Interactions in Soil: Promoting Plant Growth

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction: Soils and Their Promotion of Plant Growth

   • John Dighton

   Pages 1-26

3. Soils Supporting Biodiversity

   • Elena Havlicek, Edward A. D. Mitchell

   Pages 27-58

4. Beneficial Interactions in the Rhizosphere

   • W. H. Gera Hol, Wietse de Boer, Almudena Medina

   Pages 59-80

5. The Positive Effects of Trophic Interactions in Soil

   • Jennifer Adams Krumins

   Pages 81-94

6. Soils Suppressing Biodiversity

   • Guénola Pérès

   Pages 95-118

7. Root Pathogens

   • Aad J. Termorshuizen

   Pages 119-137

8. Non-trophic Interactions: Allelopathy

   • Pavle Pavlović, Adele Muscolo, Maria Sidari, Miroslava Mitrović

   Pages 139-162

9. Viruses in Soil

   • Brian Reavy, Maud M. Swanson, Michael Taliansky

   Pages 163-180

10. Soils Suppressing and Promoting Non-native Plant Invasions

    • Kenneth J. Elgersma

    Pages 181-202

11. Urban Soil and the Challenges of Restoring Natural Ecosystems

    • Pamela A. Hazelton, Anne Clements

    Pages 203-210

12. Toward a Holistic Approach to Soils and Plant Growth

    • David C. Coleman, Weixin Zhang, Shenglei Fu

    Pages 211-223

13. Back Matter

    Pages 225-231

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This book investigates soil ecology and biodiversity for its ability to maintain a balance of beneficial organisms to support plant growth. This subject is discussed by a group of international authors in natural, agricultural and urban systems. The importance of biodiversity per se and, specifically, the feedbacks between the plant and soil biota in mediating soil function are emphasized. Examples are selected from allelopathy and invasive plant species along with the, hitherto overlooked, role of viruses in soil. The book is intended to provide a framework for a holistic understanding of the essential role of soil organisms in promoting plant growth.

• Plant-soil feedbacks
• Soil biodiversity
• Soil ecosystem services
• Soil microbial ecology
• Suppressive soils

“This timely and high-quality publication contains 11 chapters that focus on the question: What makes for a good soil and what challenges are there for sustaining a soil for optimal plant growth? … Overall, this is an excellent summary of present understanding, and highlights the need for continued study if the overarching question is ever to be fully answered.” (Peter J. Gregory, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 91 (2), June, 2016)

“Interactions in Soil, edited by Dighton (Rutgers) and Krumins (Montclair State), is a timely book on an important topic of growing interest to scholars, conservationists, farmers, and all those interested in the role of healthy soils, particularly soil biology, in providing ecosystem services to society. … it is a useful resource, especially for graduate students and scholars in the field. … Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and researchers/faculty.” (W. J. R. Reeve, Choice, Vol. 52 (6), February, 2015)

• The State University of New Jersey, Pinelands Field Station, Rutgers, New Lisbon, USA

  John Dighton

• Dept. of Biology and Molecular Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, USA

  Jennifer Adams Krumins

1) John Dighton, Professor, Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Station Director of Pinelands Field Station, President of the Soil Ecology Society, USA He is an expert in soil ecology and leads research in the area through the Pinelands Field Station. He has written several articles for good international journals and book chapters (first ones start appearing in the 80s), including for Springer, but also for Elsevier (I would say mostly), Wiley, Cambridge University Press, among others. Some of his papers were very well cited. He is member of the Editorial Board of several international journals such as Mycological Research (Elsevier), Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Elsevier), Bartonia (Philadelphia Botanical Club). He edited a book in 1993 - Fungi in Ecosystem Processes (Mycology Series) - Marcel Dekker Publishers (now part of the Taylor & Francis Group). It is still available through Amazon for 187 USD. There will be a Society meeting in 2013. The proceedings of these meetings are always published by Elsevier. As Dighton is the President of the Society as of January this year, there could be room for some exploring there. 2) Jennifer Adams Krumins, Assistant Professor, Montclair State University, USA Invited by John Dighton for this proposed book. She has published several articles in international journals including Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, and a very highly cited article co- published in Nature Reviews - Microbiology (403 citations since 2006).

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