If you have ever looked closely at soils in different areas you will know that they all look, feel and smell different. They also play host to different plants and some contain more visible organisms than others. Why is this? How have they come to be so different? What factors should be considered? These wereContinueContinue reading “The Five Factors of Soil Formation”
Tag Archives: soil
Soil – ‘the cinderella subject’
Last week I gave a talk to a brilliantly engaged audience (or so they seemed!) in Essex on the hopelessly neglected subject that is ‘soil’. I have received several messages asking for the topic to be profiled more regularly on the blog, so this post will be the first of a week’s worth of posts dedicatedContinueContinue reading “Soil – ‘the cinderella subject’”
Secrets of the soil: mycorrhizal fungi
Out of all known habitats the soil is by far the most biodiverse and yet we know only a fraction of the information we know about other areas. I am near the beginning of my own ‘soil journey’, something that may sound a bit bizarre, but is a process of investigation that will be life longContinueContinue reading “Secrets of the soil: mycorrhizal fungi”
Are we doing enough in this International Year of Soils?
We are now over half way through this year which has been designated the ‘International Year of Soils’ by the UN. A quick google will discover that, actually, there are quite a lot of events happening around the world to highlight the issues surrounding soil – principally revolving around the risks of degradation. However, theseContinueContinue reading “Are we doing enough in this International Year of Soils?”
A Change of Focus for the UN
You are excused if you do not know that this year is the United Nations International Year of Soils in the same way that you would be excused if you were not aware that 2014 was the International Year of Family Farming. It has not been terribly well advertised. This is certainly true if you live inContinueContinue reading “A Change of Focus for the UN”
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