Principles of Soil and Plant Water Relations, 1st Edition

Quotes and reviews

"Unique in various ways, and above all is a pleasure to read or browse through. Each chapter contains plenty of references and has extraordinary detail, as one might expect from Mary Beth Kirkham. Unlike most other textbooks Mary Beth devotes many chapters solely to specific instrumentation, including chapters on tensiometry, soil penetrometers, soil oxygen diffusion rate, tension infiltrometry, time domain reflectometry, psychrometry, pressure chambers, and infared thermometers...the author presents thorough explanations based on physical principles that are intuitive, clear, and refreshing. The care exercised by Mary Beth in writing and reviewing this material is exemplified by the fact that I could not find a single error, either in the typesetting or in the scientific contents...an excellent text for an introduction in soil-water-plant relations. I also find it an extremely valuable reference for my own library because of the supplementary material that I usually cannot find in other related textbooks. I would highly recommend it for students and professionals alike."
- Jan W. Hopmans, University of California, Davis

"The sheer magnitude of this book's subject matter could overwhelm many readers, but Dr. Kirkham spares us this fate by virtue of superb organization, foundation building, and clear, example-rich writing...I am pleased to recommend this book to students and scientists at any level who profess interest in soil-water science or plant-water relations, and to dendrochronologists or environmental botanists who investigate the effects of water stresses upon tree growth and structure. It would serve as an excellent text for a graduate or advanced undergraduate course, as well, and indeed I expect it to become the standard for this purpose. I would gladly spend my own money for this book, which today joins other timely references on the lowest shelf of my bookcase, within arm's reach."
-T.M. Yanosky, U.S. Geological Survey, in JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, VOL. 34, AUG. 2005

"[Kirkham's] writing style is a beautiful blend of the formal and the familiar, resulting in the feeling that you are not so much reading the text, as seeing the seminar on which the text was based...I enjoyed reading this unique book because it assembled many important aspects of water relations into one concise format. Kirkham guides you on a journey of discovery (or in my case re-discovery) of the principles underlying the concepts and practices of plant and soil water relations. Her book provides perfect foundation for university courses on the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum...Kirkham's book is a powerful reference tool for plant and soil scientists alike. Keep this book on your desk so that you can present it to the next plant breeder who walks into your office asking for help to develop a simple test for screening drought tolerance in plants."
- Malcom J. Morrison, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, ECORC, in Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

"Every chapter has a simple, logical construction. The definitions are presented first, next comes the physical or anatomical background and then descriptions of processes, assumptions of laws and theories with the controversies around them. Deep physical background is a feature of this text, expecially evident as the text puts emphasis on the instrumentation and methods used to m easure the status of water in soil and plants. The presentation of strong and weak sides of various methods and comparisons of methods are very useful...The author's great biological as well as physical and mathematical skills are very well presented...I greatly value this book and I can highly recommend it."
-A. Dzierzynska in ACTA PHYSIOLOGIAE PLANTARUM

"It is an excellent reference book for undergraduates, postgraduates and established scientists alike...Excessive mathematical detail is avoided to keep a wide audience on-board, so that the book remains appropriate for students of biology and agriculture, in addition to agricultural engineers and soil physicists...The book has been produced to a high standard, with clear diagrams and graphs throughout. The text gives very clear explanation and discussion of the subject, making the assumptions and limitations of our understanding clear... a very worthwhile investment."
-Glyn Bengough, in EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE

"...the book has a great deal to offer anyone interested in soil and plant water relationships...well supplied with clear, useful diagrams...The book is intended primarily for graduate students but it is also likely to be useful to post-graduates and researchers in any fields where soil and plant water relationships are relevant."
- John Robers, in WEATHER


"This book will appeal to both students and practicing researchers....Students will enjoy Dr Kirkham’s clear exposition of the scientific principles, and her instructive worked examples which reinforce the presentation of the underlying equations....Researchers will find this comprehensive book of 27 chapters a treasure trove of useful information on the physical, chemical and biological processes that connect the soil to plants and the atmosphere. Everyone will enjoy the vignettes appended to each chapter which detail the life and works of key scientists whose research endeavours advanced our understanding of the scientific principles of soil and plant water relations. There is something for everyone in this book." - Brent Clothier, HortResearch, New Zealand

“This book is a basic treatise, clearly written, and entertaining throughout. It is a textbook that has all the attributes for becoming a classic in its field.” - Rienk R. van der Ploeg, University of Hannover, Germany

”Professor Kirkham has used her considerable experience and vast knowledge both as a teacher and as a scientist to produce a comprehensive treatise on the principles of soil-plant-water relationships.... Students and researchers in plant physiology, soil science, agriculture, horticulture,
and ecology will greatly benefit, for years to come, from this exceptionally well presented and illustrated book.” - M. Hossein Behboudian, Massey
University, New Zealand

"Principles of Soil and Plant Water Relations by M.B. Kirkham is a compressive review of our current ideology of water movement and storage within plants and soil. Indeed, this is a needed update concerning the understanding of this topic and the first in almost ten years. This book takes the reader through the basic physical properties of water to the principles of water as it moves through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. At the end of each chapter are biographies of scientists that helped to develop the concepts discussed within the text. I was glad and enlightened to see this addition, for as I have often been reminded as a scientist, "we stand on the shoulders of giants." I highly recommend this book as a companion for those that work with water relations and as a teaching tool for those that wish to learn more about this basic, but often misunderstood, principle of plant and soil physiology." - James K. McCarron, Adams State College, Colorado