Albrecht on Crop Protection

What if the first line of defense against insects, disease, weeds, and crop failure begins not with a chemical spray, but with the soil? In Albrecht on Crop Protection, renowned soil scientist William A. Albrecht examines the relationship between soil fertility, plant nutrition, and the natural ability of crops to withstand disease and insect attack. Drawing from research papers, agricultural bulletins, and articles spanning Albrecht’s career, this tenth volume of The Albrecht Papers brings together his work on one of the most important questions in agriculture: how can healthier soil produce healthier, more resilient crops? Albrecht explores the roles of nitrogen, calcium, boron, trace elements, soil organic matter, cation balance, and nutrient availability in plant growth and crop protection. He considers the connections between soil deficiencies and disease, the effects of fertility on insect resistance, the restoration of depleted organic matter, drought, manure and other fertilizers, and the growing use of agricultural chemicals. Rather than treating pests and diseases as isolated problems, Albrecht challenges readers to look deeper into the conditions that make crops vulnerable in the first place. Edited by Charles Walters, Albrecht on Crop Protection preserves the work of one of the twentieth century’s influential soil scientists and offers farmers, agronomists, soil-health practitioners, and students of regenerative agriculture an opportunity to examine the research and ideas behind a foundational approach to ecological farming. This is Volume X of The Albrecht Papers.