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Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum

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Encyclopedia of Agrophysics

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Soil–plant–atmosphere system

Definition

Soil–plant–atmosphere continuum is the near-surface environment in which water and energy transfer occurs from soil through plants to the atmosphere.

Introduction

John Philip (Philip, 1966) was the first to use the phrase “soil–plant–atmosphere continuum” (SPAC). According to his concept, SPAC integrates all components (soil, plant, animals, and the surrounding atmosphere) into a dynamic system in which the various transport processes involving energy and matter occur simultaneously.

The purpose of human activity in the areas being under agricultural use is plant production. The main aim of utilization of all agro-technical treatments is to create in the soil an optimal condition for plant growth and development. This activity influences all constituents of SPAC.

The specific feature of soil–plant–atmosphere system parameters is their time and space variability and biological activity.

The soil system is composed of three major...

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Bibliography

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Correspondence to Cezary Sławiński .

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Sławiński, C., Sobczuk, H. (2011). Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum. In: Gliński, J., Horabik, J., Lipiec, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Agrophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3585-1_141

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