Page 10 - Soil Degradation, Conservation and Remediation

Contents

1 Soil Resources and Soil Degradation ....................................................... 1
1.1 Soil as a Resource .............................................................................. 1
1.2 Need for Management and Protection of Soil ................................... 3
1.3 Land Capability and Land Capability Classifi cation ......................... 3
1.4 Soil Fertility, Soil Productivity, Soil Quality,
and Soil Health .................................................................................. 5
1.4.1 Soil Fertility......................................................................... 5
1.4.2 Soil Productivity .................................................................. 6
1.4.3 Soil Health ........................................................................... 6
1.4.4 Soil Quality.......................................................................... 6
1.5 Global Arable Land............................................................................ 9

1.6 Classification of World Soils .............................................................. 10
1.6.1 Alfi sols ................................................................................. 11
1.6.2 Andisols ............................................................................... 12
1.6.3 Aridisols............................................................................... 13
1.6.4 Entisols ................................................................................ 15
1.6.5 Gelisols ................................................................................ 16
1.6.6 Histosols .............................................................................. 16
1.6.7 Inceptisols............................................................................ 18
1.6.8 Mollisols .............................................................................. 19
1.6.9 Oxisols................................................................................. 20
1.6.10 Spodosols............................................................................. 21
1.6.11 Ultisols................................................................................. 22
1.6.12 Vertisols................................................................................ 23
1.7 Soil Degradation ................................................................................ 24
1.7.1 Causes of Soil Degradation.................................................. 25
1.7.2 Institutional Initiatives for Assessment
of Land/Soil Degradation..................................................... 34
1.7.3 Types of Soil Degradation ................................................... 35
1.7.4 Extent of Soil Degradation .................................................. 37

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