Agroforestry: a system for improving soil health

Description

Introducing agroforestry into agroecosystems can be an important method to help promote soil health by its influence on soil physical, chemical and biological properties. This chapter highlights the benefits of agroforestry systems on soil properties important for soil health. These include critical soil biological, physical and chemical properties important for maintaining and improving soil health. The chapter outlines the critical soil biological properties important for energy and nutrient transformations, as well as critical soil physical properties including soil density, porosity, water retention, pore size distributions, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration and thermal properties. The chapter shows that improving these parameters may reduce losses of sediment, nutrients and herbicides from land to water and enhance soil water storage.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Biological properties critical for soil health 3 Physical properties critical for soil health 4 Chemical properties critical for soil health 5 Conclusion 6 Future trends 7 Where to look for further information 8 References