From lflondon@mindspring.com Sat Oct 23 19:55:38 1999 Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 18:08:55 -0400 From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." To: lflondon@mindspring.com, london@metalab.unc.edu Subject: Book: The Fertile Triangle - soil productivity From: marketfarm@aol.com (MarketFarm) Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture Subject: Review: The Fertile Triangle Lines: 59 NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder06.news.aol.com X-Admin: news@aol.com Date: 23 Oct 1999 03:47:50 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Message-ID: <19991022234750.22621.00000151@ng-fi1.aol.com> Xref: mindspring alt.sustainable.agriculture:23887 The Fertile Triangle: The Interrelationship of Air, Water, and Nutrients in Maximizing Soil Productivity by Benjamin Wolf. 463 pp. Food Products Press, 1999. reviewed by Michael Hofferber http://www.FarmersMarketOnline.com The "Fertile Triangle" referred to in the title of this book is not a place, but a relationship between air, water and nutrients in soil. When all three are balanced, or nearly equal in quantity, crops thrive and harvests are abundant. When the balance is lost, and one element or the other is predominant, crops fail to thrive and farms fail. Dr. Benjamin Wolf -- whose six-decade career has included pioneering research on micronutrients, foliar feeding and soil analysis -- details the effects of various farm practices on this critical triad and suggests specific soil inputs and strategies that will improve crop yields. For example, too much water can be as harmful to a crop as`too little, and the timing of water applications is critical. Excess water leaches nutrients from the soil, breaks down its soil structure and limits the exchange of gases. A lack of water can reduce crop yield and have long-lasting harmful effects on the soil. Wolf does more than point out potential problems; he provides concrete solutions. His chapter on irrigation explains how to evaluate soil moisture, assess water quality, correct clogging, plan an irrigation system and time applications for best results. Written primarly for growers and crop managers, "The Fertile Triangle" examines how the characteristics of the soil (organic matter, salts, pH) affect the triangle -- air, water and nutrients -- and how adding to the length of any of the sides must be balanced to achieved optimum crop yield. Packed with practical data and advice, Wolf's book offers specific, proven guidelines for successful crop production. Growers are instructed on how to plan fertilizer programs with minimal harmful affects on crops, soils, or the environment. Methods of application, fertilizer ingredients, and the advantages of fluid versus dry inputs are all carefully analyzed. The concepts presented and the guidelines offered in "The Fertile Triangle" apply to all kinds of crop production, both large and small, but the technical information will be most useful to commercial operations and their crop advisors. Each chapter is fully referenced and there are numerous charts and graphs in this thick and informative volume. _________________________________________________________ The Fertile Triangle: The Interrelationship of Air, Water, and Nutrients in Maximizing Soil Productivity by Benjamin Wolf. 463 pp. Food Products Press, 1999. Available for $62.95 postpaid from Outrider Books at http://www.webcom.com/outbooks/order_fg.html Michael Hofferber manages Farmer's Market Online, a website where producers sell their produce, specialty foods, crafts, books, livestock and farm supplies direct to consumers. The market is located at http://www.FarmersMarketOnline.com Subscriptions to an email newsletter version of the market are available free of charge on request to manager@FarmersMarketOnline.com?subject=subscribefmo -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. Venaura Farm http://metalab.unc.edu/ecolandtech/landcare.html /intergarden /permaculture /permaculture-online lflondon@mindspring.com london@metalab.unc.edu