Agricultural Systems 103 (2010) 401–402
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Agricultural Systems
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy
Book reviews
Soil Science Simplified, fifth ed., N. Eash, C.J. Green, A. Ravzi, W.J.
Bennett. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, USA (2008). 256
pp., Price US$ 62.99, Hardback, ISBN: 978-0-8138-1823-8.
This book aims to present soil science in a manner that students
and professionals from a range of relevant disciplines can benefit
from without excessive jargon and complexity. The authors have
achieved this by updating and revising the fourth edition of this
text to include more discussion of non-agricultural uses of soil,
while explaining the fundamental concepts associated with soil
science in a straight forward and easily readable manner. Thus, I
anticipate that this new edition of the text will continue to be a
great reference for professionals that rely on soil for their liveli-
hoods. In addition, educators at high schools and higher level insti-
tutions will find this introductory soils text to be a tremendous
resource.
The book is divided into 12 concise chapters. The first two chap-
ters present an introduction to the varied uses of soil and provide
clear explanations of the mechanisms that form soils. Chapters 3–5
address key concepts and information associated with the physi-
cal, biological, and chemical properties of soils such as soil texture
and structure, soil organisms and organic matter, carbon and nitro-
gen cycling, ion exchange, and buffering capacity. Chapters 6 and 7
discuss the physical processes associated with soil water and tem-
perature fluxes. Chapters 8 and 9 present soil fertility and manage-
ment applications and integrate concepts presented earlier in the
text. Chapters 10 and 11 cover soil conservation and soil classifica-
doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2010.03.007
Food, Energy, and Society, third ed., D. Pimentel, M.H. Pimentel
(Eds.). CRC Press, Baton Rouge, Florida, USA (2008). 380 pp., Price
US$ 89.95, Hardback, ISBN: 978-1-4200-4667-0
One measure of the value of a book is how much one learns in
its reading. The third edition of Food, Energy, and Society is a trea-
sure trove of facts, statistics, and analysis of the interrelatedness of
dietary choices, food production practices, water, energy, land, bio-
diversity, and human population. A taste of the statistics both illu-
minating and alarming follows:
world population has doubled in the last 50 years to 6.5 billion;
3.7 billion people are malnourished; 90% US cropland is losing
soil 13 times the sustainable rate; 60% US rangelands are over-
grazed; food production per capita has declined since 1984;
agriculture consumes 70–80% of the worlds fresh water; it is
predicted that 50% of all species on the planet will be extinct
by the end of the century; 90% of world food production is
derived from 15 crop species and eight livestock species; live-
stock production consumes seven times more grain as humans
(US); despite a 10-fold increase in insecticide use in the US from
1945 to 2000, crop losses from insects increased from 3.5% to
12%; it takes 1000 L of water to produce 1 kg of grain and
43,000 L of water to produce 1 kg of beef; on average 25 kcal
tion. Chapter 12 discusses the role soil plays in non-agricultural
applications. Illustrations by the same artist are provided through
out the text to elucidate the material presented. No reference list is
provided. However, a useful glossary and appendix can be found at
the end of the book.
It is quite refreshing to come across a readable soil science text
that brings together information that is often dispersed in several
texts or convoluted by assumptions about the reader’s knowledge
base. While this text is clearly focused on agricultural applications,
it provides the essential information and explains the critical mech-
anisms that students, professionals, policy makers, and researchers
in a variety of arenas need to have for a solid foundation in soil
science. In particular, educators at high schools and higher level
institutions can use this book to explain the fundamentals of soil
science and then go into further detail about specific topics as
needed. This book will serve as a great introduction to soils for all
who utilize and protect this vital resource.
Christian V. Braneon
Georgia Water Resources Institute,
790 Atlantic Drive,
Atlanta, Georiga 30332-0355,
USA
E-mail address: BraneonCV@gatech.edu
Available online 14 April 2010
of fossil energy is required for 1 kcal of animal protein and
2.5 kcal for 1 kcal of plant protein; and energy input for crops
range from 7732 MJ (wheat) to 54,647 MJ (cassava) in develop-
ing countries compared to 37,947 MJ (wheat) to 128,755
(apple) in the US.
The book comprises 23 ‘‘stand-alone” chapters that lend
themselves to browsing topics of interest, rather than reading
from cover to cover. There are brief background paragraphs
on biogeochemical cycles, plant genetics, energy, and terres-
trial, aquatic, and agricultural ecosystems, but a thorough
understanding of these topics is not a prerequisite for benefit-
ing from the book’s focus/strength, namely, energy analysis of
agriculture. The authors’ delineate energy inputs and outputs
for specific crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and pro-
duction methods in the US and internationally. Additional
chapters address the environmental effects and costs of pesti-
cides, water resource use and management, soil erosion, biodi-
versity, renewable energy, food versus food debate, and
conservation. The anthropological development of human soci-
ety and agriculture is also briefly discussed and includes an
interesting energy analysis comparing the energy inputs of
the Kung Bushmen gathering mongongo nuts at different dis-
tances from camp.