The Soil Conservation Technical Handbook is a comprehensive collection of know how about soil conservation. Informations have been gathered from individual knowledge along with past often unpublished, or scarce copies of printed material. The main forms of erosion are covered in this Technical Handbook are Mass movement erosion, Fluvial erosion, Surface erosion and Sediment erosion. The Handbook is divided into two parts which covers the forms and processes of the main types of erosion. More technical descriptions can be found in the references provided alongwith summary of the main control techniques and it also describes the control techniques whom provide information for the practitioner to put together a soil conservation programme. The present hand book would prove self for post graduate students of Soil Science, Agronomy and Agriculturists. Also useful for scientists involved in soil conservation programme and practitioners.
Water harvesting is gaining more and more recognition as a sustainable and resilient water supply options. It is economically viable, socially compatible and environmentally friendly. Water harvesting has proven to be a robust solution to overcome or reduce water shortages all over the world. It is important to understand how to apply this practice in a sustainable and effective way to make full use of its potential in a world increasingly threatened by water scarcity. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Basic Concepts and Fundamentals is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and applied handbook on water harvesting and conservation yet published. The book’s 30 chapters -- written by 84 outstanding international experts from approximately 20 selected countries faced by drought -- explore, critique and develop concepts and systems for water harvesting. The editors bring together many perspectives into a synthesis that is both academically based and practical in its potential applications. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Basic Concepts and Fundamentals is an important tool for education, research and technical works in the areas of soil, water and watershed management and is highly useful for drought strategy planning, flood management and developing techniques to adapt to climate change in urban, agricultural, forest and rangeland areas.
The irrigation water is considered as the essential input for crop production. Over exploitation of natural water resources has caused a menace for the future human generations. The depletion of underground water table in high productivity areas and under utilization of the water resources in rain fed areas of the country, poor irrigation efficiency and high seepage losses from conveyance system, poor land development and mismanagement of the irrigation water resources has acquired alarming proportions. As the share of water for agriculture in future is going to reduce, there will be tremendous pressure to produce more per drop of water in order to meet the food and other requirements of burgeoning population of the country. The existing irrigation water resources are not utilized judiciously and their mismanagement has lead to problems like low production efficiency, salinization, water logging and degradation of land. To manage these problems and increase the production efficiency of irrigation, it is pertinent to adopt judicious methods of irrigation water use, by efficient on-farm irrigation management based on scientific approach. Therefore, a comprehensive knowledge of available soil moisture and its constants, scheduling and quality of irrigation water and proper drainage techniques is crucial. This manual on irrigation engineering is an attempt to fulfil this urgent need as it covers all major aspects of irrigation water management. Although, manual is meant primarily for the students of agricultural universities, yet it will provide valuable basic information and guide to the scientific community and field functionaries.
A comprehensive approach to agricultural water productivity requires actions at all levels, from crops to irrigation schemes, and up to national and international economic systems. In particular, shifting to modern on-farm irrigation practices can contribute to a substantial increase in both water use efficiency and water productivity. The objective of this handbook is to provide a practical guide on the use of pressurized irrigation techniques to farmers, irrigation technicians, and extension workers in the field. In this second edition, the handbook has been considerably revised, including new chapters on low-cost drip irrigation and pipe distribution systems for smallholders.
In 1979, several graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University met with one of the authors (CEB) and asked him to teach a new course on water supply for aqua culture. They felt that information on climatology, hydrology, water distribution systems, pumps, and wells would be valuable to them. Most of these students were planning to work in commercial aquaculture in the United States or abroad, and they thought that such a cdurse would better prepare them to plan aquaculture projects and to communicate with engineers, contractors, and other specialists who often become involved in the planning and construction phases of aquaculture en deavors. The course was developed, and after a few years it was decided that more effective presentation of some of the material could be made by an engineer. The other author (KHY) accepted the challenge, and three courses on the water supply aspects of aquaculture are now offered at Auburn University. A course providing background in hydrology is followed by courses on selected topics from water supply engineering. Most graduate programs in aquaculture at other universities will even tually include similar coursework, because students need a formal intro duction to this important, yet somewhat neglected, part of aquaculture. We have written this book to serve as a text for a course in water supply for aquaculture or for individual study. The book is divided into is concerned two parts.
Interpreting Soil Test Results is a practical reference for those who need to interpret results from laboratory analysis of soil. It has a comprehensive listing of the soil properties relevant to most environmental and natural land resource issues and investigations. The precursor to this book, What Do All the Numbers Mean?, known as The Numbers Book, was widely used and accepted for interpreting soil test results. This new edition has been completely updated and many sections have been expanded, particularly those on acid sulfate soils and soil salinity. It is a handy and straightforward guide to interpretation of the numbers associated with a wide range of soil tests.
In view of the grave consequences of soil degradation on ecosystem functions, food security, biodiversity and human health, this book covers the extent, causes, processes and impacts of global soil degradation, and processes for improvement of degraded soils. Soil conservation measures, including soil amendments, decompaction, mulching, cover cropping, crop rotation, green manuring, contour farming, strip cropping, alley cropping, surface roughening, windbreaks, terracing, sloping agricultural land technology (SALT), dune stabilization, etc., are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to soil pollution and the methods of physical, chemical and biological remediation of polluted soils. This book will lead the reader from the basics to a comprehensive understanding of soil degradation, conservation and remediation.
