Publisher's Synopsis
In view of the place of biological parameters in defining soil health, many scientists of repute have developed methods of assessing environmental parameters one of which is soil health. Soil health is assessed from several angles: biological, chemical, physical, bearing in mind that the top and sub soils are the zones of plant growth and active flora and fauna activities. Biological parameters of the soil cannot do without reference to enzyme, humic acid and microbial activities. A lot of methods have been developed for their assessment and a lot of scientists have adopted and modified the methods with varying results. Each of them have additional benefits. There may be limitations but that is the basis of science. A big thank you to all the scientists living and dead who have shaped the scientific community and the world from their research and findings. All of them have been recognized globally directly as nobel laureates and indirectly through other honours by peer groups. All methods for assaying soil enzyme, humic acid and microbial activities listed in this review are very coherent and reliable. Even though most laboratories especially in developing world cannot afford most of the instrumentation and high-tech required for routine environmental monitoring they can still rely on basics titrimetric and portable systems to drive the research. For the developed world that have gone nuclear the love in the air is molecular methods for the assay of these parameters. That is helping drive the genesis and revelation ofbiological life. By the time their methods come to developing world they must have starting planting trees in the stars, moon and sun. This book presents enzyme and microbial activities methods of assessment and their pros and cons.
