Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis is a practical methods manual and resource handbook that covers a wide array of methods for analyzing soil chemical, biological, biochemical, and physical properties. Soil testing for plant nutrients and methods to characterize organic soils and frozen soils are also provided. The book presents recent improvements in methodology, outlines new methods, and characterizes the best methods available for selecting appropriate analysis techniques. Methods have been selected for their accuracy, speed, and ease of duplication. References are provided for each method. The book is ideal for scientists, engineers, and students in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, geography, remote sensing, environmental science, and land-use planning.

As with the highly popular original, this new edition of Soil Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis provides students with an exceptionally clear description of the sampling and analysis methods most commonly used in modern soil laboratories around the world. What sets it apart as the first choice of professors is the grounding it offers in fundamental principles, professional protocols, and specific procedures. What makes it especially popular with students is that it spares them from having to tote large volumes for the sake of a page or two. Fully revised to introduce the latest advances, the text is lucidly illustrated with original results garnered from years of hands-on experiments conducted by the author and his students. In response to requests from active users of the first edition, these new features have been added: § Three new chapters on soil and plant test methods § A focus on testing and analysis limited to edaphology, as opposed to edaphology and pedology as a whole in the ecosystem § Information and insight reflecting the author’s expertise on electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance § Extensive revisions and expansion to include recent advances and shifting interests in the field Soil Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis is divided into three sections: the first covers principles of soil sampling, sources of errors, and variability of results; the second explains common procedures for extraction and analysis in soil plant testing; and the last covers instrumentation. While Professor Tan designed and further honed the book to serve the practical needs of students, with this volume he also provides them with an essential reference that will continue to serve them throughout their training and into their careers.

A thorough presentation of analytical methods for characterizing soil chemical properties and processes, Methods, Part 3 includes chapters on Fourier transform infrared, Raman, electron spin resonance, x-ray photoelectron, and x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies, and more.

Soil Science is an important and basic science in agriculture which deals with different domains of soil research namely, soil formation, genesis and classification, soil physics, soil chemistry, soil fertility and plant nutrition, soil biology, etc. Characterization as well as our understanding of soils requires that they are precisely analysed and described. While the physical properties of soils determine their adaptability to cultivation, chemical properties tells about their chemical environment and nutrient status to the crop production - the most important use of soils on this densely populated planet. Determination of different soil physical and chemical properties in the field or in the laboratory following suitable analytical methods is first step towards appropriate soil managements and scientific recommendations for increasing crop production.

Thoroughly updated and revised, this second edition of the bestselling Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis presents several new chapters in the areas of biological and physical analysis and soil sampling. Reflecting the burgeoning interest in soil ecology, new contributions describe the growing number and assortment of new microbiological techniques, describe in-depth methods, and demonstrate new tools that characterize the dynamics and chemistry of soil organic matter and soil testing for plant nutrients. A completely new section devoted to soil water reviews up-to-date field- and laboratory-based methods for saturated and unsaturated soil hydraulic properties. Retaining the easy-to-follow, “cookbook” style of the original, this second edition provides a compilation of soil analytical techniques that are fast, straightforward, and relatively easy-to-use. Heavily referenced, peer-reviewed contributions from approximately 150 specialists make this a practical manual and resource handbook that describes a wide array of methods, both conventional and cutting-edge, for analyzing the chemical, biological, biochemical, and physical properties of many different soil types. Including several “primer” chapters that cover the overall principles and concepts behind the latest techniques, the book presents sufficient detail on the materials and procedures to characterize the potential and limitation of each method. It covers recent improvements in methodology, outlines current methods, and characterizes the best methods available for selecting the appropriate analysis technique. Promoting the research and practical application of findings in soil science, Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, Second Edition continues to be the most current, detailed, comprehensive tool for researchers and practitioners working with soil.

Thoroughly updated and revised, this second edition of the bestselling Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis presents several new chapters in the areas of biological and physical analysis and soil sampling. Reflecting the burgeoning interest in soil ecology, new contributions describe the growing number and assortment of new microbiological

The best single reference for both the theory and practice of soil physical measurements, Methods, Part 4 adopts a more hierarchical approach to allow readers to easily find their specific topic or measurement of interest. As such it is divided into eight main chapters on soil sampling and statistics, the solid, solution, and gas phases, soil heat, solute transport, multi-fluid flow, and erosion. More than 100 world experts contribute detailed sections.

The latest installment in the well-received Methods of Soil Analysis series, Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 5. Mineralogical Methods, presents valuable techniques that will enable researchers to analyze mineralogy for a wide variety of applications. An understanding of mineralogical composition provides crucial insight into the fundamental behavior of soils and their response to environmental conditions and management. Highlights include extensive coverage of new techniques, such as X-ray absorption and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and updated chapters on thermal analysis and selective dissolution methodologies. Each chapter provides the basic principles of the method, guides the reader through the method itself, and finally assists in the interpretation and analysis of results collected.

Soil sampling for microbiological analysis; Statistical treatment of microbial data; Soil sterilization; Soil water potencial; Most probable number counts; Light microscopic methods for studying soil microorganisms; Viruses; Recovery and enumeration of viable bacteria; Coliform bacteria; Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria; Free-living dinitrogen-fixing bacteria; Legume nodule symbionts; Anaerobic bacteria and processes; Denitrifiers; Actiomycetes; Frankia and the actinorhizal symbiosis; Filamentous fungi; Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Isolation of microorganisms producting antibiotics; Microbiological procedures for biodegradation research; Algae and cyanobacteria; Marking soil bacteria with lacZY; Detection of specific DNA sequences in environmental sample via polymerase chaim reaction; Isolation and purification of bacterial DNA from soil; Microbial biomass; Soil enzymes; Carbon mineralization; Isotopic methods for the study of soil organic matter dynamics ; Practical considerations in the use of nitrogen tracers in agricultural and environmental research; Nitrogen availability; Nitrogen mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification; Dinitrogen fixation; Measuring denitrification in the field; Sulfur oxidation and reduction in soils; Iron and manganese oxidation and reduction.