engineering, hydrology, and management of natural resources.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on biodiversity management practices in agriculture. The first chapter reviews biodiversity management practices and benefits in Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems. After looking at the importance of soil microorganisms, the chapter looks at how CA systems contribute to soil biological activity, particularly the way cover crops and rotations, with a no-till regime, can enrich soil and the multitude or organisms living in it. The second chapter synthesizes and reviews the published information on grass hedges and their soil benefits, to better understand the potential of grass hedges for managing water erosion as well as improving soil health in agricultural lands. The third chapter reviews research on ways of modifying the agricultural landscape to reverse the decline in a range of fauna and flora. The chapter also reviews the characteristics and types of field margins, as well as their role in agroecosystems. The chapter concludes with a discussion on managing field margins to promote insect biodiversity and rare arable plant populations. The final chapter considers the impact of agricultural intensification on agricultural landscapes, farming systems and biodiversity. The chapter highlights how hedgerows can contribute to the multifunctionality of agroecosystems in intensively-managed agricultural landscapes, focussing on improved pest regulation and enhanced pollination services.