ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an attempt to use expert systems (ES) methodology to organize knowledge about managing acid soils and to transfer that knowledge to those making agricultural planning decisions. An intriguing thought is that interdisciplinary interaction may be easier to develop in ESs than in teams of experts. Interdisciplinary knowledge of the local situation is required for developing strategies for dealing with soil acidity. An ES shell is designed for the early stages of building ESs because it makes it easy to write rules, change them around, and add, modify, or delete as necessary. An ES shell is a preprogrammed structure that facilitates entering information into an ES. The system was expected to serve as a transfer mechanism to and from environmentally similar areas of the tropics. Information on the relative tolerance of the various crops to soil acidity is critical for effective crop management on acid soils.
