Soils of Malaysia

There are approximately 500 different types of soils in Malaysia, most is residual soil and coastal alluvial soil. This book presents a comprehensive overview of soils in Malaysia. It covers topics including climate; flora and fauna; geology and hydrology; land use changes for agriculture; soil fertility; human-induced soil degradation; and soil contamination sources. It features information on the role of biological, chemical, mechanical, and physical factors in relation to soil properties. The book highlights land use impact, soil problems arising from contamination and its control methods, the management of “problem soils,” limiting materials as well as future soil issues.

Muhammad Aqeel Ashraf, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, University Malaysia, Sabah. His field of interest is environmental soil science. He has published more than 100 research articles on the topic.

Radiah Othman, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Head of Land Management Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia. She is an active researcher in the field of Soil Microbiology. She has published more than one hundred research articles on the topic.

Che Fauzian Ishak, PhD, is a Professor and Deputy Dean (Academic, Students Affairs and Alumni), Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia. Her field of specialization is in Soil chemistry. She conducted a project under the funding Australian Centre of International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) on the establishment of baseline levels of heavy metals in agricultural soils of Peninsular Malaysia to be used as a guideline in evaluating contaminated land in the country.