Soil Fertility Decline in the Tropics: With Case Studies on Plantations (Cabi Publishing)

This book, containing 12 chapters including an introduction which focuses on soil fertility under different land use systems in the tropics. Chapter 2 contains a global literature review on human population growth, soil resources of the tropics, tropical land use and management, soil degradation and sustainable land management. Chapter 3 reviews historical and productivity aspects of agricultural plantations in the tropics. Chapter 4 covers theoretical considerations of soil fertility decline and includes sections on data requirements, spatial and temporal variation, soil tests and interpretation of soil fertility decline studies. Chapter 5 focuses on soil fertility decline of annual cropping systems and brings together a wide range of data and studies. Soil changes under plantation crops are critically examined in Chapters 6 to 10 using published literature on perennial crops, sugarcane plantations and forest plantations. Two detailed case studies are included, based on research conducted at plantations in Tanzania and Papua New Guinea. Chapter 11 synthesizes data from the literature and the case studies. Finally, a summary of the soil changes followed by some of the implications for plantation cropping and a set of conclusions is given in Chapter 12. Available In Print Chapter: 1 (Page no: 1) Introduction. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 2 (Page no: 10) Human population and soil degradation. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 3 (Page no: 61) Plantation agriculture. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 4 (Page no: 79) Soil fertility decline - theoretical considerations. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 5 (Page no: 139) Annual crops. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 6 (Page no: 165) Perennial crop plantations. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 7 (Page no: 197) Forest plantations. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 8 (Page no: 227) Sugarcane plantations. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 9 (Page no: 264) Case 1 - sugarcane plantation, Papua New Guinea. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 10 (Page no: 289) Case 2 - sisal plantations, Tanzania. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 11 (Page no: 315) Synthesis. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E. Chapter: 12 (Page no: 339) Summary and Conclusions. Author(s): Hartemink, A. E.

hartemink (international Soil Reference And Information Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands) Presents The Results Of His Research In Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, Indonesia, And Papua New Guinea, Focusing On Soil Fertility Decline In Tropical Plantations In Those Lands. An Initial Chapter Discusses The Scientific Project Of The Volume, Followed By Discussion Of Human Population And Soil Degradation. Malthus And His Followers Are Discussed, As Well As Trends In Crop Yields, Soil Fertility, Sustainable Land Management, And Other Issues. Plantation Agriculture Is Next Covered, Followed By Theoretical Considerations Involved In Soil Fertility Decline; Annual And Perennial Crops; Forest And Sugarcane Plantations; And Two Case Studies, Followed By A Synthesis, Summary, And Conclusions. Distributed By Oxford University Press. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or

Wide coverage of soils and perennial cropping systems in the tropicsSynthesis of decades of researchChallenges assumptions on the benefits of plantations for soil fertilityIt is generally assumed that soil fertility decline is widespread in the tropics and that this is largely associated with annual cropping and subsistence farming. In contrast, perennial plant cover (as in plantation agriculture) provides better protection for the soil.This book reviews these concepts, focusing on soil chemical changes under different land-use systems in the tropics. These include perennial crops, annual crops and forest plantations. Two case studies, on sisal plantations in Tanzania and sugar cane in Papua New Guinea, are presented for detailed analysis. The author demonstrates that soil fertility decline is also a problem on plantations. It is generally assumed that soil fertility decline is widespread in the tropics and that this is largely associated with annual cropping and subsistence farming. In contrast, perennial plant cover (as in plantation agriculture) provides better protection for the soil. This book reviews these concepts, focusing on soil chemical changes under different land-use systems in the tropics. These include perennial crops, annual crops and forest plantations. Two case studies, on sisal plantations in Tanzania and sugar cane in Papua New Guinea, are presented for detailed analysis. The author demonstrates that soil fertility decline is also a problem on plantations Contents 6 Preface 10 Foreword 12 Acknowledgements 14 1 Introduction 16 2 Human Population and Soil Degradation 25 3 Plantation Agriculture 76 4 Soil Fertility Decline – Theoretical Considerations 94 5 Annual Crops 154 6 Perennial Crop Plantations 180 7 Forest Plantations 212 8 Sugarcane Plantations 242 9 Case 1 – Sugarcane Plantation, Papua New Guinea 279 10 Case 2 – Sisal Plantations, Tanzania 304 11 Synthesis 330 12 Summary and Conclusions 354 Author Index 360 Subject Index 366 It is generally assumed that soil fertility decline is widespread in the tropics. In contrast, perennial plant cover provides better protection for the soil. This book reviews these concepts, focusing on soil chemical changes under different land-use systems in the tropics, including perennial crops, annual crops, and forest plantations. If all resources are harnessed, and adequate measures taken to minimize soil degradation, sufficient food to feed the population in 2020 can be produced, and probably sufficient for a few billion more.