Integrated Fundamentals of Soil Science: Processes, Properties and Sustainable Management

Author(s)
Dr. S. Balaselvakumar
Department of Geography, Government Arts College Tiruchirappalli - 620 022, Tamil Nadu, India.

S. B. Hemavarthinii
School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences (Deemed to be University), Coimbatore 641114, Tamil Nadu, India.

ISBN 978-81-69006-97-2 (Print)
ISBN 978-81-69006-94-1 (eBook)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-81-69006-97-2

Integrated Fundamentals of Soil Science: Processes, Properties, and Sustainable Management is written in response to one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: the rapid degradation of the world’s soils. Today, nearly one-third of global soils are already degraded, millions of sites are contaminated, and soil is being lost far faster than it can regenerate (FAO, 2022; IPBES, 2018; UNCCD, 2022). At the same time, soils store between 1,500 and 2,400 petagrams of carbon—the largest terrestrial carbon reservoir—and remain central to feeding a global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. They are equally critical to climate mitigation efforts, forming a cornerstone of commitments under the Paris Agreement in more than 100 countries.

This book is designed primarily for postgraduate students and early-career researchers, but it also serves as a reference for professionals in agriculture and environmental sciences. It brings together the classical foundations of soil science with rapidly evolving tools and approaches. Readers are introduced to soils as dynamic, living systems shaped by interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes, while also engaging with contemporary advances such as digital soil mapping, remote sensing, machine learning, and precision agriculture.