The depiction of soil profiles since the late 1700s

Artists have depicted soils in paintings since medieval times, and most landscape and soil paintings were made in the eighteenth century. The systematic study of soils started later and soil science was dominated by agricultural chemistry for most of the nineteenth century. Since the late 1800s soil profile drawings, paintings and photographs have been depicted in hundreds of textbooks. This paper traces the depiction of soil profiles in the scientific literature from the late 1700. The first soil profile depictions were simple diagrams illustrating different layers and soil processes. Photographs started to appear in textbooks at the end of the nineteenth century. In the 1950s, several books contained water paintings and from the 1970s onwards textbooks had colour photographs. Soil profile depictions were merely used to illustrate different orders in a classification system. Since the 1990s, efforts have been made to depict the soil profile in 3D. The overall trends and pattern found in this analysis not only reflect the technical ability to depict soils (e.g. camera, printing techniques) but also reflect the state of knowledge on the key properties and processes that have formed a soil.     

我国设施农业土壤质量退化特征与调控研究进展

设施土壤质量退化已成为制约现代设施农业可持续发展的瓶颈。了解设施土壤退化成因与特征,并采取适宜的调控措施,对于促进设施农业持续健康发展具有重要意义。本文综述了国内目前设施农业土壤次生盐渍化、酸化、微生物区系破坏、养分失调、有害物质积累等5个方面的退化特征与成因。简述了生物、农业、工程3类调控措施在改良设施土壤方面的应用研究进展。并且针对我国设施土壤质量研究中存在的关于探索形成原因和控制机理方面的研究少,原创性设施土壤改良与调控技术仍然十分缺乏,大尺度、长时间设施土壤质量演变的长期定位研究和动态监测工作十分滞后,有关设施土壤退化因素叠加效应与交互作用机理研究尚未涉及等问题,提出应将构建设施土壤质量标准体系,开展设施土壤质量退化演变机理以及拓展调控与改良技术,系统研究不同退化形式之间的相互作用,以及拓展新技术在设施农业土壤研究中的应用等4方面作为今后研究的重点。     

A soil science renaissance

The renaissance was an intellectually-rich period following a period of stasis in the medieval period. Something analogous appears to be currently taking place in soil science where novel approaches to thought are combined with a revival of ideas from the past. Renewed interest in agriculture (food, feed, fuel) and numerous publications have brought soils back onto the global research agenda. The need for up-to-date and fine resolution soil information and the revival of soil research has been highlighted and prioritised in several recent studies by the UN and other international organizations. Soil erosion, nutrient depletion and pollution are key issues that have been brought up in many recent reports - in most cases in relation to environmental degradation, climate change and world-food production. There is also an increased interest in soils in the popular press and media, and soils have entered the policy arena in many countries and several continents. We guestimate that about €3.2 billion is annually spent on soil research in Europe, North America, and some of the main countries in Asia and Oceania. For the global soil science community, there are challenges ahead to address the questions raised in these reports. There is a whole set of new techniques and methodologies in the wings waiting to take centre stage. There is a direct need to educate a new generation of soil scientists and to increase the influx of soil science students in many universities. The soil science community should benefit from the current upsurge in soil science, but the community has to deliver the goods and information that is wanted and much needed.     

Soil science contributions towards Sustainable Development Goals and their implementation: linking soil functions with ecosystem services

The United Nations effort to define Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), emphasizing local goals and capacity building, offers a unique opportunity for soil science to demonstrate the role it can play when focusing on these goals. Several strategic reports have presented key issues for sustainable development: food security, freshwater and energy availability, climate change and biodiversity loss are issues most frequently being listed, not soil degradation. Focusing on soil contributions towards interdisciplinary studies of these key issues, rather than emphasizing soils by themselves, is therefore bound to be more effective for the soil science profession. But this is still inadequate when studying land‐related SDG's, requiring a broader ecosystem approach that can be achieved by a direct link between soil functions and corresponding ecosystem services. Thus, the key issues are not considered separately but linked as part of a dynamic ecosystem characterization following a narrative as is demonstrated for food security, that can be well addressed by precision agriculture. As all key issues and at least five of the ten SDG's are directly land‐related, soil science can potentially play an important role in the suggested interdisciplinary studies. But in addition, the current information society with knowledgeable stakeholders requires innovative and interactive transdisciplinary scientific approaches by not only focusing on knowledge generation but also on co‐learning with stakeholders and, important, on implementation. The soil science discipline can become more effective in the transdisciplinary context by: (1) reconnecting the knowledge chain, linking tacit with scientific knowledge both ways, (2) simplifying soil terminology, (3) learning to deal with “wicked” environmental problems for which no single solutions exist but only a series of alternative options for action, balancing economic, social and environmental considerations, (4) educating “knowledge brokers”, linking science with society in land‐related issues, acting within a “Community of Scientific Practice”, and (5) modernizing soil science curricula. Transdisciplinary approaches are crucial to achieve SDG's, linking science and society. There is a need for specific results on the ground illustrating with hard data the key role soils can play in realizing SDG's.     

Some major developments in soil science since the mid-1960s

Although the science of soil was established about 150 years ago with the modern soil science taking off after the Second World War, the new Millennium has brought other challenges and new opportunities. Rapidly increasing population in countries that can least afford it have made them food-insecure. With inadequate inputs in agriculture, developing countries are degrading their lands rapidly and destroying ecosystems. Affluence in the richer countries has precipitated other problems hampering ecosystem functions and quality of land resources. These changing conditions have placed new demands on both the society and the soil science community. The latter has resulted in new areas of soil sub-disciplines such as land and soil quality, land degradation and desertification, cycling of bio-geochemicals, soil pollution assessment and monitoring etc. Advances in information technology have also enabled the science to meet the new demands of the enviro-centric world. In the last decade, noticeable changes are evident in methods and research priorities in the discipline. Soil resource assessment and monitoring is entering a new era, in terms of quality of information produced by new information technologies through the innovative use of Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing and significantly improving the acceptance and use of soil survey information. Electronic technology has dramatically increased the demand for and ability to process more data. Other innovations have resulted in quantitative approaches in soil genetic studies and demonstrated the integral role of soils in ecosystems. For global and regional resource assessment, concepts and procedures were refined. The World Reference Base for soil classification and the Global Soil and Terrain Database are the first steps towards standardisation and a more detailed assessment of global soils. The global assessment of human-induced land degradation and vulnerability to desertification are benchmark products of the databases. Environmental pollution and its effects on human and ecosystem health have become public concerns and soil science has contributed to localising, quantifying, and developing mitigation technologies to address the problems. The challenges of climate change and the charge to maintain ecological integrity have been met with technologies such as conservation tillage, agroforestry, precision agriculture etc. New concepts such as multi-functionality of land, soil quality, sustainability of agriculture and carbon sequestration, have emerged leading to new management strategies and an enhanced quality of life.     

Conservation management decreases surface runoff and soil erosion

Conservation management practices – including agroforestry, cover cropping, no-till, reduced tillage, and residue return – have been applied for decades to control surface runoff and soil erosion, yet results have not been integrated and evaluated across cropping systems. In this study we collected data comparing agricultural production with and without conservation management strategies. We used a bootstrap resampling analysis to explore interactions between practice type, soil texture, surface runoff, and soil erosion. We then used a correlation analysis to relate changes in surface runoff and soil erosion to 13 other soil health and agronomic indicators, including soil organic carbon, soil aggregation, infiltration, porosity, subsurface leaching, and cash crop yield. Across all conservation management practices, surface runoff and erosion had respective mean decreases of 67% and 80% compared with controls. Use of cover cropping provided the largest decreases in erosion and surface runoff, thus emphasizing the importance of maintaining continuous vegetative cover on soils. Coarse- and medium-textured soils had greater decreases in both erosion and runoff than fine-textured soils. Changes in surface runoff and soil erosion under conservation management were highly correlated with soil organic carbon, aggregation, porosity, infiltration, leaching, and yield, showing that conservation practices help drive important interactions between these different facets of soil health. This study offers the first large-scale comparison of how different conservation agriculture practices reduce surface runoff and soil erosion, and at the same time provides new insight into how these interactions influence the improvement or loss of soil health.     

Hydrolytic enzyme activities in agricultural and forest soils. Some implications for their use as indicators of soil quality

Although a great deal of information exists about the effect of land use on soil enzyme activities, much of this is contradictory and brings into question the suitability of soil enzyme activities as indicators of how land use affects soil quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of land use on different soil biochemical properties, especially hydrolytic enzyme activities, with the aim of providing knowledge about the problems related to the use of enzymes as indicators of soil quality. The data presented derive from various studies in which a large number of soils under different types of forest or agricultural management were analysed by the same methods. All of the soil samples were characterized in terms of their main physical and chemical properties, the activity of several hydrolases, microbial biomass C and soil basal respiration. The results indicate that soil use causes a large reduction in organic matter content and that the effect on enzyme activity varies depending on the type of land use or management and the type of enzyme. Furthermore, the enzyme activities per carbon unit (specific activities) in soils affected by land use are almost always higher than in maximum quality soils (climax soils under oak vegetation or oak soils), and land use also generates greater increases in the specific activity as the C content decreases. The mechanism responsible for these increases probably involves loss of the most labile organic matter. Enzyme enrichment is not always produced to the same degree, as it varies as a function of the enzyme and the type of land use under consideration. It is concluded that the complexity of the behaviour of the soil enzymes raises doubts about the use of enzyme activities as indicators of soil degradation brought about by land use.     

Tillage effects on compaction, earthworms and other soil quality indicators in Hungary

The philosophy toward tillage throughout the last century in Hungary can be characterized as a fight against extreme climatic and economic situations. The ‘Hungarian reasonable tillage’ approach that was promoted by Cserháti at the end of the 1800s was aimed at reducing tillage without increasing the risk of crop failure in arable fields. Recently, new tillage trends and systems have been introduced because of the rise in energy prices and because of the need to cut production costs, conserve soil and water resources and protect the environment. In Hungarian relation, the rationalized plowing, loosening and mulching systems are counted to the new tillage solutions. There are new steps in the sowing methods too, such as seedbed preparation and plant in one pass, till and plant, mulch-till and plant and direct drilling, which are environment capable, throughout improving soil condition and avoiding the environment harms. The applicability of various soil conservation tillage methods is currently being tested in research projects and discussed in workshops throughout the country. In this paper, soil quality problems such as compaction, trends in soil tillage, and factors affecting soil quality or condition as well as improvement and maintenance are summarized. The data show that annual disking and plowing causes subsoil compaction at the depth of tillage within 3 years and that the compacted layer expanded both in surface and deeper layers after the 5th year. Soil quality deterioration by tillage-pans was improved by subsoiling and maintained by direct drilling and planting soil-loosening catch crops. Within a loam and a sandy loam soil there were close correlations between earthworm activity and soil quality. Earthworm numbers increased on undisturbed but noncompacted soils and soils that included stubble residues remaining on the surface, but did not increase on soils that were deteriorated by tillage-pans or left bare by the absence of mulch. Our goal for the new millennium, is to use only enough tillage to create and maintain harmony between soil conservation, soil quality and crop production.     

History, origin and extent of soil erosion on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The isolated Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is an outstanding example of land degradation caused by land use in a sensitive ecosystem. The focus of the investigation was placed on Poike peninsula, the most eastern part of Rapa Nui. While Poike peninsula was once supplied with fertile soils, in large areas desertification takes place today. Detailed analysis of soil profiles allowed the reconstruction of the history and of causes and effects of soil erosion and gullying in the context of land use history and cultural evolution. The results of the stratigraphic analysis prove that from the beginning of human settlement around AD 300/600 until AD 1280 the agriculture on Poike peninsula was characterised by sustainable land use and a traditional type of agro-forestry. Soil erosion was not significant. At around AD 1280 the woodland on Poike, dominated by the endemic palm Jubaea sp., was cleared by slashing and burning. Intensive farming on the upper slopes of the volcanic peninsula resulted in sheet erosion lasting until the 20th century. Settlements and ceremonial places which were built around AD 1300 on downslope areas were buried soon by sediments. Agriculture ceased around AD 1400 on downslope areas as the fertile soils were completely eroded. From AD 1400 until the late 19th century sheet erosion and the accumulation of fine-layered sediments migrated upslope. On average 8.6 Mg of soil per hectare and per year were reworked by erosion (eroded and accumulated within the catchment). Gullying began on Rapa Nui with the sudden increase in the number of sheep during the early 20th century. Gullies are still developing on the island and their ongoing enlargement created extended badlands on Poike which pose a significant problem for ecological and archaeological conservation strategies. Gullying rates exceed 190 Mg ha^{− 1} y^{− 1}.     

A new definition of soil to promote soil awareness,sustainability, security and governance

In these last decades, the awareness that soil is a very important resource for humans has noticeably increased. Many actions and initiatives to promote soil governance, aiming at sustainable soil management and soil security have been undertaken by several national and international institutions and in many countries. Analysis of the changes of soil perception over the centuries allows highlighting a perfect harmony between the evolution of soil awareness and the level of knowledge and technology achieved by humans during their history and evolution. Notwithstanding these many achievements, soils continue to be scarcely considered in politics and society. We suggest some thoughts and reflections that could lead to an up-to-date and effective definition of soil that directly focuses the public attention on its economic value. In our opinion, soil economic value could be the only aspect that truly attracts the attention of politicians and administrators, which could increase soil awareness and encourage soil sustainability, security and Sustainable Development Goals and finally promote soil governance.     

土壤学的数字化和信息化革命

19世纪以来的近代土壤学的发展,主要受到化学和地学的影响,而物理学和数学到本世纪中叶才开始进入,但却引发了当今土壤学的数字化和信息化革命,它表现在土壤学研究中的模式趋势;首先出现在土壤分类和制图上数字化趋势;应用信息技术的强大处理能力形成各种土壤专家系统的智能化趋势;3S技术和PA推动下农田土壤研究的精确化趋势以及土信息的网络化趋势。本文最后还就土壤学的数字化和信息化发展中的一些方法论问题作了讨论。     

The changing scene of British soil science1

The development of soil science has, in the past, been largely driven by the need to improve agricultural production. It is an applied science. Soils and soil processes have had a profound impact on the development of agriculture, and civilization, throughout the ages. Mistreatment of soil has, over the millennia to the present day, been responsible for horrific human tragedy. The most pressing challenge to soil science is to devise ways of improving food production, at minimum cost, in those areas of the world where food shortages are most acute. The new era of reducing price support for major agricultural commodities will increase competition in the EC and elsewhere. It will become imperative to improve efficiency of crop production, especially by the introduction of novel techniques, if arable and horticultural cropping in the UK is to flourish. Soil science is becoming increasingly important in assisting governments to develop policies and in assisting commercial organizations to screen and introduce new chemicals. There is a wide range of environmental and pollution problems that demand inputs from soil science. They include industrial degradation of soil, entry of toxic materials into the food chain, waste disposal, industrial contamination of the atmosphere and the sub-sequent effects on soil and vegetation, forest decline, and the improvement of industrially damaged areas to attract new industries and reduce unemployment. Far greater use should be made of soils information in urban and rural planning and in building design as, at least in some countries, this practice has resulted in considerable financial savings. Advances in theory, measurement and computing are revolutionizing soil science and will greatly facilitate the application of the subject to practical problems.     

土壤资源优化利用与农业可持续发展——以福建省南平市为例

阐述与分析了土壤资源优化利用与农业可持续发展概念、土壤资源优化利用的基本目标和当前土壤资源利用存在的问题,并提出了土壤资源优化利用的高产化、高效化、优质化、立体化、复合化及设施化6条基本途径,为农业可持续发展提供参考依据。     

Incidence of soil surface crust types in semi-arid Niger

Soil water availability is most essential in the Sahelian agriculture but is hampered by several factors. Surface crusts or crust-like surfaces, which are characteristic of most Sahelian soils, have been shown to decrease water infiltrability and increase runoff. Their type and structure are influenced by soil texture, vegetation cover, erosion and deposition effects of wind and water. A soil and terrain survey in semi-arid SW-Niger was carried out to explain the patterns of soil surface crusts and the deterioration of the land. The soil surface crusts were shown to depend also on specific terrain factors including land use type and intensity, and terrain type and position. Chemical and physical soil factors such as organic carbon, soil colour and texture occurring with specific crusts indicate soil degradation, especially in sloping terrain, which increases runoff and soil erosion. For sandy soils, surface tillage is required to break up the crusts. Higher surface organic matter is recommended to enhance water infiltration in soils.     

土壤判读竞赛的重要性及其举办构想

本文介绍了美国大学生土壤竞赛和首届国际土壤判读竞赛的举办情况。结合中国土壤系统分类研究的新进展,在土壤判读竞赛的知识准备、人员组织以及竞赛的主办与认证等方面提出了一些建议。土壤判读竞赛的开展将促进相关本科课程的实践教学改革,长期来看,还能提高我国土壤分类研究的国际地位。     

Influence of former lynchets on soil cover structure and soil organic carbon storage in agricultural land,Central Czechia

Lynchets represent a traditional landscape element in agricultural landscapes having multiple functions in soil material redistribution, water retention, biodiversity and landscape character. They act as a barrier to translocated soil matter, and they can store a significant amount of soil material and soil organic carbon. Lynchets developed in many regions during formation of agriculture landscape as field boundaries or path networks. Further management led to unleveling of the fields and development of lynchets. During the 20th century, a large number of lynchets disappeared in Central and Western Europe due to land consolidation, intensification and industrialization of agriculture. This study was performed at a large agricultural study plot with dissected relief (Central Czechia) with the aim of assessing the influence of former but now completely levelled lynchets on actual soil stratigraphy, depth, soil organic carbon stocks and structure of soil units. The soil profiles in 20‐m‐long transects perpendicular to former lynchets were analysed, and statistical relationships between the positions above, in and below the former lynchets were assessed. The results showed high variability of studied soil characteristics in the areas of former lynchets. Statistically significant greater A horizon thickness (50–100 cm) and SOC stock (12.7 kg/m²) were observed in the location of a former lynchet, where colluvial soils were identified. Other areas of accumulation were identified below a lynchet, at the former break‐in‐slope. The strip above a lynchet was identified as a sediment delivery area, having a partly truncated soil profile. SOC concentration and SOC stock in A horizon did not differ significantly in the positions in, above or below a lynchet.     

中国土壤质量标准研究现状及展望

简要介绍了建国以来我国与土壤质量相关的标准研究和标准应用工作。目前与土壤质量相关的国家标准有26个,正在制修订中的有34个,主要是土壤质量的化学分析方法,少量涉及标准、术语评审和整理、生物方法和物理方法,缺少土壤采样方法、土壤质量评价和土壤修复及培育等方面的标准。虽然我国土壤质量标准有了一定发展,但也存在一些问题。针对我国土壤质量标准现状和存在的主要问题,结合"十二五"科技规划,本文初步提出了我国土壤质量标准化体系框架及未来我国土壤质量标准化的方向,为土壤科学研究和农业可持续发展提供方法依据。     

设施种植模式对土壤细菌多样性及群落结构的影响

为了研究有机和常规设施种植模式及轮作对土壤细菌多样性和群落结构的影响,本研究采用Illumina平台Hiseq 2500高通量测序技术,于2016年6月(作物处于收获期)对北京市顺义区不同设施种植模式(分别为有机设施种植模式和常规设施种植模式下的叶菜连作、茄果连作和叶茄轮作)下土壤细菌进行16S r RNA测序。测序质控后共获得17 278个操作分类单元(operational taxonomic units,OTUs),共计318 851条有效序列。比较不同种植模式和轮作下土壤细菌多样性、细菌群落结构组成、相对丰度及土壤理化性质与细菌群落多样性关系的差异性。结果表明:土壤微生物群落结构在有机和常规设施种植模式下差异明显,有机设施种植土壤细菌多样性高于常规设施种植;有机设施种植下轮作与连作土壤细菌群落结构表现出明显差异,而常规设施种植下,两者没有明显差异;有机种植模式下,轮作土壤细菌群落多样性高于连作土壤;设施种植土壤细菌群落主要属于鞘氨醇单胞菌属(Sphingomonas,5.05%)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus,4.84%),相对丰度大于0.5%的共有14个属。有机设施种植土壤含有较多促进植物生长、有机质分解的细菌,常规设施种植土壤中降解化学杀虫剂、防治土壤病害、促进硝化过程的细菌较多。RDA分析结果显示土壤细菌群落主要受全磷、速效磷、有机质的影响。Tumebacillus、Candidatus Solibacter和Acidothermus都是分解有机质、利用碳源的细菌属,与土壤有机质含量呈正相关关系。由此可见,设施条件下,有机和常规种植土壤微生物群落结构的差异性主要源于肥料使用、有害生物防治措施和管理方式的不同。有机设施种植模式下,轮作更有利于发挥其改良土壤营养循环和防治土壤病虫害的作用。上述结果为在微生物水平上研究设施条件下不同种植模式的土壤生态质量差异提供了参考。     

Relationships between soil respiration and soil moisture

The interaction of soil microbes with their physical environment affects their abilities to respire, grow and divide. One of these environmental factors is the amount of moisture in the soil. The work we published almost 25 years ago showed that microbial respiration was linearly related to soil-water content and log-linearly related to water potential. The paper arose out of collaboration between two young researchers from different areas of soil science, physics and microbiology. The project was driven by not only our curiosity but also the freedom to operate without the constraints common to the current system of science management. The citation history shows three peaks, 1989, 1999 and from 2002 to the present day. Interestingly, the annual citation rate is as high as it has ever been. The initial peak is due to the application of the work to studies on microbial processes. The second peak is associated with the rise of simulation modelling and the third with the relevance of the findings to climate change research. In this article, our paper is re-evaluated in the light of subsequent studies that allow the principle of separation of variables to be tested. This re-evaluation lends further credence to the linear relationship proposed between soil respiration and water content. A scaled relationship for respiration and water content is presented. Lastly, further research is suggested and more recent work on the physics of gas transport discussed briefly.     

Short-term soil CO2 emission after conventional and reduced tillage of a no-till sugar cane area in southern Brazil

The impact of tillage systems on soil CO₂ emission is a complex issue as different soil types are managed in various ways, from no-till to intensive land preparation. In southern Brazil, the adoption of a new management option has arisen most recently, with no-tillage as well as no burning of crops residues left on soil surface after harvesting, especially in sugar cane areas. Although such practice has helped to restore soil carbon, the tillage impact on soil carbon loss in such areas has not been widely investigated. This study evaluated the effect of moldboard plowing followed by offset disk harrow and chisel plowing on clay oxisol CO₂ emission in a sugar cane field treated with no-tillage and high crop residues input in the last 6 years. Emissions after tillage were compared to undisturbed soil CO₂ emissions during a 4-week period by using an LI-6400 system coupled to a portable soil chamber. Conventional tillage caused the highest emission during almost the whole period studied, except for the efflux immediately following tillage, when the reduced plot produced the highest peak. The lowest emissions were recorded 7 days after tillage, at the end of a dry period, when soil moisture reached its lowest rate. A linear regression between soil CO₂ effluxes and soil moisture in the no-till and conventional plots corroborate the fact that moisture, and not soil temperature, was a controlling factor. Total soil CO₂ loss was huge and indicates that the adoption of reduced tillage would considerably decrease soil carbon dioxide emission in our region, particularly during the summer season and when growers leave large amounts of crop residues on the soil surface. Although it is known that crop residues are important for restoring soil carbon, our result indicates that an amount equivalent to approximately 30% of annual crop carbon residues could be transferred to the atmosphere, in a period of 4 weeks only, when conventional tillage is applied on no-tilled soils.