Customer Reviews

Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry, Third Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry, Third Edition by Eldor Alvin Paul

The topics that the editor selected, are well developed and its updated bibliography. This book serves both query for the teacher as the degree and postgraduate student.

My best wishes

Book in very good condition when arrived, was new when purchased. Cost was a little high at 62.00 dollars. Received in a timely manner.