Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Second Edition [Hardcover]

Eldor A. Paul (Author), Francis E. Clark (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0125468067 | ISBN-13: 978-0125468060 | Publication Date: September 27, 1996 | Edition: 2

This revised and updated text guides students through biochemical and microbial processes in soils and introduces them to microbial processes in water and sediments. This classic teaching text includes basic concepts and applications in agriculture, forestry, ecology, and environmental science. It can also be an invaluable resource for research in biogeochemistry, microbiology, sustainable agriculture, and environmental amelioration. The Second Edition has expanded to include such topics as bioremediation, molecular biology of soil, biodiversity of soil organisms, and the impact of global climate change on soil microhabitats.

Key Features
* Includes many interpretive diagrams
* Provides compact and concise coverage of soil microbiology
* Thoroughly updated and expanded to include bioremdiation, soil molecular biology, biodiversity, and global climate change

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly readable account of the significance and role of micro-organisms in biological and biochemical processes in soil, emphasizing the interdisciplinary quality of soil microbiological research. I think that this is a useful and informative book, suitable both for institutional and person purchases..."
--Gianfranco Novarino, Natural History Museum, SGM QUARTERLY
"A work which encompasses the complexity of soil biology and developing techniques in a comprehensive, valuable and readable form."
--EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE

Book Description

This thoroughly updated and expanded edition is the classic teaching text for students studying soil organisms and their processes. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 2 edition (September 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0125468067
• ISBN-13: 978-0125468060
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,053,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Standard text for soil microbiology, September 17, 2002

By 

Travis Idol - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Second Edition (Hardcover)

I was a graduate student in soils and forestry when I took a class in soil microbiology that used this text. It is essentially the gold standard for soil micro texts. It isn't overly technical, but it includes a thorough analysis of the basic concepts needed to understand most aspects of soil microbiology research and application. The book uses mostly agronomic examples, but there is enough variety of ecosystems to make it useful for those working in forestry, grasslands, and almost any type of soil. Those interested in detailed discussions of molecular microbial methods or biotechnology may be disappointed, but for the general student looking to understand what those billion microbes per teaspoon of soil are doing, this book is the best introduction out there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good text book, November 7, 2007

By 

Gene Cloner (St Louis) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry, Third Edition (Hardcover)

This book has some excellent introductory material if you want to learn about soil microbiology. It is nicely organized with chapters (check the table of contents). A very good improvement over the previous edition in that it talks about some of the recent technology such as metagenomics. I would not recommend it as a reference book for graduate students, but a very good intro text book for grad and undergrads.

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise and cheap!, January 22, 2012

By 

L K. Dexter (Corvallis, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry, Third Edition (Hardcover)

This book was required for Soil Biology at Oregon State University. Our professor decided to change to this book from "Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology" (by David M. Sylvia) because students liked how small and cheap it is. It fits well in my purse, actually. I've brought my book to many places to read, and the chapters are concise and well written. Compared to the Sylvia book (which is around $140ish and rather unwieldy), the topics aren't as numerous or fleshed out, but you get what you pay for. However, I don't recommend purchasing this book unless you need it for a class. It's not worth it as a good reference to have on hand. You would have to scour the chapters for the information you want, and it's not even guaranteed to be there. So, good for classes, bad for references afterwards.