The importance of soil fertility and plant nutrition to the health and survival of all life cannot be understated. As human populations continue to increase, human disturbance of the earth' s ecosystem to produce food and fiber will place greater demand on soils to supply essential nutrients. Therefore, it is critical that we increase our understanding of the physical, chemical and biological properties and relationships in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum that control nutrient availability. The soil' s native ability to supply sufficient nutrients has decreased with the higher plant productivity levels associated with increased human demand for food. One of the greatest challenges of our generation will be to develop and implement soil, crop and nutrient management technologies that enhance plant productivity and the quality of the soil, water and air. If we do not improve and / or sustain the productive capacity of our fragile soils, we cannot continue to support the food and fiber demand of our growing population.

The role of fertilizers in boosting agricultural production has already been proved and they have become so essential that the cultivation of present-day plant types without them is rather a dream. Over viewing the response pattern, it is immensely clear that the recovery of applied fertilizers is very poor ranging between 23 to 30 per cent. Consequently, the fertilizer use efficiency is also very poor. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the properties of fertilizers, their reactions in various soils and the benefits of organic manures and integrated nutrient management is the need of the hour. The present manuscript is an effort made in the direction of compiling most valuable information from numerous books and journals related with text and chaptering the information in the form of a book to be used by students and extension workers.

CONTENTS

1. Soil Chemistry

2. Nutrients Transformation

3. Soil Reaction (pH)

4. Soil Fertility

5. Methods of Soil Fertility Evaluation

6. Modern Approaches of Soil Fertility Evaluation

7. Soil Testing

8. Nutrient Management Concepts

9. Fertilizers

10. Speciality Fertilizers

11. Fertilizer Use Efficiency

12. Organic Manures

13. Organic Manures Composting and Industrial Waste Recycling

REFERENCES

GLOSSARY