Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils
暫譯: 土壤的性質與特性元素

土壤入門課程 土壤科學基礎的易懂介紹 在土壤科學領域已經有超過一個世紀的前沿著作，土壤的性質與特性元素考慮了土壤作為自然資源和生態系統的角色，同時強調土壤與自然及建構生態系統其他組成部分之間的互動。這本書對於應對當今環境挑戰具有實際價值，並主張在經濟增長與可持續經濟之間取得平衡需要對土壤有深入的理解。第4版已經縮減內容，專注於基礎知識，同時提供有關土壤與人類健康、有機農業以及土壤食物網生態學等主題的新討論或更新內容。

Ray R. Weil is a professor of soil science at the University of Maryland. He has previously served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, managed a 500-acre organic farm in North Carolina, and been a lecturer at the University of Malawi. Dr. Weil is an international leader in sustainable agricultural systems in both developed and developing countries.

Published in more than 85 scientific journals and in eight books, Dr. Weil focuses his research on cover crops and organic matter management for enhanced soil quality and nutrient cycling for water quality and sustainability. His research lab developed analytical methods for soil microbial biomass and active soil C that have been adopted by the USDA/NRCS and are used in ecosystem studies worldwide. His contributions to improved cropping systems and soil management have been put into practice on farms large and small.

At the University of Maryland, Dr. Weil teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in soil science and sustainable agriculture. He has taught more than 7,000 students, addressed more than 5,000 farmers and farm advisors at meetings and field days, and helped train hundreds of researchers and managers in various companies and organizations.

Weil is a fellow of both the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. He has twice been awarded a Fulbright fellowship to support his work in developing countries. The synergism between Dr. Weil's teaching and research and his ecological approach to soil science have found expression in various editions of this textbook since 1995. Dr. Weil holds degrees from Michigan State University, Purdue University and Virginia Tech.

Nyle C. Brady (late), a native of Colorado, served on the Cornell University faculty from 1947 to 1973, and in 1952 co-authored the world's most widely used college textbook on soil science. He was head of Cornell's Department of Agronomy from 1955 to 1963 and director of their Agricultural Experiment Station from 1965 to 1973. He was also associate dean of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from 1970 to 1973.

Dr. Brady also contributed to scientific development nationally and internationally. He was Director of Science and Education of the US Department of Agriculture (1963 to 1965), Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines (1973 to 1981), Senior Assistant Administrator for Science and Technology of the US Agency for International Development (1981 to 1989), and a full-time senior consultant for collaborative research and development programs of the World Bank and the UN Development Program (1990 to 1994).

Dr. Brady graduated from Brigham Young University in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. In 1947 he received his PhD in soil science from the University of North Carolina. Dr. Brady passed away in 2015 at the age of 95.

關於我們的作者

Ray R. Weil 是馬里蘭大學的土壤科學教授。他曾在衣索比亞的和平隊服務，管理過北卡羅來納州的一個500英畝有機農場，並擔任馬拉威大學的講師。Weil博士是發達國家和發展中國家可持續農業系統的國際領導者。

Weil博士在85多本科學期刊和八本書籍中發表過文章，他的研究重點是覆蓋作物和有機物管理，以提高土壤質量和養分循環，促進水質和可持續性。他的研究實驗室開發了土壤微生物生物量和活性土壤碳的分析方法，這些方法已被美國農業部/自然資源保護局採用，並在全球的生態系統研究中使用。他對改進作物系統和土壤管理的貢獻已在大小農場中實踐。

在馬里蘭大學，Weil博士教授本科和研究生的土壤科學和可持續農業課程。他已經教過超過7,000名學生，並在會議和田野日上向超過5,000名農民和農業顧問發表演講，幫助培訓數百名來自各公司和組織的研究人員和管理者。

Weil是美國土壤科學學會和美國農藝學會的會士。他曾兩次獲得富布賴特獎學金，以支持他在發展中國家的工作。Weil博士的教學和研究之間的協同作用以及他對土壤科學的生態學方法，自1995年以來在本教科書的各個版本中得到了體現。Weil博士擁有密西根州立大學、普渡大學和維吉尼亞理工學院的學位。

Nyle C. Brady（已故），科羅拉多州人，於1947年至1973年在康奈爾大學任教，並於1952年共同撰寫了全球使用最廣泛的土壤科學大學教科書。他於1955年至1963年擔任康奈爾農藝系主任，並於1965年至1973年擔任農業實驗站主任。他還於1970年至1973年擔任紐約州農業與生命科學學院的副院長。

Brady博士還對國內和國際的科學發展做出了貢獻。他曾擔任美國農業部的科學與教育主任（1963年至1965年）、菲律賓國際稻米研究所的總幹事（1973年至1981年）、美國國際開發署的科學與技術高級助理管理員（1981年至1989年），以及世界銀行和聯合國開發計劃署的合作研究與發展計劃的全職高級顧問（1990年至1994年）。

Brady博士於1941年從楊百翰大學獲得化學學士學位。1947年，他在北卡羅來納大學獲得土壤科學博士學位。Brady博士於2015年去世，享年95歲。