Red Soils Of China : Their Nature, Management and Utilization

Wilson, M. J. (EDT); He, Zhenli (EDT); Yang, Xiaoe (EDT); Zhenli, He (EDT); Xiacoe, Yang (EDT)

ISBN 10: 1402021372 / ISBN 13: 9781402021374

Published by Springer, 2004

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 2513687

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Red Soils Of China : Their Nature, Management and Utilization
• Publisher: Springer
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1402021372
• ISBN 13: 9781402021374
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

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.

Synopsis

The red soils of China are highly weathered, inherently infertile and very susceptible to erosion. However, they represent China's last available soil resource that could be brought into agricultural production, a fact that assumes great importance in view of China's huge and still-increasing population. These soils are typical of similar red soils that occur throughout tropical and sub-tropical South America, Africa and south east Asia, so that if the red soils of China could be successfully utilized then this would have wider implications for agriculture in other countries. Previous attempts to cultivate Chinese red soils have met with little success and it has become apparent that they cannot sustain arable cropping systems without the most careful management. This book describes recent research outlining the physical, chemical and mineralogical nature of the soils, the various constraints that combine to inhibit their practical use, and the traditional and novel approaches that may be used to overcome these constraints.

Building upon previous work and using examples from other countries, the book illustrates these approaches, shows appropriate land uses for the red soils of China and how the fertility of the soils evolves with time under these land uses. Whether these technical and scientific advances will be taken up by the Chinese farmer will depend to a large extent on the prevailing socio-economic conditions.