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.     

土地质量评估与监测: 土壤科学面临的新挑战

Sustainable land management (SLM)is the key to harmonizing environmetal and ecolgical concerns of society with the economic realities of producing adequate food and fiber of high quality and ensuring a absi minimal quality of life.The aim of SLM is to maintain the integrity of the biophysical land resource base,but it can only be realized if land users understand the impacts of land management options on their lands but also on other off-site areas and can optimize the socioeconomic and environmetal benefits of their choice.To Facilitate this,the Contribution of soil suvery organizations would be through the assessment and monitoring of land quality.Land quality is a measure of the ability of land to perfor specific functions and is derived by an integration of soil survey information with other environmental,and if necessary,socioeconomic information.The desired reliability influences the operational scale of the assessment,Such an assessment would assist in:1) locating homologous areas for research sites or for transferring technologies;2) providing the geographic basis for systems analysis(e.g.modeling);3) serving as a basis for local,natinal and global resource assessment and monitoring;4) providing an ecosystem context for land use,assessments of temporal and spatial variability,and impact of human interventions;5)serving as a framework for more detailed assessment for all levels of interest;and 6) evaluating global issues such as food security,impacts of climate change,biodiversity montoring,and addressing desertification.Based on an evaluation of the progress made in soil resource inventories and considering the demands of the environment focused world,the paper considers the need for counteries to mount such a program.The authors believe that this is the next demand of soil science and that we can fulfill our soical contract by periodically providing such information on the state of a nation‘s land resource.     

耕地和草地土壤健康研究进展与展望

土壤是地球关键带的重要组成部分，为维持和保障农业生产、植物生长、动物栖息、生物多样性和环境质量提供了基本服务，是链接整个自然生态系统的核心要素之一。增强土壤健康对实现可持续发展目标至关重要，近年来在全世界范围内皆受到越来越多的重视和更广泛的研究。耕地和草地是当前地球上最大的土地利用类型，分别约占地球上无冰土地12%和26%。同时,“田”和“草”是“山水林田湖草生命共同体”中的重要组成部分，维护耕地和草地两种农牧地类型土壤健康对于维持整个自然生态系统健康和实现可持续发展具有重要意义。近二十年来，围绕这两种土地利用类型土壤健康的相关研究呈现兴起态势。中国在此研究领域虽比较活跃，但研究成果的影响力还有待加强，且还未从国家层面建立一个统一的土壤健康评估体系。本文首先厘清了土壤健康内涵的演变，并聚焦于以上两个典型的农牧地类型，归纳了当前国内外相关研究的热点内容；其次，梳理了当前国内外土壤健康评估研究工作现状,同时总结了中国在土壤健康维护方面已有的工作基础；最后，对我国未来土壤健康评估研究提出了建议和展望，以期为改善耕地和草地土壤功能、维护我国土壤健康提供依据和方法。     

中国土壤地质学研究进展与展望

土壤地质学正伴随着其他学科的发展取得新的进步。本文在论述成土母质与土壤发育、成土母质与土壤分类分区、土壤地质对农业与种植业结构影响、地质背景与土壤地球化学循环等土壤地质学主要研究领域的基础上,分析了土壤地质学与土壤学、地质学、环境地质学、农业地质学、土地科学等其他学科的关系,探讨了土壤地质学未来的重点研究领域和发展方向,以期推动土壤地质学研究的发展。     

森林生态系统土壤呼吸研究进展

森林土壤碳是全球碳库的重要组成部分,在全球碳循环方面发挥着重要作用。土壤呼吸是当前碳循环研究领域中的一个热点问题,而且目前土壤呼吸已经成为陆地生态系统中向大气释放CO2最大的源。把土壤呼吸量与植物群落生长之间的关系进行分析比较,是理解森林生态系统碳素平衡的核心。在综合介绍国内外有关土壤呼吸的各种测定方法的基础上,对国内外有关森林土壤呼吸的已有研究成果进行了述评,指出了森林土壤呼吸研究工作今后的努力方向。     

土壤健康指标体系与评价方法研究进展

健康土壤能够保障健康食物生产,维持土壤生态系统多功能性,是农业绿色发展的基础。明确土壤健康现状,系统开展土壤健康诊断是培育健康土壤和提高土壤生产力的基础。然而,以往人们基于单一土壤功能即土壤生产力开展了大量的指标选择和评价工作,忽视了其他土壤功能,评价指标中土壤生物学特性未引起足够重视,对土壤过程的动态监测少。随着对可持续发展的关注以及农业绿色发展的需求,土壤健康指标体系和评价方法正在不断完善。针对不同空间尺度和不同作物体系,建立多目标协同的土壤健康评价体系成为土壤可持续利用的热点和前沿。本文总结了土壤健康指标体系的选择原则,分析了生物学指标在土壤健康评价中的重要性,重点阐述了我国、美国、新西兰等国家土壤健康评价方法以及基于土壤功能和土壤管理等评价方法的进展、优缺点和应用区域,提出了完善土壤健康评价系统的途径。未来需要构建基于区域自然禀赋环境特征的土壤-作物管理大数据平台,发展生物学指标,建立长期和全程动态监测体系,并与快速无损测试技术、智能化信息技术相结合,形成多目标协同、适用于不同区域和作物体系的土壤健康评价方法,通过多主体参与,为农业绿色发展提供重要支撑。     

Soils are back on the global agenda

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was widespread pessimism on the status of soil science in most parts of the world. This was mainly due to dwindling research budgets, reduced number of students and the overall perception that soil science and pedology were dead and buried. Renewed interest in agriculture for food, feed and fuel has brought soils back onto the global research agenda. Soil erosion, nutrient depletion and pollution are key issues brought up in many recent reports by UN and other international organizations. The need for up‐to‐date and fine resolution soil information and the revival of soil research is highlighted and prioritized in several studies. There is increased interest in soils in the popular press and media, and soils have entered the policy arena. For the global soil science community, there are challenges ahead and there is a direct need to educate a new generation of soil scientists.     

环境土壤学——回顾与展望

环境土壤学是一门新兴的、土壤学和环境科学交叉融合的综合性学科，其研究重点从早期服务于农业安全生产发展至现在的土壤环境与健康，本文从土壤外源物质侵袭和土壤质量演变对土壤环境影响等方面回顾了环境土壤学发展历程。土壤污染物对土壤环境质量影响是以土壤元素背景值和环境现状调查为基础，以明确污染物形态，揭示土壤反应过程机制，评估污染效应，开展土壤环境修复工程为主线不断发展更新。土壤质量演变研究中碳、氮、硫、磷元素循环从土壤肥力和农业非点源污染的探讨拓展至土壤对全球气候变化的适应与响应；土壤退化研究则从对土壤生产力或功能丧失的研究发展至全球气候变化背景下农业发展可持续性及土壤生态功能的研究。环境土壤学在今后有四个重要发展趋势：提倡多学科交叉融合；评估全球气候变化对土壤元素循环的潜在影响；完善土壤健康评价框架中的土壤环境评价指标建立；学科发展服务于国家重大需求。     

“中国南方喀斯特”荔波世界自然遗产地水土流失现状与驱动力分析

荔波世界自然遗产地有着不同强度级别的水土流失现象,局部区域还伴随石漠化的发生.基于GIS与遥感技术,对遗产地内水土流失现状进行了遥感调查,分析了其空间分布与特点,并对其驱动力进行了探讨.结果认为,遗产地主要受生态环境、成土物质与速度、土壤流失难易、环境异质件及人地矛盾关系的历史等因素控制.该研究为荔波遗产地进行水土流失综合防治,合理利用土地资源,完善产业结构调整等方面提供依据,有助于世界自然遗产地生态环境的保护与可持续发展.     

土壤生态系统服务的概念、量化及其对城市化的响应

土壤生态系统是陆地生态系统的重要组成部分,是人类赖以生存的重要资源。全球的快速城市化进程使土壤生态系统服务发生了部分不可逆转的变化。本文归纳了土壤生态系统服务定义和分类的发展过程,介绍了土壤生态系统服务定量化表征方法以及GUMBO、In VEST等几种常用的评价模型,并从供给服务、调节服务、文化服务和支持服务几个方面阐述土壤生态系统服务对城市化的响应。针对土壤生态系统服务分类、建模、空间表达以及其对人为活动的响应等方面研究存在的不足,本文提出未来的研究重点方向:建立土壤生态系统服务分类体系与标准,构建基于生态过程的土壤生态系统服务量化模型,开展土壤生态系统服务制图与权衡研究,加强土壤生态系统服务对城市化的动态响应机制与过程研究。期望更多的人关注和参与土壤生态系统服务研究,并将其应用于土壤资源管理、生态文明建设等政府决策。     

石灰岩区土壤分形特征及其与土壤性质的关系

研究了岩溶坡地不同生态系统土壤颗粒组成和团粒结构的分形特征.结果表明,土壤颗粒组成分形维数与黏粒及物理性黏粒含量显著正相关,与砂砾含量显著负相关.团粒结构分形维数与水稳性团聚体含量显著负相关,与团聚体湿筛后的破坏率显著正相关,即分形维数愈高,>0.25 mm水稳性团聚体和水稳性大团聚体含量愈低;团粒结构的分形维数与土壤有机质有负相关趋势,与土壤阳离子交换量显著负相关,与土壤体积质量(容重)呈正相关趋势.次生灌丛岩溶生态系统退化后,土壤黏粒减少,体积质量上升,土壤水稳性团聚体含量及其稳定性下降,土壤颗粒组成分形维数降低,土壤团粒结构分形维数则呈上升趋势.颗粒组成分形维数与团粒结构分形维数对土壤质量和岩溶生态环境状况的反映是一致的.     

土壤健康的生物学监测与评价

土壤是维持陆地生态系统功能和持续性的至关重要的有限资源。土壤质量和土壤健康与农牧业的可持续发展和环境质量的改善息息相关。土壤健康可简单定义为:“土壤作为一个动态生命系统具有的维持其功能的持续能力”。土壤微生物是土壤生物区系的关键性功能要素,一些微生物学参数可以综合判断土壤健康状况。文中提出土壤健康评价的指标体系可区分为土壤中微生物的量、活性、多样性和功能性4个方面,其中与微生物生物量水平相关的基本指标和衍生参数可成为土壤健康的敏感性量化指标,并有潜力作为土壤生态系统受污染和胁迫的预警性监测指标。     

土壤健康评估指标、框架及程序研究进展

土壤健康已经成为土壤学中的研究热点。对土壤健康进行科学的评估是进行土壤健康管理和实现可持续发展目标的基础。然而,由于土壤具有多种属性和生态服务功能,科学地进行土壤健康评估面临着巨大的挑战。本文回顾了土壤健康概念的发展历程,总结了进行土壤健康评估的物理、化学和生物学指标及其表征意义;介绍了目前常用的土壤健康评估框架及其适用性,梳理了土壤健康评估的一般程序,并指出我国未来的土壤健康评估应该关注碳汇指标、生物学指标和环境指标。本文旨在为建立符合我国国情的土壤健康评估方法提供借鉴。     

Towards a World Soil Survey Archive and Catalogue

An extensive collection of soil, land resource and land suitability surveys undertaken worldwide over the last 80 years by soil surveyors and scientists at the behest of the British government and others has been archived and catalogued using internationally recognized bibliographic standards. The World Soil Survey Archive and Catalogue (WOSSAC) consisting of over 13 000 reports and maps is now available for consultation and use by the international soil science community.     

农田生态条件对灰漠土养分及胡敏酸特性的影响

通过比较荒地和玉米地土壤养分、胡敏酸热解特性和红外光谱特征,研究了灰漠土农田生态条件对土壤养分和有机质特性的影响。结果表明,种植玉米增加土壤有机质、全N、全P、全K、缓效钾和碱解氮的含量,但使速效磷和速效钾含量下降,土壤pH略有下降。荒地土壤胡敏酸的脂肪族侧链较多,胡敏酸较年轻,而玉米地土壤胡敏酸侧链较少,胡敏酸相对较老。荒地土壤胡敏酸的脂族性强于玉米地。农田生态条件使土壤胡敏酸老化。     

土壤酶学硏究进展

土壤酶学是研究土壤酶活性及其相关特性的科学,是一门介于土壤生物学和生物化学之间的边缘交叉学科。土壤酶在土壤生态系统的物质循环和能量流动方面具有主要的作用。本文综述了土壤酶学发展简史、土壤酶的来源、分类、功能及分布特征等,总结了土壤理化性质、施肥、放牧、土壤微生物、施用稀土元素、草地生长年限、不同土地利用和耕作方式及其他因素对土壤酶活性的影响,对于加深理解生态系统中的物质循环、土壤酶的生态重要性以及土壤生态系统退化机理有重要作用。最后,结合本项目组的研究对土壤酶学的研究前景进行了展望。     

Soil degradation processes and their control in Hungary

Soil degradation is usually a complex process in which several features of soil deterioration can be recognized. Soil degradation may lead to the loss of land or soil; limitations to normal soil functions; decrease of soil fertility and ‘productive capacity’. The main soil degradation process are: (1) soil erosion by water and wind; (2) Development of extreme soil reaction (acidification; salinization/alkalization); (3) physical degradation (structural destruction; compaction; extreme moisture regime); (4) biological degradation; (5) unfavourable changes in the nutrient regime; (6) decrease of buffering capacity (leading to pollution, toxicity). Soil degradation is not an unavoidable consequence of intensive agriculture and social development. Most of the processes and their unfavourable consequences can be controlled, prevented, eliminated, or at least moderated. A rational strategy of efficient soil degradation control should be based on a system involving the following (consecutive) steps: (a) registration of facts and consequences; (b) analysis of reasons, processes, influencing factors and their mechanisms; (c) determination of the theoretical, real, rational and economic possibilities for control; (d) prediction of the potential impacts of these control alternatives; (e) elaboration and extension of technologies for the optimum alternatives. The present status of soil degradation processes in Hungary is briefly summarized in this paper and the possibilities for control are reviewed, with special regard to soil erosion, salinization/alkalization, acidification and physical degradation (compaction, structure destruction). Based on detailed and comprehensive information on soils (thematic maps of various scales; computerized geographical soil information system) the potential future development of various soil degradation processes is forecast and technologies are elaborated and recommended for use in Hungarian agriculture to prevent soil degradation.     

Describing soil quality with aggregate index for Msange irrigation scheme of Tanzania

Soil quality is an important and integral aspect of soil health which is defined as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a living system within the ecosystem and land use boundaries. It refers to the capacity of soil to supply nutrients, maintain suitable biotic habitat and resist degradation. This study focuses on describing the soil quality through aggregate index termed as Soil Quality Index (SQI ). The assessment of soil quality involves physical and chemical soil parameters along with the local climatic conditions and the experts’ opinion. The proposed aggregation method utilizes three scoring functions; ‘more is better’, ‘less is better’ and ‘optimum’ for which the score is interpreted either as very low, low, medium, high or very high. The methodology has been applied to Msange irrigation scheme which falls under semi‐arid climate conditions of Tanzania. The results show that the average SQI in the Msange irrigation scheme is 0.565 for the silt loam soil and can be classified as medium quality. In order to improve the soil quality and hence the land productivity, one should improve the organic matter contents, available water and nutrients availability to the soil. It is hoped that this study will be a baseline study on soil quality evaluation for effective agricultural practices.     

To What Extent Did We Change Our Soils? A Global Comparison of Natural and Current Conditions

The food security–climate change nexus rapidly gains momentum. Soil degradation plays an important role in this context while dealing with, for example, the productive capacity of our soil resources or carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation. However, little has been done to assess the pristine soil conditions despite the fact that these provide the basis to put changes into context. Various methodologies have been developed to assess the global distribution of current soil conditions. We used the S‐World methodology that was developed to generate global soil property maps for environmental modelling studies. Up till now, the S‐World methodology assessed current soil conditions by disaggregating the Harmonized World Soil Database using detailed information on climate, topography, land cover, and land use. This study used the S‐World methodology to derive global soil conditions under natural vegetation. A large number of natural areas around the globe were identified for which land cover, expressed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, could be successfully correlated to environmental conditions such as temperature, rainfall, and topography. Using this relation in regression kriging, the vegetation index under natural conditions was derived for the entire globe. Subsequently, the S‐World methodology was used to calculate the soil properties under natural land cover and absence of human land use. Soil property maps for natural and current conditions were compared and showed large local differences. The results indicate that there are major changes due to land cover and land use change and that these changes are concentrated on the globe. The results are the basis for future assessments on, for example, land degradation, food security, or the sustainable development goals. © 2017 The Authors. Land Degradation & Development Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands (Spain)

In the Canary Islands a number of factors, both natural and induced by human activity, act on the fragile ecosystems and agricultural land to cause increasing problems with desertification and progressive degradation of soil productivity. the results of an assessment of soil degradation in the Canary Islands, The processes, causes and impacts, are presented in this paper. Although several processes and factors contribute to soil degradation in the Canary Islands, two have been found to exert a greater qualitative influence: (a) accelerated erosion (water and aeolian); (b) salinization-sodification (natural and induced by agricultural use). Approximately 40 per cent of the Canary Islands' land is undergoing rapid erosion. the factors involved May, be grouped into: natural erosion—torrential rainfall, sparse vegetation, high soil erodibility, rugged relief; and erosion due to human activities—unsuitable management of arable soils on the steep slopes, overgrazing and deforestation. About 60 per cent of the surface of the archipelago, including areas given over to intensive agriculture, is affected by salinization.The main factors responsible are: natural—an arid climate and a regime of oceanic winds; and human activities—overexploitation of the aquifers, irrigation with water having a high salt and/or sodium content, intensive monoculture, and excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals.