This textbook is designed for use in university courses on the subject and as a reference book for practitioners and students. The work describes the physical properties of soils and how these properties affect agriculture and the environment. It is unique in its inclusion of pedology, taxonomy and pedotransfer functions.

H. Dan Scott is a university professor of soil physics in the Department of Crops, Soil, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dr. Scott’s research interests cover most aspects of soil-water crop relationships. His studies include geographical information systems in agriculture and natural resources, the effects of tillage and crop management practices on the spatial and temporal variability of soil physical properties, and the modeling of pesticide movement to surface and ground waters.