Soil Science: Agricultural and Environmental Prospectives

Preface.- Foreword.- Dedication.- Chapter 1: An Appraisal of Conservation Tillage on the Soil Physical Properties.- Chapter 2: Degraded soils: Origin, types and management.- Chapter 3: Nitrogen Management in Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Salt-Affected Soils.- Chapter 4: Management of Acid Sulfate Soils for sustainable rice cultivation in Malaysia.- Chapter 5: Petroleum hydrocarbons-contaminated soils:  Remediation approaches.- Chapter 6: Environmental Impacts of Nitrogen Use in Agriculture, Nitrate Leaching and Mitigation Strategies.- Chapter 7: Potassium for Sustainable Agriculture.- Chapter 8: Weathering and Approaches to Evaluation of Weathering Indices for Soil Profile Studies - An Overview.- Chapter 9: Pesticides Pollution in Agricultural Soils of Pakistan.- Chapter 10: Iron Biofortification of Cereals Grown under Calcareous Soils: Problems and Solutions.- Chapter 11: Boron Toxicity in Salt-Affected Soils and Effects on Plants.- Chapter 12: Silicon: a beneficial nutrient under salt stress, its uptake mechanism and mode of action.- Chapter 13: Soil Micro Flora- An Extensive Research.- Chapter 14: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Boon for Plant Nutrition and Soil Health.- Chapter 15: Azotobacter chroococcum - Potential Biofertilizer in Agriculture: An Overview.- Chapter 16: Sources and Composition of Waste Water: Threats to Plants and Soil Health.- Chapter 17: Soil Amendments for Heavy Metal Immobilization Using Different Crops.- Chapter 18: Climate Change: Impacts on Carbon Sequestration, Biodiversity and Agriculture.

Dr. Khalid Rehman Hakeem (PhD) is working as a Fellow Researcher at the Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia and also a Visiting Professor at Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey. He has obtained his MSc. (Environmental Botany) as well as PhD (Botany) from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India in 2006 and 2011 respectively. He has conducted his Post-Doctorate research in the fields of Forest Dynamics and Plant Biotechnological studies from University Putra Malaysia from 2012-2013. Dr. Hakeem has more than 9 years of teaching and research experience in Plant Eco-Physiology, Biotechnology & Molecular Biology, Plant-Microbe-Soil interactions as well as in Environmental Sciences. A recipient of several fellowships at both national and international levels, Dr. Hakeem has so far edited and authored more than 16 books with international publishers, as well as more than 70 research publications in peer reviewed international journals, including 30 book chapters with international publishers. He is also an editorial board member and reviewer of several high impact international journals. Dr. Hakeem is currently engaged in studying the plant processes at ecophysiological as well as proteomic levels.

Dr. Javaid Akhtar (PhD) is working as a Professor of Soil Science, Director of Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Officer In-charge, Saline Agriculture Research Center, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. He has obtained his MSc. (Hons) in Soil Science as well as PhD (Soil Science) from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan in 1986 and 1995, respectively. Dr. Akhtar has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience in Soil Science and Saline Agriculture. Prof. Akhtar has also to his credit more than 100 research publications in peer reviewed international journals, including 5 book chapters with international publishers and has