The Soils of Italy is the first comprehensive book on Italian pedology in seventy years. Taking advantage of the large experience of the authors, and of the most updated information and technology, main soil types of Italy, their diffusion, functions and ecological services, threats whose they are subjected under centuries of intensive management, and the future scenarios of the relationships between soil science and other disciplines, such as urban development, medicine, economics, sociology, and archaeology are reported. 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 Factors of soil formation are also treated, making use of new, unpublished data and elaborations.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 Soils of Italy is completed with the history of the pedological research in Italy, spanning more than 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