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Handbook of processes and modeling in the soil-plant system
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS Agricultural Systems 82 (2004) 195–196 www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy
Book review Handbook of processes and modeling in the soil-plant system D.K. Benbi and R. Nieder (Eds.). The Haworth Press, New York, 2003, 762 pp. Price: $148.95(hardback); $89.95(softback). ISBN: 1-56022-914-4 The editors of this thick opus set out to present readers with a comprehensive overview of the soil-plant processes relevant to agronomic and environmental issues, from the point of view of both the underlying basic mechanisms and mathematical models. The book thus starts with a general introduction to physical, chemical and biological processes and proceeds to encompass the major biogeochemical processes occurring in soil-crop systems, including among others soil formation, erosion, acidification, water and solute transport, and the dynamics of organic matter and various nutrients, and agro-chemicals. It concludes with an epistemological as well as practical contribution by Dr. T.M. Addiscott on the potential pitfalls of model use and how to be aware of, or possibly avoid them. The book chapters start with background data on the processes at stake and their relevance to agricultural systems productivity or environmental impacts. Next they provide a detailed description of basic mechanisms involved and their various controls, and finish with a review of current modeling approaches. With contributions from world-renown scientists in the various disciplines this book addresses, it definitely offers an original and very valuable contribution to the modeling literature. Together with its broad scope, its combination of fundamental, qualitative and quantitative approaches to soil-plant processes makes it an up-to-date reference for students as well as researchers and extension workers involved in modeling. While the overall result is an impressive effort at bringing together basic science and the usually simplified representation contained in soil-plant models, the book did not avoid some of the pitfalls associated with such a dual exercise. First, the balance struck by the various authors between detailed process analysis and quantitative modeling varies greatly according to the corresponding scientific field and the authorsÕ own perception of its progress. For example, the book contains a detailed chapter on the conformation of humic substances that does not directly connect with soil-plant systems modeling. On the other hand, several chapters go so far as to draw a list of available software packages with only a few details on their approach to the particular processes at stake. This diversity of approach, which directly translates into the spatial scale considered (going from fine-scale for more mechanistic approaches to the field- or even global scale) is certainly sound because it reflects the reality of models evolution between research tools and operational software. However, one could definitely hope for a more homogeneous presentation through the various chapters, which are supposed to provide readers with building blocks of soil-plant doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2004.02.007
196
Book review / Agricultural Systems 82 (2004) 195–196
models ready to assemble. Another fact hindering this prospective is that the interplay between the phenomena described in separate chapters is not always mentioned (for instance, the control exerted by inorganic N availability on organic matter dynamics). Lastly, while it proves difficult to find some processes or compounds missing in this very thorough review, some of them are only given little attention, with for instance the chapter on solute transport focusing on the transfer function approach. Still, the book makes up for its few inevitable gaps by citing an abundant yet carefully selected literature. It should therefore be recommended to students and scientists interested in broadening their understanding of soil-plant systems and their qualitative as well as quantitative behaviour. Benoit Gabrielle Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unite Environment et grandes cultures 78850 Thiverval-Grignon France Tel.: +33-1-30-81-55-63; fax: +33-1-30-81-55-55 E-mail address: [email protected]
Book review Handbook of processes and modeling in the soil-plant system D.K. Benbi and R. Nieder (Eds.). The Haworth Press, New York, 2003, 762 pp. Price: $148.95(hardback); $89.95(softback). ISBN: 1-56022-914-4 The editors of this thick opus set out to present readers with a comprehensive overview of the soil-plant processes relevant to agronomic and environmental issues, from the point of view of both the underlying basic mechanisms and mathematical models. The book thus starts with a general introduction to physical, chemical and biological processes and proceeds to encompass the major biogeochemical processes occurring in soil-crop systems, including among others soil formation, erosion, acidification, water and solute transport, and the dynamics of organic matter and various nutrients, and agro-chemicals. It concludes with an epistemological as well as practical contribution by Dr. T.M. Addiscott on the potential pitfalls of model use and how to be aware of, or possibly avoid them. The book chapters start with background data on the processes at stake and their relevance to agricultural systems productivity or environmental impacts. Next they provide a detailed description of basic mechanisms involved and their various controls, and finish with a review of current modeling approaches. With contributions from world-renown scientists in the various disciplines this book addresses, it definitely offers an original and very valuable contribution to the modeling literature. Together with its broad scope, its combination of fundamental, qualitative and quantitative approaches to soil-plant processes makes it an up-to-date reference for students as well as researchers and extension workers involved in modeling. While the overall result is an impressive effort at bringing together basic science and the usually simplified representation contained in soil-plant models, the book did not avoid some of the pitfalls associated with such a dual exercise. First, the balance struck by the various authors between detailed process analysis and quantitative modeling varies greatly according to the corresponding scientific field and the authorsÕ own perception of its progress. For example, the book contains a detailed chapter on the conformation of humic substances that does not directly connect with soil-plant systems modeling. On the other hand, several chapters go so far as to draw a list of available software packages with only a few details on their approach to the particular processes at stake. This diversity of approach, which directly translates into the spatial scale considered (going from fine-scale for more mechanistic approaches to the field- or even global scale) is certainly sound because it reflects the reality of models evolution between research tools and operational software. However, one could definitely hope for a more homogeneous presentation through the various chapters, which are supposed to provide readers with building blocks of soil-plant doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2004.02.007
196
Book review / Agricultural Systems 82 (2004) 195–196
models ready to assemble. Another fact hindering this prospective is that the interplay between the phenomena described in separate chapters is not always mentioned (for instance, the control exerted by inorganic N availability on organic matter dynamics). Lastly, while it proves difficult to find some processes or compounds missing in this very thorough review, some of them are only given little attention, with for instance the chapter on solute transport focusing on the transfer function approach. Still, the book makes up for its few inevitable gaps by citing an abundant yet carefully selected literature. It should therefore be recommended to students and scientists interested in broadening their understanding of soil-plant systems and their qualitative as well as quantitative behaviour. Benoit Gabrielle Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unite Environment et grandes cultures 78850 Thiverval-Grignon France Tel.: +33-1-30-81-55-63; fax: +33-1-30-81-55-55 E-mail address: [email protected]