**Meet the editor**

Dr. Maria C. Hernandez-Soriano, PhD, received a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Granada, Spain, in 2006, where she completed a MS in Agricultural Sciences in 2007. She carried out her thesis studies within an international agreement between the High Council for Scientific Research in Spain, and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, under the

direction of Dr MD Mingorance, Dr A. Peña and Prof. E. Smolders, receiving a PhD degree in Bioscience Engineering in June 2009. Dr Hernandez-Soriano has been awarded with a significant number of fellowships, including a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research in North Carolina State University, under the supervision of Prof. D. Hesterberg. She has made a significant number of research contributions that were published in prestigious international peer-reviewed journals in the area of Soil Science, Environmental Sciences, and Chemistry. Her work has been presented internationally in more than 20 conferences. Currently, she is holding a Research Position at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where she is interested in gaining insights into the composition and molecular characterization of organic matter.

Contents

**Preface IX** 

Chapter 1 **Soil Fertility Status** 

**Part 1 Soil Characteristics Control Biogeochemical Processes 1** 

**and Its Determining Factors in Tanzania 3** 

Shinya Funakawa, Hiroshi Yoshida, Tetsuhiro Watanabe, Soh Sugihara, Method Kilasara and Takashi Kosaki

Chapter 2 **The Role of Aluminum-Organo Complexes in Soil Organic Matter Dynamics 17** 

Maria C. Hernández-Soriano

**Part 2 Land Use Impact on Soil Quality 33** 

Chapter 3 **Quantifying Soil Moisture Distribution at a Watershed Scale 35** 

Chapter 4 **Pesticide Contamination in Groundwater** 

Chapter 5 **Fire Impact on Several Chemical and** 

**Part 3 Soil Fertility and Irrigation 87** 

Chapter 6 **Nutrient Mobility and Availability with** 

**in the Ofinso District, Ghana 51** 

Andrea Rubenacker, Paola Campitelli, Manuel Velasco and Silvia Ceppi

**Vegetable Crops on Sandy Soils 89**  Shinjiro Sato and Kelly T. Morgan

**and Streams Draining Vegetable Plantations** 

Benjamin O. Botwe, William J. Ntow and Elvis Nyarko

**Physicochemical Parameters in a Forest Soil 67** 

**Selected Irrigation and Drainage Systems for** 

Manoj K. Jha

## Contents

#### **Preface XIII**

	- **Part 2 Land Use Impact on Soil Quality 33**
	- **Part 3 Soil Fertility and Irrigation 87**

Contents VII

Chapter 16 **Earthworm Biomarkers as Tools** 

**for Soil Pollution Assessment 305**

Maria Giulia Lionetto, Antonio Calisi and Trifone Schettino

	- **Part 5 Soil Salinity 175**
	- **Part 6 Soil Pollution Management 199**
	- **Part 7 Soil Pollution Assessment 253**

#### Chapter 16 **Earthworm Biomarkers as Tools for Soil Pollution Assessment 305**  Maria Giulia Lionetto, Antonio Calisi and Trifone Schettino

VI Contents

Chapter 7 **Forest Preservation, Flooding and Soil Fertility: Evidence from Madagascar 111**  Bart Minten and Claude Randrianarisoa

Liu Zhaohui, Song Xiaozong, Jiang Lihua, Lin Haitao,

**in the Composting of Livestock Manure 155** 

Xu Yu, Gao Xinhao, Zheng Fuli, Tan Deshui, Wang Mei, Shi Jing and Shen Yuwen

Chapter 9 **Nitratation Promotion Process for Reducing Nitrogen Losses by N2O/NO Emissions**

Chapter 10 **Effect of Salinity on Soil Microorganisms 177**  Celia Maria Maganhotto de Souza Silva

**After Remediation Activities 201**

Ana Romero and Carlos Dorronsoro

**Pollution Soils by Use of Weeds 217**

Francisco Martín, Mariano Simón, Elena Arco,

Timothy J. Gish, John H. Prueger, William P. Kustas, Jerry L. Hatfield, Lynn G. McKee and Andrew Russ

**Pollution with Heavy Metals of Small Water Reservoirs 255**

Chapter 14 **Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Sediments**

Chapter 15 **Molecular Analyses of Soil Fungal Community – Methods and Applications 279** 

and Elisabeth Francisconi Fay

**Part 6 Soil Pollution Management 199** 

Chapter 11 **Arsenic Behaviour in Polluted Soils** 

Chapter 12 **Restoration of Cadmium (Cd)** 

Masaru Ogasawara

Chapter 13 **Herbicide Off-Site Transport 229**

**Part 7 Soil Pollution Assessment 253**

Bogusław Michalec

Yuko Takada Hoshino

Yasuyuki Fukumoto

**Part 5 Soil Salinity 175**

**Part 4 Soil Nitrogen Management 131** 

Chapter 8 **Strategies for Managing Soil Nitrogen to Prevent Nitrate-N Leaching in Intensive Agriculture System 133**

Preface

USDA Yearbook of Agriculture, 1957.

of economic and environmental sustainability.

and the general public.

"Be it deep or shallow, red or black, sand or clay, the soil is the link between the rock core of the earth and the living things on its surface. It is the foothold for the plants we grow. Therein lays the main reason for our interest in soils." --- Roy W. Simonson,

The British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was probably the first scientist to examine a soil profile and suggest factors responsible for the structure of the various layers. Nowadays, Soil Science is the science dealing with soils as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth, including soil formation, classification, and mapping. In addition, understanding the physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils is essential, and how these properties relate to the use and management of the soils. Soils play multiple roles in the quality of life throughout the world, not only as the resource for food production, but also as the support for our structures, the environment, the medium for waste disposal, water, and the storage of nutrients.

Healthy soil, meaning the 'fitness' (or condition) of the soil in relation to its inherent (or potential) capability, is productive, sustainable, and profitable. If soil can sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote the health of plants and animals, it is considered healthy. Understanding the impact of land management practices on soil properties and processes can provide useful indicators

*Soil Health and Land Use Management* is a book designed by InTech - Open Access Publisher in collaboration with recognized authors from Europe, North and South America, China, and Japan, unifying biological, chemical, and agricultural approaches to research on soil health. This book is intended to provide a broad vision of the fundamental importance of soil health and the development of feasible management and remediation strategies to preserve and ameliorate the fitness of soils. Simultaneously, this book also provides a deep insight into a suite of specific problems related with land management and soil pollution, from the impact of agricultural practices, to the introduction of novel methodologies for soil pollution assessment. Therefore, this volume will be a valuable reading to a global audience of scientists, researchers, environmental educators, administrators, technicians, managers, students,

## Preface

"Be it deep or shallow, red or black, sand or clay, the soil is the link between the rock core of the earth and the living things on its surface. It is the foothold for the plants we grow. Therein lays the main reason for our interest in soils." --- Roy W. Simonson, USDA Yearbook of Agriculture, 1957.

The British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was probably the first scientist to examine a soil profile and suggest factors responsible for the structure of the various layers. Nowadays, Soil Science is the science dealing with soils as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth, including soil formation, classification, and mapping. In addition, understanding the physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils is essential, and how these properties relate to the use and management of the soils. Soils play multiple roles in the quality of life throughout the world, not only as the resource for food production, but also as the support for our structures, the environment, the medium for waste disposal, water, and the storage of nutrients.

Healthy soil, meaning the 'fitness' (or condition) of the soil in relation to its inherent (or potential) capability, is productive, sustainable, and profitable. If soil can sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote the health of plants and animals, it is considered healthy. Understanding the impact of land management practices on soil properties and processes can provide useful indicators of economic and environmental sustainability.

*Soil Health and Land Use Management* is a book designed by InTech - Open Access Publisher in collaboration with recognized authors from Europe, North and South America, China, and Japan, unifying biological, chemical, and agricultural approaches to research on soil health. This book is intended to provide a broad vision of the fundamental importance of soil health and the development of feasible management and remediation strategies to preserve and ameliorate the fitness of soils. Simultaneously, this book also provides a deep insight into a suite of specific problems related with land management and soil pollution, from the impact of agricultural practices, to the introduction of novel methodologies for soil pollution assessment. Therefore, this volume will be a valuable reading to a global audience of scientists, researchers, environmental educators, administrators, technicians, managers, students, and the general public.

#### XIV Preface

The first two chapters discuss the necessity of a thorough characterization of soil properties in order to develop management and remediation strategies, with a particular focus in the mineralogical composition and the turnover of organic matter. The chapters in section two present relevant case studies about the impact of land use on soil health, while section three and four introduce several strategies to improve land management. The last three sections encompass chapters dedicated to environmental scenarios of high concern, as being salt-affected soils or degraded, due to heavy metals or contamination from pesticides. Remediation strategies and longterm effectiveness are presented in section six, while section seven launches novel methodologies for highly efficient evaluation of soil pollution.

The sixteen chapters of this book can be read independently, but like the different components of soil, they mutually benefit and enrich each other, orchestrating a valuable composition that depicts current trends in soil health from a multidisciplinary approach.

For their excellent work, special thanks to the technical editor and sincere appreciation to Ms Ivana Zec, the Publishing Process Manager who coordinated the publication process of this volume, and assisted me and the authors in completing our tasks smoothly and in a timely manner.

> **M.C. Hernández-Soriano** North Carolina State University USA
