The Soils of Italy

With detailed data on soil composition throughout Italy, this study has the most up-to-date analysis of typologies, distribution, properties, functionality and ecological services. It includes discussion of natural and anthropogenic threats to soil stability.

The Soils of Italy is the first comprehensive book on Italian pedology in seventy years. Taking advantage of the authors’ large experience and of the most up-to-date  information and technology, this book treats the main soil types of Italy, their diffusion, their functions, ecological use, and the threats to which they are subjected during centuries of intensive management. It also deals with future scenarios of the relationships between soil science and other disciplines, such as urban development, medicine, economics, sociology, and archaeology. The description of the soils is accompanied by a complete set of data, pictures and maps, including benchmark profiles. Factors of soil formation are also treated, making use of new, unpublished data and elaborations. The book also includes a history of pedological research in Italy, spanning over a century. 

Introduction.- Research in pedology: an historical perspective.- Climate.- Geology and geomorphology.- Vegetation and land use.-  Time as a soil-forming factor in Italy.- Pedodiversity.- Soil function and ecological services.- Soil threats.- Soil management.- Soils, humans and industry.- Future soil issues.