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In the late 1800s, several terms described the study of soil, including agrology, agrogeology, agricultural chemistry, and pedology. The term soil science was not used until the early 1900s and became more widely used after the journal Soil Science was established in 1916. In 1908, Peter Treitz from Hungary and Gheorghe Murgoci from Romania traveled to southern Russia to participate in a soil excursion led by Konstantin Glinka. During the excursion, they hatched the idea of bringing together researchers from various countries to present methods and Approaches and seek standardization. The First International Conference of Agrogeology was organized in Budapest in 1909. Several meetings were held after that but the First World War halted progress in the foundation of an international soil science community. The Fourth International Conference of Pedology was held in Rome in 1924 and brought together 300 soil researchers and was the largest soil conference to date. On the last day of the conference, the International Society of Soil Science was established, and six commissions were formed. It was agreed that the First International Congress of Soil Science was to be held in the USA in 1927, and Jacob Lipman was elected as President.

During the recycling of soil nitrogen, it is necessary to register the activity of nitrifying bacteria in nitrification. This process, in tropical conditions, is negatively affected by extreme variations in temperature, humidity, pH and organic matter during agronomic practices. Population changes of nitrifying bacteria in corn and soybean crops were evaluated under the use and management of green manure (GM). It was established as GM Mucuna pruriens var. utilis (CIAT No. 9349) - corn var. ICA 305. Ninety days later it was harvested and the residues were incorporated as LF or disposed on the soil surface as organic mulch (OM), the native weed Rottboellia cochinchinensis L. was managed as fallow (F). Then, corn-soybean crops were sown in an intercalated and monoculture system, each system was subject to organic fertilization (OF), chemical fertilization (CF) or no fertilization (NF). 11 treatments were structured under the design of Random Complete Blocks with 32 + 2 factorial arrangements with three repetitions. In the stage of blossoming and grain filling of the crops, the variables analyzed were; oxidizing bacteria of ammonium nitrate, volumetric humidity, temperature and yield. The populations of AOB and the production of NO3 - did not vary significantly between treatments, but it did occur with soil temperature and humidity. The use of GM / OM promoted yields similar to those obtained with CF in corn, while in soybeans, when OM was added, yields exceeded CF. RESUMEN Durante el reciclaje del nitrógeno del suelo es necesario registrar la actividad de las bacterias nitrificantes en la nitrificación. Éste proceso en condiciones tropicales se ve afectado de forma negativa por las variaciones extremas de temperatura, humedad, pH y materia orgánica durante las prácticas agronómicas. Se evaluaron los cambios poblacionales de bacterias nitrificantes en los cultivos de maíz y soya bajo el uso y manejo de abonos verdes (AV). Se estableció como AV Mucuna pruriens var. utilis (CIAT No. 9349) - maíz var. ICA 305. Noventa días después se cosechó y los residuos se incorporaron como AV o se dispusieron sobre la superficie del suelo como acolchado orgánico (AO), de forma paralela la arvense nativa Rottboellia cochinchinensis L. se manejó como barbecho. Luego, se sembraron los cultivos de maíz-soya en un sistema intercalado y de monocultivo, cada sistema estuvo sujeto a la fertilización orgánica (FO), fertilización sintética (FQ) o sin fertilización (SF). Se estructuraron así, 11 tratamientos bajo el diseño de Bloques Completos al Azar con arreglo factorial 32+2 con tres repeticiones. En la etapa de floración y llenado de grano de los cultivos se analizaron las variables bacterias oxidantes de amonio, nitrato, humedad volumétrica, temperatura y rendimiento. Las poblaciones de BOA y la producción de NO3 - no variaron significativamente entre tratamientos, más sí ocurrió con la temperatura y humedad del suelo. El uso de AV/AO promovió en maíz, rendimientos similares a los obtenidos con FQ, mientras que, en soya, cuando se adicionó AO los rendimientos superaron a FQ.

Interest in understanding America's soils goes back to prehistory with the Native Americans. Following European settlement, notable individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark made observations of the soil resource. Moving into the 1800s, state geological surveys became involved in soil work and E.W. Hilgard started to formulate ideas similar to those that would eventually lead to V.V. Dokuchaev being recognized as the father of modern soil science. However, Hilgard's advanced ideas on soil genesis were not accepted by the wider American soil science community at the time. Moving into the 1900s, the National Cooperative Soil Survey, the first nationally organized detailed soil survey in the world, was founded under the direction of M. Whitney. Initial soil classification ideas were heavily based in geology, but over time Russian ideas of soil genesis and classification moved into the American soil science community, mainly due to the influence of C.F. Marbut. Early American efforts at the scientific study of soil erosion and soil fertility were also begun in the 1910s and university programs to educate soil scientists started. Soil erosion studies took on high priority in the 1930s as the USA was impacted by the Dust Bowl. Soil Taxonomy, one of the most widely utilized soil classification systems in the world, was developed from the 1950s through the 1970s under the guidance of G.D. Smith and with the administrative support of C.E. Kellogg. American soil scientists, such as H. Jenny, R.W. Simonson, D.L. Johnson, and D. Watson-Stegner, developed influential models of soil genesis during the 20th Century, and the use of soil information moved beyond agriculture to include issues such as land-use planning, soil geomorphology, and the interactions between soils and human health.

The beginning of the 20th century through the 1970s were good times for soil science in the USA, with relatively strong funding and overall growth in the profession. However, the soil science discipline in the USA hit hard times in the 1980s and 1990s. Federal funding for soil survey work began to decline as did student numbers in university programs and membership in the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). Despite this, there were still many positive advances within soil science in the USA during these two decades. There was an increased use of geophysical instrumentation, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and global positioning systems (GPS), and research began in digital soil mapping, all of which lead to better understanding of the spatial distribution and variability of soils. Many NRCS soil products were put online, making them widely available to the general public, the use of soil knowledge was expanded into new areas such as archaeology and environmental work, and historic connections to geology were re-established. While expansion into new areas required soil science to evolve as a field, separating the discipline to an extent from its agricultural roots, it also helped reinvigorate the discipline. As we move through the early parts of the 21st century, student numbers are increasing in university soil science programs and membership in SSSA is at an all-time high. Digital soil mapping is being incorporated into the National Cooperative Soil Survey, and the impact of humans on the soil system is being fully recognized. The importance of soils is being recognized by events such as the United Nations declaration of 2015 as the “International Year of Soils”. The expansion of soils into new areas and widening recognition of the importance of soils gives the field hope for a bright future in the USA.

The study methods of soil erosion and main soil erosion prediction model are introduced in this paper. The soil erosion study methods include the erosion features survey procedure, test plot long-term monitoring, rainfall simulation experiment in laboratory, agrology method, river gauging, remote sensing method, nuclide traces method, soil erosion prediction model method et al. The soil erosion prediction model includes the USLE and RUSLE, CSLE, WEPP, YWYM et al. We introduced the relative merits about these soil erosion study methods and soil erosion prediction model in this paper.

Here, I briefly describe the history and activities of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and its predecessor the International Society of Soil Science (ISSS) in relation to some global soil science developments. The IUSS was founded in 1924 by soil scientists interested in establishing standardized methods of soil analysis and soil classification. In the past 90 years, 20 World Congresses of Soil Science were held, and thousands of smaller conferences, meetings and workshops. The IUSS has 60,000 members who are organized into Divisions, Commissions and Working Groups that deal with all aspects of soil research. The IUSS is a global soil science organization and a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU). The IUSS has initiated projects ranging from the Soil Map of the World to GlobalSoilMap that have sparked numerous global projects and activities. The soil science knowledge base has greatly expanded and research has become much more interdisciplinary and thematic. The ...

Soil is one of the natural material, which has the different features for the particular characteristics. In digital image processing is the principle to simplify the identification of soil features. Soil consists of both physical and chemical characteristics. These characteristics are used to find the field of soil usage. Thresholding is the conversion of colour image into binary image and that is used for shape based identification. It applicable for feature extract from curvature, valleys, and non-smoothening surfaces and it enhances the feature and get more information. Fractal dimension is one of the soil feature. A new model is proposed to assign various threshold values apply to the same sample and to determine the range and also the best image model (Red-Green-Blue, Hue-Saturation-Value, Hue-Saturation-Luminance and Hue-Saturation-Intensity) of soil samples. The device can also be modelled as most powerful tool for prediction of land usage for various fields such as agriculture and construction.

Soil science had a strict regional focus until the 1900s. Early international cooperation focused on soil mapping, methods for soil analysis and classification, and the formation of an international learned society (ISSS, now IUSS). Since then, the soil science knowledge base rapidly expanded and a large number of global studies have been conducted. These include studies on soils and world food production, soils and climate change, and global soil degradation. It was widely realized that there were global challenges that cut across national boundaries and that international cooperation was essential to seek solutions. From the late 1980s onwards, funds for global projects decreased but in the past 10 years, international cooperation has been revamped. Soil science has now reached the stage whereby (i) data and information are increasing and widely available, (ii) knowledge and technology rapidly expand, and (iii) soil knowledge and management strategies can be transferred and applied to all parts of the world. The globalization of soil science provides a large potential to provide solutions for regional and national issues. The International Year of Soils 2015 is an opportunity to enhance the soil science discipline. Download full-size image

Understanding the direction and magnitude of soil science publication in the Philippines is crucial in formulating research priorities and funding allocation. There is no consensus on the current state of soil science publication in the Philippines, thus this study was conducted to elucidate the trend in the soil science publication. We conducted an in-depth analysis on the total number of publications and the total number of citations of soil science publications collected from Thomson ISI database. Results revealed an upsurge in soil science publication from 1970 to 2000 with no indication that this trend is slowing down. Increases in the number of citations with time are consistent with increases in the total number of publications (r = 0.93; p < 0.05). Results further revealed that the soil science publication in the Philippines is biased towards rice research particularly soil water with very few studies were published for plant nutrition and soil chemistry. The present study highlights the need for a paradigm shift in soil science research from mostly rice related research to environmental research. Ways to increase soil science publication among Filipino soil scientist's particularly in academic institutions is proposed. Finally, since only a few government-funded research have been published, future studies should stress on identifying factors that influence scientific productivity of most soil scientists in the Philippines.

Global declines in postsecondary enrollment in soil science programs over the last several decades have been mainly attributed to an overemphasis on the connection with agronomy and production agriculture but recent enrollment increases in the USA suggest change is afoot. To determine if similar trends are occurring in Canada, we inventoried undergraduate soil science course offerings at postsecondary institutions and conducted a survey to assess the status and projected trends in soil science education. We found that 64% of universities and 37% of colleges offer undergraduate soil science courses as part of degrees or diplomas in which knowledge of soil science is important (e.g., agriculture and resource management). In Canada, there are 149 undergraduate soil science courses taught in universities and 58 at colleges. On average, there are 3.2 courses taught at each university and 1.9 at each college that offer soil science courses. Soil science programs at the University of British Columbia, University...

Soils across the USA are under extensive pressure to support the needs of society under an uncertain climate future. While our management of soils is far better than 100 years ago, chronic erosion in excess of soil building is common and human behavior frequently results in soil degradation. At odds with a need for improved soil management is a two-decade trend in the closure or downsizing of soil science academic programs and federal soil scientist positions, all of which threaten our capability to manage soils. Regardless, soil scientists must lead efforts to greatly minimize land degradation (especially erosion) and reshape American agriculture to adapt to climate change so that we secure current achievements in land management, food supply, and quality of life. New models of soil science education and training must be embraced in order to maintain and build the profession. An extensive and ubiquitous public education effort, much greater than that which ended the “Dust Bowl,” is needed to help correct harmful human behavior resulting in unsustainable soil use and degradation of ecosystem services. These are the achievements that must be realized during the next 50 years of soil science.

Agrology research indicates that soil electrical conductivity (EC) is an important soil parameter. It can reflect the influence of exterior environment to soil, such as temperature, salinity and humidity. Furthermore, through the acquisition of EC, it could provide crop information, crop yields and expected analysis in detail. Therefore, soil electrical conductivity data acquisition is significant to ensure the difference of the field spatial distributing. This paper describes a portable soil EC measuring system based on four-electrode method, which satisfies the requirement of real time measuring EC in greenhouse and field. The EC measuring device includes exterior design and control circuit designi¼Œthe control circuit design includes input excitation signal circuit, output signal conditioning circuits, power conversion circuits, main control unit, A/D converter circuit, data display circuit and USB memory circuit. An AC constant current source stability test shows that the system has a stability excitation signal and an experiment of soil salt content shows that the system output has a high relativity with the salt content of soil which R 2 is 0.9796.

Soil distribution pattern play a significant role in the stability conservation and economic development of oasis in arid regions. Hence, ecologists and agrology scientists have a central interest in understanding the spatial distribution changes of soil types. The aim of this study was to analyze the main processes of soil distribution pattern changes from 1987 to 2006 through the landscape indexes. Soil types and soil distribution pattern changes were assessed and compared by using two soil maps made in 1987 and 2006. 14 soil types were classified and analyzed in the study area. Results indicated many differences among the changes of different soil types. During the period from 1987 to 2006, there were widespread changes in spatial distribution of soil types in Manasi River Basin at class-level. The area of Petrocambids decreased, whereas Aquicambids increased. The small patches began to coalesce into large ones and the patch numbers decreased during the past 20 years, which brought about the fragmentation decrease in Manasi River Basin. In contrast to the decrease of the patch density, the average patch area of 12 soil types increased. With the increasing man-made disturbance, more soil type patches, especially the agricultural soil patches were close to square in shape. During the recent 20 years, the decreased patch shape indexes occupied about 57% of all while the increased patch shape indexes were over 40%. The split index of most soil types has also declined during the same period. The landscape-level indexes also reflected the spatial distribution changes of oasis soil types. The landscape diversity index and landscape evenness index have increased while the landscape dominance index has decreased in the recent 20 years, which showed that more equirotal soil patches were formed and various soil types dominated the soil landscape in Manasi River Basin. Changes of different soil types are one of major indictors to show environment changes and impacts of human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize the study of soil type changes in the arid and semiarid region.

The main tendencies in the development of Russian soil science after the previous congress (Novosibirsk, 2004) are analyzed. The major achievements of Russian pedologists in the field of the geography and cartography of soils are outlined, including the development of new small-scale maps of Russia and particular regions and the study of soils of northern territories. The latest data on the emission of greenhouse gases from soils of Russia are analyzed. It is shown that expectations of a sharp increase in the emission of greenhouse gases from the soils of northern territories in relation to the predicted climate warming are groundless. At the same time, the widespread development of soil degradation processes and the conversion of former agricultural lands into other land categories are the matters of deep concern of Russian soil scientists. The need in activation of the work of the Dokuchaev Soil Science Society in the field of the development of legislative regulations of soil management and rational use of land resources is stressed. The organization of the Soil Conservation Service in Russia, the adoption a federal law on soil conservation, the development of the national soil-geographic database, and the practical implementation of soil certification and soil-ecological monitoring are considered to be major challenges facing Russian soil scientists in the nearest future.

Institutional and student surveys carried out in 1992 and 2004 suggest that soil science education is experiencing a significant decline in the United States and Canada. The present article reports on the data obtained in these surveys, particularly the fact that the enrollment in MSc and PhD programs in soil science in US and Canadian universities in 2004 was approximately 40% less than that in 1992. Some of the possible causes of this drop are analyzed in detail, such as the tendency of soil science education programs to keep emphasizing the agricultural side of soil science (i.e., its connection to crop production), despite the open intention of most students to pursue careers dealing predominantly, or at least in part, with environmental issues. It is argued that measures could still be taken by soil science educators and soil scientists to revert the downward trend in enrollments. Among these are licensing soil scientists, being vigilant about oversimplifications and misrepresentations of soil processes by researchers in other disciplines, expanding the scope of soil science and actively promoting its achievements, and making sure that the public at large is aware of the intrinsic, challenging complexity of soils and that it mandates a unique pluridisciplinary approach. We believe that if some of these measures were adopted, soil science could relatively rapidly regain its place in the pantheon of science. (Soil Science 2006;171:501‐518)

More than 50 yr ago US soil taxonomy was adopted in India. Since then many researchers have contributed their thoughts to enrich the soil taxonomy. The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS & LUP) (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) as a premier soil survey institute has been consistently using benchmark soil series to understand the rationale of the soil taxonomy, keeping in view the soil genesis from different rock systems under various physiographic locations in tropical India. The present review is a humble effort to present this information.

During the golden era of soil science--from the 1950s to the 1980s--the main focus of this discipline was on the role of soil in production agriculture. More recently, renewed interest in the area of environmental science has offered new opportunities to soil scientists. Thus, many soil scientists are now working in areas such as bioremediation, waste recycling, and/or contaminant transport. Environmental science has, therefore, not only changed the traditional research role of soil scientists at land grant institutions but has also influenced student enrollment, the traditional soil science curriculum, and faculty recruitment. These changes require a new breed of soil scientist, one with a background not only in soil science but also in other areas of environmental science as well.

After F.A. Fallou (1794-1877) introduced the term pedology in Saxony in 1862, it was dormant for some decades. Acceptance and general use of the term began in Russia following development of a new approach to the study of soils by Dokuchaiev and his students in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Soil scientists elsewhere in the world did not pick up the term, however, before the 20th century. Widespread use followed the First International Congress of Soil Science, held in the USA in 1927. The Congress and associated activities gave the term a big boost, not only in the USA. In 1929, the American Soil Survey Association, precursor of the Soil Science Society of America, adopted a resolution urging that pedology be accepted as the proper name for scientific investigations of soils. Teaching of the Dokuchaiev factors of soil formation, which began soon afterward, promoted progressively wider acceptance of the term, especially in the USA. These trends culminated in adoption of pedology as the name for a division of the Soil Science Society of America in 1994. During the same period, acceptance of the term was underway in all parts of the world.

Cet article présente l’itinéraire de l’agronome colonial français Hippolyte Lecq, haut fonctionnaire de l’agriculture en Algérie au début du siècle. L’article évoque notamment ses conceptions de l’économie et de la société rurale coloniale. Lecq, à travers de nombreux écrits, expose en effet, à travers l’exemple de l’Algérie, des points de vue pertinents sur l’agriculture nord-africaine, l’économie et les sociétés rurales du début du XXe siècle au Maghreb. Il remet tout d’abord en question les appréciations relatives aux conditions naturelles, aux potentialités et vocations agricoles de l’Algérie, soulignant notamment la forte contrainte que représente le climat aride ou semi-aride pour l’agriculture, à laquelle s’ajoute des terres arables en quantité limitée. Lecq met par ailleurs en exergue l’importance de l’économie indigène. Cette démarche le conduit à souligner les limites du modèle colonial et à faire la promotion d’une « agrologie » spécifique à l’Afrique du Nord. This article presents the French colonial agronomist Hippolyte Lecq’s itinerary. He was an important civil servant in Algerian agriculture at the start of the century. This article recalls mainly his ideas of economy, and rural colonial society. Lecq, through his numerous articles, shows through the Algerian example, a point of view relevant to North African agriculture, economy and rural society, at the beginning of the XXth C in North Africa. He questions firstly the remarks relative to rural conditions, agricultural potential and vocation of Algeria, underlining especially the duress which the arid or semi-arid climate represents for agriculture, to which he added fertile land in limited quantity. Lecq puts forward the importance of Native economy. This approach leads him to underline the limits of the colonial model and to promote a specific “agrology” for North Africa. Este artículo presenta el itinerario del agrónomo colonial francés Hippolyte Lecq, alto funcionario de la agricultura en Argelia en el principio del siglo. El artículo evoca particularmente sus concepciones de la economía y de la sociedad rural colonial. Lecq, a través de numerosos escritos, expone en efecto, a través del ejemplo de Argelia ; puntos de vista pertinentes sobre la agricultura norafricana, la economía y las sociedades rurales del principio del siglo XX en el Magreb.Vuelve primero a poner en duda las apreciaciones relativas a las condiciones naturales, a las potencialidades y vocaciones agrícolas de Argelia ; subrayando particularmente la fuerte coacción que representa el clima árido o semi árido para la agricultura ; a la cual se añaden tierras árabes en cantidad limitada. Lecq pone, por otra parte, de relieve la importancia de la economía indígena. Este punto de vista lo conduce a subrayar los limites del modelo colonial y a hacer la promoción de una « agrología » especifica a África del Norte. يمثل هذا المقال دراسة لمسار مهندس زراعي كولونيالي فرنسي هيبوليت ليك، و هو موظف كبير في مجال الزراعة بالجزائر في بداية القرن الماضي. تشير الدراسة بشكل خاص إلى تصوراته الاقتصادية و نظرته للمجتمع الريفي الاستعماري. و يعرض ليك من خلال مجموع كتاباته و من خلال مثال الجزائر، وجهات نظر بالغة الأهمية حول الزراعة بشمال أفريقيا، و الاقتصاد والمجتمعات الريفية في بداية القرن العشرين بالمغرب العربي. يعيد النظر في بداية الأمر في التقييمات المتعلقة بالظروف الطبيعية، و بالإمكانيات المادية و البشرية وكذا التوجهات للزراعة بالجزائر، إذ يشدد بخاصة على العوائق التي تتمثل في الجو الجاف و شبه الجاف بالنسبة للفلاحة هذا بالإضافة لقلة الأراضي الصالحة لهذه المهمة. كما يشير ليك بشكل جلي إلى أهمية الاقتصاد الذي يمارسه وينشطه السكان المحليون. و يؤدي به هذا النهج إلى الإشارة إلى محدودية النموذج الكولونيالي و بالتالي إلى ترقية "علم تربة" خاص بشمال إفريقيا.

In the territory of the Roman colony of Orange (Gallia Narbonensis Gaul, Rhône Valley, France), the lands of the ager publicus granted to the city are rented to individuals listed on cadastral plans, according to a variable rate for areas also vary greatly. The study posits the hypothesis that these variations reflect the quality and type of land use.; Dans le territoire de la colonie romaine d'Orange (Gaule Narbonnaise), les terres de l'ager publicus concédées à la cité sont louées à des particuliers, mentionnés sur les plans cadastraux, selon un taux variable et pour des superficies également très variables. L'étude postule l'hypothèse que ces variations tiennent compte de la qualité et du type d'occupation des sols.

A presente revisão tem por objetivo apresentar a evolução da Ciência do Solo brasileira desde seu início, descrevendo sua situação atual e delineando oportunidades e desafios para as próximas décadas. A agronomia surgiu no País como uma subárea da botânica no início do século XIX e se aproximou da química, buscando o status de ciência. Dessa aproximação surgiu a química agrícola, ainda em meados desse século, dando origem a um dos ramos da Ciência do Solo: a edafologia. O outro ramo da Ciência do Solo (pedologia) consolidou-se como conhecimento científico e foi aplicado no País em meados do século XX. Nesse período foi criada a Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, englobando todo o conhecimento dos dois ramos e aglutinando todos os cientistas que trabalhavam na área. Com a criação dos programas de pós-graduação, 20 anos depois de fundada a SBCS, a Ciência do Solo brasileira entrou na era da modernidade, e o conhecimento gerado foi fundamental para que o País atingisse o patamar atual de produtividade agrícola. Com uma comunidade de 25 departamentos de solos, 15 programas de pós-graduação e um grande número de instituições de pesquisa e de transferência de tecnologia, os cientistas de solo viabilizam soluções para o crescimento sustentável, gerando, adaptando e transferindo tecnologias em benefício do País. O solo e o conhecimento gerado pelos membros da SBCS contribuíram significativamente para que o Brasil chegasse à condição de agricultura tropical mais competitiva do planeta. Nas próximas décadas, a Ciência do Solo continuará no centro de discussão para a produção de alimentos, fibras e conservação ambiental, mas também será essencial e estratégica para assuntos como a qualidade da água, o combate à pobreza e a produção de fontes renováveis de energia. The present essay is meant to provide some background on the evolution of the soil science community in Brazil, since its inception, to describe its current situation, and to outline a number of opportunities and challenges facing the discipline in decades to come. The origin of Brazilian agronomy dates back to the beginning of the 19th century as a subdiscipline of botany, and its association with chemistry would later establish it as a science. In the middle of the 19th century, agricultural chemistry was born as a result of this association, leading to the establishment of edaphology, a branch of Soil Science. Another branch of Soil Science, known as pedology, was established as an applied and scientific knowledge in Brazil during the middle of the 20th century. During the same period, the Brazilian Soil Science Society (SBCS) was created, merging the knowledge of both branches and gathering all scientists involved. Twenty years after the SBCS foundation, the creation of Graduate Programs made Brazilian Soil Science enter the modern era, generating crucial knowledge to reach the current levels of agricultural productivity. Part of a community composed of 25 Soil Departments, 15 Graduate Programs and a great number of institutions that promote research and technology transfer, Brazilian soil scientists are responsible for developing solutions for sustainable development, by generating, adapting and transferring technology to the benefit of the country. The knowledge produced by SBCS members has been particularly significant for Brazil to achieve the status of most competitive tropical agriculture in the world. In the future decades, Soil Science will still remain topical in discussions regarding environment care and production of food and fibers, in addition, it will be essential and strategic for certain issues, such as water quality, reducing poverty and development of renewable sources of energy.

This paper aims to contribute to an analysis of the historical developments in soil science, confined to the broad relations between soil science and developments in society in the Dutch or Western European context. It summarizes the major developments during the past 50 years and provides some notes on the future of soil science.

El presente artículo es parte de un estudio agrológico semidetallado de la cuenca de Talhuén, localizada en el cuadrante definido por los 30°24’ - 30°36’ lat. Sur y 71°11’ - 71°22’ long. Oeste, en Ovalle, IV Región de Chile. La información obtenida permitió definir cinco series de suelos y ocho grupos misceláneos. Los suelos fueron clasificados taxonómicamente hasta el nivel de gran grupo como Haplocalcids y Haplocambids. En relación al material parental de los suelos, éste es de tipo transportado por agentes como agua y gravedad. Respecto a los perfiles, se definieron tres horizontes con las siguientes características: color entre 5YR y 2,5YR, estructuras prismática y de bloques, fragmentos gruesos entre 5 - 30% y texturas finas. Los perfiles son delgados y presentan un horizonte petrocálcicos entre los 45 y 120 cm de profundidad. This paper is part of a semi-detailed agrological study of the Talhuén Basin, located between 30°24’ - 30°36’ S lat and 71°11’ - 71°22’ W long in Ovalle County, IV Region, Chile. The information obtained led to the definition of five series and eight miscellaneous groups. The soils were taxonomically classified up to the large group category as Haplocalcids y Haplocambids. In relation to the soil’s parent materials, they are of the type transported by water and gravity. With respect to the profiles, three horizons were defined with the following characteristics: Hue between 5YR and 2.5YR, prismatic and blocky structures, coarse fragments between 5 - 30% and fine textures. The profiles are thin and have a Petrocalcic horizon located between 45 - 120 cm deep.

A new hydraulic, water-lifting aerator was developed for ameliorating water quality. It aims at mixing lower and upper water bodies, controlling algae growth, increasing dissolved oxygen concentration in water and inhibiting the release of pollutants from sediments. This new device was applied to control the algae growth in surface water of the water source of Tianjin. It was found that the content of agrology chlorophyll-a was reduced by 13.96%, and the growth of algae was inhibited. In this paper, the theory and application conditions of this new device for controlling algae are discussed.

Mr. Chairman, esteemed officials of the Government and the Academia Sinica, Ladies and Gentlemen