Revitalize your garden—and go beyond compost—by making your own biologically diverse inoculants and mineral-rich amendments using leaf mold, weeds, eggshells, bones, and other materials available for little or no cost! In The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments, experimental gardener and author Nigel Palmer provides practical, detailed instructions that are accessible to every grower who wants to achieve a truly sustainable garden ecosystem—all while enjoying better results at a fraction of the cost of commercial fertilizer products. These recipes go beyond fertilizer replacement, resulting in greater soil biological activity and mineral availability. They also increase pest and disease resistance, yields, and nutrient density. Recipes include: Extracting nutrients from plant residues using simple rainwater techniques Extracting minerals from bones and shells using vinegar Fermenting plant juices and fish Culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) Inspired by the work of many innovative traditional agricultural pioneers, especially Cho Ju-Young (founder of the Korean Natural Farming method), The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments also includes a primer on plant-soil interaction, instructions for conducting a soil test, and guidance on compost, cover cropping, mulching, measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables using a refractometer, and other aspects of sustainable gardening—making it a must-have resource for any serious grower.

This book presents a comprehensive and balanced overview of soil amendments and their effect on the environment. It encompasses both positive and negative aspects of chemical fertilizers that supply nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, lime, micronutrients, and trace metals. Pros and cons are discussed with respect to the optimal and the most environmentally sound use of soil amendments, and guidance is provided on how to minimize the environmental effects of amendments. Natural fertilizers, including manure, sludge, fly ash, phosphogypsum, and byproduct gypsum are also discussed. Alternative agronomic practices and biotechnology that ameliorate or minimize potential adverse effects of fertilizer use are examined in detail. This authoritative and up-to-date treatise is multidisciplinary in nature and international in scope, a powerful reference tool for researchers, a thorough guide for practitioners and policy makers, and an excellent text book for academic courses.

This book, Organic Fertilizers - From Basic Concepts to Applied Outcomes, is intended to provide an overview of emerging researchable issues related to the use of organic fertilizers that highlight recent research activities in applied organic fertilizers toward a sustainable agriculture and environment. We aimed to compile information from a diversity of sources into a single volume to give some real examples extending the concepts in organic fertilizers that may stimulate new research ideas and trends in the relevant fields.

"This book provides the latest and practical guideline to readers working in the field of soil sustainability and crop yield. It also examines characteristics of various soil amendments, hydrophobic soil amelioration, nutrient solubilizing microorganisms, the impact analysis of amendment application, and recent advances on soil liming "--

Soil and Fertilizers: Managing the Environmental Footprint presents strategies to improve soil health by reducing the rate of fertilizer input while maintaining high agronomic yields. It is estimated that fertilizer use supported nearly half of global births in 2008. In a context of potential food insecurity exacerbated by population growth and climate change, the importance of fertilizers in sustaining the agronomic production is clear. However, excessive use of chemical fertilizers poses serious risks both to the environment and to human health. Highlighting a tenfold increase in global fertilizer consumption between 2002 and 2016, the book explains the effects on the quality of soil, water, air and biota from overuse of chemical fertilizers. Written by an interdisciplinary author team, this book presents methods for enhancing the efficiency of fertilizer use and outlines agricultural practices that can reduce the environmental footprint. Features: Includes a thorough literature review on the agronomic and environmental impact of fertilizer, from degradation of ecosystems to the eutrophication of drinking water Devotes specific chapters to enhancing the use efficiency and effectiveness of the fertilizers through improved formulations, time and mode of application, and the use of precision farming technology Reveals geographic variation in fertilizer consumption volume by presenting case studies for specific countries and regions, including India and Africa Discusses the pros and cons of organic vs. chemical fertilizers, innovative technologies including nuclear energy, and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences series, this solutions-focused volume will appeal to soil scientists, environmental scientists and agricultural engineers.

Like all living things, plants require nutrient elements to grow. The Plant Nutrition Manual describes the principles that determine how plants grow and discusses all the essential elements necessary for successful crop production. The nutritional needs of plants that add color and variety to our visual senses are addressed as well. Altogether, nutritional requirements are given for 143 plants grouped in seven categories from food crop plants to ornamentals. The text begins with an introduction to the basic principles of plant nutrition. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the roles of the major elements and micronutrients. The last two chapters describe techniques for determining the nutrient element status of growing plants through plant analysis and tissue tests. The Plant Nutrition Manual is loaded with information on what plants need for normal vigorous growth and development-free of nutritional stress.

Learn from this integrated approach to the management and restoration of ecosystems edited by an international leader in the field The Handbook of Ecological and Ecosystem Engineering delivers a comprehensive overview of the latest research and practical developments in the rapidly evolving fields of ecological and ecosystem engineering. Beginning with an introduction to the theory and practice of ecological engineering and ecosystem services, the book addresses a wide variety of issues central to the restoration and remediation of ecological environments. The book contains fulsome analyses of the restoration, rehabilitation, conservation, sustainability, reconstruction, remediation, and reclamation of ecosystems using ecological engineering techniques. Case studies are used to highlight practical applications of the theory discussed within. The material in the Handbook of Ecological and Ecosystem Engineering is particularly relevant at a time when the human population is dramatically rising, and the exploitation of natural resources is putting increasing pressure on planetary ecosystems. The book demonstrates how modern scientific ecology can contribute to the greening of the environment through the inclusion of concrete examples of successful applied management. The book also includes: A thorough discussion of ecological engineering and ecosystem services theory and practice An exploration of ecological and ecosystem engineering economic and environmental revitalization An examination of the role of soil meso and macrofauna indicators for restoration assessment success in a rehabilitated mine site A treatment of the mitigation of urban environmental issues by applying ecological and ecosystem engineering A discussion of soil fertility restoration theory and practice Perfect for academic researchers, industry scientists, and environmental engineers working in the fields of ecological engineering, environmental science, and biotechnology, the Handbook of Ecological and Ecosystem Engineering also belongs on the bookshelves of environmental regulators and consultants, policy makers, and employees of non-governmental organizations working on sustainable development.

This book "is written specifically for western agriculture and for individuals seeking practical, production-oriented, problem-solving information. ... Basic information is included on properties of soil, water, and plants. Fertilizer products, their properties, and their management are presented, as is related information on soil amendments and irrigation water quality. All this is framed in the context of western agriculture--that is, primarily high-yielding irrigated crops grown on soils frequently having a pH above 7.0"--Foreword.