ASCOT Library Zabali Campus

1. Physicochemical properties of submerged soils in relation to fertility - F. N. Ponnamperuma –
2. Physical properties of paddy soils in relation to their fertility - T. Yahata –
3. Some notes on clay minerals in relation to soil fertility and rice production in Japan - S. Shoji –
4. The role of organic matter in rice production – with special reference to Harada's concept - K. H. Houng –
5. Nitrogen fixation in paddy soils in relation to their fertility - Y. Yamaguchi –
6. Nutrio-physiology of the rice plant - Y. Ishizuka –
7. Phosphorus in submerged soils and phosphorous nutrition and fertilization of rice - S. C. Chang –
8. Potassium fertilization of rice - N. R. Su –
9. Sulfur fertilization of rice - C. H. Wang –
10. Zinc fertilization and behavior in flooded soils - D. S. Mikkelsen and S. Kou –
11. Silica fertilization of rice - S. Lian –
12. Comparative values of chemical fertlizers for paddy rice - M. Ismunadji and H. R. von Uexkull.

"The main item in the diet of most of the people in the Asian and Pacific region is rice, which is grown in submerged soils. When air is excluded from the soil on sub- mergence, the soil microflora change from aerobes to anaerobes. Consequently, the physico-chemical and electro-chemical properties and reactions of these soils differ greatly from those of upland soils. The chemical forms and transformation of soil constituents, including plant nutrients, also differ and affect the capacity, intensity and rate of supply of these constituents to the plant. Physically, the alternate and persistent submergence and drying, together with the human manipulation of the soil during cultivation, exert a profound effect on the soil structure, tilth, aeration, soil-water relationship, profile differentiation, etc. Therefore, submerged soils provide a new frontier for study, the intensive exploitation of which has been only recently undertaken.
The study of soil fertility is not only confined to the determination of the static status of the content and forms of plant nutrients in the soil, but more concerned with the dynamics of the unified system, of lithosphere-biosphere-atmosphere or, more specifically, with the relationship of soil-plant-climate, in which the phases are interdependent in providing nutrients for plant growth.
This was the basic concept in the thinking of the staff of the FFTC when the seminar on "The Fertility of Paddy Soils' was organized and the program compiled. The seminar was conducted in Taipei, in July, 1976. The twelve papers delivered at the seminar are included in this volume. We realize that the coverage of the subject is by no means complete, and we hope that this volume will be the forerunner of more comprehensive treatments of the subject.
In conclusion, we would like to thank the contributors of the papers for putting so much effort into their preparation, and for the way in which they have cooperated with us while we have been getting this book ready for publication. We hope they will feel rewarded by the knowledge that it will be of untold value to the many agriculturists who are trying to increase their knowledge of paddy soils."
- S. C. Chang
Director, FFTC
December, 1976