The Australian Soil Fertility Manual is a trusted guide to the safe use and handling of fertilizers. It describes the types of agricultural soils, how they are classified and the interaction of soil, water and nutrients. It also provides an insight into how plants utilise nutrients and the role that individual nutrients play in the process of plant growth.
This edition has been revised to reflect an increased emphasis on the environmental fate of nutrients and appropriate management strategies. It also has additional information on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and discussions on the use of lime, dolomite and gypsum.
New content covers liming effectiveness, nitrogen water use efficiency, regulations for handling and using fertilizers, storage and transport of security sensitive ammonium nitrate, budgeting for profitable nitrogen use and best management practice for nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. The chapters on potassium; calcium, magnesium and sulfur; plant nutrients and the environment; and heavy metal in fertilizers and agriculture have all been extensively revised and rewritten.
This important work will be an essential text for fertilizer dealers, extension workers, consultants, teachers, farmers, horticulturists, graziers and others concerned with the profitable and environmentally safe use of plant nutrients.
Practical manual explaining the basics of soil-plant relationships, and the principles of fertilizer use
Safe handling of fertilizers
Application rates and cost comparisons for different fertilizers
Role of lime and gypsum
Descriptions of soil types and uses
Management of plant nutrients in the environment
Chapter 1 - Concepts of Soil Fertility and Productivity
Chapter 2 - Soil Acidity, Alkalinity and Salinity
Chapter 3 - Nitrogen
Chapter 4 - Phosphorus
Chapter 5 - Potassium
Chapter 6 - Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur
Chapter 7 - Micro-nutrients
Chapter 8 - Soil Testing, Plant and Water Analysis, and Diagnostic Techniques
Chapter 9 - Fertilize for Profits
Chapter 10 - Plant Nutrients and the Environment
Chapter 11 - Heavy Metals in Fertilizers and Agriculture
Chapter 12 - Precision Agriculture - an overview
Chapter 13 - Regulations for Handling and Using Fertilizers
Fertilizer dealers, extension workers, consultants, grain growers, graziers, dairy farmers, horticulturists, landscape planners, teachers and students, government departments and bodies concerned with the management of plant nutrients in the environment.
"This is a solid and sound manual on soil fertility, written for advisers and to be read with an awareness of its background in the fertilizer industry. The book should be of great benefit to its intended users in Australia." K.W.T. Goulding, European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 58, 2007