Development Of Soil Science Research Articles

Development of soil science in Paraguay. Pedagogical background and some technical aspects

Conocer y comprender el desarrollo histórico de una disciplina académica, permite identificar con mayor claridad su avance a futuro. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es presentar una breve descripción del proceso histórico que ha experimentado el desarrollo de la Ciencia del Suelo en el Paraguay. Metodológicamente se basó en la revisión e indagación de materiales bibliográficos y entrevistas a expertos nacionales afines a la Ciencia del Suelo. El abordaje histórico, incluye la revisión y análisis en cuanto a la implementación y enseñanza de la Ciencia del Suelo en el Paraguay; asimismo, se revisó el proceso histórico para la instalación de los primeros Laboratorios de suelo, además de la consolidación de la Asociación científica de la ciencia del suelo en el Paraguay. Como resultados, la educación de la Ciencia del Suelo en el Paraguay tiene muy importantes avances, especialmente incorporando expertos capacitados tanto en universidades del extranjero, así como en universidades nacionales. También hubo mejoría sustancial en la cantidad y calidad de Laboratorios de Suelos, responsables de facilitar los estudios de suelos en el país. Así mismo se consiguió resultados importantes en los estudios de suelos. En el campo gremial se ha logrado avanzar con la creación de la Sociedad Paraguaya de Ciencia del Suelo (SOPACIS).

International conference «Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems» devoted to the 90th anniversary of the department of pedology and land resources estimation, Irkutsk State University and year of Baikal

From August 23 to August 29, 2021, Irkutsk hosted the Vth International Scientific and Practical Conference "Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems" (hereinafter – the conference) dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Department of Soil Science and Land Resources Assessment of the Irkutsk State University (ISU) and the Year of Baikal. The total number of participants of the conference was 130 from 27 regions of Russia and 6 other countries (the Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Lebanon and Lithuania). The article presents a brief review of plenary and sectional reports on the following research topics: 1) theoretical soil science: genesis, evolution, classification problems; 2). multidisciplinary approaches of soil science related to the use of soil science methods in other research areas and scientific and industrial areas; 3) Soil resources and land assessment (fertility, degradation, land reclamation, qualitative and economic assessment, ecology and land protection). A total of 43 presentations were given at the conference: 8 plenary and 35 sectional. The interested reader will find a detailed description of the reports presented in this review, as well as other and other conference materials in the collection "Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems" (2021).
 A brief description of two excursions is given: (1) one excursion to the beautiful scenery at the shore of the Lake Baikal, held on August 23, 2021; (2) and another excursion at the Bratsk Reservoir on August 26-29, 2021. The purpose of the excursions wass to get acquainted with the nature and historical and cultural heritage of the Irkutsk region, Lake Baikal, as well as with soils, soil-forming rocks and natural features of the Southern Angara region. During the excursion tour, landscapes, rock outcrops and soil sections were presented: soils on a bumpy-depression relief; Paleolithic site of ancient man "Malta" with sections near the geoarchaeological objects "Malta-Bridge 3"; alluvial gray-humus soil in the floodplain of the Belaya River; exposure of Lower Cambrian rocks near the village Novomaltinsk; Cheremkhovsky coal mine; dispersed-carbonate gypseous chernozem near the Unga River; Novonukutsky gypsum mine; gray metamorphic soil and micellar-segregational chernozem on the bank of the Bratsk reservoir near the village Balagansk. At the end of the tour, the conference participants held a roundtable discussion about the problems of genesis and classification of the soils of the south of the Near-Angara region. The classification position of all the presented soils was justified within the framework of two classification systems: Classification of soils of Russia (2004) and Classification and diagnostics of soils of the USSR (1977). For scientific and informational support of the excursion, the guide "Southern Pre-Angara region: features of soil formation on rocks of different ages" (2021) was prepared and published.
 The conference aroused great interest among a wide range of specialists in the field of soil science, agrochemistry and ecology, land resource assessment, landscape studies, etc. The organization of such events promotes exchange of experience and strengthens the cooperation between researchers from leading universities and research centers, advancing the effective development of soil science, research methodology and practice, generalizing the information about soil as a link between the functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems.

Evolution of soil salinization under the background of landscape patterns in the irrigated northern slopes of Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

Soil salinization has been a topic due to the widespread recognition of the food crisis and the shortage of cultivated land resources in arid regions. Unfortunately, the evolution of soil salinization under the background of landscape dynamics is rarely addressed due to the lack of spatial coupling techniques. Recent developments in soil science and remote sensing technology provide the possibility for accurate management of land resources. This study aims to explore the spatiotemporal variations of soil salinization by coupling the spatial distribution of soil salinization and landscape patterns in the irrigated northern slopes of Tianshan Mountains. We graded soil salinization levels based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The results indicated that the proportion of salinized cultivated land in 2014 (32.11%) was higher than that in 2005 (28.11%). We argue that simply quantifying the changes of soil salinization can neither accurately reflect the effectiveness of salinized cultivated land management nor meet the need for land resource planning. In response to these shortcomings, the evolution of soil salinization was explored in three categories, i.e., “stable cultivated land”, “increased cultivated land”, and “decreased cultivated land”. We found that the proportion of soil salinization in stable cultivated land has dropped considerably from 38.11% in 2005 to 29.22% in 2014. This number in the increased cultivated land (59.11%) is much higher than that of the whole study area. These results are expected to benefit local authorities and assist in alleviating the food crisis in arid regions.

Biosphere ideas of V.I. Vernadskyi as theoretical fundament of agricultural ecology

The article presents the main features of the scientific heritage of Academician V.I. Vernadsky and his scientific and organizational role in the formation of agricultural science in Ukraine is given. It is noted that the history of agricultural science pays the greatest attention to the participation of the scientist in the development of soil science and research affair in Ukraine. The future academician took an active part in the study of the soils of Poltava region in the expeditions of 1882–1890 under the leadership of V.V. Dokuchaev, who was his lecturer at St. Petersburg University. In 1918, with his efforts, the Agricultural Scientist (later Scientific) Committee of Ukraine was created, which became the forerunner of the modern National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. World science recognizes in his works a fundamental understanding of the biosphere and noosphere, as well as the formation of modern scientific fields in geology, geochemistry, hydrogeochemistry, radiogeology, philosophy, organization of sciences. The scientist had a rare gift to synthesize various facts, getting a completely new idea, a new law of nature, a new direction in science. We are considering the methodological parallels in doctrines of agrosphere by O.O. Sozinov and of noosphere by V.I. Vernadsky. The significance of separate laws of the biosphere V.I. Vernadskyis investigated in the functioning of the agrosphere. The significant agroecological significance of the laws of causation in the biosphere and noosphere, the unity of all parts of the biosphere, the mechanism of biogeochemical cycles of chemical elements as a basis for the organization and dynamic equilibrium of natural systems are revealed. We summarized the directions of domestic agroecology, which are based on the fundamental biosphere laws of biogeochemical functions and zoning of the biosphere, biogenic migration of chemical elements, radioactivity of the territories, revealed by V.I. Vernadsky are generalized. Applied aspects of gas, oxygen, reduction, concentration and respiratory biogeochemical functions of the biosphere are actively studied in modern crop and animal husbandry. It is noted that promising areas of agricultural ecology can be scientific ideas V.I. Vernadsky on philosophy and scientific methodology, biomass and chemical composition of living matter, endemic morbidity of living organisms, hydrogeochemical zonation of waters, natural radioactivity, modeling of biosphere processes.

Genetic and substantive soil classifications and their applicability in geobotanical research

The first soil classifications dividing soils according to their individual properties and reflecting the resource value of soils were, in fact, substantive classifications. The appearance of soil science that studies soils as special natural bodies changing in space according to natural laws has led to the emergence of genetic soil classifications. The most detailed multilevel Classification of soils of the USSR (1977) is ecological genetic classification based on the relationship between soils and soil formation conditions, where the type of vegetation cover is the top hierarchy level. With the development of soil science, inconsistencies between the genetic classification and the growing volume of knowledge, difficulties in its formalization, and contradictions with the zonal approach have appeared. A paradigm of substantive classification has emerged based on modern measurable morphological and analytical indicators of soils. It is most fully implemented in the World reference base for soil resources (WRB); a compromise option is the substantive- genetic Soil Classification of Russia (2004). In these classifications, for the first time soils with strong human influence (Antrosols and Technosols) are included at a high classification level. The tasks of substantive classifications are the certainty of soil identification; however, discrete classification cells with tight boundaries do not correspond to the continual nature of soils. When using WRB 2014, geobotanical studies receive a certain “freedom” from soils, at the same time, the rigid framework of the parameters of soil properties makes it possible to more accurately identify soil-depended condition of the vegetation cover.

Beyond the black box: promoting mathematical collaborations for elucidating interactions in soil ecology

AbstractUnderstanding soil systems is critical because they form the structural and nutritional foundation for plants and thus every terrestrial habitat and agricultural system. In this paper, we encourage increased use of mathematical models to drive forward understanding of interactions in soil ecological systems. We discuss several distinctive features of soil ecosystems and empirical studies of them. We explore some perceptions that have previously deterred more extensive use of models in soil ecology and some advances that have already been made using models to elucidate soil ecological interactions. We provide examples where mathematical models have been used to test the plausibility of hypothesized mechanisms, to explore systems where experimental manipulations are currently impossible, or to determine the most important variables to measure in experimental and natural systems. To aid in the development of theory in this field, we present a table describing major soil ecology topics, the theory previously used, and providing key terms for theoretical approaches that could potentially address them. We then provide examples from the table that may either contribute to important incremental developments in soil science or potentially revolutionize our understanding of plant–soil systems. We challenge scientists and mathematicians to push theoretical explorations in soil systems further and highlight three major areas for the development of mathematical models in soil ecology: theory spanning scales and ecological hierarchies, processes, and evolution.

Diagnostic role of soil physical properties of forest biogeocoenoses of the Ukrainian steppe zone

For the current stage of the development of soil science it is relevant to search for objectively existing interactions between the various soil properties. Solving this issue most appropriately should be based on the establishment of pedotransfer functions. Pedotransfer functions appeared at the time of the birth of quantitative soil science, when one of the properties of the soil tried to predict others when it became clear that everything in the soil is interrelated when it was established that there is a well-defined number of fundamental, basic properties of the soil, which is basically defines its other properties. Accordingly, the purpose of our work is to establish the diagnostic value of the individual soil physical properties of forest biogeocoenoses of the steppe by means of determining the existing interconnections between them and other properties and characteristics of these soils. The solution of this issue is one of the tasks of developing research on the soil physical properties of forest biogeocoenoses of the Ukrainian steppe zone. The diagnostic value of granulometric and structural-aggregate composition, density and permeability for determining the general state of soils due to the existence of certain interactions between the indicated parameters and other soil properties is considered. The granulometric composition is a fundamental soil characteristic that determines not only the physical state, but also all the main soil properties and regimes of forest biogeocoenoses of the Ukrainian steppe zone. The structural and aggregate composition is an important complex diagnostic feature of chernozem, which helps to reveal the peculiarities of their genesis under the influence of forest vegetation, in particular as a result of changes in the content and composition of organic matter, exchange cations, the influence of root vegetation systems, etc. The soil density, due to existing interactions with other soil properties, is an important diagnostic feature that reflects the features of their genesis and regimes, which determines the specificity of the ecological functions of the soils of forest biogeocoenoses of the Ukrainian steppe zone. Water permeability can be considered as a complex characteristic of soils, which to a certain extent reflects their granulometric composition, porosity, structural and aggregate composition, determines the features of the water-air regime. The differences of physical properties of zonal chernozems and chernozems, the genesis of which are connected with artificial and natural forest biogeocoenoses within the steppe zone of Ukraine, are analyzed. The relevance of the further search for relationships between physical indicators that are easily and promptly analyzed, and other soil properties for expanding diagnostic possibilities with respect to their genesis is pointed out.

Experience of the teaching of soil classification systems to students at different stages of education (Faculty of Soil Science, LMSU, Russia)

Abstract Soil classification systems provide a common language for scientific communication, represent the diversity of soils and create a scientific basis for soil management, monitoring and conservation. There are several soil classifications currently in use in Russia. Teaching soil systematics to students at the Faculty of Soil Science of the LMSU has developed over the years to meet specific requirements at different stages of education. Students learn to use and correlate different classification systems. Bachelor’s students study classifications to enable professional communication and describing soil diversity. Master’s students further learn the key principles of soil formation, historical and current trends in the development of soil science and the international terminology of soil science. Studying different aspects of the theory and practice of soil classification at different stages of education gives our students a solid base for systematising their knowledge and acquiring skills in scientific research.

Роль кафедри ґрунтознавства Харківського НАУ ім. В.В. Докучаєва у розвитку грунтознавчої науки та освіти в Україні

Роль кафедри ґрунтознавства Харківського НАУ ім. В.В. Докучаєва у розвитку грунтознавчої науки та освіти в Україні

Докучаевское почвоведение. Единство теории и практического приложения. Противоречия. Есть ли они? (к 170-летию В.В. Докучаева)

In this paper we consider civilizational, social and economic role and place of fundamental and applied aspects of the soil science on the basis of analysis of classic scientific heritage. The predeterminacy of such a dualism is stipulated. It is shown that the part of comprehensive scientific works of V. V. Dokuchaev in the area of applied science and principals of landscape and ecological rational management of natural resources was not so appreciated as internationally acclaimed theory of soil and its determination in status of natural and historical body. The role of scientists of Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute in the forming of the appearance of soil science in the World in the past century is fundamental. There is also shown the value of session of Academy of Agricultural Sciences “The Scientific Heritage of V. V. Dokuchaev and Modern Agriculture” (June, 1992) for the purposes of the development of works in the area of investigation and creation of ecologically balanced highly productive and sustainable agrolandscapes, and also for the projection and ecquisition of adaptive-landscape agriculture systems and actual agrotechnologies. Scientific schools and their leaders caused a significant impact on the development of soil science and agriculture in Russia and in the World. The fundamental basis of genetic soils science of V. V. Dokuchaev determined the creation of fundamentals of landscape agriculture; biospheric paradigm of Dokuchaev-Vernadskiy determined actual trends of World agricultural production; genesis and classification of soils by N. M. Sibirtsev determined the development of valuation of soils; theory of humus forming, chernozem forming and podzol forming by P. A. Kostychev determined the development of scientific agronomy; theory of SCC by K. K. Gedroyts determined the development of chemical melioration of lands; theory of soil forming by V. R. Williams determined the development of grassland farming and fodder production; the soil forming theory of N. M. Tulaikov determined the development of dry agriculture; the hydrology theory of G. N. Vysotskiy and A. A. Rode determined the development of forestry and forest melioration; biogeochemistry of V. I. Vernadskiy and B. B. Polynov determined the development of theory of rational management of natural resources; geochemistry and soil ecology by V. A. Kovds determined the developmeny of hydrotechnical melioration; theory of soil-climatic facies by I. P. Gerasimov, the fundamentals of soil investigations by L. I. Prasolov, theory of soil cover structures by V. M. Fridland determined soil-geographic and soil-ecologic zoning; the investigation of phosphate transformation in soils by A. V. Sokolov led to creation of powerful industry of phosphate fertilizers production and the development of technologies of their implementation. The critical analysis of actual state of soils science is given. There is also stipulated the extreme necessity of participation of business community in the financing of the science and forming of innovative framework. Along with that, there is shown the necessity of restoration of State Land Service in Russia.

Soil Erosion Prediction Using GIS and Remote Sensing on Manjunto Watershed Bengkulu, Indonesia

Soil Erosion Prediction Using GIS and Remote Sensing on Manjunto Watershed Bengkulu, Indonesia

Root Study: Why Is It behind Other Plant Studies?

Until the 1980s, root studies were typically conducted in nutrient solution, because of the technical difficulties of studying roots in their natural environment, soil. Recent innovations and the realization that there are gaps between the expected and actual performance of plant root systems have emphasized the need for more realistic solutions. This review analyzes the study of plant roots in view of developments in soil science, microbiology, botany and plant physiology, and recently the introduction of molecular biology and computerized imaging.

Dagestan department of Dokuchaev Soil-Science Society and its role in development of soil science

The paper sums up the scientific organizational activity carried out by the Dagestan Department of the Dokuchaev Soil-Science Society for 50 years of the research on soils of Dagestan and other regions. The coordinating role of the department is shown by implementing the priority measures, including organizing the Department of Biology and transforming it into the Caspian Institute of Biological Resources of the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the creation of a basic Soil-Science Department at Dagestan State University, and the International Academic Journal Arid Ecosystems. The paper shows the quantitative growth and popularization of knowledge of soils, and the expansion of the sphere of influence in state, public, and private enterprises.

Proximal Soil Sensing

Vadose Zone JournalVolume 10, Issue 4 p. 1340-1341 Book Review Proximal Soil Sensing Bryant Keith Bellingham, Corresponding Author Bryant Keith Bellingham kbellingham@stevenswater.com Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, 12067 NE Glenn Widing Dr. Suite 106, Portland, OR, 97220Corresponding author (kbellingham@stevenswater.com).Search for more papers by this author Bryant Keith Bellingham, Corresponding Author Bryant Keith Bellingham kbellingham@stevenswater.com Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, 12067 NE Glenn Widing Dr. Suite 106, Portland, OR, 97220Corresponding author (kbellingham@stevenswater.com).Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 November 2011 https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2011.0105brCitations: 8 All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume10, Issue4November 2011Pages 1340-1341 RelatedInformation

Early soil knowledge and the birth and development of soil science

Abstract Soils knowledge dates to the earliest known practice of agriculture about 11,000 BP. Civilizations all around the world showed various levels of soil knowledge by the 4th century AD, including irrigation, the use of terraces to control erosion, various ways of improving soil fertility, and ways to create productive artificial soils. Early soils knowledge was largely based on observations of nature; experiments to test theories were not conducted. Many famous scientists, for example, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Charles Darwin, and Leonardo da Vinci worked on soils issues. Soil science did not become a true science, however, until the 19th century with the development of genetic soil science, led by Vasilii V. Dokuchaev. In the 20th century, soil science moved beyond its agricultural roots and soil information is now used in residential development, the planning of highways, building foundations, septic systems, wildlife management, environmental management, and many other applications in addition to agriculture.

Formation and development of soil science and agricultural chemistry in belarus during 75 years and current problems of agropedology

Formation and development of soil science and agricultural chemistry in belarus during 75 years and current problems of agropedology

Vital Soil: Function, Value and Properties. Developments in Soil Science, 29

Soil Use and ManagementVolume 22, Issue 3 p. 323-324 Vital Soil: Function, Value and Properties. Developments in Soil Science, 29 Graeme I. Paton, Graeme I. PatonSearch for more papers by this author Graeme I. Paton, Graeme I. PatonSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 June 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2006.00049_2.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume22, Issue3September 2006Pages 323-324 RelatedInformation

From Organism to Commodity: Gender, Class, and the Development of Soil Science in Hungary 1900–89

Through a succession of liberal and state-socialist regimes in Hungary, the interconnections of gender, class, and soil management established much of the social framework within which soil scientists produced constructs that affected scientific explanations of and prescriptions to soil-degradation problems. Various metaphors, analogies, conflations, and externalisations shaped notions of soil productivity, the producing subject, and the nature of soils. Their legitimacy and justification emerged from the evolving interplay of rural processes, the economic policies of succeeding regimes, and capitalist world-system dynamics. The results of the study suggest that physical scientists have actively promoted regime ideologies, that gendered scientific constructs need not be grounded in dualistic syllogisms, and that industrialised state-socialist scientific practices largely conformed to bourgeois principles.

Occurrence of sombric-like subsurface A horizons in some andic soils of the Nilgiri Hills (Southern India) and their palaeoecological significance

This paper deals with four pedons (three Fulvudands and one Andic Haplorthox) located at high elevations (2000–2400 m a.s.l.) in the Nilgiri Hills on an old laterized surface of South India, and characterized by thick (50–100 cm) epipedons whose colour tends to darken with depth. In two of them, the colour contrast between the top and the bottom A horizons was so well expressed that they were morphologically very similar to the African Oxisols reported to have sombric subsurface horizons. Soil organic matter (SOM) of the different selected A horizons was characterized by its mean residence time (MRT) and its δ 13C value, whereas their humic acids (HAs) were examined by techniques that made it possible to determine their chemical composition and their chromatic properties. It was found that the darker colour of the subsurface A horizons of these soils was related to three joined characteristics: a SOM δ 13C signature indicating a C4-type vegetation (i.e. a grassland-type) origin, the presence of humic acids belonging to the A-type (i.e. melanic) category of Kumada (Kumada, K., 1987. Chemistry of soil organic matter. Developments in Soil Science, Elsevier, Tokyo), and large mean residence time values. In contrast, the top A horizons had a more recent SOM, mainly inherited from a C3-type vegetation, and humic acids (HAs) that were less condensed than the A-type HAs. It was also found that where the presence of sombric-like subsurface A horizons was the most evident, the vegetation change recorded by the soils (i.e. the change from a grassland-type vegetation towards a C3-type vegetation) was expressed on the thickest part of their epipedon. These observations led us to propose that the occurrence of sombric-like subsurface A horizons resulted from the following sequence of events: (i) an exceptionally thick accumulation of organic matter deriving from grassland followed by (ii) its progressive replacement by less dark organic matter derived from a C3-type vegetation. This proposal was found to be in reasonable agreement with the history of the vegetation changes experienced by the Nilgiri Hills since the end of the Pleistocene. On the other hand, it is also very similar to one of the hypotheses proposed by Van Wambeke (Van Wambeke, A., 1992. Soils of the Tropics—Properties and Appraisal. McGraw-Hill, New York) to explain the frequent occurrence of sombric horizons in the Oxisols and Ultisols of the high-altitude areas of Central Africa.

Origin and development of soil science in ancient China

Based on many ancient records, archaeological discoveries, and current studies, knowledge of soils including their classification, distribution, and utilization was understood 2000 years ago in China. Thus, pedology may have originated in China. A brief history of Chinese thoughts about soils is described along with the development of their farming experiences since ancient times. Even today, people still get useful information from these old records and works.