The Red Soils of China

Their Nature, Management and Utilization
1. Auflage. Softcover version of original hardcover Auflage 2004
ISBN: 978-90-481-6597-1
Verlag: Springer Netherlands

Buch, Englisch, 400 Seiten, Previously published in hardcover, Format (B × H): 170 mm x 244 mm, Gewicht: 715 g

The red soils of China are typical in their chemical, physical and mineralogical characteristics of red soils in other tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world, particularly in South America, Africa and south-east Asia. For the most part, these soils are highly weathered and inherently infertile. They are acidic, nutrient­ deficient, poor in organic matter and have a low water-holding and supplying capacity. They cannot sustain arable cropping systems without the most careful management and are highly susceptible to soil erosion, particularly on sloping land. It is the purpose of this book to present recent research showing how the problems associated with using the red soils in China for sustainable agricultural production can be overcome, using a variety of traditional and novel approaches. In principle, these approaches should be useful in other tropical and sub-tropical countries faced with the problem of making the best use of their fragile red soil resources. The term "in principle" is used deliberately because, of course, the different red soil countries invariably operate within dissimilar socio-economic frameworks. At the present time, China may be considered to be in the process of an "industrial revolution", rather like that that took place in Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wilson, M. J.

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Geologie Bodenkunde, Sedimentologie
• Technische Wissenschaften Umwelttechnik | Umwelttechnologie Abfallwirtschaft, Abfallentsorgung
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Wasserversorgung
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltverschmutzung, Umweltkriminalität, Umweltrecht
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltmanagement, Umweltökonomie
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Abfallbeseitigung, Abfallentsorgung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

And Background.- I. The Nature, Properties, Distribution and Classification of Red Soils in China: Synopsis and Overview.- Nature and Properties of Red Soils of the World.- Distribution and Classification of Red Soils in China.- Mineralogy of Red Soils in Southern China in Relation to Their Development and Charge Characteristics.- Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Red Soils From Zhejiang Province, Southern China.- Rare Earth Element (Ree) Geochemistry During Red Soil Formation in Southern China.- II. Constraints to Crop Production on the Red Soils of China: Synopsis and Overview.- Chemical Soil Constraints to Crop Production on Chinese Red Soils.- Climatic Constraints to Crop Production in the Red Soils Area of Southern China.- Soil Water Holding and Supplying Capacities in the Hilly Red Soils Region Southern China.- Erosion Rates and Crop Productivity on a Red Soil Experimental Site in Yunnan Province.- Soil Fertility Degradation in Eroded Hilly Red Soils of China.- III. Management, Utilization and Sustainability of Red Soils in China: Overview and Synopsis.- Challenges in the Management and Utilization of Red Soils.- Physiological and Genetic Aspects of Crop Plant Adaptation to Elemental Stresses in Acid Soils.- Response of Upland Rice Genotypes to Soil Acidity.- Simulation Research on Water Balance and Optimal Irrigation in Crop Fields in a Hilly Red Soils Region of Southern China.- Acid Tolerance of Some Forage Grasses and Effects of Phosphate, Potassium and Magnesium Application on Their Growth.- Effect of P Fertilizer and Lime Applications on Growth of Annual Ryegrass on Acid Red Soils.- The Development of Sustainable Cropping Systems on Red Soils in the Highlands of South China.- Effects of Land Use on the Chemical and Physical Properties of Red Soils.- Effects of Organic Matter Amendment on Nitrogen Utilization and Transformation in Red Soils Using 15N Tracer Technique.- Effect of Organic Matter Amendment on Uptake of Inorganic P by Ryegrass and Transformation Dynamics of Phosphorus From 32P Labelled Ryegrass in Red Soil.- Effects of Ph on Microbial Biomass -C, and -P in Red Soils.- Effect of Land Use on Microbial Biomass -C, -N and -P in Red Soils.- Dynamics of Substrate Utilization Pattern in Red Soils: An Indicator of Soil Quality Changes.- Soil Acidification Under Tea Bushes and Its Influence on The Biological Characteristics of a Red Soil.- IV. Socio-Economic Aspects of Red Soil Utilization and the Application of New Technologies: Synopsis and Overview.- A Socio-Economic Study of Kelang Village in Yunnan Province in Relation to Uptake by Farmers of Improved Management Practices on Red Soils in China.- Establishment and Application of an Integrated Red Soils Resource Information System (Isirs) for Hilly Ultisols in China.- Integration of a Soil Information System and Optimum Tree Cluster for Agricultural Regionalization.- V. Conclusions.