ABSTRACT
Norman Uphoff, Andrew S. Ball, Erick C.M. Fernandes, Hans Herren, Olivier Husson,
Cheryl Palm, Jules Pretty, Nteranya Sanginga and Janice E. Thies
CONTENTS
1.1 Components of Soil Systems............................................................................................... 3
1.2 Understanding Soil System Dynamics.............................................................................. 5
1.2.1 Difficulties in Analyzing Biological Components ............................................... 6
1.2.2 Methodological Issues and Opportunities ........................................................... 6
1.3 Soil Systems Analysis and Management .......................................................................... 7
1.4 Soil System Interactions....................................................................................................... 9
1.5 Book Design......................................................................................................................... 10
1.6 Challenges for Agricultural Science and Practice ......................................................... 11
References ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Soil, the foundation for most terrestrial life, has unrivalled complexity. What is seen as
mostly mineral and relatively homogeneous material contains uncountable numbers of
organisms, as well varying amounts of air and water. A single gram of soil usually
contains tens to thousands of millions of fungi and bacteria, plus thousands of diverse
plant and animal species. Indeed, the extraordinary diversity of microbes in the soil
remains unappreciated because most, perhaps.95% of them, cannot be cultured and thus
have never been examined, classified, or recognized for their ecological significance. Terra
incognita remains a very relevant concept.
