Fundamentals of Soil Chemistry

The book, Fundamentals of Soil Chemistry', is meant for the students of Soil Science in particular and for those who are studying agriculture in general. The book is written in a simpler language to understand the basics of Soil Chemistry and its applications. This book will be useful both for the undergraduate and post graduate students. The book comprises of ten chapters on fundamental aspects of soil chemistry. The chapter 1 deals with the basic principles of soil chemistry while chapter 2 is intendent to know the composition of soil. The elements in plant nutrition and soil organic matter are discussed in chapter 3 and 4 respectively. The soil colloidal properties, the structure of silicates and non-silicate minerals , identification of clay minerals as well as charge characteristics of clay are presented in chapter 5. The concept of ion exchange phenomena and its significance in plant nutrition are addressed in chapter 6. The function of acid and alkaline soils and their reclamation processes are discussed in chapter 7. The effect of soil reaction on plant growth has also been discussed in this chapter. The adsorption and desorption of nutrients in soil and its implication towards fertilizer application are dealt in chapter 8. The chemistry and implication of submerged soils are discussed in chapter 9. The organo-metal complexation in soil and the nature of stability of the complexes are discussed in chapter 10.