International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
Abstract
Soil and crop management strategies (e.g., tillage, bunding, cropping intensity, and
crop sequencing) are location- and season-specific in the way they affect soil
processes and resource utilization by crops. Research findings on these effects
therefore need to be modeled if they are to be extrapolated to other locations wi th
similar soils and climatic conditions. This manual presents practical methods for
assessing management effects on such soil processes as water infiltration and erosion
by water, and on water, air, and nutrient use by crops. It covers the basic elements of
soil physical characterization, and deals principally with the role of soil structure on
water infiltration and percolation, heat flow, aeration, and the mobility of roots and
soil microorganisms. The authors discuss the agronomic and engineering practices
that affect soil processes; and the effects of such strategies as contour cultivation,
organic and inorganic amendments, watershed management, and soil surface
manipulations are emphasized
