geography for soil scientists or soil science for geographers

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ISSN 1064-2293, Eurasian Soil Science, 2006, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 457–458. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2006.Original Russian Text © I.I. Sudnitsyn, 2006, published in Pochvovedenie, 2006, No. 4, pp. 509–510.

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The question formulated in the title of this reviewhas an easy answer: the recently published textbook isan excellent presentation of both soil science for geog-raphers and geography for soil scientists. This is quitenatural, because the authors of the new textbook areworld-known soil scientists that have been working atthe Geographical Faculty of Moscow State Universityfor many decades. Their brilliant erudition in bothbranches of natural sciences is well seen in the text-book.

The new edition of this popular textbook has certainadvantages in comparison with its previous edition in1995, as the new experience in teaching soil science atthe Geographical Faculty is harmoniously incorporatedin the new textbook: the structure of the textbook isimproved, and it is enriched in new factual data andthoroughly elaborated theoretical concepts.

The first part of the textbook is devoted to the ana-lysis of environmental components as the factors of soilformation. The substantive basis of pedogenesis and itsenergy potential are discussed in detail. The cycliccharacter of soil evolution is explained. The develop-ment of a soil profile and its major morphological char-acteristics are discussed in the context of the generaltheory of soil evolution and its cyclic character. How-ever, the detailed analysis of soil morphology in thispart of the book seems to be unnecessary. From mypoint of view, it would be reasonable to discuss thisproblem later, before the analysis of particular soiltypes.

The second part of the textbook deals with the com-position and properties of different soil phases, theirdependence on geographical factors, and their spatialand temporal variability. It is important that the latestadvances of soil science in studying the solid, liquid,and gaseous soil phases are reflected in the textbook.

The third part is devoted to the principles of soilclassification, soil mapping, and soil–geographicregionalization. Major world soils and the problems oftheir rational management and conservation are dis-cussed. This part is written in a highly professional

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A.N. Gennadiev and M.A. Glazovskaya,

Geografiya pochv sosnovami pochvovedeniya

(Soil Geography and the Basics ofSoil Science), Moscow: Mosk. Gos. Univ., 2005, 461 pp.

style, as the authors of the new textbook are the leadingexperts in this field. From my point of view, the discus-sion of particular soil classification systems would bemore appropriate at the end of this part, after the stu-dents are acquainted with the major soil types.

The problems of soil geography and differentiationof the soil cover at the global and regional levels arediscussed in the fourth part. The impact of geographicalfactors on the soil cover of particular continents is con-sidered in detail. In contrast to the previous edition, inwhich the chapter devoted to the factors governing themain regularities of soil geography was included in thethird part of the textbook, the discussion of this prob-lem in the fourth part seems to be more appropriate andlogical.

The same concerns the chapter devoted to soil car-tography. In the new edition, this is chapter 14 “Princi-ples of the genetic classification of soils, soil cartogra-phy, and soil–geographical regionalization”, which isplaced in the third part of the book. Indeed, all threetopics of this chapter are closely interrelated and shouldbe discussed together.

Finally, the fifth part of the textbook is devoted tothe current state of soil resources, soil ameliorationproblems, and soil conservation. In contrast to manyother textbooks on soil science, the textbook underreview not only informs the reader about these impor-tant applied aspects of soil science but also gives a com-prehensive analysis of them.

An important advantage of the new textbook is thatthe problems of soil conservation are discussed in thecontext of the real socioeconomic situation and the his-torical traditions of the environmental and soil conser-vation policies in Russia. For the first time, specialchapters devoted to the functional values of soilresources and their use, the factors affecting the currentstate of soil resources and the tendencies in theirchanges, and the socioeconomic factors of the soil con-servation policy in Russia are included in a textbook onthe basics of soil science. These chapters stress theimportance of fundamental soil science for developingthe principles of sustainable management of soilresources and the biosphere as a whole. These princi-

BOOKREVIEWS

Geography for Soil Scientists or Soil Science for Geographers

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I. I. Sudnitsyn

Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia

Received November 16, 2005

DOI:

10.1134/S1064229306040132

458

EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE

Vol. 39

No. 4

2006

SUDNITSYN

ples are of particular importance for the transitionaleconomy of modern Russia.

In conclusion of this brief review, I should stress thehigh theoretical level of the new textbook and its orien-tation toward the real practice of teaching the basics ofsoil science in Russian universities.

It is remarkable that the new edition of the textbookwas published during the 250th jubilee year of MoscowState University as part of a series entitled ClassicalUniversity Textbooks. The rector of Moscow State Uni-versity, Academician V.A. Sadovnichii, wrote the fol-lowing words in his preface to this series:

The high levelof education given to the university students is ensured,first of all, by the high level of the university textbooks

and the study manuals prepared by our outstanding sci-entists and teachers. They combine a profound analysisof the problems discussed with a clear style of presen-tation. These books serve to accumulate the invaluableexperience gained in the methodology of teaching,which will become available not only to the students ofMoscow State University but also to the students ofother universities of Russia and the whole world. Thepublication of the series entitled Classical UniversityTextbooks vividly demonstrates the contribution ofMoscow State University to classical university educa-tion in Russia and, for certain, ensures its further devel-opment

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