Sustainable Soil Management Resources on the Web

General Soil Information:

The Pedosphere and Its Dynamics:  A Systems Approach to Soil Science
University of Alberta
http://www.soils.rr.ualberta.ca/pedosphere/index.cfm

Soil Biology Primers:

Soil Biological Communities – Life in Western Soils
http://www.id.blm.gov/iso/931/soil/main.htm

Life in the Soil
http://www-crcslm.waite.adelaide.edu.au/soillife.html  Soils Lecture Notes:

Davey Jone’s “Plant-Soil-Microbial and Rhizosphere Interactions” Home Page

Soil Biology and Soil Health:

The Microbe Zoo - Dirtland
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdmain.html

The Soil Makers
http://www.insect-world.com/main/soileco.html Using Soil Fauna to Improve Soil Health
By Bonnie Witt
http://www.hort.agri.umn.edu/h5015/97papers/witt.html New Tests of Soil Quality:  Evaluating the Health of Your Soil's Microbial Community
By Don Lotter
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us:/~dwlotter/f2farm.html The Soil Foodweb: It's Importance in Ecosystem Health
By Dr. Elaine Ingham
http://www.rain.org/~sals/ingham.html Soil Foodweb Incorporated
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/index.html Especially see the following SFI notes on managing soil biology with agricultural inputs:

 Bacterial Food Resources
 http://www.soilfoodweb.com/products/bacterialresources.html

 Fungal Food Resources
 http://www.soilfoodweb.com/products/fungalresources.html

 Protozoa Food Resources
 http://www.soilfoodweb.com/products/protozoaresources.html

 Nematode Food Resources
 http://www.soilfoodweb.com/products/nematoderesources.html

 Inocula of Bacteria and Fungi
 http://www.soilfoodweb.com/products/inocula.html

NRCS Soil Quality Information Sheets
http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/sqiinfo.shtml

Soil Quality Resource Concerns
  Erosion
  Sediment Deposition on Cropland
  Compaction
  Salinization
  Soil Biodiversity
  Available Water Capacity
  Pesticides

Indicators for Soil Quality Evaluation
  Organic Matter
  Soil Crusts
  Aggregate Stability
  Infiltration
  Soil pH

Microbiology of Agricultural Soils
http://www.ucc.ie/impact/agrisf.html

The Health of Our Soils:  Toward Sustainable Agriculture in Canada
Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research, Research Branch
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  Publication 1906/E.  1995.
http://res.agr.ca/CANSIS/PUBLICATIONS/HEALTH/_overview.html
 
Selected NRCS Web Links:

Agronomy Technical Notes Series
http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/agronomy.shtml

Soil Quality Information Sheets
http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/sqiinfo.shtml

Soil Quality Introduction
Features on-line information sheets on soil quality topics:  Erosion; Sediment Deposition on Cropland; Compaction; Salinization; Soil Biodiversity; Available Water Capacity; Pesticides; Indicators for Soil Quality Evaluation; Organic Matter; Soil Crusts; Aggregate Stability; Infiltration; Soil pH

Soil Biodiversity -- NRCS Soil Quality Information Sheet
http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/pdf/biodivers.pdf

Recent Papers from NRCS
http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/index/publication.html

Earthworms:

Earthworms and Crop Management
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.  Publication AY-279.
http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/AY/AY-279.html
 
Frequently Asked Questions About Earthworms
By Dr. Alan D. Tomlin, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
http://res.agr.ca/lond/pmrc/faq/earthwor.html#Reference Articles

Building Your Soil:  The Role of Earthworms in Healthy Soils
http://maine.maine.edu/~thomascb/earthworm.html

Nick Musurca's Earthworm Web Page!
http://members.aol.com/camusurca/earthworms/eartworm.htm

Earthworms of North Dakota
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/invert/wormsnd/wormsnd.htm
 

Other:

Glossary of Soil Science
Canadian Soil Information System (CanSIS)
Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre Ottawa (Ontario)
http://res.agr.ca/CANSIS/GLOSSARY/
 

Compiled by Steve Diver
ATTRA Technical Specialist
March 1999