Our view usually does not extend beyond the earth's surface:the buildings, the visible vegetation and the water surfaces. But hidden beneath the surface lies the soil, heavy or light, young or old, dead or fertile. With a little help, the stories are up for grabs, show two new books.
All soil types in the Netherlands are reviewed in Soil under the landscape. In it, author Jan Bokhorst pays a lot of attention to the (chemical) composition and plant growth from which we can recognize the different soil types. He is a soil scientist and a researcher at the Louis Bolk Institute.
Typical of the soils in our country is that they are relatively young. We live in an 'ice age landscape', although we usually don't experience it that way. The memories of the Ice Age are clearly visible above ground in the moraines in the east of the country. The boulders transported from Scandinavia by glaciers also make it clear that enormous 'ice forces' were once at work.
A less well-known memory of the ice ages, for example, is the origin of the sand, which was blanketed over the land thousands of years ago by polar winds from the dry North Sea (hence the term 'cover sands').
Soil knowledge widespread
Recognizing soils is not easy and we need specialists for that these days. It was very different centuries ago, when a large part of the population still worked in agriculture. Soil was a daily reality, just like the weather. People depended on it for their food and knowledge was much more widespread than it is today.
Now in school with a subject like geography, we learn about distant continents, globalization and world trade. Soil knowledge is only really an issue in higher education. And even modern farmers often lack knowledge about the land on which they grow their crops. A statement by an agricultural researcher recently on Kennislink makes it clear that the current generation is mainly 'machine farmer'. There is often no other option to achieve the required yield from the land.
Soil as substrate
Soil under the landscape provides insight into the soils that we are rich in the Netherlands, which are not directly geared to practice. The book goes more in depth Soil signals, also published by Uitgeverij Roodbont. It discusses the specific structure of the various soil types, the minerals and crops per soil type and the chemistry and life in the soil.
This book is also attractive to the interested layman. It shows that we live in a very varied country in terms of soils. But we should not romanticize, because much agriculture and horticulture in the Netherlands has been completely detached from the ground. The soil is often no more than a substrate. In greenhouse cultivation, the soil has usually already been completely replaced by fibres, such as rock wool, in which the plants take root, which only receive moisture with a sophisticated mix of nutrients.
In outdoor cultivation, too, the soil is often no more than a substrate. Flower bulb cultivation is even possible on virtually dead soil. Fertilizers and pesticides guarantee a high yield, although the limits of this approach are approaching. These are forms of agriculture in which it hardly matters what the soil has to offer. However, to be able to grow in a more environmentally friendly way, knowledge about the soil is necessary. These books meet that need for knowledge, for all those who want to delve more into the soil (history).