The purpose of this treatise is to explore some of the complexities that the portion of soil profile occupied by the roots. with emphasis on bringing together interests of classical soil biologists and classical soil scientists. The editors view this "bringing together" as the essence of "Soil Biology." This book had its beginning in the 1986 meeti
Biography
Luther C. Hammond is Professor of Soil Physics at the University of Florida, Gainesville. His multidiscipline investigations includes water retaining and transmitting characteristics of the major soils of Florida; plant water use and management in response to crop and soil management variables and to atmospheric demand; root growth in relation to plant and soil factors; and spatial variability of soil physical properties and crop yields. He received his B.S. from Clemson University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Iowa State University. James E. Box. Jr. is a Soil Scientist with the Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Watkinsville, Georgia. He was Laboratory Director of the Center (1966-1984), served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (1981-1989), and was Chairman of the Southern Regional Information Exchange Group for Root Environment (1986-1989). He has authored and co-authored more than 90 scientific publications and participated in international symposia on root research. Dr. Box's particular areas of interest are use of the minirhizotron technique and rooting of soft red winter wheat. He received his B. S. and M. S. degrees from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. from Utah State University.
