Edaphology - Revision history

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	{{Short description\|Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings}}		{{Short description\|Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings}}
	~~{{More citations needed\|date=October 2022}}~~		'''Edaphology''' (from [[Ancient Greek\|Greek]] {{lang\|grc\|ἔδαφος}}, ''edaphos'' 'ground' + {{lang\|grc\|-λογία}}, ''[[-logy\|-logia]]'') is concerned with the influence of [[soil]]s on living beings, particularly plants.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Lal\|first1=R.\|last2=Shukla\|first2=M. K.\|title=Principles of soil physics\|volume=102\|year=2004\|isbn=978-0-8247-5324-5
	'''Edaphology''' (from [[Ancient Greek\|Greek]] {{lang\|grc\|ἔδαφος}}, ''edaphos'' 'ground' + {{lang\|grc\|-λογία}}, ''[[-logy\|-logia]]'') is concerned with the influence of [[soil]]s on living beings, particularly plants.		\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3leGCMKvPZwC\|publisher=Taylor & Francis\|location=Switzerland\|quote=study of soil in relation to plant growth is called edaphology}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Arya\|first1=R. L.\|first2=S.\|last2=Arya\|last3=Arya\|first3=R.\|last4=Kumar\|first4=J.\|title=Fundamentals of Agriculture\| volume=2\| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TMf3DwAAQBAJ\|publisher=Scientific Publishers\|location=Jodhpur (INDIA)\|year=2020\|isbn=978-93-89412-77-2 \|quote=Edaphology is the study of soil in relation to soil-dependent uses.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal \| last=Shaw\|first=C. F.\|year=2001\|title=Is Pedology Soil Science? (1930)\|journal=Soil Science Society of America Journal\| volume=B11 \| pages=30–33\|doi=10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x \| url=
	It is one of two main divisions of [[soil science]], the other being [[pedology]].<ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Buckman \|first1=Harry O. \|last2=Brady \|first2=Nyle C. \|title=The Nature and Property of Soils - A College Text of Edaphology \|place=New York \|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers\|The MacMillan Company]] \|year=1960 \|edition=6th \|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html \|title=Lecture 1 Chapter 1 Why Study Soils? \|access-date=7 January 2019 \|last=Gardiner \|first=Duane T. \|work=ENV320: Soil Science Lecture Notes \|publisher=[[Texas A&M University]]-Kingsville \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209052922/http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html \|archive-date=9 February 2018 ~~\|url-status=dead~~}}</ref> Edaphology includes the study of how soil influences humankind's use of land for plant growth<ref>{{cite web \|author=Research Branch \|title=Glossary of Terms in Soil Science \|version=Publication 1459 \|publisher=[[Canada Department of Agriculture]], Ottawa. \|year=1976 \|url=http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/glossary/ \|access-date=7 January 2008}}</ref> as well as people's overall use of the land.<ref>{{cite book \|last=Whittow \|first=John B. \|title=The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography \|publisher=[[Penguin Books]] \|year=1984 \|location=London \|isbn=978-0-14-051094-2}}</ref> General subfields within edaphology are [[agricultural soil science]] (known by the term [[agrology]] in some regions) and [[environmental soil science]]. (Pedology deals with pedogenesis, [[soil morphology]], and soil classification.)		https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x\| quote=The use Edaphology by Lyon and Buckman is interpreted by Dr. Buckman (personal communication) in the rather restricted sense of 'the soil in its relation to plants' rather than with a pure soil science meaning. Their interpretation is essentially like that given to Fallou to the word 'Agrology'\|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
			It is one of two main divisions of [[soil science]], the other being [[pedology]].<ref>{{cite journal\|last=Muhs\|first=D. R.\|year=2021\|title=Soils and paleosols\|journal=Publications of the Us Geological Survey \|bibcode=2021enge.book..370M \|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgspubs/177/\|quote=The study of soils as naturally occurring bodies on the Earth's surface is called pedology (in contrast to edaphology, which is the study of soils and their relations with plants, particularly crops).}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Buckman \|first1=Harry O. \|last2=Brady \|first2=Nyle C. \|title=The Nature and Property of Soils - A College Text of Edaphology \|place=New York \|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers\|The MacMillan Company]] \|year=1960 \|edition=6th \|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html \|title=Lecture 1 Chapter 1 Why Study Soils? \|access-date=7 January 2019 \|last=Gardiner \|first=Duane T. \|work=ENV320: Soil Science Lecture Notes \|publisher=[[Texas A&M University]]-Kingsville \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209052922/http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html \|archive-date=9 February 2018 }}</ref> Edaphology includes the study of how soil influences humankind's use of land for plant growth<ref>{{cite web \|author=Research Branch \|title=Glossary of Terms in Soil Science \|version=Publication 1459 \|publisher=[[Canada Department of Agriculture]], Ottawa. \|year=1976 \|url=http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/glossary/ \|access-date=7 January 2008}}</ref> as well as people's overall use of the land.<ref>{{cite book \|last=Whittow \|first=John B. \|title=The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography \|publisher=[[Penguin Books]] \|year=1984 \|location=London \|isbn=978-0-14-051094-2}}</ref> General subfields within edaphology are [[agricultural soil science]] (known by the term [[agrology]] in some regions) and [[environmental soil science]].<ref>{{cite book\|last=Rana \|first=Lalita\|title=Geographical Thought. A Systematic Record of Evolution \|publisher=Concept Publishing Company\|url=https://www.conceptpub.com/servlet/Detail?bookno=00001927\|location=New Delhi (INDIA)\|year=2008\|page=24\|isbn=978-93-5125-092-0}}</ref> Pedology deals with pedogenesis, [[soil morphology]], and soil classification.

	~~In Russia~~, ~~edaphology~~ is ~~considered equivalent~~ to pedology, ~~but~~ is ~~recognized~~ to ~~have an applied sense consistent~~ with [~~[agrophysics]~~] and ~~agrochemistry outside Russia~~.<ref>{{cite journal \|last1=Tseits \|first1=M. A. \|first2=B. A. \|last2=Devin \|title=Soil Science Web Resources: A Practical Guide to Search Procedures and Search Engines \|journal=[[Eurasian Soil Science]] \|volume=38 \|issue=2 \|page=223 \|year=2005 \|url=http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf \|access-date=2008-01-07 ~~\|url-status=dead~~ \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217054036/http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf \|archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref>		== History ==
			The history of edaphology is not simple, as the two main alternative terms for soil science—pedology and edaphology—were initially poorly distinguished.<ref>{{cite journal\|last=Shaw\|first=C. F.\|year=2001\|title=A Glossary of Soil Terms (1928)\|journal=Soil Science Society of America Journal\|volume=9\|page=23\|quote=Edaphology … is a much more desirable term to indicate Soil Science}}</ref> [[Friedrich Albert Fallou]] originally conceived pedology in the 19th century as a fundamental science separate from the applied science of agrology,<ref>{{cite book\|last=Fallou\|first=F. A.\|title=Pedology or General and Special Soil Science \|location=Dresden \|year=1862 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ng8-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PP5\|quote=Agricultural soil science (agrology) is the knowledge of the soil in its relation to the plant and agricultural use. It has only to do with arable land suitable for agriculture, and in a way of speaking it is a kind of liturgy of the soil, for in order to grow usable plants upon it, it must first be artificially prepared.}}</ref> a predecessor term for edaphology,<ref>{{cite journal \| last=Shaw\|first=C. F.\|year=2001\|title=Is Pedology Soil Science? (1930)\|journal=Soil Science Society of America Journal\| volume=B11 \| pages=30–33\|doi=10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x \| url=https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x\| quote=Fallou is quoted as having stated that 'Natural Soil Science or Pedology is a description the nature of soil, no matter whether it has or has not some bearing to vegetation or to its use for industrial purposes.' He used 'Agrology' as a knowledge of soil in its relationship to vegetation and agricultural use.\|url-access=subscription}}</ref> a distinction retained in the current understanding of edaphology. During the 20th century, the term edaphology was "driven out of [pedology-centric] soil science" but remained in use to address edaphic problems in other disciplines.<ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Chertov\|first1=O. G.\|last2=Nadporozhskaya\|first2=M. A.\|last3=Palenova\|first3=M. M.\|last4=Priputina\|first4=I. V.\|year=2018\|title=Edaphology in the structure of soil science and ecosystem ecology \|journal=Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology \|volume=3 \|issue=3 \| doi=10.21685/2500-0578-2018-3-2\| url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20193460896\|quote=In the 20th century, the term edaphology was driven out of soil science and used when addressing edaphic problems in other disciplines. ...edaphic problems remained and they were solved both within basic soil science and adjoined sciences.\|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the case of Russian soil scientists, edaphology was used as an equivalent term to pedology,<ref>{{cite journal \|last1=Tseits \|first1=M. A. \|first2=B. A. \|last2=Devin \|title=Soil Science Web Resources: A Practical Guide to Search Procedures and Search Engines \|journal=Eurasian Soil Science \|volume=38 \|issue=2 \|page=223 \|year=2005 \|url=http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf \|access-date=2008-01-07 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217054036/http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf \|archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref> and in Spain, soil scientists adopted edaphology in preference to the term pedology.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Herreño \|first1=Brian \|last2=De la Colina \|first2=Federico \|last3=Delgado-Iniesta \|first3=María José \|date=September 2023 \|title=Edaphosphere: A Perspective of Soil Inside the Biosphere \|journal=Earth \|language=en \|volume=4 \|issue=3 \|pages=691–697 \|doi=10.3390/earth4030036 \|doi-access=free \|bibcode=2023Earth...4..691H \|issn=2673-4834}}</ref> In the 21st century, edaphology is recognized by soil scientists as a branch of soil science necessary and complementary to the pedology branch.<ref name="chertov restoration">{{cite journal\|last1=Chertov\|first1=O. G.\|last2=Nadporozhskaya\|first2=M. A.\|last3=Palenova\|first3=M. M.\|last4=Priputina\|first4=I. V.\|year=2018\|title=Edaphology in the structure of soil science and ecosystem ecology \|journal=Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology \|volume=3 \|issue=3 \| doi=10.21685/2500-0578-2018-3-2\| url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20193460896\|quote=The restoration of the edaphic branch in soil science is necessary for addressing theoretical and especially practical problems in sustainable forest and environmental management under the rapidly changing environment and developing economy.\|doi-access=free}}</ref>

	~~== History ==~~		[[Xenophon]] (431—355 BC), and [[Cato the Elder\|Cato]] (234—149 BC), were early edaphologists. Xenophon noted the beneficial effect of turning a cover crop into the earth. Cato wrote [[De Agri Cultura]] ("On Farming"), which recommended [[tillage]], [[crop rotation]], and the use of [[legumes]] in the rotation to build soil nitrogen. He also devised the first soil [[Land use capability map\|capability classification]] for specific crops.
	[[Xenophon]] (~~431–355~~ BC), and [[Cato the Elder\|Cato]] (~~234–149~~ BC), were early edaphologists. Xenophon noted the beneficial effect of turning a cover crop into the earth. Cato wrote [[De Agri Cultura]] ("On Farming") which recommended [[tillage]], [[crop rotation]] and the use of [[legumes]] in the rotation to build soil nitrogen. He also devised the first soil [[Land use capability map\|capability classification]] for specific crops.

	[[Jan Baptist van Helmont]] (~~1577–1644~~) performed a famous experiment, growing a willow tree in a pot of soil and supplying only rainwater for five years. The weight gained by the tree ~~was greater than~~ the weight loss of the soil. He concluded that the willow was made of water. Although only partly correct, his experiment reignited interest in edaphology.<ref>Xenophon, Cato and Van Helmont: see page 9-12 ''in'' {{Cite book \|last1=Miller \|first1=Raymond W. \|last2=Gardiner \|first2=Duane T. \|title=Soils in Our Environment \|place = Upper Saddle River, NJ \|publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] \|year=1998 \|edition=8th \|isbn=978-0-13-610882-5 \|url-access=registration \|url=https://archive.org/details/soilsinourenviro00mill}}</ref>		[[Jan Baptist van Helmont]] (1577—1644) performed a famous experiment, growing a willow tree in a pot of soil and supplying only rainwater for five years. The weight gained by the tree exceeded the weight loss of the soil. He concluded that the willow was made of water. Although only partly correct, his experiment reignited interest in edaphology.<ref>Xenophon, Cato and Van Helmont: see page 9-12 ''in'' {{Cite book \|last1=Miller \|first1=Raymond W. \|last2=Gardiner \|first2=Duane T. \|title=Soils in Our Environment \|place = Upper Saddle River, NJ \|publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] \|year=1998 \|edition=8th \|isbn=978-0-13-610882-5 \|url-access=registration \|url=https://archive.org/details/soilsinourenviro00mill}}</ref>

	== Areas of study ==		== Areas of study ==
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	{{main\|Environmental soil science}}		{{main\|Environmental soil science}}
	Environmental soil science studies our interaction with the [[pedosphere]] on beyond crop production. Fundamental and applied aspects of the field address [[vadose zone]] functions, [[septic drain field]] site assessment and function, land treatment of [[wastewater]], [[stormwater]], [[erosion]] control, [[soil contamination]] with metals and pesticides, [[Environmental remediation\|remediation]] of contaminated soils, restoration of [[wetlands]], [[soil degradation]], and environmental [[nutrient management]]. It also studies soil in the context of [[land-use planning]], [[global warming]], and [[acid rain]].		Environmental soil science studies our interaction with the [[pedosphere]] on beyond crop production. Fundamental and applied aspects of the field address [[vadose zone]] functions, [[septic drain field]] site assessment and function, land treatment of [[wastewater]], [[stormwater]], [[erosion]] control, [[soil contamination]] with metals and pesticides, [[Environmental remediation\|remediation]] of contaminated soils, restoration of [[wetlands]], [[soil degradation]], and environmental [[nutrient management]]. It also studies soil in the context of [[land-use planning]], [[global warming]], and [[acid rain]].

			== Industrialization and edaphology ==
			[[Industrialisation\|Industrialization]] has impacted the way that [[soil]] interacts with [[Plant\|plants]] in various ways. Increased mechanical production has led to higher amount of [[heavy metals]] within soils. These heavy metals have also been found in [[Crop\|crops]].<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Saeed \|first1=Maimona \|last2=Ilyas \|first2=Noshin \|last3=Bibi \|first3=Fatima \|last4=Shabir \|first4=Sumera \|last5=Mehmood \|first5=Sabiha \|last6=Akhtar \|first6=Nosheen \|last7=Ali \|first7=Iftikhar \|last8=Bawazeer \|first8=Sami \|last9=Tawaha \|first9=Abdel Rahman Al \|last10=Eldin \|first10=Sayed M. \|date=2023-01-01 \|title=Nanoremediation approaches for the mitigation of heavy metal contamination in vegetables: An overview \|journal=Nanotechnology Reviews \|language=en \|volume=12 \|issue=1 \|article-number=20230156 \|doi=10.1515/ntrev-2023-0156 \|issn=2191-9097\|doi-access=free }}</ref> While, the increased use of synthetic [[fertilizer]] and [[Pesticide\|pesticides]] has decreased the [[Plant nutrients in soil\|nutrient availability]] of soils.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Arora \|first1=Sanjay \|last2=Sahni \|first2=Divya \|date=2016-06-01 \|title=Pesticides effect on soil microbial ecology and enzyme activity- An overview \|url=https://journals.ansfoundation.org/index.php/jans/article/view/929 \|journal=Journal of Applied and Natural Science \|language=en \|volume=8 \|issue=2 \|pages=1126–1132 \|doi=10.31018/jans.v8i2.929 \|issn=2231-5209\|doi-access=free }}</ref>

			Changes in agricultural practices, such as [[monocropping]] and [[Tillage\|tilling]], as a result of industrialization have also impacted aspects of edaphology. Monocropping techniques are efficient for harvesting and business strategies but lead to a decrease in [[biodiversity]]. Decreased biodiversity is shown to decrease the nutrients available in soils.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Fahad \|first1=Shah \|last2=Chavan \|first2=Sangram Bhanudas \|last3=Chichaghare \|first3=Akash Ravindra \|last4=Uthappa \|first4=Appanderanda Ramani \|last5=Kumar \|first5=Manish \|last6=Kakade \|first6=Vijaysinha \|last7=Pradhan \|first7=Aliza \|last8=Jinger \|first8=Dinesh \|last9=Rawale \|first9=Gauri \|last10=Yadav \|first10=Dinesh Kumar \|last11=Kumar \|first11=Vikas \|last12=Farooq \|first12=Taimoor Hassan \|last13=Ali \|first13=Baber \|last14=Sawant \|first14=Akshay Vijay \|last15=Saud \|first15=Shah \|date=January 2022 \|title=Agroforestry Systems for Soil Health Improvement and Maintenance \|journal=Sustainability \|language=en \|volume=14 \|issue=22 \|article-number=14877 \|doi=10.3390/su142214877 \|bibcode=2022Sust...1414877F \|doi-access=free \|issn=2071-1050}}</ref> Furthermore, monocropping leads to an increased dependency on chemical fertilizer.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Ehrmann \|first1=Jürgen \|last2=Ritz \|first2=Karl \|date=2014-03-01 \|title=Plant: soil interactions in temperate multi-cropping production systems \|journal=Plant and Soil \|language=en \|volume=376 \|issue=1 \|pages=1–29 \|doi=10.1007/s11104-013-1921-8 \|bibcode=2014PlSoi.376....1E \|issn=1573-5036}}</ref> While intensive tilling disturbs the community of microorganism that live with in soil. These microorganisms help maintain soil moisture and air circulation which are critical to plant growth.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Indoria \|first1=A. K. \|last2=Rao \|first2=Ch. Srinivasa \|last3=Sharma \|first3=K. L. \|last4=Reddy \|first4=K. Sammi \|date=2017 \|title=Conservation agriculture – a panacea to improve soil physical health \|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24911616 \|journal=Current Science \|volume=112 \|issue=1 \|pages=52–61 \|doi=10.18520/cs/v112/i01/52-61 \|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 \|jstor=24911616 \|issn=0011-3891\|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	== External links ==		== External links ==
	*		* {{Commonscatinline}}

	{{Soil science topics}}		{{Soil science topics}}

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{{Short description|Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}}
'''Edaphology''' (from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἔδαφος}}, ''edaphos'' 'ground' + {{lang|grc|-λογία}}, ''[[-logy|-logia]]'') is concerned with the influence of [[soil]]s on living beings, particularly plants.
It is one of two main divisions of [[soil science]], the other being [[pedology]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Buckman |first1=Harry O. |last2=Brady |first2=Nyle C. |title=The Nature and Property of Soils - A College Text of Edaphology |place=New York |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|The MacMillan Company]] |year=1960 |edition=6th |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html |title=Lecture 1 Chapter 1 Why Study Soils? |access-date=7 January 2019 |last=Gardiner |first=Duane T. |work=ENV320: Soil Science Lecture Notes |publisher=[[Texas A&M University]]-Kingsville |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209052922/http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~doetqp-p/courses/env320/lec1/Lec1.html |archive-date=9 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Edaphology includes the study of how soil influences humankind's use of land for plant growth<ref>{{cite web |author=Research Branch |title=Glossary of Terms in Soil Science |version=Publication 1459 |publisher=[[Canada Department of Agriculture]], Ottawa. |year=1976 |url=http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/glossary/ |access-date=7 January 2008}}</ref> as well as people's overall use of the land.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whittow |first=John B. |title=The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=1984 |location=London |isbn=978-0-14-051094-2}}</ref> General subfields within edaphology are [[agricultural soil science]] (known by the term [[agrology]] in some regions) and [[environmental soil science]]. (Pedology deals with pedogenesis, [[soil morphology]], and soil classification.)

In Russia, edaphology is considered equivalent to pedology, but is recognized to have an applied sense consistent with [[agrophysics]] and agrochemistry outside Russia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tseits |first1=M. A. |first2=B. A. |last2=Devin |title=Soil Science Web Resources: A Practical Guide to Search Procedures and Search Engines |journal=[[Eurasian Soil Science]] |volume=38 |issue=2 |page=223 |year=2005 |url=http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf |access-date=2008-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217054036/http://soil.msu.ru/downloads/sswebresources_eng.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref>

== History ==
[[Xenophon]] (431–355 BC), and [[Cato the Elder|Cato]] (234–149 BC), were early edaphologists. Xenophon noted the beneficial effect of turning a cover crop into the earth. Cato wrote [[De Agri Cultura]] ("On Farming") which recommended [[tillage]], [[crop rotation]] and the use of [[legumes]] in the rotation to build soil nitrogen. He also devised the first soil [[Land use capability map|capability classification]] for specific crops.

[[Jan Baptist van Helmont]] (1577–1644) performed a famous experiment, growing a willow tree in a pot of soil and supplying only rainwater for five years. The weight gained by the tree was greater than the weight loss of the soil. He concluded that the willow was made of water. Although only partly correct, his experiment reignited interest in edaphology.<ref>Xenophon, Cato and Van Helmont: see page 9-12 ''in'' {{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Raymond W. |last2=Gardiner |first2=Duane T. |title=Soils in Our Environment |place = Upper Saddle River, NJ |publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] |year=1998 |edition=8th |isbn=978-0-13-610882-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/soilsinourenviro00mill}}</ref>

== Areas of study ==
=== Agricultural soil science ===
{{main|Agricultural soil science}}
Agricultural soil science is the application of soil chemistry, physics, and biology dealing with the production of crops. In terms of [[soil chemistry]], it places particular emphasis on [[plant nutrition|plant nutrients]] of importance to [[farming]] and [[horticulture]], especially with regard to [[fertility (soil)|soil fertility]] and [[fertilizer]] components.

[[soil physics|Physical edaphology]] is strongly associated with crop [[irrigation]] and [[drainage]].

Soil husbandry is a strong tradition within agricultural soil science. Beyond preventing [[soil erosion]] and [[soil degradation|degradation]] in cropland, soil husbandry seeks to sustain the agricultural soil resource though the use of [[soil conditioner]]s and [[cover crop]]s.

=== Environmental soil science ===
{{main|Environmental soil science}}
Environmental soil science studies our interaction with the [[pedosphere]] on beyond crop production. Fundamental and applied aspects of the field address [[vadose zone]] functions, [[septic drain field]] site assessment and function, land treatment of [[wastewater]], [[stormwater]], [[erosion]] control, [[soil contamination]] with metals and pesticides, [[Environmental remediation|remediation]] of contaminated soils, restoration of [[wetlands]], [[soil degradation]], and environmental [[nutrient management]]. It also studies soil in the context of [[land-use planning]], [[global warming]], and [[acid rain]].

== See also ==
* [[Soil functions]]
* [[Soil zoology]]
* [[Sustainable agriculture]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070301070438/http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept?cp=2539 European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET)] Url last accessed 2006-01-10
* SSSA [https://www.soils.org/publications/soils-glossary Soil Science Glossary] Url last accessed 2016-01-10

== External links ==
*

{{Soil science topics}}
{{Physical geography topics}}

[[Category:Edaphology| ]]
[[Category:Soil science]]
[[Category:Physical geography]]