LEAD CONVENER:
A. CERÓN GONZÁLEZ – National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, MEXICO
CO-CONVENER:
B. GLINA – Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, POLAND
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The idea of becoming a soil scientist involves historical and structural conditions. Even though diversity in science has promoted over the last decades the inclusion of underrepresented individuals, it is still perceived that soil science is men-centered (Reyes and Irazoque, 2022) and in a certain way adultcentrist (Campbell, 2021) since it requires a deep specialization only achievable at the graduate level. The understanding of the diversities that already exist in soil science and their inclusion are fundamental to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this way, the IUSS Young and Early Career Scientists Working Group proposes a mentorship workshop as a fringe event looking forward to young ideas and perceptions and making bridges with senior soil scientists. The Mentor & Mentee Workshop will last two hours and will include three activities with a maximum audience of 40 young soil scientists. First, a round table with senior soil scientists talking about their future soil science imaginaries. For this activity, we will invite at least four senior scientists attending the IUSS Centennial Celebration. Second, we will create small discussion groups based on the four IUSS Divisions, each group will be led by at least one invited senior scientist. Finally, we will discuss together our experiences with the workshop. Young and senior soil scientists will be able to interact and keep in contact. We will look forward to supporting the best candidates registered in the workshop through the IUSS Stimulus Fund. Furthermore, we will try to request the Centennial organizers for Travel Grants.
KEYWORDS:
1. Bridges in science
2. Early career
3. Active youth
4. Inclusion
5. Interdisciplinarity
LEAD CONVENER:
W. WIDYATMANTI – Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sleman, INDONESIA
CO-CONVENER:
B. MINASNY – University of Sydney, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
I.S. LIGOWE – Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, Lilongwe, MALAWI
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The field of soil science, like many other disciplines, carries the remnants of colonial practices, particularly in developing countries across Asia and Africa. While soil research has expanded globally with the advent of comprehensive soil information and remote sensing data, the involvement of soil scientists from these regions still lags behind.
This session aims to provide a platform for open discussions, sharing of experiences, and the formulation of actionable strategies to pave the way for a more equitable future in global soil science research. Scientists from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to contribute their experiences in fostering an inclusive research environment that values diverse perspectives. We seek knowledge exchange that facilitates collaboration among scientists from different regions, enabling collective efforts to address global soil challenges while respecting local contexts.
Moreover, we will explore collaborative research models that prioritize mutual respect, reciprocity, and shared benefits among scientists from different countries. We welcome studies that focus on capacity building beyond traditional training, aiming to transform research practices through resource support, participation in prestigious research grants, direct engagement in research studies, and innovative virtual engagement opportunities that empower researchers from less-developed countries to connect with the global soil science community.
This session will highlight successful examples of research partnerships that promote equity, involve local stakeholders, and integrate traditional knowledge systems. Together, we can foster equitable global partnerships while acknowledging historical imbalances.
KEYWORDS:
1. Global Soil Science Research
2. Fostering Equity
3. Decolonization
4. Capacity strengthening
LEAD CONVENER:
L. FORSYTHE – Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENER:
L. BUCHI – Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, UNITED KINGDOM
A. MARTIN – Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, UNITED KINGDOM
M. PEREZ – Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, UNITED KINGDOM
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
With significant evidence over the past decades on the importance of soil for nutritious food production, healthy ecosystems and long-term sustainability, ‘soil health’ is increasingly visible on research and policy agendas. However, the social and political economy context of soil health has been overlooked, particularly with reference to gender and intersectional inequalities. In the social science literature, it is well documented that when it comes to access to land and resources, women tend to be disadvantaged compared to men, both in the ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’. Women are also likely to experience different impacts from poor soil health compared to men. There are also regionally specific dynamics. In some contexts in sub-Saharan Africa for example, women have access to land but it is often ‘marginal land’, and women notably struggle to access farm labour and resources needed to farm the land, such as seeds, fertilisers, machinery etc. Access to extension services, training courses and thus to the knowledge necessary for improving soil health is also often biased towards men. Differences in local knowledge between men and women, in relation to soil and nature more broadly, has also been documented but fundamentally undervalued in research partnerships. These inequalities have repercussions in terms of soil management and quality, and consequently also on food production, nutrition, livelihoods and the ecological health of landscapes. There is little current literature on these aspects. As climate and environmental change create mounting pressure on people and soils to produce increasing amounts of food, these issues are of fundamental importance to the future wellbeing of people and the planet. This session invites all types of contributions, including the use of visual products and arts-based methods, pertaining to the relationship between gender and intersectional differences and soil health.
KEYWORDS:
1. Gender
2. Soil management
3. Equality
4. Intersectionality
5. Soil health
LEAD CONVENER:
L.B. REYES-SÁNCHEZ – IUSS and National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuautitlán Izcalli, MEXICO
LEAD CONVENER:
R.M. POOCH – ITPS of GSP-FAO and Spanish Soil Science Society
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The IUSS has 60,000 members in 70 countries worldwide. During our congresses, thousands of people of different gender, nationality, race, religion, and cultures remain united by soil sciences, and the IUSS understood that it was urgent to guarantee the equity, and security of all our members, at all times. That is why, in the face of growing awareness of our diversity, the IUSS’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy proposal was approved by the Council in Glasgow-2022 as a fundamental part of the IUSS Strategic Plan 2021-2030.
After our Glasgow session about “How to move forward with gender equity”, we propose to discuss How do we want all our scientific activities to be in the future to move the IUSS toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Although the issue of the lack of equity in Soil Science in specific countries has been addressed for years by some scientists, only during 2021 and 2022 (Dawson et al., 2021; Reyes-Sánchez & Irazoque, 2022; Díaz-Raviña, 2022; Fiantis et al., 2022) publishing data, specific analyzes and discussions on the current and historical IUSS situation, as well as proposals to advance in DEI within of our organization.
The IUSS, towards its Centenary, needs to discuss what has been done or not done and how to include in the immediate future “the other half of the world” since women participation is an indispensable requirement in reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
On the threshold of a new centenary, the IUSS proposal is to open up a shared discussion on the subject with the participation of speakers from sister scientific societies and organizations such as the ISC Standing Committee of Gender Equity, ITPS of GSP-FAO, IUPAC, and IUSS scientists.
Because the key is AND, not OR, not VS., and together we are stronger, in this Session we invite the IUSS scientific community to present their research, analyses, and proposals to discuss how to move our organization towards DEI.
KEYWORDS:
1. Gender equity
2. Diversity
3. UN SDGs
4. Future challenges
5. Strengthened governance
LEAD CONVENER:
S. DAROUB – University of Florida, Soil, Water & Ecosystems Sciences Dept., Gainesville, USA
CO-CONVENER:
S. CHAPMAN – Soil Science Society of America, Madison, USA
S. GRUNWALD – University of Florida, Soil, Water & Ecosystems Sciences Dept., Gainesville, USA
T. CARTER – US Dept of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), Lincoln, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Within soil science and related scientific disciplines, gender parity, diversity, and equity concerns have been reported at a global scale. Long standing biases and lack of opportunities discourage women and those in under-represented groups away from the soil science field. In addition, lack of support for programs to change these embedded traditions may inadvertently exclude participation and inclusion. This session will focus on exploring the state of women and those in under-represented groups in the soil science field and barriers they face. The session will explore systemic institutional, educational, social, and cultural barriers confronting women and minority researchers, teachers, professionals, and students in soil science.
Several professional soil science organizations and higher education institutions have implemented leadership training, mentoring programs, personal and professional development to improve equity. This session will also highlight diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) initiatives for students, faculty, and scientists, in higher education and in professional soil science organizations and potential impact in the field.
KEYWORDS:
1. Diversity
2. Students
3. Inclusion
4. Gender
5. Mentoring
LEAD CONVENER:
R.J. HECK – University of Guelph, Guelph, CANADA
CO-CONVENER:
E. MICHELI – Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Godollo, HUNGARY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The science and practice of pedology have evolved greatly over the past one hundred years. Diverse proximal and remote sensing technologies, combined with geographic information systems, advanced laboratory techniques, as well as computerized modelling and analysis, are now part of our toolkit for understanding and interpreting the complex spatial and temporal nature of soil. At the same time the basic field skills, techniques and methods, developed and employed by generations of pedologists, also remain relevant. From the educational perspective, the internet and communication technologies have allowed us to assemble and readily access vast amounts of information, and virtual meeting systems allow us to effectively engage students remotely. This session will allow participants to share and discuss strategies, experiences and visions for ensuring that future pedologists are well prepared for the future challenges in soil science.
KEYWORDS:
1. curriculum
2. pedagogy
3. distance education
4. knowledge
5. skills
LEAD CONVENER:
J. MOURA – Instituto Evolua, Maua (sustainable development), Resende, BRAZIL
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The session will focus on the efforts made to make people and societies aware about the importance of soil for food and their future, and the possibilities they have to help improve local soil and nature overal fertility. I will show a presentation exemplifying practical activities since 1982 mainly related to urban agriculture, community, domestic and school composting and gardening, besides projects that aim prepare young people for the challenging future they will must face.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil and people interface
2. School composting
3. Youth development
4. Urban agriculture
LEAD CONVENER:
B. GLINA – Department of Soil Science and Microbiology, Poznan university of Life Sciences, Poznan, POLAND
CO-CONVENER:
A. CERÓN GONZÁLEZ – National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, MEXICO
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The role of young and early-career soil scientists is of crucial importance for the future of soil science and the IUSS itself. However, young scientists very often avoid speeches at big conferences/events, due to fear of confrontation with experienced scientists and hearing possible criticism. They often dread giving oral presentations because of the stress they cause, and more generally, because of their attitude towards science communication. Thus, we believe that the ability to talk with similarly inclined people is crucial for self-development. Trying to reach this, we decided to propose (as YECS working group), a session addressed to Young and Early career scientists involved in soil science research and education. We intended to create a very wide thematic session to enable young people to show their results. Within the framework of the session, scientists will present the recent theoretical, experimental, pedagogical, and applied investigations conducted all around the world with an emphasis on the importance of soil for humanity. In our opinion, this session will be an excellent platform to exchange ideas and expertise among Young Soil Scientists and to establish collaboration for global future projects. All participants are encouraged to submit abstracts on the following topics: representing the research of all branches in soil science. Participants in the proposed session will present their results in the form of oral (10-15 minutes) and poster (5 minutes) presentations.
KEYWORDS:
1. Challenges for the future
2. Early career
3. Soil science research
4. Young scientists
LEAD CONVENER:
C. DAZZI – University of Palermo, Palermo, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
E.A.C. COSTANTINI – IUSS, Florence, ITALY
K-H. FEGER – University of Dresden, Germany
T. KOSAKI – University of Tokyo, Japan
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The history of science is a useful and powerful tool to make young people acquire not only the knowledge, ideas, theories that have constituted the most important shared heritage, in certain historical periods, of scientific knowledge but also the methods and practices of scientific investigation as they have been formed and evolved over time. Moreover, making history of science means linking scientific knowledge to specific names, faces, times, and places.
In the case of soil science, the narration of its evolution or of its particular moments, helps us understand the origin of our daily context and of our scientific culture linked to the soil system. Moreover, making history of soil science allows you to link specific research to specific names, faces, times, and places.
In our opinion, this is also and above all an element of knowledge that must be valued and made known to younger researchers.
In this session we want to give the opportunity to verify how, in the different countries belonging to the IUSS, soil science has changed over the decades, and what were the innovations and discoveries that have led to our days. But also, to remember who the initiators of soil science in the various countries were, and who followed in their footsteps.
KEYWORDS:
1. History of soil science
LEAD CONVENER:
R. JANKE – Kansas State University, Manhattan KS, USA
CO-CONVENERS:
D. PINDELL – Olympic College, Bremerton, USA
J. IBBINI – Hashemite University, Zarqa, JORDAN
P. WATTS – Ecoartspace Organization, Santa Fe, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Research on reliable indicators of soil health has included combinations of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that lead to enhanced function of nutrient and water cycling, carbon sequestration, and high productivity. The field of metagenomics now allows us to determine the taxonomy of the soil microbiome, diversity, and explore connections between certain taxonomic groups and soil function.
In addition, alternative methods can be applied to further our understanding of soil processes. The buried cloth technique has been used as a visual/qualitative tool to study soil health. The excavated cloth can be used as a visual illustration for the soil science community and displayed as art. Art can be a visual tool to engage communities in a dialogue on soil health. In the spirit of working with textiles, combined with soils, together they offer a means of engagement between the human and non-human world. The results of this collaboration will be shared including the process of data collection and artistic process.
We are also seeking creative methods for visualizing and interpreting this new metagenomic data. Collaborators with significant environmental-arts experience have convened to develop a project where soil health is visualized by burying, and then examining, artists’ canvas in soils from diverse locations. This global network currently includes artists from several continents, and the soils range from tidal wetlands on the east coast of the USA to semi-tropical deserts of Oman. DNA has been extracted from these soils, and the results have been shared with the artists for their interpretation. We invite others with similar interests to join us in this session with a presentation, artwork, or both.
We also request space in the exhibition area for a display of artworks created. We believe that this may be the first time that environmental artists have used metagenomic data in their process, and it is fitting that this be presented at the International Union of Soil Scientists in Florence, Italy.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil microbial community
2. Soil biome metagenomics
3. Environmental art
4. Art science collaboration
LEAD CONVENER:
M. KAISER – University of Bergen, Bergen, NORWAY
CO-CONVENER:
M. PARADISO – University of Naples, Naples, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil sciences are at the core of our understanding of global food systems, and they provide valuable insights into the ecology of our world and explain important ecosystem services. Strategies to attain the aims of the SDGs cannot ignore the soil sciences. We know that systems characterizing soil dynamics interact with various other systems, including systems that cover cultural diversity, national policies, economic resource management, social identities, and even aspects described under One Health. In order to convey and insert knowledge from the soil sciences into these larger systems, and at the same time increase the impact of its findings, it is necessary that soil sciences engage in partnerships with knowledge holders and decision makers which normally focus on these related aspects. The research framework to achieve these goals is normally described as a transdisciplinary framework. Its characteristics are relatedness to concrete context, inclusive broad partnerships, respect for the diversity of knowledge systems (including indigenous knowledge), shared problem formulations, building up a common language, reflexivity on inherent bias, and focus on what would work in practice. These are no small tasks but challenge the traditional roles of scientists and funders. This session will explore opportunities, challenges, and concrete pathways for the soil sciences to enter into transdisciplinary research. It will specifically call for linkages to the humanities, social sciences, and normative disciplines (ethics and law) as potential partners in this enterprise. Contributors are invited to report on their experiences, their obstacles, their visions, as stimulus to a broad discussion of what lies ahead for the soil sciences.
The co-conveners will open the session with a brief overview of the more general perspectives they see in this endeavor.
KEYWORDS:
1. Transdisciplinary research
2. Science for policy
3. Global food systems
4. Interrelated systems
LEAD CONVENER:
R.M. POCH – Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, SPAIN
CO-CONVENER:
E.A.C. COSTANTINI – IUSS, Florence, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The concept of soil, either considered as such or extended to land, is present in literature in all languages, as novels, essays, traveller writings and even as poetry. Although soils are seldom acknowledged as individual objects, their meanings as indispensable resources for food production, recycling of materials, hydrological regulators, witnesses of history and cultures, among other ecosystem services, are implicit in many literary works. This symposium welcomes contributions showing representations of soils by writers, in any language, that are hidden in their works, which may become very powerful tools to increase the awareness on the value of soils in our societies. The potential contributors are both soil scientists reporting literature or directly writers with certain awareness of the value of soil and land.
KEYWORDS:
1. Literature
2. Poetry
3. Soil awaneness
4. Arts
LEAD CONVENER:
S. PEPPOLONI – National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology / International Association for Promoting Geoethics – IAPG, Rome, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
A. KRZYWOSZYNSKA – University of Oulu – IAPG, Oulu, FINLAND
G. DI CAPUA – National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology / International Association for Promoting Geoethics – IAPG, Rome, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Managing soil is central to human societies, and soil impoverishment through anthropic overexploitation is a global threat in time of global ecological crisis. Consequently, soil science is increasingly fundamental in creating a sustainable and eco-friendly society. In this session, we wish to reflect on the ethical importance of soil science work at the service of human well-being while respecting ecosystem elements and dynamics. We specifically refer to geoethics: an ethics of responsibility towards the Earth system, which can provide a reference framework in decision-making and problem-solving.
What are the ethical obligations of soil science in relation to societal and ecological well-being? What ethical values underpin soil science today and throughout history? Do we need to rethink geoethics in the Anthropocene? How do we embed social and ecological ethics in soil science teaching and practice?
Soil scientists face critical ethical issues and dilemmas in their professional and civic roles as they search for answers to the following critical questions aiming to find a balance in serving society, fostering public trust in soil science, and protecting ecosystems:
• How to manage soils in responsible ways and support the life of billions of human beings without losing soil productivity, nutrients and biodiversity?
• How to interact in a just and equitable way with indigenous cultures and knowledge systems in soil management?
• What can we learn from history of soil science for trying to avoid errors in soil use and management in a world of changing climate?
• How has soil scientist’s societal role changed in the last decades and how can it evolve in the future?
This session aims to stimulate reflections by collecting disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary contributions on ethical aspects of soil sciences, aiming to enrich the discussion of the soil scientist community on problems related to intra-disciplinary questions, soil science-society interface, the future of soil science in the Anthropocene. It is a joint session between IUSS and International Association for Promoting Geoethics.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil science
2. Geoethics
3. Ecosystems
4. Ecological crisis
LEAD CONVENER:
R. PARADELO NÚÑEZ – Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN
CO-CONVENER:
F. FERRINI – Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, ITALY
M. BONVEHI ROSICH – Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
G. MASTROLONARDO – Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Our soils suffer the increasing pressure of urban development, often heavily impacted by the activities associated to urbanization and in many cases losing high-quality soils to urban sprawl. Even so, urban soils are primary components of cities and main supports and suppliers of a large range of ecosystem services, but an insufficiently recognized resource for the conception and construction of sustainable cities, with their properties very rarely taken into consideration in urban development and planning. Building the sustainable cities of the future will need close cooperation of soil scientists, urban planners and policy makers in order to guarantee the best possible use of natural resources. The objective of this session is bringing together specialists from different fields involved in urban development and planning, to share information and to develop strategies to integrate soil knowledge on the process of urbanization.
KEYWORDS:
1. Urban soil
2. Cities
3. Urban planning
LEAD CONVENER:
L.B.. REYES-SÁNCHEZ – IUSS and UNAM, Cuautitlán Izcalli, MEXICO
CO-CONVENER:
R. HORN – Kiel University and IUSS former President, Kiel, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The Earth Charter (UN, 2000) clearly links the achievement of sustainability to an education that builds the consciousness necessary for change, in order to understand the need to establish different ways of living: respectful of nature and careful of the planetary equilibrium in which we find ourselves immersed (Reyes-Sánchez, 2018).
In this regard, the IUSS International Decade of Soils 2015-2024 (IDS) promotes as keys to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals: the protection of the Soil resource and the education needed for its preservation (Horn, 2015) and defines two big priorities: stop the land degradation as the most insidious and underestimated challenge of the 21st century, and direct the main focus of all activities on school-age children and young adults (Horn, 2016).
To enhance education, awareness, and outreach at all levels, on December 5th, 2020, celebrating WSD and assuming those IDS big priorities as our principal long-term goals, the IUSS launched THE IUSS GOES TO SCHOOL educative project and their online website inviting children around the world to take care of the soils of their Nation and teach their parents and teachers to do so. This educative project is a fundamental part of the IUSS Strategic Plan 2021-2023.
Since we face the same challenges to preserve the soil resource as a common good of humanity, since 2019, THE IUSS GOES TO SCHOOL works developing educative actions with FAO-GSP. This joint work has allowed us to involve children in contests about soils, mobilize the scientific community and achieve a worldwide educational impact.
To stop soil degradation educating to achieve it, we invite the IUSS scientific community to share their educational actions and activities, innovative ideas, and research. All soil science educational projects are called to build a new IUSS’ educative era in which children, young people, and citizen education and awareness allow us to preserve soil resources and achieve the desired sustainability.
KEYWORDS:
1. Education
2. citizen awareness
3. interdisciplinary knowledge
4. soil sustainability
5. UN SDGs
LEAD CONVENER:
V.M. SELLITTO – University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Banat, Timisoara, ROMANIA
CO-CONVENER:
S. MOCALI – Centro di ricerca Agricoltura e Ambiente (CREA-AA), Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Nowadays the “Mediterranean diet” is commonly acknowledged by a larger number of consumers internationally as one of the pillars for daily well-being. According to many nutritionists and doctors, the “Mediterranean diet” is one of the most balanced food regimes also rich in “plant-based ingredients ” with a high level in vitamins and minerals as well as in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols.
However, the content in all these compounds in our crops can change dramatically in functions of a list of variables (abiotic and biotic stresses), and more recently, the soil and plant microbiomes have been placed on the top of this list. These microbiomes impact food composition and quality from one side, from the other side they directly and indirectly impact the human microbiome. It is likely to assume that soil microbiome is the link between soil health, plants health and human well-being. Soil and the human gut contain approximately the same number of active microorganisms, while human gut microbiome diversity is only 10% that of soil biodiversity and has decreased dramatically with the modern and urban lifestyle. Moreover the increasing use of agrochemicals, low plant biodiversity and soil management practices had a negative effect on the biodiversity of microbials epiphytes and endophytes. More recentes studies concur with an increase in lifestyle diseases related to human intestinal microbiome disbiose.
This session, with a multidisciplinary view, focuses on the similarity, connection and influences between the soil-plant microbiota and human gut microbiota and thereby human health and nutraceutical food properties, throught the:
• Interaction and influence of the soil and plant microbiome on the nutraceutical properties of foods plant origin, • Contribute of Soil and Plant microbiomes on the gut microbiome in case of dysbiosis (e.g. metabolic diseases); • Soil to the Human Gut Microbiome, • Characterization and interactions of soil and plant microbiomes, • The impact of degraded Soil on Human health, • Endophytic, symbiotic interaction between soil and plants microorganisms
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Microbiome
2. Human gut Microbiome
3. Plant Microbiome
4. Soil – Human Health
5. Endophytes
LEAD CONVENER:
E. MERLONI – Area Europa scarl, Bologna, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
D. MARAZZA – University of Bologna, Bologna, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Lack of soil literacy is a barrier to achieving soil health improvements and to enhancing earth
system science societal impact. By soil literacy, we mean both a popular awareness about the
importance of soil and specialised and practice-oriented knowledge related to achieving soil health.
In the “Soil Deal for Europe” words, to change societies’ behavior around soils, people’s awareness
of the societal role and value of soils must be enhanced. Communication activities should bring
soils, as well as soil research and innovation, closer to the lives of citizens to trigger action and
involvement. To value soils, people need more than to receive scientific information about them.
Instead, it is crucial to start with people’s existing practices, values, and concerns in rural and urban
and in a variety of dimensions and latitudes. Indeed, while some messages may be widely
applicable (e.g. soils underpinning achievement of physical and mental health, beautiful and healthy
landscapes, good quality food), action on soil should also be linked with specific and locally
relevant concerns.
This session is devoted at putting together soil education, citizen engagement and ecojournalism experts in the area of the earth system science. We want to capitalise experiences
realised in Europe in the framework of the EIP-Agri and the EU Soil Mission along with specific
projects and activities.
Some of key questions are: what are the key concepts for stimulating collective imaginary and
connecting to the lives of citizens ? Which can are the appropriate contexts where to develop and
nurture action and involvement? What can we learn from living labs, experimental farms, urban
farming and slow food networks?
Beside communication, education experts we address testimonials from key experience and projects
along with schools, training institutions and universities playing a key role in the green transition.
The panelists will represent different genders, ages, backgrounds, and perspectives in order to ensure a well-rounded discussion, as inclusivity is a key element for a diverse event.
KEYWORDS:
1. Citizen engagement
2. biogeochemical cycles
3. environmental journalism
4. communication
5. earth system science
LEAD CONVENERS:
C. DAZZI and E.A.C. COSTANTINI (IUSS)
CO-CONVENERS:
L. ØYGARDEN and G. LO PAPA (ESSC)
D. NING and J. RUBIO (WASWAC)
S. BHAN and I. PLA SENTIS (ISCO)
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil and water conservation issues are as old as the presence of the man on Earth and have accompanied the history of man, strongly influencing his habits and the quality of his life.
Indeed, soil and water conservation efforts aimed to increase productivity, improve living conditions, and ensure sustained agricultural productivity.
Most countries in the world, have invested significantly to correct past errors and strengthened their efforts to protect and enhance their resource bases. Many others, however, are very much behind in their efforts toward sustainability because they do not have the necessary knowledge, capital, and strength of purpose or this last must be supported by widespread public concern.
The purpose of this session is to verify how, soil and water conservation measures have been applied and changed over the centuries in different countries, and what were the results and innovations that have brought to our days.
Furthermore, based on the past and present situation, we want to highlight what could be the global and regional strategies of soil and water conservation in a world that changes with a greater speed than the ability of man to adapt to environmental and social changes.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil and water conservation
2. Strategies
LEAD CONVENERS:
C. NICOSIA – Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padova, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
F. POLISCA – Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Università di Padova, Padova, ITALY
D. SAUER – University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Since the 1950s pedology has found its way into archaeological research. Soil science has since addressed key aspects such as human impact on landscapes, the triggering of erosional and soil chemical degradation processes as a result of ancient agricultural practices, and the reconstruction of past environmental conditions based on soils. Soil science in archaeology deals with features and characteristics at the landscape, regional or even supra-regional scale. Yet, at the same time, it involves the study of very localized, microscopic features. At the small scale, factors of soil formation – the very ones formalized by Jenny’s equation – operating in the past are the main focus of interest. At this scale soils are also important chrono-stratigraphic markers for long-distance correlations and used to ascertain the age of landscape units that were settled by humans. At the large scale, processes such as mineral weathering, leaching, bioturbation, or oxido-reduction are instead employed to disentangle complex formation processes of archaeological sequences an, ultimately decipher past behaviors and paleo-environmental conditions. The application of soil science to archaeology is moreover cross-temporal, as it entails the use of the methods derived from pedology, such as soil micromorphology or soil physico-chemical analyses, to archaeological contexts spanning from the Pleistocene to the late Holocene. This session aims at bringing together soil scientists, archaeologists, geologists, and geoarchaeologists who integrate soil science concepts and methods in the study of the past.
KEYWORDS:
1. Archaeology
2. Geoarchaeology
3. Landscapes
4. Soil Micromorphology
5.Paleoenvironment
LEAD CONVENERS:
A. L’ASTORINA – IREA CNR, Milano, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
L. COLUCCI GRAY – University of Edimburg, Edimburg, UNITED KINGDOM
C. COLELLA – IREA CNR, Milano, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The proposed session aims to examine the political, ethical, and affective aspects of soil. Organized within the context of the research project BRIDGES, this session seeks to host critical reflections on soil care practices, relational materiality, and more-than-human ethics, with the overarching goal of fostering transdisciplinary practices for the study of soil health.
In recent years, the urgency of the soil crisis and its implications for environmental sustainability have become increasingly apparent. However, discussions on soil have predominantly occurred within natural sciences, leaving the social sciences, environmental humanities, and other disciplinary (as well as non-academic) approaches relatively understudied in relation to soil. This session aims to bridge this gap by inviting contributions that critically examine soil knowledge practices, their onto-political effects, and their role in shaping human-soil relations. Contributions are encouraged to explore the diverse materialities, scales, and ontologies associated with soil, denaturalizing the category of soil and revealing its complex socio-cultural, political, and affective dynamics.
This session welcomes contributions and accounts on the following or related topics:
– Collective actions and/or social movements’ initiatives centered on soil care and maintenance (e.g., agroecological movements, alternative agri-food networks, urban farming, etc.)
– Participatory Action Research experiences
– Artistic research practices dealing with soil
– Ethnographies and/or qualitative inquiries on diverse typologies of soil knowing and practicing, encompassing both scientific and non-scientific contexts.
This session welcomes empirical studies, theoretical reflections, and practical approaches that critically engage with soil, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and transdisciplinary perspectives. We invite scholars, students, soil practitioners, social movements, and artists to join us in exploring the complex entanglements between humans and soils and to collectively imagine transformative pathways for more just and sustainable soil futures.
KEYWORDS:
1. citizen science
2. collaborative research
3. transdisciplinarity
4. artistic research on soil
5. soil vitality
LEAD CONVENERS:
N. UJHÁZY – School of Geography – University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENERS:
L.M. CHABALA – School of Agricultural Sciences – Department of Soil Science – University of Zambia, Lusaka, ZAMBIA
R.M. LARK – School of Biosciences – University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
M. HEFFERNAN – School of Geography – University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
A. KRZYWOSZYNSKA – Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finnland
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
This session aims to situate the history of international soil science in the changing social-political environment of the last hundred years and aims to understand the progress of the field in relation to historically-changing human–soil relations and land-management practices. Soil science as an independent and internationalizing field was, from its beginning, deeply related to human needs, particularly agriculture. In this panel, we would like to raise the question of how food, environmental and settlement policies have influenced the development of soil science, and how soil science has been reflected in development worldwide. We are interested to engage with histories of the internationalization of soil science and also with national histories of soil science in international contexts, and the circulation of methods and views on soil classification, cartography, laboratory analyses, soil improvement and management practices not only within the nexus of food systems but ecology, climate change and earth sciences.
Building on the 2023 workshop ’Assessing Colonial Soil Science in Africa and its Legacy’ at the University of Nottingham, we would like to continue and expand the discussion on the legacies of colonial soil science, decolonization and the political changes affecting the practices of international cooperations and science in different national settings. In this session we hope to connect histories of soil science with the contemporary agenda to understand the social aspects of soil management and to rethink the values of soils, this critically important zone of the Earth’s surface, in a sustainable future.
KEYWORDS:
1. history of soil science
2. international soil science
3. food and environmental policy
4. decolonization
LEAD CONVENERS:
C. BOYER – International Center for Research on Environment and Development, AgroParisTech, Paris, FRANCE
CO-CONVENERS:
T. LAW – Development Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Amidst growing recognition of the anthropogenic threats to soil and their entanglement in the ecological crisis, soils have emerged as a subject of interest within the social sciences and humanities. These works challenge prevailing soil understandings that shape environmental and agricultural interventions and form the basis of existing soil ontologies, such as soil quality, ecosystem services, soil functionality, soil fertility, and soil health. Researchers have explored the contested politics of soil knowledge, examining how soil is constructed as a knowable, manageable, and exploitable object and the potential ontological and epistemic contestations that ensue. They also shed light on the materiality and agency of living soils, emphasize the new interest in soil biota and the practicalities of soil care. Within this emerging literature, scientific knowledge and practices related to soils are being re-considered and at times, contested, advocating for incorporating alternative conceptions of soil. In this session, we seek to engage with critical perspectives on soil’s ontological and epistemological politics, to reflect on the following questions: Why and how have these alternative soil epistemologies emerged and gained prominence? How do these shape soil subjectivities? What implications do these alternative perspectives have for the future of soil science theory and practice? How can they foster greater reflexivity regarding soil knowledge among scientists, soil practitioners, farmers, and policymakers? What further research is needed to facilitate transdisciplinary dialogue and integration between these various approaches? We invite contributions from a diverse array of disciplines, such as science and technology studies, anthropology, geography, philosophy, and research approaches including but not limited to feminist epistemologies, political ecology, decolonial perspectives, and critical agrarian studies, as well as methodological approaches, for example, ethnopedology, multispecies ethnography, artistic approaches, and historical analyses.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Ontology
2. Social Sciences & Humanities
3. Critical Perspectives
4. Transdisciplinarity
LEAD CONVENERS:
M. FANTAPPIÈ – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
R. BARBETTI – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
D. SAUER – University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GERMANY
R. POCH – Univerity of LLeida, LLeida, SPAIN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil is gaining in the last decades an increasing political and economic interest worldwide, given the recognition of the several functions that it brings to the humanity. Despite of that, it is still the great unknown subject for the general audience, because it remains undiscovered under our feet during the daily life. The recognition of the soil cultural heritage can, instead, play a central role in the promotion of the soil literacy and soil conservation for the future generations. The historical value of soils is also recognized, given their impact throughout history to the past and present human populations, so that soils can be seen as historical witnesses. In this session we call for best experiences worldwide in the theme of “unearthing soil knowledge”, such as soil museums, soil libraries consisting of soil sample archives and monoliths, soil and pedolandscape permanent tours, preservation of pedosites, that is, sites which soils should be preserved for their recognized cultural value.
KEYWORDS:
1. Pedosites
2. Soil libraries
3. Soil literacy
4. Soil museums
5. Citizen science
LEAD CONVENER:
L. ØYGARDEN – NIBIO, Aas, NORWAY
CO-CONVENER:
D. DEC – Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias Alimentas, Univ. Austral de Chile, Valdivia, CHILE
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In many agricultural areas drainage and irrigation are a prerequisite to secure agricultural production and food security. In the past, research focused on technical dimensioning and development of drainage design- for fast transport of excess water from fields and development and guidelines for irrigation. Drainage and irrigation- control of water- made production possible on larger agricultural areas. Today, environmental focus is more concerned in research- like drainage systems as direct transport pathways of nutrients to water courses and the role of drainage for greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change can change the need of drainage design in wet areas while drainage is questioned because of freshwater loss in other dry areas. Expected occurrence of more extreme events, the criteria for dimensioning drainage and irrigation system might need revision for securing food production and reduce environmental risks. In areas with irrigation needs, climate change increase the focus on: efficient water use, which consider spatial and temporal variation of soil properties, consideration of the soil as a water reservoar, use of new technologies to obtain efficient irrigation. There is a need to strengthen the link between soil- water- plant- food production. This session will document the historic trends in research and development in drainage and irrigation strategies and explore the visions for future soil and water conservation related to drainage and irrigation systems and adaptation in different global regions.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil and water conservation
2. drainage
3. irrigation
4. environmental effect
5. food production
LEAD CONVENER:
D. CHEN – University of Melbourne, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
CO-CONVENER:
I. YOUNG – King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, SAUDI ARABIA
M. LENZEN – University of Sydney, Sidney, AUSTRALIA
G. FENG – USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Mississippi State, USA
S.K. LAM – University of Melbourne, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The global trade of food, feed and fiber (3Fs) has profound impact on soil C and N dynamics, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use changes. Global trade enables the transfer of nutrients, N in particular, to benefit regions with N-deficient soils, enhance food security and safeguard forests that might otherwise be converted for farming. However, global trade may accelerate soil C and N depletion/mining in low input systems (e.g., rain-fed grains), intensify N surplus and GHG emissions in high input systems (e.g., dairy, cotton), exacerbate N imbalance and resources waste due to the decoupling of livestock and crop production, and exploit forests, peatlands and other natural ecosystems for croplands and plantations (e.g., soybean, oil palm). Striving for the optimal balance in global trade of food, feed and fiber that promotes soil fertility and environmental sustainability is crucial to achieve sustainable development goals worldwide. This session calls for research endeavours focusing on quantifying, analyzing, modelling and/or projecting the impacts of global trade of food, feed and fiber on soil C and N dynamics, GHG emissions and land use changes across various agroecosystems and spatial scales (e.g., farms, watersheds, national, global). This session provides insights into the advancements and challenges related to soil C and N management in the context of the global trading system, fostering discussions on societal cost and benefit of globe food trade, policy and framework to facilitate responsibility sharing and evidence-based sustainability certifications that promote sustainable agricultural production and soil and land conservation.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil nutrients cycling
2. Sustainable soil management
3. GHG emissions
4. Land use change
5. Global trade
LEAD CONVENER:
A. JONES – European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
P. PANAGOS – European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Life on Earth depends on healthy soils. European soils are under pressure, and knowing the state and its trends is essential to know where, when and how to protect better, improve or restore soils. The European Soil Observatory (EUSO) aims to tap into the wealth of soil data produced by the JRC European soil data centre (ESDAC) and other international research institutions to provide a clear picture of the state and trend of soil health in the EU. The soil degradation Dashboard will report on the state of implementation of the EU soil policy. EUSO aims to be the reference point providing a clear, up-to-date assessment of the state of soils and the policy actions taken at the EU level to improve it. Soils provide many ecosystem services, which makes them a crucial component to consider for a sustainable future and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During this session, scientific and transdisciplinary insights to support soil policies are welcome, with a focus on soil health, soil monitoring and data streams that will improve the management of soil data, both legacy and newly acquired. The session will be the perfect outlet to show results that contribute to future soil health policies or help to identify gaps in current policies. Attention will be given to the role of transdisciplinary research: how can the involvement of various stakeholders result in feasible and widely applicable principles to trigger improvement in soil management and to increase soil literacy and engagement of the non-scientific community? For policy design and monitoring, generating user-oriented high-quality new and legacy data is crucial. The contributions to this session will address the potential of soil data, the efforts and challenges associated with soil data harmonisation across time and space, and how data can be used for decision support systems.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Monitoring
2. Soil Knowledge
3. LUCAS soil
4. Soil Policy
5. Soil data sharing in EU
LEAD CONVENER:
E. TASKIN – Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano – Bozen, Bolzano – Bozen, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
C. PORFIDO – Soil Plant and Food Sciences Department, University of Bari, Bari, ITALY
S. NORRA – Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil pollution exists to varying extents in different regions worldwide. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently estimated that approximately 35% (2 billion hectares of land) of the world’s soil can be categorized as -degraded- due to various factors. The impact of pollution and degradation on the health of interconnected ecosystems (e.g., water and agriculture), as well as on the economy and human health, is significant. Currently, governmental and non-governmental organizations address soil pollution through regulations and guidelines, particularly concerning industrial and agricultural activities. These measures often involve allocating land use based on pollution levels. However, regulations alone are insufficient in preventing the loss of fertile soils for energy production purposes, especially in the face of food scarcity and related challenges.
In this context, the conveners of this session argue that some polluted soils could potentially be utilized for green energy production by allocating them for photovoltaics combined with bioremediation. Solar farms present themselves as a viable option when the soil structure is adequate, and they restrict human access to the area more effectively than other renewable energy approaches, such as wind turbines. The combination of solar farms and bioremediation techniques (e.g., phytoremediation, mycoremediation) also has the potential to serve as biodiversity refuges and hotspots. Furthermore, advancements in automation could minimize human intervention and create a self-sustainable system through the energy produced in solar farms located on polluted land.
There is a pressing need to strengthen the collaboration between soil scientists working on this multidisciplinary approach to soil governance and regulatory authorities. This collaboration will help ensure that regulatory decisions are informed by scientific expertise. The objective of this session, therefore, is to bring together individuals from both sides and create momentum towards preventing further loss of fertile soils for non-food production purposes. Additionally, the session aims to document recent advances in economically and environmentally sustainable governance of polluted soils.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Use Policies
2. Soil Remediation
3. Soil Pollution
4. Photovoltaics
5. Soil Reclamation
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WICK – Syngenta Group, Fargo, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Scaling has been an eternal issue facing soil assessment and climate mitigation amongst multiple groups, stemming from poor or lack of communication across varying groups. Encouraging sharing of the most recent advances in soil assessment and climate mitigation along with creating an opportunity for more collaborative approaches to accomplish goals in a meaningful way are two aspects this session may accomplish. In this session, each of the target groups (industry, policy and science) will share their findings and scaling for carbon quantification and estimation. This session could expand to other environmental outcomes topics related to water management, nitrogen and phosphorous. We will relate industry quantification and modeling back to the science and then discuss policy around these concepts for encouraging adoption of practices.
Proposed session format: lead off with panel (recruited) or keynote (30 min), followed by 4 flash talks, then 30 min panel. and following with individual presentations (abstract submissions). Panel members give a flash talk or a prompt to give background and context.
KEYWORDS:
1. scaling
2. assessment
3. soil
4. climate
5. policy
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WICK – Syngenta Group, Fargo, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Archived soil samples can provide a snapshot in time of soil conditions and can help us understand the influence of management on soils through time. Archived sample collections exist across the world and could be used to answer fundamental questions at a large scale. This session would bring scientists together who have an interest in connecting the past to the present through analysis of archived soil samples with current techniques.
KEYWORDS:
1. archive
2. soil
3. management
4. scaling
5. global
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WICK – Syngenta Group, Fargo, USA
CO-CONVENER:
C. SCREPANTI- Syngenta Group, Stein, SWITZERLAND
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
New research continues to come forth regarding the importance and function of the soil microbiome. In this session, strong connections will be presented on the microbiome and nitrogen use efficiency as a way to manage fertilizer inputs and build soil health. Though the focus may be on nitrogen, the role of the microbiome in other key nutrient cycles will also be incorporated into this session to broaden the scope. Discussions may also arise around biologicals and potential effectiveness for biologically driven agronomic systems. Let’s present the science, talk about the potential uses and find solutions or guideposts for on-the-ground application.
Anticipated progression of session:
Framing the paradigms of soil N cycling (suggested presenters: Stuart Grandy or Andrea Jilling)
Overview of microbial controls on nutrient cycling (plant nutrient perspective, prevention of loss)
Practical applications (N fixation, enhancing mineralization or uptake)
Practical realities of biologicals (production, stability, delivery, economics, viability, and efficacy)
Session potentially sponsored by Syngenta Group – going through approval process
KEYWORDS:
1. biology
2. nutrient
3. cycling
4. macronutrient
5. management
LEAD CONVENER:
M. FANTAPPIÈ – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
C. CHENU – INRAE, Paris, FRANCE
S. KESTRA – WR, Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDS
F. POINÇOT – Acta / RNEST, Paris, FRANCE
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The increasing political and scientific interest on soils and their protection is rapidly enlarging the type and number of stakeholders involved during the last years. The knowledge and point of view of the main soil managing actors, the farmers and foresters is not integrated enough in elaborating and testing soil management options. Furthermore, soils are at the interface of several political and legal frameworks because of the diversity of land uses and of the services they provide which makes it difficult to determine who should be the main political actor involved: e.g. agriculture, environment, or infrastructures? To further complicate the figure is the issue of scales, since soils are managed at the local scale, but the impact of their “good” or “poor” management affects further other (administrative) scales, form the sub-national, to the national and international scales. The session aims to collect results of interdisciplinary studies on the soil governance, building upon stake-holders interactions and involvement for a sustainable management of soils and to highlight examples of current or past initiatives that ensure interactions among stakeholders for sustainable soil management.
KEYWORDS:
1. Sustainable soil management
2. Stake-holders consultation
3. Living labs
LEAD CONVENER:
B. MAHARJAN – University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Scottsbluff, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Reflecting the conference’s theme, this session will host researchers-presenters from 100 or more years old experiments to present soil-related lessons from those historic sites. Soil health lies at the core of a sustainable agricultural production system. A comprehensive evaluation of different
agronomic practices and their effect on soil health is essential to determine the best practices that support soil ecosystem services. However, observing measurable changes in soil health under varying management practices may take years or decades. Long-term experiments offer unique and invaluable insights into the role soil and soil management can play in achieving sustainability goals. There are many long-term experiments but very few >100 years old experiments. It will reflect the conference’s theme if we can bring most of those historic sites together. I manage one such site, the Knorr-Holden Plot, in Nebraska, USA. It is 112 years old, and recently; I published extensive soil health data from that plot with different fertility treatments. I have been in touch with other such sites in Missouri and Illinois. As a convener, I can contact known historic site reps asking for papers for this session.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil health
2. long term experiments
3. Agriculture
4. Centennial
LEAD CONVENER:
O. ONAWUMI – Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, NIGERIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Experiments were conducted on Chromic Luvisol (Wenchi) and Ferric Lixisol (Mampong) to estimate the influence of site specific inorganic fertilizer rates and its integration with poultry manure on nutrient uptake, biomass and maize yieldin the transition zone of Ghana. The experiment consisted of sixteen (16) fertilizer ombinations (N0P0K0, N30, N60, N90, N120, N0P10K20, N30P10K20, N90P10K120, N120P10K20, N60P10, N60P20, N60P30, N60P10K20, N60P10K40, N60P10K60 and N60P10K20 + PM (2.5 t/ha) with two maize genotypes: Obatampa (an open pollinated variety) and Mamaba (hybrid maize). The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were taken on nutrient uptakeat 34 and 54 Days After Sowing (DAS), maize growth and yield. At 34 DAS, N,P and K uptake significantly increased with N,P and K fertilization showing increased availability of these nutrients in the soil. All the treatments were significantly greater than the control during the 54 DAS in respect of nutrient uptake. During the major season, Mamaba maize cultivar had the highest yield (4950 kg/ha) under N60P10K20 + PM (2.5 t/ha)than other treatments. However, Obatanpa maize cultivar gave the highest yield under N60P10K20 + PM (2.5 t/ha)compared to other treatments. Yield of maize for both Mamaba and Obatanpa declined significantly in the minor cropping season due to low rainfall and time of planting.In comparison, hybrid maize (Mamaba) gave the highest yield to fertilizer than open pollinated genotype (Obatampa). This indicates that hybrid maize does not require more NPK fertilizer than open pollinated in exhibiting its potential yield. Also,combined application of site specific fertilizer rate and organic fertilizer improved hybrid maize yield than using inorganic fertilizer alone
KEYWORDS:
1. Maize
2. Genotype
3. Fertilizers
4. Nutrient uptake
5. Yield
LEAD CONVENER:
C. ZUCCA – Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
S. SAIA – Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The Mediterranean region is heavily distressed by climate change and unsustainable land management practices. The soils and the ecosystem services they provide are extensively degraded, affecting food security and farmers’ profitability.
There is an urgent need to develop harmonised methodologies, integrated indicator sets adapted to the conditions of the Mediterranean soils, and systems enabling assessment and monitoring of soil health in the region. Quality and availability of soil data and information need to be enhanced to allow sustainable management and protection of the Mediterranean soils. To achieve this, however, scientific challenges, institutional barriers, and societal awareness need to be addressed.
Aim of this Session is to establish a round-table of scientists, experts, and stakeholders to present and debate on projects, initiatives, results and lessons learnt on the scientific challenges and institutional and societal barriers related to the development of soil health and quality indicators and monitoring systems tailored to the Mediterranean soils and environments.
Types of contributions that are welcome to the Session include, but are not limited to, soil health and quality indicators, measurement methods (ground/proximal/remote), soil monitoring and information systems, modelling of soil health, definition and assessment of soil degradation, experiences from soil living labs, and use of soil health information to support sustainable soil management and achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN). Contributions may include intermediate results; project proposal and outcomes; proposal or validation of methods; projection of previous results in unstudied conditions; reviews and meta-analysis; and opinions.
These works will be evaluated in the light of the organization of a special issue in an impacted journal.
The conveners are the Coordinators of the two project proposals (SOILS4MED and SHARInG-MeD) funded in 2023 under the PRIMA Program (Topic 1.2.1-2022 – Developing integrated soil data for the Mediterranean Region: a gateway for sustainable soil management) and will foster the collaboration between these 2 projects and other national and international initiatives.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil health indicators
2. Soil monitoring
3. Mediterranean region
4. Land degradation neutralit
LEAD CONVENER:
F.O. GARCIA – Consultant, Balcace, ARGENTINA
CO-CONVENER:
L. GATIBONI – Associate Professor, Raleigh, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
P is a key element, for agriculture and many other process/activities (household, industry, etc.). Its paths in the ecosystems have been intensively discussed in the last years, but how is the status of P in natural ecosystems, and urban and agricultural environments? What is the direction we need to move? How might we match food security and environmental goals? Which are the differences among regions across the world?
KEYWORDS:
1. Phosphorus
2. Food security
3. Environment
4. Ecosystem
LEAD CONVENER:
C. PLAZA – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Madrid, SPAIN
CO-CONVENER:
B. GIANNETTA – University of Verona, Department of Biotechnology, Verona, ITALY
C. ZACCONE – University of Verona, Department of Biotechnology, Verona, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a vital role not only in soil fertility and quality by providing several physical, chemical, and biological benefits, but also in carbon cycling. Unfortunately, the decline of SOM represents one of the most serious threats facing many arable soils of the world.
The application of amendments is among the most effective approaches to increase SOM content. Besides crop residues and animal manures, amendments originate from many kinds of organic wastes, which are being increasingly produced mainly by farms, agro-food industries, municipalities, and energy plants. These materials serve as a source of organic matter and plant nutrients, and may contribute to reduce soil erosion and desertification, as well as to mitigate climate change.
This session will cover current research and recent advances on the use of organic amendments in modern agriculture as well as for the restoration of degraded soils. Field and laboratory studies focused on the effects of management practices, food safety and security, climate change, and environmental conditions are highly welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Biochar
2. Climate change mitigation
3. Best management practices
4. Organic carbon
LEAD CONVENER:
B. MOHAPATRA – Gujarat Biotechnology University, Gandhinagar, INDIA
CO-CONVENER:
U. KUMAR – National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, INDIA
A. DUTTA – University of Georgia, Georgia, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Synthetic aromatic xenobiotic compounds including parent and substituted mono- and poly-aromatics (many are emerging contaminants) produced from agrochemical, pharmaceutical, personal care products (PPCP), etc. are getting fluxed into agro-ecosystems through various anthropogenic activities. These substances are proved to be genotoxic, mutagenic, and endocrine disrupting and having serious health consequences in humans and other biota along with ability to disrupt bio-geochemical processes, soil health/productivity, and climate phenomena. As a result, multi-sectorial and trans-disciplinary actions in terms of prevention of its entry into soil-crop, integrated emission management and advanced abatements is required to gain sustainable soil health and crop production. Alternatively, these xenobiotics have put natural microbial communities under multipartite selection pressure to evolve adaptive metabolic strategies to mineralize them to overcome the toxic effects and survive at the impacted sites. As a result, a multi-level/integrated study on formulating innovative technologies using catalytically efficient (degraders) microbes and their metabolic capabilities i.e. bioprocesses will aid in rationalizing plans for effective bioremediation/clean-up of these contaminants, achieve better soil health, and safer crop production. Further, recovery of value-added by-products can be achieved, thus ensuring circular economy.
Scope and information for Authors
• Newer bio-geo-chemical ways/pathways for degradation of xenobiotics in agro-ecosystems.
• Understanding the microbial transformation: OMICS based insights on genetics, metabolism, enzymes, and regulatory circuits.
• Metagenomics based community role for degradation of emerging pollutants at the interface of soil, plant and ecosystem nexus.
• Innovative strategies (Biochar, metal-organic complex, nano-composites, mineral-microbial complex, other low-cost materials) for treatment of xenobiotic contaminants.
• Rules, policies, and directives for better management of toxic and hazardous compounds in soil ecosystems.
KEYWORDS:
1. Xenobiotics
2. Emerging Contaminants
3. Geomicrobial transformation
4. Community Eco-physiology
LEAD CONVENER:
B. MINASNY – The Univesity of Sydney, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
CO-CONVENER:
C. RUMPEL – CNRS, Paris, FRANCE
P. KOPITTKE– The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil plays a crucial role in supporting various vital functions necessary for humanity and the health of our planet. It not only regulates the quantity and quality of food but also serves as a medium for growing plants for energy production. Additionally, soil has multiple planetary-critical roles, such as acting as a habitat for an extensive gene pool, holding the largest stock of terrestrial carbon, filtering and storing water, cycling nutrients, and contributing to a diverse range of ecosystem services. Despite the numerous benefits of soils, society has historically focused primarily on their role in providing biomass for food, fibre, and energy. Given the pressing threats humanity, it is imperative that we recognize the multifaceted functions of soils for long-term human welfare. We need to move beyond our current unifunctional focus of managing soil for food production and recognize the profound importance of soil’s multiple functions for human and planetary health.
Within the complexity and interconnectedness of soil functions, soil organic carbon holds a central position as a master indicator of soil functioning. Therefore, it is crucial to gain a better understanding of the factors that control the behavior and persistence of carbon in soils. We invite soil scientists from all disciplines to study soil carbon as a complex adaptive system. This session welcomes studies that quantify the contribution of soil carbon to functions beyond food production and carbon storage, such as the interconnectedness between soil carbon and biodiversity, climate change, nutrient cycling, and water cycling. We encourage research that explores the multifunctionality of soil and considers trade-offs between these functions in human-managed systems. Investigating how increasing soil carbon can enhance the multifunctionality of soils is also encouraged, as well as exploring novel approaches using soil carbon to bolster soil’s multifunctional capabilities. Additionally, we seek the development of models for ecosystem services that explicitly incorporate the multifunctionality of soils and effective methods for measuring and mapping these functions.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Carbon
2. Soil Functions
3. Soil Biodiversity
4. Soil Hydrology
LEAD CONVENER:
M. MENON – The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENER:
G. RAMIREZ – University of Alberta, Alberta, CANADA
M. KIANI – Natural Resources Institute, Helsinki, FINLAND
M. GALDOS – Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UNITED KINGDOM
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil health has received increasing attention from the public, practitioners and scientists. This is because soils are central to the integrity of terrestrial ecosystems, land stewardship efforts, and food, fibre and fuel delivery for the growing global population. Managing the land ecosystems for better soil health is crucial to these grand challenges while tackling climate change. However, explicit quantification and soil health monitoring remain a serious challenge due to the interconnected factors involved.
Soil health encompasses the physical, chemical, and biological properties, which collectively determine its overall condition, quality, and long-term effectiveness in supporting sustainable productivity. This conference session is focussed on advancements in quantification, monitoring and managing soil health. We also welcome topics on soil health indicators, models, perspectives, current policies, and future strategies (e.g. relevance to net zero targets) for the 21st Century. This collective session and networking will aid in creating road maps for bolstering land health.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Health
2. Soil Health Quantification
3. Soil Health Perspectives
4. Soil Health Policies
LEAD CONVENER:
M. FRAC – Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lublin, POLAND
CO-CONVENER:
A. ACEDO – Biome Makers Inc, West Sacramento, USA
E. KANDELER – University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
As the world’s population grows at unprecedented rates with a concomitant demand on natural resources, humanity is faced with the need to live more sustainably on Earth. Modern agriculture and horticulture face multiple challenges; they need to be more productive to cope with rising food demand and at the same time become more efficient at mitigating climate change and preserving the environment and human health. The last report on regenerative agriculture in Europe stressed the need to restore soil health, increase carbon storage, and reverse biodiversity loss. Moreover, the report underscored the important role of microbes in maintaining soil ecology and in transforming mineral and organic soil compounds. According to Soil Deal Mission in Horizon Europe, 60-70% of EU soils are threatened mainly due to unsustainable agricultural management practices. Moreover, each year up to 40% of food crops are lost due to attack and spread of plant pests. Additionally, increases in soil-borne plant pathogens pose a significant threat to the environment; in agricultural systems with already low biodiversity this can lead to further declines in biodiversity and an increase in pathogen pressure. Therefore, healthy soils with high biodiversity of beneficial microbiomes are key to production of healthy food and are crucial to protection of crops against plant pests and diseases.
All aspects of soil microbiomes including benefits and risks, approaches, methods and mechanisms, as well as impacts of various factors on soil micromiomes are strongly welcome.
Session organised with the auspices of Soil Biology Commission 2.3 – IUSS Division 2 – Soil properties and processes.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil microbiota
2. Soil-Plant-Microbe Interaction
3. Plant holobiont
4. Biodiversity loss reversal
LEAD CONVENER:
B. MANACHINI – University of Palermo Dept. SAAF, Palermo , ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
W. BERT – University of Gent, Gent, BELGIUM
S. LANDI – Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economy Analysis(CREA), Firenze, ITALY
A. CEREVKOVA – Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Kosice, CZECH REPUBLIC
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
A ‘healthy’ soil plays a crucial role in supporting a variety of ecosystem functions and services that are vital for maintaining soil quality in natural and agro-ecosystems. In-soil invertebrates, such as nematodes, arthropods, and anelids, play a significant role in nutrient cycling, decomposition of organic matter, regulation of microbial populations, influencing soil structure and consequently agricultural production, and agricultural sustainability. Biodiversity, decomposition and carbon sequestration as well as control of pest and pathogen organisms are other important functions in soil provided by invertebrates and biota interactions. They enhance soil quality in five major areas: regulate the populations of soil organisms, mineralize nutrients into plant-available forms, provide a food source for other soil organisms, consume disease-causing organisms, increasing biodiversity.
Soil invertebrates can also act as bioindicators of soil health and ecosystem functioning because changes in their communities can reflect alterations in soil conditions, land use, and environmental disturbances. Specific indices are drawn for nematodes and other invertebrates to indicate the soil quality enhancing their utility as bioindicators. Their communities are used in ecological studies to assess the impact of management practices, soil pollution, and climate change on soil ecosystems. Understanding invertebrates is crucial as they play a critical role in the cycling of carbon they therefore heavily influence CO2 emissions. Expanding our knowledge of these small organisms at a global scale is also essential for addressing climate change effectively.
This session will specifically focus on exploring the ecosystem services provided by soil invertebrates, including their role in biodiversity maintenance and interactions with soil microorganisms. Contributions discussing the importance of soil invertebrates in environmental risk assessment, as key drivers sustaining critical in-soil ecosystem services in terrestrial landscapes, are highly welcome. Additionally, proposals related to specific protection goals for different terrestrial ecosystems are strongly welcomed.
KEYWORDS:
1. Ecosystem services
2. Soil fauna
3. Biodiversity
4. Ecological indices
LEAD CONVENER:
A. MADIAS – Asociación Argentina de Productores en Siembra Directa, Rosario, ARGENTINA
CO-CONVENER:
F. MORESCO LIRUSSO – Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias – Universidad Nacional de Rosario / Asociación Argentina de Productores en Siembra Directa, Rosario, ARGENTINA
G. PERALTA – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil serves as a critical carbon sink on our planet, and Argentina, being a prominent food-producing nation, recognizes the utmost importance of soil conservation. In line with this, an ongoing project has set forth several objectives: I) characterizing the potential, achievable, and current levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) in diverse productive regions of Argentina; II) determining SOC gaps, analogous to ‘yield gaps’; III) identifying region-specific management practices that facilitate SOC sequestration; and IV) contributing to the promotion of soil conservation awareness. To accomplish these objectives, the project follows a structured approach, involving the following stages: I) compilation of a comprehensive database by gathering data from farmers’ plots, including soil samples, historical plot management records, and climate data; II) development of maps illustrating the potential, achievable, and current SOC levels, as well as SOC gaps, utilizing a combination of field data and SOC modeling; III) establishment of a regional ranking system for farmers based on their SOC practices and associated management strategies, with a focus on minimizing SOC gaps; and IV) implementation of a wide-ranging dissemination and transfer program, encompassing a web app, field days, workshops, and an exchange network among farmers, researchers, and institutions. Notably, the current SOC map has already been published, while the potential and achievable SOC maps are set to be released soon. The conference presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the project’s progress across all stages.
KEYWORDS:
1. carbon
2. gaps
3. sequestration
4. management
5. attainable
LEAD CONVENER:
S.I. PATHAN – Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
N. GENTSCH – Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, GERMANY
G. PIETRAMELLARA– Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
As conventional cropping systems face deterioration of soil quality, loss of biodiversity, and declining ecosystem services, there is an urgent need to change practices to more sustainable yet productive systems. It is a central tenant of agroecology that increasing the diversity of plants (diversification) in agroecosystems enhances the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. In arable cropping systems, diversification can be achieved in time (crop rotation or use of cover crops) or in space (intercropping, intraspecific mixtures) which can result in variety of benefits to farmers, consumers, and environment.
Cover crops provide organic C input to the soil through rhizodeposits and litter decomposition, thereby increasing the soil microbial biomass and improve range of soil quality parameters and provides wider environmental benefits. Exploration of cover cropping has the potential to optimize soil processes via changes in soil properties and stimulating soil biota by modifying their abundance, composition, and functions. Recent evidence suggested that the legacy of the microbial fingerprint from individual cover crop applications can be translated into the following cash crop rotation. Similarly, diversification via intercropping or intraspecific mixtures offer similar benefits where one or more plant species or cultivar induce plant growth promoting interactions (N supply, pest, and diseases reduction). Thus, improving our capacity to better manipulate the microbial engineering by diversification in time (cover cropping) and space (intercropping) will help to adopt the agronomic practices which sustainably optimize the Plant-Soil Feedback (result of antagonistic and synergistic interactions) and thus increase or stabilize the agricultural production.
This session will mainly focus on exploring the interplay of above and belowground ecosystems under crop diversification. Studies determining the impact of crop diversification on soil health (in term of soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling) and plant health (yield, nutrient contents and phytosanitary) as well as GHG emissions are welcome
KEYWORDS:
1. Crop diversification
2. Soil health
3. Plant production
4. Microbial engineering
5. Nutrient cycling
LEAD CONVENER:
T. SANDÉN – Department for Soil Health and Plant Nutrition, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, AUSTRIA
CO-CONVENER:
T. SHINANO- Laboratory of Plant Nutrition, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JAPAN
Y. ZHU – Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, CHINA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The planetary health diet (PHD), as proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, is a flexible guideline for a diet rich in plant-based foods with an energy intake of 2500 kcal for adults that would both reduce overweight and underweight and that ensures sustainable food systems that can take care of people and the environment on a global level. To switch to the planetary health diet would decrease agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at a global scale, even if in some countries there would be increases of emissions (Semba et al., 2020). In this session we want to dive into the effects of planetary health diet on soil health and the possible achievement of the soil-related SDGs, such as SDG2 „end hunger“, SDG13 „climate action“ and SDG15 „life on land“. Soil health, the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system to sustain biological productivity, maintain the quality of air and water, and promote plant, animal, and human health, is a vital part of food security and the cornerstone of our nutrition. Food-systems transformation that promotes universal, equal access to healthy diets for all is needed. We welcome research from different parts oft he world to give this session their views on how the suggested tranformation of diets would affect soils locally or globally.
KEYWORDS:
1. planetary health diet
2. soil health
3. food security
4. planetary boundaries
5. no hunger
LEAD CONVENER:
U. SAINJU – USDA-ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil labile C fractions have been proposed as promising soil health indicators, but they have not been related to extensive soil properties and crop yields. We evaluated the relationships among soil organic C (SOC), labile C fractions, 62 soil physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical properties, and mean crop yields in two long-term (14- and 36-yr-old) sites (Froid and Sidney, eastern Montana, USA) under dryland farming. Soil C fractions were SOC, soil inorganic C (SIC), water-extractable C (WEC), KMnO4-extractable C (POXC), potential C mineralization (PCM), and microbially active C (MAC). Treatments were conventional till and no-till spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), and fallow rotations without N fertilization in Froid and with and without N fertilization in Sidney. Carbon fractions were greater in no-till continuous cropping than till crop-fallow, with no effect of N fertilization at both sites. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PCM was strongly associated with most soil physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical properties, followed by SOC, POXC, WEC, MAC, and SIC at both sites. More C fractions were related to soil properties in longer than shorter duration of the experiment. All C fractions, except SIC, were also related to mean crop yields across years. Although SOC was related to soil properties and crop yields, PCM may be used as a promising soil health indicator because of its greater sensitivity to management practices and better relationship to soil properties and crop yields than other labile C fractions.
KEYWORDS:
1. Carbon pools
2. crop production
3. soil health
4. soil organic matter
5. soil quality
LEAD CONVENER:
M. FREPPAZ – University of Torino – DISAFA, Grugliasco, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
S. STANCHI – University of Torino – DISAFA, Grugliasco, ITALY
B. VRSCAJ – Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
M. D’AMICO – University of Milano – Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Mountain soils provide an extensive range of functions and ecosystem services such as healthy food production, flood regulation, and climate regulation. They also contribute to unique landscapes and can contribute to a large number of SDGs. The importance of mountain soils cannot be underestimated, as their benefits also involve people living downstream. Mountain soils are particularly vulnerable to climate change and non-sustainable management (e.g., unsuitable farming practices, and inappropriate soil restoration measures) which can trigger soil degradation processes. Therefore, best practices are needed in order to warrant long-lasting soil functioning.
The session, supported by the Alpine Soil Partnership, aims to collect research, best practices, and success stories on mountain soils.
KEYWORDS:
1. Mountain
2. soil threats
3. soil ecosystem services
4. soil conservation
5. sustainable soil management
LEAD CONVENER:
S. NORRA – Potsdam University, Potsdam , GERMANY
CO-CONVENERS:
A. KARCZEWSKA – Wroclaw University of Environmental & Life Sciences, Wroclaw, POLAND
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil has been devastated by numerous human activities. Industrial actvities caused severe polltuion by inorganic and organic contaminants such as heavy metals, but also arsenic or antimoony, or aromatic, fluorinated and chlorinated hydrocarbons. These impacts must not only be at the location of the rexpective industry but can also be far away as has shown the example of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances which can be found in soils due to misguided fertilization with paper or sweage sludges. In addition to that als mechanic degradation is harming the soil, such as too heavy agricultural machines densifying soil in larger depths. Another currently extremely important issue is the lack of water in the landscape causing the drying out of peat soils and the mineralisation of organic carbon. Counter actions are needed to keep the water in the landscape. This session is offered to bring together scientists from different perspectives of soil degradation control, remediation and reclamation not restricted to the above mentioned cases to generate synergistic approaches regarding the development of adapted and sustainable solutions.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil degradation control
2. remediation
3. reclamation
LEAD CONVENER:
T. KOSAKI – Aichi University, Nagoya, JAPAN
CO-CONVENERS:
K. MORI – Saitama Museum of Rivers, Yorii-Machi, JAPAN
C. ZACCONE – University of Verona, Verona, ITALY
T. SANDEN – Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, AUSTRIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
It is no doubt that soil education is an urgent issue to achieve SDGs by 2030 and beyond. Although the importance, soil may not be taught effectively in school in many countries. As it was reported in “Soil Sciences Education: Global Concepts and Teaching” (Kosaki et al., 2020), good practices are available, however, to promote soil education worldwide, such practices should be shared more between schoolteachers, curators, and other education professionals across the world. The first aim of this session is to report and share how soil education is currently implemented or practiced in schools, museums, and any other places for education. The second aim is to promote discussion towards development of efficient methods and establishment of the international guideline of soil education. Local to general topics, pre-school to lifelong learning in soil education are all welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil education
2. Education in school and museum
3. Education methods and tools
LEAD CONVENER:
G. FENG – USDA-ARS, Genetics and Sustainable Agricultural Research Unit, Starkville, USA
CO-CONVENERS:
T.T. CHANG – Hohai University, College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Nanjing, CHINA
Y.J. ZHANG – Hohai University, College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Nanjing, CHINA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Healthy soils are capable of nurturing healthy plants, healthy ecology, sustaining production, and mitigating climate change impact. Landuse change can cause a remarkable change in soil health. In the past six decades, landuse change has affected almost a third of the global land area. To achieve healthy soils by 2050, the EU soil strategy for 2030 sets out a framework and concrete measures to protect and restore soils. Europe is one of the most intensively used landmasses on the globe, with the highest share of land used for agriculture, forests and, to a lesser extent, urban areas and infrastructure. Intensive and unsustainable land use destroys biodiversity and makes Europe increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters. Moreover, unreasonable use of soil by human activities will cause soil degradation, such as the decline of soil health, soil erosion, salinization, desertification and soil pollution and other negative effects. Appropriate landuse could, in turn, enhance soil health, improve air and water quality and natural resources use efficiency, thus achieving Land Degradation Neutrality. Therefore, studying the impact of different landuse changes on soil health is critical in tackling global sustainability challenges such as food security, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
This session will focus on the contributions related to all aspects of soil health within landuse changes all over the world, such as soil health indicators, soil monitoring methods, soil management, soil health assessment, as well as impacts on rainfall, surface and ground water consumption, carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients cycles, soil source/sink functions, etc.
The session is organized and chaired by the Soils and Land Use Change Commission 4.3 – IUSS Division 4 – The Role of Soils in Sustaining Society and the Environment,
KEYWORDS:
1. Landuse change (LDC)
2. LDC-soil health interaction
3. Soil indices
4. Soil health assessment
LEAD CONVENER:
C. MENTA – University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
G. PERES – Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, Département Milieu physique, paysage, territoire, Rennes, FRANCE
L. D’AVINO – Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Firenze, ITALY
B. MANACHINI – University of Palermo, Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Palermo, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil is not merely an inert medium, but a dynamic and vibrant environment. It hosts about a quarter of the biodiversity that inhabit the biosphere, despite covering only a thin layer about 17% of world surface. Surprisingly, animal biodiversity assessment often considers only vertebrates, but the bulk of biodiversity (e.g., 98% in Italy) is provided by invertebrates. Soil hosts an array of invertebrates, such as tardigrades, rotifers, nematodes, molluscs, enchytraeids, earthworms, and arthropods (a wide range of animals, from hexapods to crustacea, arachnids and myriapods). As is known, soil fauna organisms are key-actors in several soil functions (organic matter and nutrient dynamic, bioregulation, detoxification, soil structuration) and linked ecosystem services (e.g. water regulation, biomass production). For these reasons, soil health assessment shall include soil fauna indicators.
However, measuring the health of soil fauna communities is complicated by their aggregated distribution, the complex interaction network, and taxonomic skills needed. This has led to the soil fauna exclusion in ecosystem studies and monitoring, for a long time.
Furthermore, despite its vital importance, soil is facing numerous challenges that threaten its integrity and functionality. Unsustainable land management practices contribute to soil degradation and loss. Assessing the effects of despicable – or virtuous – agricultural practices within a reasonable time frame is critical. Population dynamics of soil fauna communities seem to have a time-scale more compatible with the effectiveness assessment of agronomic practices than certain chemical indicators (e.g., carbon loss). In addition, also spatial-scale of soil fauna is compatible with field- and farm-scale. Therefore, for soil fauna not to be excluded from soil health diagnostic, it is essential to identify indices to detect the system complexity, both for measuring soil quality and regeneration thresholds, towards the desirable “land degradation neutrality”.
Consequently, this session has the aim of collecting studies related to known or innovative soil fauna indices to discuss the acquired knowledge on soil health monitoring, prioritizing those studies that define baseline and thresholds.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil biodiversity
2. ecological indices
3. soil fauna communities
4. health thresholds
5. soil quality
LEAD CONVENER:
X. YAN – Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, CHINA
CO-CONVENERS:
P. KIM – Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, SOUTH KOREA
S. CHANG – University of Alberta, Edmonton, CANADA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
To feed the world’s growing population, agricultural activities have profoundly disturbed global carbon and nitrogen cycles. While suceeding in boosting agricultural production during the past century, intensive use of nitrogen fertilizers has caused multiple environmental problems due to nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Globally, only around 40% of the nitrogen fertilizers applied to agricultural land is taken up by crops. By contrast, about half is lost to the environment through gaseous emission of nitrogen compounds and the leaching and runoff of dissolved nitrogen compounds to water bodies, reducing air and water quality and damaging human health— and the planetary boundary for nitrogen has been largely surpassed. Moreover, agricultural intensification can cause deleption of soil organic carbon pools, substantial emissions of nitrous oxide from uplands and methane emissions from paddy fields, which aggravate global warming and reduce the resilience of ecosystems to climate change. The United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stresses the need for balancing agricultural production without impairing planetary sustainability and human health. Optimization of carbon and nitrogen management practices is key to reach the SDGs and feed the world, through enhancing soil carbon sequestration and nitrogen use efficiency while reducing GHG emissions and nitrogen pollution to the environment.
All aspects of sustainable and climate-smart carbon and nitrogen management including but not limited to soil carbon sequestration, GHG mitigation, reduction of nitrogen losses, as well as their interconnection with food production are strongly welcome.
Session organised with the auspices of – IUSS Division 2 – Soil properties and processes.
KEYWORDS:
1. Carbon sequestion
2. Methane and nitrous oxide
3. Rice paddy
4. Nitrogen use efficiency
LEAD CONVENER:
A. KARCZEWSKA – Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Inst. of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environ. Protection, Wroclaw, POLAND
CO-CONVENERS:
S. NORRA – University of Potsdam, Division of Soil Science and Geoecology, Potsdam, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Mining residue deposits (MRD) are commonly generated by mining activities all over the world. They include excavated gangue rocks and processing wastes, such as tailings produced by ore flotation. Disposed in the form of mine dumps or in impoundments, MRD pose a threat to humans and to the environment. Percolating water can transport pollutants into the groundwater, surface run off effects in contamination of natural water bodies and air borne dusts are often harmful to biota and humans. Whether with or without a base and/or a surface sealing, the MRD should ultimately be incorporated into the landscape. Therefore, if the climate allows it, a vegetation cover is needed. Plants can be sown or planted directly in the MRD, or soil can be artificially constructed to bear the vegetation. Under dry climates, mine wastewater might be adapted as irrigation water resource. If the vegetation grows directly in the MRD, two opposite concepts of phytoremediation can be applied, i.e. either phytostabilization or phytoextraction. Biomining or phytomining would be reasonable when metal concentrations are still high enough to be recovered. Harvested plants can be used for various purposes, for instance as biomass resource for power industry, thus generating incomes for local populations. Revegetation of MRD supports biodiversity and creates recreation-friendly forms of landscape. Whatever concept for revitalization of MRD is chosen, the soil always plays a key role in its course. Therefore, this session will bring together researchers to discuss their experiences and successes in managing soils that develop on MRD. Revitalization of MRD soils contributes to reach various SDGs, in particular 2 (no hunger), 3 (good health and well-being), 6 (clean water) and 15 (life on land).
KEYWORDS:
1. remediation
2. revitalization
3. mining
4. tailings
5. dump
LEAD CONVENER:
Y. ZHU – Research Center for Ecoenvironmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, CHINA
CO-CONVENERS:
X. SONG – Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing , CHINA
Y. LUO- Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing , CHINA
H. LI- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs) due to their potential detrimental effects to the environment and human health. These CECs include but not limited to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), microplastics, antibiotics and resistance genes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and engineered nanoparticles. Soil, one of the primary sinks of CECs, plays a major role in their fate and transport. However, there is a lack of thorough understanding of the sources, fate, transport, transformation, toxicity and remediation pathways for the abovementioned CECs. In addition, differences would be expected between the environmental behaviors, impacts, and remediation pathways of CECs and those of conventional contaminants such as heavy metals and traditional organic contaminants. Therefore, it is imperative to exchange the scientific progress on the CECs for better prevention, assessment, mitigation and regulation of their environmental and human health impacts.
All aspects of CEC sources, occurrences and distributions, analytical techniques, retention to and release from soils, transport and their modeling, exposure and toxicity assessment, remediation technologies, regulation polices, and guidelines are strongly welcomed.
Session organized by IUSS Commission 4.2 – Soils, food security, and human health.
KEYWORDS:
1. Emerging Contaminants
2. Occurrences and distributions
3. Transport and modeling
4. Toxicity and Remediation
5. Regulation and guidelines
LEAD CONVENER:
E. DIAZ-PINES – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Institute of Soil Research, Vienna, AUSTRIA
CO-CONVENER:
A. LAGOMARSINO – Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA),Centro di Ricerca Agricoltura e Ambient, Impruneta , ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a very potent greenhouse gas, having a global warming potential 298 times higher than CO2. Soils are the largest global emitters of N2O into the atmosphere: agricultural soils contribute to more than 50 % of the anthropogenic sources of N2O through mineral fertilization and manure management; soils under natural ecosystems have a substantial share (almost 60%) to the N2O natural sources.
Denitrification and nitrification are the main source of N2O from soils, although N2O is produced as a result of a large range of microbial pathways, along with abiotic processes. Both biotic and abiotic processes are affected by physical, chemical and biological conditions as e.g. soil moisture and availability of oxygen, temperature, amount and accessibility of N-substrates, soil pH, plant cover or microbial communities. Due to the complex interplay of the factors and processes involved, soil N2O emissions are typically highly variable at different temporal and spatial scales, and our knowledge of the major drivers of N2O fluxes is still incomplete and fragmented. A better understanding of mechanisms and driving forces of N2O losses in different ecosystems and pedoclimatic conditions is crucial to assess the environmental footprint of managed and natural soils, as a prerequisite to quantify the impact of soil management strategies and propose effective mitigation options.
In this session, we welcome contributions giving insights into the N2O turnover in the soil, increasing our understanding of the underlying biogeochemical processes. A special focus is given to the investigation of the consequences of soil management practices for the N2O footprint, in the context of appropriate mitigation measures and the development of sustainable strategies. We welcome experimental, modelling and synthesis approaches from the molecular to the global scale, that address the causes and mechanisms of soil N2O fluxes in managed and natural lands.
KEYWORDS:
1. greenhouse gas fluxes
2. nitrous oxide
3. climate change mitigation
4. soil management strategies
5. soil microbial processes
LEAD CONVENER:
M. FRANCIONI – Dipartimento di Scienze Agarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Ancona, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
P.A. DELIGIOS – Dipartimento di Scienze Agarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Ancona, ITALY
A.W. KISHIMOTO-MO – Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research, Tsukuba, JAPAN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil, being the largest terrestrial carbon reservoir, plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as it can be both a source and a sink depending on how it is managed.
Carbon farming is a set of agricultural practices aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the carbon storage capacity of agricultural lands. The main objective of carbon farming is to contribute to climate change mitigation and promote environmental sustainability in agriculture. This can be achieved through the adoption of techniques such as the use of cover crops, crop rotation, conservation agriculture, no-till farming, and the addition organic matter to the soil such as crop residues, compost, and biochar.
By delving into these aspects, the session aims to advance our understanding of how soil and agronomic practices can effectively enhance carbon sequestration and contribute to the success of carbon farming initiatives which assume utmost importance in the context of the carbon credit market.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to soil carbon modelling, LCA-approaches, biomass and/or crop residues valorization, biochar addition, and soil mapping/monitoring via proximal or remote sensing.
KEYWORDS:
1. carbon farming
2. soil organic carbon
3. soil organic matter
4. carbon credits
5. carbon market
LEAD CONVENER:
T. CHITI – University of Tuscia, Viterbo, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In December 2021 the European Commission adopted the Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles setting out short- to medium-term actions aiming to address current challenges to “carbon farming” to upscale a green business model that rewards land managers for taking up practices leading to carbon sequestration, combined with strong benefits on biodiversity. Carbon Farming is a new terminology to describe farming land management practices, both in the agricultural and forestry sectors, aimed at uptaking the carbon out of the air by using soils and living biomass as natural sinks and/or reducing the carbon emissions toward the atmosphere. It has been proposed as an effective measure to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in several countries. In contrast to the agricultural sector where carbon farming practices are well identified (e.g., reduced or no tillage, use of cover crops, diversification, organic fertilizer), in the forestry sector these practices, in terms of definitions, modalities and time dimensions, are still nebulous.
This session will mainly focus on exploring the impact of carbon farming application on soil carbon emission and removal from agricultural and forestry sectors. Contributions from case studies investigating the impact of different management systems and or single practices are welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil organic carbon
2. Climate change
3. Soil management practices
4. Agricultural soils
5. Forest soils
LEAD CONVENER:
E. VÁZQUEZ – Departmento de Producción Agraria, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, SPAIN
CO-CONVENER:
J. ARANGO – Tropical Forages Program, The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Cali, COLOMBIA
M. BENITO – Departmento de Producción Agraria, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, SPAIN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Grasslands cover approximately 40% of the terrestrial ice-free surface of the Earth and provide diverse ecosystem services including climate regulation, above and belowground biodiversity, water flow regulation, support for pollinators and contribute to human nutrition and livelihood in rural areas. Therefore, well-functioning grasslands are crucial players to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as zero hunger, clean water, sustainable production or climate action at global scale. Soil plays a key role in most of these grassland ecosystem services, providing support and nutrients for plant growth, storing and purifying water, sequestering carbon (grassland soils store about 20% of global carbon (C) stocks) and hosting a huge faunal biodiversity. However, all these ecosystem services provided by soils can be affected negatively by unsustainable grassland management practices that lead to a soil health degradation. Similarly, degraded soils are unlike to sustain healthy grasslands that could provide the abovementioned ecosystem services. Thus, the understanding of how different grassland management practices can affect soil physical, chemical and biological soil properties is crucial to ensure sustainable and healthy grasslands and soils that contributes to achieve SDGs.
This session will focus on studies aiming to evaluate the impact of different grassland management practices on soil nutrient cycling and C storage, soil physical and hydraulic properties, soil macro-, meso- and microfauna abundance, diversity and activity, and greenhouse gas emission and mitigation. These grassland management practices englobe different grazing management strategies, fertilization optimization, organic farming, promotion of legumes and silvopastoral systems, use of improved forages or soil liming. Field studies are encouraged, although mesocosms studies testing particular hypothesis related to grassland soils are also welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Grassland management
2. Ecosystem services
3. Soil health
4. Soil carbon storage
5. Soil nutrient cycling
LEAD CONVENER:
G. FENG – Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research Unit USDA-ARS, Starkville, USA
CO-CONVENER:
F. ZÚÑIGA – Universidad Austral de Chile, Instituto de Bosques y Sociedad, Valdivia, CHILE
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Land use change is one of the most important human drivers related to climate change. An intensification of the land use (e.g., native forest to cultivation) exerts pressures on the soil (erosion, compaction, carbon depletion) which could start degradation processes and a soil quality diminishment.
Soils play a key role in the global rate of land change, due to their role as sink and source of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2). Understanding this role is essential to designing and developing sustainable systems for improving ecosystem services and contributing to human well-being.
This session will focus on the effects of land use change on sink/source functions of the soils at global and local scales, as affected by forest conversion, urbanisation, sustainable managements in agriculture lands.
KEYWORDS:
1. Land use change
2. Soil sink and source
3. Greenhouse gas
4. Carbon sequestration
5. Sustainable management
LEAD CONVENER:
X. SUN – Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, CHINA
CO-CONVENER:
A. POTAPOV – German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, GERMANY
Q. HAN – Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Beijing, CHINA
F. LIAN – Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Beijing, CHINA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil organisms comprise a large fraction of global terrestrial diversity and are responsible for essential ecosystem functions and services, such as determining plant productivity, nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, pollutant degradation and pathogen control. However, soil biodiversity and its functional roles are determined by the abiotic surrounding. As such, anthropogenic influences including urbanization, land-use change, pollution, invasions etc., alter soil biodiversity and its functions. Here we aim to showcase recent advances on how anthropogenic drivers determine soil biodiversity and how that subsequently feeds-back to ecosystem functions and human health. This session invites contributions that showcase examples of: 1) Mapping soil biodiversity under different anthropogenic influences; 2) Understanding the functional implication of anthropogenic changes of soil biodiversity; 3) Protecting and restoring biodiversity in anthropogenically altered soils; 4) Manipulating soil biodiversity to increase ecosystem functions and human health under anthropogenic factors.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil biodiversity
2. climate change
3. land-use changes
4. urbanization
LEAD CONVENER:
A. BISPO – INRAE, Orleans, FRANCE
CO-CONVENER:
M. FANTAPPIE – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soils are constantly evolving due to natural factors as climate and soil organisms (pedogenesis), but also due to external pressures linked mainly to human activities (e.g. urbanization, management practices, diffuse inputs of nutrients or contaminants through atmospheric deposits or waste spreading). The evolution of soils makes it necessary to set up monitoring programmes at different scales to (i) define reference states of soil quality/health, (ii) monitor changes (e.g. estimation of contaminant fluxes, changes in the content of organic matter and trace elements), (iii) detect degradation at an early stage, (iv) evaluate the success of public policies or (in a broader sense) of sustainable management practices, or restoration actions set up to protect or remediate soils and finally, (v) support research for the development and validation of field and analytical methods, models of soil and related environmental processes.
This session aims to discuss the main coming challenges related to soil monitoring as (i) defining proper designs to sample soils (e.g. grid / purposed sampling), (ii) measuring new parameters (e.g. emerging contaminants, soil biodiversity), (iii) using new measurement methods (e.g. proximal/remote sensing, sensors), (iv) involving new actors (citizens and farmers). We also aim to discuss ways of using the data from these national infrastructures as (i) national applications (e.g. for IPCC reporting, public health assessments), (ii) soil mapping and modelling, (iii) comparison, harmonisation and combination of datasets from different networks to report on soil status at different scales.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil monitoring
2. Soil contaminants
3. Soil biodiversity
4. Remote/proximal sensing
5. Datasets
LEAD CONVENER:
Z. GANLIN – Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, CHINA
CO-CONVENER:
P. KRASILNIKOV – Moscow State University, Moscow , RUSSIA
M. TABOADA – USDA-Institute of Soil Science, Buenos Aire, ARGENTINA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Across the world, Black soils, named scientifically as Mollisols or Phaeozems/Chernozems, are vastly distributed in north and south hemspheres. Thanks to their inherited high natural fertility, Black soils have been cultivated for food prodcution for centuries. Blacks soils served as a model object where modern soil science was established in one and half centuries ago. Black soils are extremely important for the global food security while they are suffering serious degradation via soil erosion and other ways, which is destined to result in declined food productivity and regional eco-environmental hazards. While degradation occurs, soil carbon is subject to loss and aggravate greenhouse gas emission. To proect this priceless soil resource is vital for global food security and sustainable development. From soil science point of view, the age, evolution, changes and their effects of Black soils under natural and anthropogenic impacts under the global change context remain largely unknown. Therefore, understanding soil development and especially the time zero when soil organic matters began to accumulate, the future of soil changes under intensive use, should be still a priority, which should be incorporated in global food security and carbon neutrality studies.
KEYWORDS:
1. Mollisols/Phaeozems/Phaeozems
2. Soil Genesis
3. Sustianble Soil Use and Manage
4. Soil Carbon
5. Soil Degradation
LEAD CONVENER:
C. COLOMBO – Department Agricolture, Environment and Food Science, University of Molise, Campobasso, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
P.M. GROFFMAN – CUNY Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, New York, USA
Z. CHENG – CUNY Brooklyn College Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, New York, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
There is great interest in the ability of urban soils to sequester carbon, reduce nitrogen emission, and provide ecological benefits to urban areas. However, these soils have been described, and are often mapped as a “black box” despite recognition of the fact that they have complex and variable properties that have both positive and negative effects on a wide range of ecosystem services. One of the grand challenges for urban soils is to develop models that encompass the anthropogenic influences on these soils and their carbon and nutrient cycles. The existing models, developed primarily for agricultural and forest soils, work poorly in urban ecosystems because they do not include human-induced biogeochemical controls. New work in cities across the world is beginning to characterize the heterogeneity of constructed and natural parent materials included in urban soil profiles and their effects on soil functions and processes such as carbon sequestration, water retention, nitrogen mobility, chemical reactivity and biological activity. Incorporating these anthropogenic factors into biogeochemical models will advance urban soil management but requires enhanced collaborations among urban ecologists, geochemists, soil biologists, pedologists, practitioners and other stakeholders.
KEYWORDS:
1. Urban soils
2. Soil modelling
3. Carbon storage
4. Urban soil restoration
5. Cities
LEAD CONVENER:
I. COUSIN – INRAE, UR Info&Sols, Orléans, FRANCE
CO-CONVENER:
C. CHENU – INRAE, UMR ECOSYS, Saclay, FRANCE
F. UNGARO – CNR, IBE, Firenze, ITALY
S. MOCALI – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals asks for maintaining healthy soils while enhancing the quality of the managed ones. It is then necessary to know the present soil health status, and to foresee robust monitoring plans. It is also necessary to provide stakeholders, farmers, extension services, administrators and policy makers with scientifically-based and consistent information for underpinning their decisions at the different levels. It implies defining reliable and robust indicators able to describe the soil health status at the different scales, with the involvement of numerous stakeholders in the co-definition and co-decision processes.
This objective remains a challenge, due to the complex – and sometimes still unknown – relationships between processes involving the chemical, physical and biological properties of soil
The session then aims at collecting contributions on: soil health/soil quality indicators definition and evaluation; soil ecosystem/threats modelling; soil biological indicators; scale effect in soil health/soil quality/soil-based ecosystem services assessment
Contributions from experiences at the different scales of assessment and from the ongoing global, regional and local initiatives are mostly welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Health/Quality
2. Soil ecosystem services
3. Soil Threats
4. Indicators
5. Co-decision
LEAD CONVENER:
M. MUÑOZ ROJAS – University of Seville, Seville, SPAIN
CO-CONVENER:
P. PEREIRA – Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, LITHUANIA
M.E. LUCAS-BORJA – University of Castilla La Mancha, Albacete, SPAIN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil is an essential component of the environment and the result of a complex set of interacting processes. Soil provides ecosystem services that are critical for life, acting as water filter and a growing medium, providing a habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity, and supplying most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases. At present, soil is a threatened natural resource as a consequence of human activities such as over exploitation, overgrazing, inappropriate clearing techniques and unsuitable land use management, among others. A global effort is needed to tackle this unprecedented degradation trend to maintain healthy soil functions and the services provided, especially in a growing consumption and population that are exhausting the ecosystem resources and contributing to climate change. It is crucial to improve our understanding of the relationships between soils and the environment to develop creative solutions that improve soil management and maintain soil health. This session invites contributions that focus on the relationships and/or interactions between soils and the environment. Topics of interest are (although not limited to): 1) Environmental factors controlling soil processes, 2) Global change pressures (including climate change and fire) affecting soil functions and services, and 3) Environmental conservation and restoration actions for maintaining ecosystem services (including research, management, education and policy).
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil functions
2. Soil ecosystem services
3. Global change impacts
4. Environmental factors
5. Human impacts
LEAD CONVENER:
L. MARTIN-NETO – Embrapa Instrumentation, São Carlos, BRAZIL
CO-CONVENER:
D.P. DICK – Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, BRAZIL
H. KNICKER – IRNAS-CSIC, Seville, SPAIN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil carbon sequestration is a relevant topic with possibility to generate contribution to the Planet, as stated in the “4 per mile initiative”. But mechanisms to soil organic matter (SOM) stability, crucial to favor increase of soil carbon stock, in different pedologic and climatic conditions may differ. Currently t is well accepted that the dominant mechanism to SOM stability, in different environments, occur through organo-mineral association (OAM), with clay particles and metallic oxides and hydroxides, as iron and aluminum. However, while in temperate areas there are also conditions to maintain in soils less humified organic material in tropical areas only higher degree of transformation or humification of SOM is necessary. In the other hand soil conservative tillage, as croplands no-tillage, well managed pastures, integrated agricultural production systems, including agroforestry, can contribute with soil aggregates formation, creating additional SOM protection mechanism, mainly in tropical areas. This Session will stimulate presentation of results on mechanisms on SOM stability as a relevant step to improve and maintain conditions to soil carbon sequestration in temperate, subtropical and tropical environments. Results with uses of innovative and advanced techniques, for characterization of SOM stability mechanisms, are also highly stimulated to be submitted. Expectation is to advance in understanding and looking for identifying breakthroughs to improve conditions to favor increase of soil carbon stocks, supporting mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Carbon Sequestration
2. Advanced Tools to SOM
3. Soil Conservative Tillage
4. Organo-Mineral Association
5. SOM humification
LEAD CONVENER:
L.P. D’ACQUI – Italian National Research Council-Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), Sesto Fiorentino, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
S. DI LONARDO – Italian National Research Council-Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), Sesto Fiorentino, ITALY
O.L. PANTANI – University of Firenze, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Plastic pollution has been largely explored and recognized in marine environments, while in soil is a relatively new topic, notwithstanding plastic contamination on land might be 4-23-fold larger than in the ocean and agricultural soils alone might store more plastic than oceanic basins.
Considering the importance of this topic, within this Session we intend to offer a platform for discussion and invite interested scientists, experts, and stakeholders to present new insights, projects, initiatives, results related to the study of this novel topic in soil ecosystem.
KEYWORDS:
1. Emerging soil health threats
2. MNPs in soil ecosystem
3. MNPs sampling techniques
4. Effects on soil biodiversity
5. Regulation and guidelines
LEAD CONVENER:
F. LIAN- Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, Beijing, CHINA
CO-CONVENER:
F. TERRIBILE- Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil is a key component of the Earth Critical Zone having a large role in hydrological, geochemical and ecological processes. The soil related hazards have been updated and categorised in the 2021 UNDRR-ISC Hazard Information Profiles, such as the soil degradation, soil erosion, and permafrost loss, contributing to other natural disasters (e.g. debris flow and floods). The soil knowledge and information, including alert strategies and risk zoning, can strongly contribute to disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
This session aims to address – through case studies – how far soil knowledge, soil processes, soil modelling, soil mapping, soil-based DSS and challenging soil degradation can contribute to disaster risk reduction such in the case of landslide, floods and subsidence. Interdisciplinary contributions are most welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. risk reduction
2. soil
3. land degradation
4. flood
5. landslide
LEAD CONVENER:
M. CAGGIANO – Re Soil Foundation, Torino, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Agriculture needs to be repositioned within national and EU policies on bioeconomy, promoting the use of good practices centered on soils protection, such as integrated and widespread livestock systems, biogas and biomethane production starting from livestock manure, use of organic amendments. It is necessary to foster the connection between research, innovation, technology and agriculture, to boost bioeconomy districts and other good agronomic practices that can find a springboard in Lighthouse Farms and Living Labs. It is necessary to promote carbon farming.
The PREPSOIL project aims at facilitating the deployment of the European Mission “A Soil deal for Europe” across European regions. In this context, the Po Valley has been identified for agricultural land use as one of the 21 regions in which an assessment of soil needs has been carried out with the aim of setting up a balanced overview of management options to respond to external drivers and optimize soil related ecosystem services. As a partner of the Prepsoil project, Re Soil Foundation coordinated the activities in the Po Valley. This work has settled the conditions to commence a broader activity in Emilia-Romagna.
Building upon the experience earned in this context, the event aims at investigating soil needs and identifying potential solutions for highly populated areas mainly characterised by industrial and intensive agricultural practices. The session will focus on agricultural soil quality assessment and monitoring, soil sealing, identification of agricultural best practices to improve carbon sequestration, evaluation of carbon farming potential in the circular bioeconomy context, models of carbon farming around the world, territorial business development models and nature-based solutions, legislative, financial and social aspects, stakeholder engagement and identification of living labs and lighthouse farms.
Ultimately, the event intends to bring together the main national and international stakeholders and experts to explore how linking agriculture with research and innovation, soil monitoring, engagement efforts as well as evidence-based policies can contribute to the transition towards healthy soils.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil monitoring
2. sustainable agriculture
3. living labs/lighthouse farms
4. carbon sequestration
5. nature-based solutions
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WADOUX – LISAH, Univ. Montpellier, IRD, INRAE, Institut Agro Montpellier, Montpellier, FRANCE
CO-CONVENER:
S. PRIORI – University of Tuscia, Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, Viterbo, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Proximal sensing technologies are increasingly for mapping and monitoring soil at high resolution, to support precision agriculture, land management, and environmental monitoring. The rapid and detailed acquisition of diverse soil spatial data represents one of pillars of the digital agriculture and forestry. In recent years, innovative platforms of proximal sensing and handheld sensors for soil monitoring have been developed, as well as sensors to monitor temporal variability of certain parameters, such as soil moisture, GhG emissions and carbon, among others.
This scientific session calls for original works related to innovations about proximal soil sensing by the use of techniques such as electromagnetic induction, Vis-NIR spectroscopy, gamma-ray radiometry, etc. The topics also include innovative methods for multi-source data integration and fusion, the quantification of the uncertainty of the prediction, the estimation of biodiversity and the link between soil pedodiversity and soil sensing. We particularly welcome synergies of proximal soil sensing techniques with image analysis, the multi-scale coupling of multiple techniques, and innovative applications of proximal sensing techniques in conjunction with soil classification and soil inference systems.
KEYWORDS:
1. Sensors
2. Pedometrics
3. Soil mapping
4. Soil monitoring
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WADOUX – LISAH, Univ. Montpellier, IRD, INRAE, Institut Agro Montpellier, Montpellier, FRANCE
CO-CONVENER:
T. MULDER – Soil Geography and Landscape group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDS
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soils are now being increasingly recognized for their behavior and the beneficial services they provide to satisfy human needs. The valuation of functions provided by soils, however, is a scientific challenge to soil science. The quantification and mapping of soil functions is a pre-requisite to enable soil scientist to participate in interdisciplinary studies addressing climate change and sustainability issues. This scientific session calls for original works covering all aspects of the quantification and spatial evaluation of functions performed by empirical or process-based models, or a combination thereof. We welcome contributions covering the following points, but not only: i) the quantification of functions that include co-creation with end-users and participation, ii) the quantification of soil multifunctionality accounting for synergies and trade-offs between functions, at field/fam, regional, national or global scales, iii) scaling issues in the spatial quantification and evaluation of soil functions, iv) using soil sensing and data fusion techniques for the estimation of soil indicators and functions, v) estimation of the measurement error and their propagation to the estimation of soil functions, vi) new methodologies for quantifying the soil functions’ potential and current state.
KEYWORDS:
1. Ecosystem services
2. Mapping
3. Soil functions
4. Multifunctionality
LEAD CONVENER:
L.P. POGGIO – ISRIC – World Soil Information, Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDS
CO-CONVENERS:
J. HANNAM – Cranfield University, Cranfield, UNITED KINGDOM
M. NUSSBAUM – Berner Fachhochschule, Bern, SWITZERLAND
M. FANTAPPIÈ – Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economy Analysis – CREA, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Spatial soil information is fundamental for environmental modelling and land use management. Spatial representation (maps) of separate soil attributes (both laterally and vertically) and of soil-landscape processes are needed at a scale appropriate for environmental management. The challenge is to develop explicit, quantitative, and spatially realistic models of the soil-landscape continuum. These can be used as input in environmental models, such as hydrological, climate or vegetation productivity (crop models) addressing the uncertainty in the soil layers and its impact in the environmental modelling. Modern advances in soil sensing, geospatial technologies, and spatial statistics are enabling exciting opportunities to efficiently create soil maps that are more consistent, detailed, and accurate than previous maps while providing information about the related uncertainty. The production of high-quality soil maps enables stakeholders (e.g. farmers, planners, other scientists) to understand the variation of soils at the landscape, field, and sub-field scales. But for effective decision making the products of digital soil mapping should be integrated within other environmental models for assessing and mapping soil functions that support sustainable soil management. Examples of implementation and use of digital soil maps in different disciplines such as agricultural (e.g. crops, food production) and environmental (e.g. element cycles, water, climate) modelling are welcomed. All presentations related to the tools of digital soil mapping and assessment, the philosophy and strategies of digital soil mapping at different scales and for different purposes are also welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Digital Soil Mapping
2. Digital Soil Assessment
3. Remote sensing
4. Sustainable development
LEAD CONVENER:
A. BONFANTE – National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISAFOM), Portici, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
L. BRILLANTE – California State University Fresno, Fresno, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Viticulture is one of the most important agricultural sectors in the world covering about 7.3mha with a wine production of 260mhl.
Organoleptic characteristics of wine are strongly linked to the territory and, in particular, to specific physical characteristics that affect the plant response (e.g., climate, geology, pedology).
This relation is at the base of the terroir concept, which expression is generated at soil-plant and atmosphere (SPA) system level. The soil varies in space (vertically and horizontally), driving most of the processes involved in plant nutrition and water availability. In particular, it is well recognized in literature the effects of soil hydraulic properties on plant water status and thus on the grape molecular components.
In the last decade, there has been an increase in attention to vineyard soils, their spatial variability, and health.. Most of these studies have investigated the terroir concept to elucidate the relationships between the plant and the physical environment, which are influenced by agricultural practices, thus opening the door to site-specific management. To face the Climate Change (CC) issue, it is critical to understand the relationships of the SPA system, in order to improve and optimize the vineyard management, and then facilitate the resilience of the current terroir relations.
In this context, the session will address several aspects at the interface between soil and viticulture: 1) quantification and spatial modeling of terroir components that influence plant growth and fruit composition, mostly examining climate-soil-water relationships; 2) viticultural resilience to climate change; 3) wine traceability and zoning based on microelements and isotopes; 4) interaction between vineyard management practices and effects on soil and water quality as well as biodiversity and related ecosystem services; 5) site-specific management practices in precision viticulture.
KEYWORDS:
1. Viticulture
2. Terroir
3. Climate Change
4. Site specific management
LEAD CONVENER:
J. HUANG – University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
CO-CONVENER:
B. MINASNY – University of Sydney, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
M. ROMAN – BC3-Basque Centre for Climate Change, Bilbao, SPAIN
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil classification plays a vital role in understanding soil variation and promoting sustainable land use practices at both local and global scales. While the advent of digital technologies, such as digital soil mapping, has revolutionised soil studies, the application of quantitative techniques to soil classification remains relatively limited. This session aims to explore the various aspects of quantitative soil classification, including the classification of soil layers and horizons, soil profile classes, pedogenons, genosoils and phenosoils, and other special-purpose soil classes. The session welcomes discussions on advances in the Universal Soil Classification system, with a focus on building a Dynamic and Comprehensive Classification framework.
We will delve into methodologies and approaches for quantitatively classifying soil from layers to profiles and landscapes with data sources, including field observations, laboratory analyses, proximal and remote sensing data, and digital soil maps.
We will also discuss how human influence can be taken into account so that our classification system, following the genoform and phenoform concept, can be used to provide evaluation tools for scientists and land managers to assess soil change under climate change and human disturbance.
By incorporating advances in digital technologies, data integration, and modelling approaches, we can establish a dynamic and comprehensive framework that facilitates quantitative soil classification that is relevant to help overcome global existential challenges.
KEYWORDS:
1. Universal Soil Classification
2. Digital Soil Mapping
3. Genoform and Phenoform
4. Climate Change
LEAD CONVENER:
M. VALADARES GALDOS – Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENER:
M.F. COTRUFO – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Food, fibre and biofuel production involves complex interactions between crop, soil, water and nutrient management, moderated by climate and land use, as well as by the edaphic soil properties. Understanding those interactions and their effects on agricultural production and soil health requires an integrated systemic approach. Process-based modelling represents an important tool to advance understanding and accurate forecasting of the spatial and temporal dynamics of crop yields, soil carbon and nutrients in agricultural systems under changing land uses, managements, and climate. Modelling has been used to develop “what if” scenarios for agricultural and environmental policy; to identify sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems; and to site- or region-specific estimates of carbon sequestration for carbon offset programmes.
The constantly evolving understanding of plant, microbial and soil science together with the availability of a growing amount of agri-environmental data, made available by advances in remote and proximal sensing in agriculture, present as opportunities to improve process-based agricultural modelling. In recent years, novel approaches to process-based modelling have been proposed, including a more explicit representation of microbial processes and soil structure, the use of emulators, model ensembles, integration with remote sensing, and the development of hybrid approaches with machine learning and artificial intelligence. This session will explore current innovations and future directions in process-based modelling applied to agricultural soils.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil modelling
2. Soil organic matter
3. Soil carbon dynamics
4. Digital agriculture
5. Soil nitrogen
LEAD CONVENER:
D. GODONE – National Research Council Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Turin Office, Turin , ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
M. CIGNETTI – National Research Council Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Turin Office, Turin , ITALY
S. CREMA – National Research Council Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Padua Office, Padua, ITALY
M. CAVALLI – National Research Council Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Padua Office, Padua, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil erosion processes are naturally prone to favoring soil degradation and mass sources formation thus contributing to landslides initiation. This issue poses a serious threat to natural and human-managed ecosystems and their sustainable management especially over hilly and mountainous territories. A comprehensive analysis of erosional processes, including soil detachment, transportation, and deposition processes, represents a key element to develop innovative tools and methodologies to reduce the impacts associated with soil degradation and shallow landslides occurrence and to support decision making.
The present session wants to discuss the integrated use of the state-of-the-art monitoring and analysis techniques to adequately cope with such challenges, especially under the current global change scenario. Through the use of geomatics (open-source GIS, standalone tools and programming languages), proximal (UAVs, terrestrial LiDAR and terrestrial photogrammetry) and remote sensing (airborne LiDAR and photogrammetry) investigations, it is possible to acquire a detailed description of the investigated slope. Deriving for example morphometric indices such as the Sediment Connectivity Index has the potential to provide a detailed and distributed information encompassing a synthesis of surface features (e.g., slope, flow paths and accumulation, surface roughness) to unravel and characterize the interactions among shapes, (micro/macro) topography and sediment fluxes. Additionally, these approaches, when applied systematically at the slope scale can provide unvaluable insights on the ongoing surface processes for an optimized monitoring of slope processes (e.g., landslides, debris/earth flows) and improved susceptibility definition and mapping.
Soil safeguard methods are scalable and replicable in diverse contexts, e.g. mountain slopes, cultivated lands or soil types, anthropogenic, forests, and may be regarded as a key approach for an improved soil security.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil erosion
2. Geomorphometry
3. Sediment management
4. Sediment Connectivity
5. Shallow landslides
LEAD CONVENER:
C. SCHILLACI – European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
G. LO PAPA – University of Palermo, Palermo, ITALY
G. LANGELLA – University of Napoli, Napoli, ITALY
L. MONTANARELLA – European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The knowledge of the soil surveyor in the digital era has changed; thanks to the increased computational capacity of geographic information systems, legacy soil data are now seen as a treasure. Results of international and national research projects to innovate in the soil-mapping domain are in place. This vast amount of information must be valorized and integrated wisely with new spatial accurate soil data and its derived local uncertainty.
The acquisition and interpretation of the soil properties and their changes over time could steer our understanding of earth processes and positively affect how we manage soil resources.
Operational use of the DSM for precision farming is one of the main essential activities in today’s agriculture. This can benefit from many technological advances, such as remote sensing, decision support systems, the web application of soil modelling and mapping and cloud computing. As highlighted in the new European Soil Strategy to tackle climate change and environmental challenges, spatial soil information and updated soil maps are strongly needed to support the SDGs and the climate actions, providing the broader soil user community with the soil knowledge and data flows required to safeguard soils.
This Session is welcoming contributions dealing with digital soil mapping, innovative soil data management, legacy data digitalization from soil maps, the extraction of spatial knowledge from soil survey data and remote sensing.
KEYWORDS:
1. Digital soil mapping
2. Predictive modelling
3. Soil monitoring
4. Accuracy and Uncertainty
5. Mediterranean
LEAD CONVENER:
F. VAN EGMOND – ISRIC – World Soil Information, Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDSLY
CO-CONVENER:
M. FANTAPPIE – CREA, Florence, ITALY
K. TODD-BROWN- University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
There is a growing interest and developments in (inter)national soil information systems (SIS) to expose and exchange standardised soil information as a basis for soil research, policy and decision making. This session has the following objectives:
• Presentation of ideas, issues and experiences on the design, management and use of SIS.
• Discuss emerging (data) standards and technologies and their future applications to SIS evolution.
• Discuss metadata standards application and standardised workflows
• Suggest ways to improve the soil information workflow from data collection to linking standardised provisioned soil data with other data systems.
• Discuss social and legal issues related to sharing soil information through SIS like governance, security, data privacy and (indigenous) data sovereignty.
• Present use cases of demonstrated benefits of SIS for users.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil data
2. soil information standard
3. soil information system
4. metadata
5. use case
LEAD CONVENER:
A. WICK – Syngenta Group, Fargo, USA
CO-CONVENER:
E. KELLY – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Primary Goal: Soil is a key subsystem of Earth System Science, yet it is not well represented in Earth System Models to predict global change dynamics in response to the complexities of climate change. Presently, soil dynamics and feedbacks simulated by earth System Models (ESMs) and other models (.e.g. landscape scale) used to predict response to natural disasters are highly variable and fit poorly with observations. Participants will address scientific questions related to soils data and knowledge, scaling and operational questions related to interoperability among data rich networks, data harmonization, measurement technology, and training and organizational needs.
Background: The magnitude and pace of anthropogenic climate change are increasing the likelihood of abrupt changes in ecosystems worldwide. While the frequency of disturbances such as drought and wildfire has escalated over the past two decades, many fundamental questions regarding the specific impacts of these events remain, including key questions regarding the effects on the soil function and feedbacks in relation to other environmental parameters. The lack of research in this area is partly due to challenges associated with the stochastic nature of events (e.g. wildfire/drought) and the rapidity of disturbance changes in the environment, but also because of the absence of a rich set of ancillary data to associate with a targeted study/measurement on affected soils. This series of panels will identify critical data needed to investigate how landscape-level processes modulate disturbance (e.g. wildfire, drought) recovery and altered feedbacks of soil to the broader environment.
KEYWORDS:
1. anthropogenic
2. climate
3. drought
4. wildfire
5. flooding
LEAD CONVENER:
A. HARTEMINK – University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
CO-CONVENER:
S. SPARKS – University of Delaware, Newark, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In the past 100 years, soil science has advanced through the efforts of countless individuals and rigorous funding. The majority of our fundamental understanding has been gained by small groups of scientists who could work for prolonged and relatively undisturbed periods on developing theory and advancing our knowledge of soils. After a period of decline at the end of the twentieth century there has been an upsurge in soil since the early 2000s. Currently, there is increased funding and large projects that often involve numerous soil scientists. This symposium reflects on how advances are made in the soil science discipline focusing on subdisciplines (soil chemistry, physics, pedology etc.), funding changes, and reviews of breakthroughs and major discoveries. We welcome contributions that discuss how soil science has advanced in the past 100 years and how it will advance in the future.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil science
2. funding
3. advances
4. basic research
LEAD CONVENER:
D. SAID-PULLICINO – University of Torino, Dept. of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Grugliasco, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
F. DIJKSTRA – University of Sydney, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sidney, AUSTRALIA
T. GE – Ningbo University, Environmental Soil Science and Biogeochemistry, Zhejiang, CHINA
D. VETTERLEIN – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Department of Soil System Science, Halle, GERMANY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Global change is a major threat to agro-ecosystems as sustaining productivity ever more depends on the capability of crops to adapt to associated abiotic threats including drought, floods, heat and salinity stress and limited resources. On the other hand, agriculture is also required to meet increasingly stringent environmental goals by increasing water and nutrient use efficiency, reducing the reliance on synthetic inputs, improving soil health, and mitigating negative externalities to water and atmospheric compartments. Whereas plant breeding programmes and improved agricultural management practices have contributed to address these emerging challenges, in the recent decades substantial effort has been dedicated to elucidating rhizosphere processes and their potential towards developing more sustainable and efficient agricultural systems.
This session invites contributions focusing on fundamental processes that control the transport, biogeochemical cycling, speciation and bioavailability of elements in the plant-soil interface, and their involvement in adaptation to abiotic stress, nutrient acquisition, soil organic carbon stabilization/turnover, root-microbiome feedback mechanisms, pedogenesis and mineral transformations. Innovations in the study of spatiotemporally resolved processes at the sub-micron scale by means of advanced imaging, spectroscopic, rhizosphere modelling and isotope tracing techniques, as well as plant-microbe interactions that link root traits, microbial communities and their specific functions in the rhizosphere are strongly welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Biosphere-geosphere interfaces
2. Root and rhizosphere traits
3. Spatiotemporal patters
4. Element biogeochemistry
LEAD CONVENER:
C. KABALA – Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, POLAND
CO-CONVENERS:
C. MONGER- New Mexico State University, New Mexico, USA
C. VAN HUYSSTEEN – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, SOUTH AFRICA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soils differ across local, continental, and global landscapes. Soil classification enables us to comprehend and communicate information about a soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. Not only does classification enable us to know how soils differ laterally, it also helps us comprehend how soils change through time. Classification, therefore, is a very useful (but underutilized) tool for addressing modern agricultural and environmental challenges, such as biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable/regenerative food production. We welcome contributions that discuss the development of theoretical concepts and practical applications of soil classifications, as well as historical aspects and recent advances in classifications, on global and local scales.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil classification
2. World Reference Base
3. Soil Taxonomy
4. National classifications
LEAD CONVENER:
C. CHIVERS – Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENERS:
J. MILLS- Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UNITED KINGDOM
J. INGRAM – Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UNITED KINGDOM
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
A vast and impressive suite of soil science research has emerged over the past 100 years. Despite this, a lack of effective dissemination and limited practical applicability surrounds many research findings, thus hindering its ability to address global soil health challenges. This session will address a gap which was repeated during several presentations at the World Congress of Soil Science (2022), where prolific speakers recognised a need for greater social science inclusion in soil science. This is, in part, because effective communication is unlikely where the research itself is carried out in disciplinary siloes, and where practitioners are not involved throughout. As such, effective, social science-led communication is needed to enable key groups including land managers, agricultural advisors, policymakers and private companies to make informed decisions surrounding soil recovery. Science communication relies on behavioural science, dissemination, engagement, and creating trustworthy channels, each of which require social science expertise. This session will examine examples of successful soil science dissemination, providing guidance on how we could become better equipped to share findings with a wider range of audiences. Here, we propose that social scientists should be integrated into soil science communication efforts to build the academic rigour of such approaches and to adopt proven methods such as the co-design of research and resulting dissemination resources, alongside monitoring learning and behaviour change. In addition, it is important to examine what’s already known, whether through scientific evidence or local, experiential knowledge. Next, we recommend long-term monitoring of the impact of soil science research so that we can build a better understanding of the types of evidence that result in behaviour change in practice, for example, adoption of recommended measures for improving soil health. This session will conclude with an exploration into how social scientists could become more involved in soil science research and how this involvement could result in widespread behaviour change and effective interdisciplinary working.
KEYWORDS:
1. Social science
2. Dissemination
3. Stakeholder engagement
4. Science communication
LEAD CONVENER:
C. ZACCONE- University of Verona, Department of Biotechnology, Verona, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
C. PLAZA – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Madrid, SPAIN
B. JANSEN – University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil organic matter (SOM) exerts a great influence on physical, chemical, and biological soil properties, thus playing a fundamental role in agronomic production and environmental quality. At a global scale, SOM represents the largest terrestrial organic C stock, which can have significant impacts on atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations and thus on climate. Changes in soil organic C content are the result of the balance of inputs and losses, which strongly depends on the processes of organic C stabilization and protection from decomposition in the soil.
This session will provide a forum for discussion of recent studies on the transformation, stabilization and sequestration mechanisms of organic C in soils, covering any physical, chemical, and biological aspects related to the selective preservation and formation of recalcitrant organic compounds, occlusion by macro and microaggregation, and chemical interaction with mineral phases and metal ions.
KEYWORDS:
1. C sequestration
2. Organic carbon
3. Organo-mineral interaction
4. Physical protection
LEAD CONVENER:
M. DE FEUDIS – University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Bologna, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
V. CARDELLI – Università Politecnica delle Marche, Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ancona,ITALY
V. HETMANENKO – Natural Resources Institute (Luke), Espoo, FINLAND
C. SCHILLACI – European Commission JRC Directorate D – Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessments, Ispra,ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as a central issue in ecological and environmental sciences during the last decade. On the regional or local level, the distribution of species and populations is regarded as strongly affected by abiotic elements. On these scales, the interaction of the various environmental factors induces a wide heterogeneity in soil properties and, thus, an aboveground and belowground habitat variation. The pedodiversity has a significant influence on biodiversity, food production, and water transport, therefore a thorough understanding of pedodiversity is helpful in both soil management and soil protection, and can also be applied in the protection of biodiversity. The present session will provide an overview of studies concerning: i) taxonomic pedodiversity based on the quantification of the different soil types (i.e., different soil classes or soil groups, etc.) in a determined area; ii) functional pedodiversity that deal with the functions (behaviour) that soil could perform within different land uses; and iii) genetic pedodiversity concerning the diversity of genetic horizons.
KEYWORDS:
1. Land evaluation
2. Pedogenetic horizons
3. Soil variability
4. Ecosystem functions
LEAD CONVENER:
C. ZUCCA – University of Sassari, Sassari, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
A. HARTEMINK – University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Pedology plays a pivotal role connecting other soil subdisciplines that are increasingly specialized, fragmented and at times unfamiliar with pedologic knowledge. Pedology integrates research questions and facilitates interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration with land planners and stakeholders that operate at landscape scale.
The study of soils in the field (sometimes equated with pedology) has taken advantage from recent innovations and has become less subjective and descriptive. Pedology forms the knowledge and conceptual basis developed in the nineteenth century and as field of study it is pertinent and central to the current and future scientific and societal challenges involving soil resources.
This session encourages presentations on innovative methods and application of state-of-the art science and technologies that enhance pedologic information and data and their use by soil scientists, including field survey and soil mapping, classification methods, variation within horizons and pedons, and variation of soil across landscape.
Presentations on integrative research questions creating connections between soil science subdisciplines are particularly welcome, such as, for example, promoting the use of soil maps and profile/horizon data in digital soil mapping; using soil information with depth in soil monitoring schemes; soil and land maps in the scaling of sustainable practices and ecosystem restoration; investigating soil bodies (aggregates, horizons and soil types) as habitats and ecological niches; exploring the role of soil diversity and variation in the critical zone, astropedology, and the role of pedologic knowledge in soil literacy programs.
KEYWORDS:
1. Pedology
2. Interdisciplinary integration
3. Innovation
LEAD CONVENER:
A. ZANELLA – Dipartimento TESAF, Università di Padova, Padova, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
K. KATZENSTEINER – Institut für Waldökologie (IFE), BOKU, Wien, AUSTRIA
L. MO – School of Geographical Science, Guangzhou University, Guangdong, CHINA
N. BERNIER – Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Brunoy, FRANCE
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In this session we will present survey work on topsoil related to the functioning of forest, agricultural, grassland and urban ecosystems. On the one hand we will talk about fungi, algae and other soil microorganisms, but also arthropods and earthworms; on the other we will deal with forest management considering together the dynamics of both the forest stand and the topsoil.
These are researches based on historical results but which address the difficult problem of functional soil biodiversity.
The number of organisms involved matters less than the quality of their interactions. From a forestry point of view and in contrast with modern expectations, one of the most important issues is the need to lengthen the wood production cycles, taking into consideration the soil quality restoration that occurs at the end of the forest cycle.
The intervention of external experts depends on the possibility of connecting remotely. Specialists of rare and important disciplines have given their availability.
KEYWORDS:
1. Humus
2. Microorganisms
3. Arthropods
4. Earthworms
5. Forestry
LEAD CONVENER:
F. ALTOBELLI – CREA – Research Center for Policy and Bioeconmy, Rome, ITALY
CO-CONVENERS:
A. DALLA MARTA – University of Florence – DAGRI, Florence, ITALY
G. BONDI – Teagasc – Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme, Jonhstown Castle, Wexford, IRELAND
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The Earth’s soil and water resources face greater peril due to climate change, extreme weather events, and changes in agroecosystems. With the increasing recognition of the importance of conserving ecosystems and their services, Nature based solution (Nbs) offer innovative and environmentally friendly strategies to restore and maintain the health of soils and water resources. This consists in the implementation of effective natural resource management and policies for soil and water able to promote sustainable agricultural management but also for achieving additional benefits that are vital for overall welfare. Nbs in agriculture offer a wide range of advantages that encompass soil health improvement, increased carbon and water storage capacity, mitigation of soil erosion and carbon emissions, safeguarding water quality, reducing water usage, promoting biodiversity, and enabling sustainable agricultural production and supply chains.
These solutions aim to achieve net-zero environmental impacts, while concurrently ensuring food and water security and meeting climate objectives. Moreover, they bring benefits to local communities by generating wealth in rural areas, creating employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, and serving as a source of income.
This section welcomes contributions on nature-based solutions for soil and water management and their potential social benefits. A variety of Nbs, including those for soil health and those addressing the goals of the EU Mission Soil, will be displayed in the knowledge base.
KEYWORDS:
1. Irrigation
2. Soil managment
3. Agricultural water management
4. Carbon farming
5. Soil carbon sequestration
LEAD CONVENER:
L. BÖHM – CREA – Justus Liebig University Giessen, iFZ Research Centre, Institute of Soil Science and Soil Conservation, Giessen, GERMANY
CO-CONVENERS:
M.H. GERZABEK – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Departm. of Forest and Soil Science, Inst. for Soil Research, Vienna, AUSTRIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Basic soil properties are the key for important soil functions. E.g., soil health can be affected by several influencing factors, of which exposure to naturally occurring or anthropogenic compounds is a major concern.
Soil contamination by toxic metals or organic chemicals such as e.g., pesticides, legacy pollutants, pharmaceuticals, or industrial chemicals can reduce the amount of soil available for safe food production. In addition to knowledge of compound concentrations, the knowledge of compound speciation, bioavailability, and transport processes is essential for a risk assessment of soil use.
Therefore, this session aims at a mechanistic understanding of the interaction processes between chemical compounds and soil constituents. Special attention will be given to adsorption processes as a crucial factor influencing the bioavailability, transport, remobilization, and degradation of chemical compounds in the soil phase.
Contributions on experimental work, modeling, and combined studies are welcome. The session will focus on the interaction of organic contaminants with mineral structures, but contributions on inorganic contaminants, interactions with the soil organic matter, with organomineral complexes, or with soil biota are also welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. Adsorption
2. Bioavailability
3. Contaminants
4. Clay minerals
5. Organic matter
LEAD CONVENER:
D. EVANS – Cranfield University, Cranfield , UNITED KINGDOM
CO-CONVENER:
C. ZACCONE – University of Verona, Verona, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil scientists have traditionally focused on the uppermost soil horizons, emphasizing the importance of the top 30 cm of soil for agricultural productivity and ecosystem functioning. However, growing research interest is being placed on the significance of subsoils. While the average soil depth studied remains limited to approximately 25 cm, growing evidence indicates that subsoils are essential for soil processes. For example, they are critical reservoirs for the storage of organic carbon, a key component for achieving Net Zero goals, and water. Their depth from the surface provides subsoil components a unique natural shield, giving subsoil properties enhanced protection against disturbances occurring at the land surface, such as intensive land management practices like tillage and the disruptive effects of extreme weather events, including droughts and wildfires.
Despite their demonstrated significance, our current knowledge about subsoils is notably insufficient. This session seeks to synthesize existing research findings and enhance our understanding of the hidden potential lying beneath the surface. By examining the unique properties and functions of subsoils, we aim to underscore their importance for ensuring soil health, sustainability, and resilience in diverse landscapes. It is hoped that this session can help foster collaboration and knowledge exchange so that we can collectively advance our understanding of subsoils’ specific role within the whole soil system. As the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) celebrates its centenary, we hope this session can launch a new chapter for subsoil research: digging deeper to first understand and then harness their potential to support sustainable land management and global soil resilience.
KEYWORDS:
1. Subsoil
2. Whole System Science
3. Critical Zone
4. Soil Parent Material
5. Soil Formation
LEAD CONVENER:
S. LESSOVAIA – St. Petersburg state University, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA
CO-CONVENERS:
E. BORTOLUZZI- University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, BRAZIL
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The session is aimed to demonstrate the current state and potential of soil mineralogy and its’ connections with other scientific branches.
This is a key point to better understanding the soil properties as well as soil reactions to current challenges. Soil mineralogy requires in-depth knowledge of rock and mineral weathering and their fate in soil environments: (i) solid state transformations and/ or (ii) dissolving of inherited from the parent substrate minerals, and (iii) subsequent occurrence of newly formed minerals (including iron and aluminum oxides). That is achieved by using the complex of methods such as optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis, IR and Mossbauer spectroscopes etc. The special focus of the session is given to clay minerals: their identification, vertical patterns of profile distribution, and sensitivity to weathering and pedogenesis.
Session organized with the auspices of Soil Mineralogy Commission 2.4 – IUSS Division 2 – Soil properties and processes
KEYWORDS:
1. Clay minerals
2. Iron oxides
3. Weathering
4. Soil environment
5. Methods
LEAD CONVENER:
M. BRONNIKOVA – Institute of Geography, Ruussian Academy of Sciences, Department of Soil Geography and Evolution, Moscow, RUSSIA
CO-CONVENERS:
E. SOLLEIRO REBOLLEDO – Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Institute of Geology, Mexico City, MEXICO
F. SCARCIGLIA – Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Biologia, Ecologia e Scienze della Terra, Arcavacata, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Session of the IUSS Comission 1.6 Paleopedology
The motto of the section is “The past creates the present, the present creates the future”. Soil development is dictated by soil forming factors and their changes in time which are usually triggered by climatic change and/or human impacts. Contemporary soils and soil cover cannot be wholly understood without comprehending the history of soils: their heritage based on former developments of environment and soil forming processes. At the same time, the knowledge of the past and understanding of the present of the soils and their environmental backgrounds can contribute to understanding the future of soil systems and their environment both in local and global contexts.
Thus, the section welcomes all the contributions devoted to paleosols or paleofeatures in contemporary soils especially concerned in the explanation of nowadays soils and environments and prognoses of their future developments.
A special focus of this section is the retrospective analysis of soil organic and inorganic carbon with paleoenvironmental change, and its potential contribution to CO2 emission and sequestration in changing environments.
KEYWORDS:
1. paleosols
2. paleofeatures
3. paleoenvironment
4. soil memory
5. soil carbon
LEAD CONVENER:
D. FIELD – The University of Sydney, Sidney, AUSTRALIA
CO-CONVENER:
A. MCBRATNEY – The University of Sydney, Sidney, AUSTRALIA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Planetary functioning and human society face generally seven existential challenges, namely food & nutrition security, climate change, water security, biodiversity protection, ecosystem & environmental conservation,, energy security and human health with due attention and solutions the planet and human society will cease to function sustainably. These are higher level generalisations and are more existential than the sustainable development goals themselves. These global challenges have been previously addressed to some degree and perhaps obliquely by a range of concepts such as soil conservation, soil quality, and soil health. Soil security attempts to address all of these challenges and integrate all seven concurrently through the five biophysical and socio-economic dimensions of capacity, condition, capital, connectivity and codification. Indeed, soil security itself should be regarded as an eighth crucial global existential challenge.
In this symposium, we will discuss past and existing concepts, and approaches to a preliminary assessment of soil security. The assessment will address three roles of soil: soil functions, soil services and threats to soil. For each identified role, we will discuss a potential, but not exhaustive, list of indicators that characterise the five dimensions of soil security. The symposium will discuss aspects of capacity and condition, capital, connectivity and codification theoretically and through case studies.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil Security
2. Soil quality
3. Governance
4. Natural capital
LEAD CONVENER:
A. BEVIVINO – ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
S. MOCALI – CREA, Agriculture and Environment, Firenze, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Many studies support the role of beneficial microbiomes for improving agri-food production. Only during the last decade, we have begun to gain insights into the composition and functional of microbiomes as a consequence of major advances in High Throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) technologies. Microbiomes occupy a central position in the “One Health” framework. They can colonize almost all biological niches including plants and humans providing benefits to the planet as a whole and everything that lives on and in it. Plant-associated bacteria can be found in fact on leaves, roots or in the internal tissues as well as human-associated bacteria can reside on or within human. The application of beneficial microbes into agriculture can contribute to providing healthy food in a sustainable manner by reducing the amount of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides. This session will specifically focus on exploring the reproducibility and applicability in open field of microbiome-based solutions, including their role in biodiversity maintenance and interactions with indigenous soil microorganisms. Contributions harnessing complex soil microbial communities for the sustainable crop production are highly welcome.
KEYWORDS:
1. MICROBIAL CONSORTIA
2. BIOFERTILISERS
3. SYNCOM
4. METAGENOMICS
5. CROP PRODUCTIVITY
LEAD CONVENER:
R. CIAMPALINI – Department of Earth Sciences / University of Florence, Florence, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
S. PELACANI – Department of Earth Sciences / University of Florence, Florence, ITALY
L. BORSELLI – Instituto de Geologia / Facultad De Ingenieria Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (UASLP), San Luis Potosi, MEXICO
S. MORETTI – Department of Earth Sciences / University of Florence, Florence, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil erosion is a major morphodynamic factor that plays a key role in soil degradation and therefore in conservation. In recent decades, considerable progress has been made in the field of water and wind soil erosion research and its effect on the environment. At the same time, erosion weight has growth almost everywhere as a response to climatic change and anthropic pressures. As such, understanding erosion process become a critical issue for environmental, scientific, and economic reasons, and to support decision-making in planning for ecosystem conservation and agricultural production.
This session aims to address the latest issues and challenges on the effect of on-site and off-site soil erosion by looking ahead to the coming years on central topics such as erosion assessment, including technological and scientific perspectives and covering in detail:
1. Direct observation of the erosion process, including field and laboratory simulations, which are valuable research fields for understanding and fine-tuning the processes, especially with laboratory simulations under controlled conditions.
2. Erosion assessment through remote sensing, sediment sources fingerprinting, and with the use of new technologies in a wide range of scales and methods. This is in response to the large availability of observational data, especially from satellite, nowadays allowing detailed process monitoring over short timeframes.
3. Erosion modelling, particularly in the context of scenario analysis under climate and land use change. Such computational approach increased exponentially in the last years and represents a very useful method to assess present and future horizons in erosion. It includes new data processing methodologies and global approaches for merging large-scale datasets to better understand general long-term behaviors and to determine possible trajectories under the impact of different erosive factors.
Overall, by attending as such a broad panel of topics, it is hoped to inspire a discussion helping to support further initiatives such the concept of landscape neutrality in land degradation and new roads for agricultural sustainability in soil conservation.
KEYWORDS:
1. Soil erosion
2. Global change
3. Environmental modelling
4. Soil conservation
LEAD CONVENER:
F. ZHANG – College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, CHINA
CO-CONVENER:
R. SHEN – State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, CHINA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soil nutrient inputs from fertilizers greatly improve the agricultural productivity to feed an increasing global population. However, excessive fertilization can cause a series of environmental and ecological problems, such as water eutrophication, greenhouse gas emissions, soil acidification, and biodiversity reduction, thereby limiting the sustainable development of agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is dependent upon sound soil nutrient management practices. How to obtain the highest crop yield with the lowest impacts on the environment and ecology remains the greatest challenge for sound soil nutrient management. In recent years, integrated nutrient management (INM) has been proposed for sustaining crop productivity while reducing environmental and ecological impacts. Without compromising crop yields, low fertilizer inputs and reduced environmental and ecological impacts can be achieved with INM practices. INM represents an innovative and environmentally friendly strategy for the sustainable agriculture in the world, especially for those densely populated countries. However, INM practices still need to be optimized through scientific research and technology development. Therefore, it is time for global scientists in the field of soil nutrient management to exchange scientific progress on the INM practices for the development of sustainable agriculture.
All aspects of soil nutrient cycle, chemical and organic fertilization, plant nutrition improvement, fertilization-related environmental impacts, fertilization-related biodiversity, nutrient management practices, integrated management of water and fertilizer are strongly welcomed.
KEYWORDS:
1. Fertilization technique
2. Integrated nutrient management
3. Nutrient cycle
4. Organic fertilizer
5. Plant nutrition
LEAD CONVENER:
S. COCCO – Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ancona, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
D.C. WEINDORF – Central Michigan University, Mt Pleasant, USA
A. AGNELLI – Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Perugia, ITALY
V. CARDELLI – Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ancona, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Patterned ground is a morphological soil surface characteristic of periglacial environments at different latitudes. The processes involved in the genesis of the sorted patterned ground are not completely understood as different patterns are controlled by different mechanisms and may result from polygenetic origin. The soil freezing and thawing are generally related to seasonal frost and/or occurrence of active layer, and this let to consider patterned ground soils to be strictly associated to permafrost affected areas. However they have been recently described and studied in central Apennines (Italy), where no report on direct observations and measurements indicating the occurrence of permafrost in Majella Massif has been reported.
KEYWORDS:
1. patterned ground
2. permafrost
3. soil
LEAD CONVENER:
G. CORTI – CREA – Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Centre of Agriculture and Environment, Firenze, ITALY
CO-CONVENER:
S. IMHOFF – ICiAgro Litoral -CONICET-UNL, Esperanza, ARGENTINA
K. VANCAMPENHOUT – KU Leuven Association, Leuven , BELGIUM
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Soils from cold regions are peculiar because of their physical properties induced by the harsh climatic conditions to which they are submitted. Soil properties like gelic or cryic soil temperature represent a challenge for human settlements, agriculture, and any other material-gathering or subsistence system. In fact, processes such as cryoturbation and waterlogging are frequent in these soils because of the presence of a permafrost at a shallow depth.
In some case, these environments are protected as natural parks because of the presence of unique vegetation, fauna and habitats. Nonetheless, virtuous examples of cohabitation (with the meaning ‘the state or fact of living or existing at the same time or in the same place’) and respectful use of the environment and the soil exist in many places, even remote or at a small scale, of the World.
In other cases, these environments present so peculiar characteristics that it took scientists more than 70 years to decide if they could effectively be considered ‘soils’. These discussions led to the creation of a new soil order in the various classifications and to refining the definition of ‘soil’. Currently, as temperatures rise and glaciers retreat, more land is being exposed allowing incipient development of plant life. Undoubtedly, what these changes imply for the global carbon cycle represents a contemporary enigma and a new challenge for scientists who must clarify the role of these type of soils in the life of the planet.
With this session we want to recollect scientists who worked on the human difficulties to adapt to cold environments and hostile soils, being these affected or not by permafrost.
KEYWORDS:
1. agriculture in polar soils
2. mounain soils
3. permafrost
4. active layer
5. gelic & frigid soil regimes
LEAD CONVENER:
L. WINOWIECKI – Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), NAIROBI, KENYA
CO-CONVENER:
B. MINASNY – University of Sidney, Sidney, AUSTRALIA
C. MORGAN – Soil Health Institute, Morrisville, USA
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable and regenerative food systems and provide several vital ecosystem services. Sequestering carbon in soils, for example, can have multiple benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, food and nutrition security, biodiversity, and water resilience. However one third of the Earth’s surface is degraded, negatively affecting 3.2 billion people annually. Therefore, targeted investments in soil health are urgently needed. This includes investments in robust methods for monitoring soil health to prioritize and track land management efforts over time. This session will showcase advancements in soil health monitoring from robust field survey designs, to innovations in laboratory methods including soil spectroscopy, as well as advancements in remote sensing. The session will highlight the critical importance for these monitoring methodologies to be applied to answer key knowledge gaps on the impact of land management and landscape restoration practices on soil health. Furthermore, this session will highlight the inclusion of citizen science, to bring stakeholders and communities into the monitoring process, which can lead to the scaling of healthy soil practice. Finally,, this session will discuss opportunities to bring evidence to bear for decision making.
KEYWORDS:
1. soil health
2. carbon
3. monitoring
4. NDC
5. framework
LEAD CONVENER:
L. WINOWIECKI – Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), Nairobi, KENYA
CO-CONVENER:
S. GARRY – British Society of Soil Science, Cranfield, UNITED KINGDOM
P. LUU – 4p1000, Montpellier, FRANCE
M. LOUM – Institut National de Pédologie, Dakar, SENEGAL
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable and regenerative food systems and provide several vital ecosystem services, including sequestration of carbon, provision of critical nutrients, hosting biodiversity, and regulating the water cycle. However, there are few policies that incentivize farmers and pastoralists to invest in practices to maintain and improve soil health. This session will highlight opportunities to include soil health in policies and strategies at the national level, including in the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) as well as ongoing efforts to recognize soil health in the Rio Conventions (UNCCD, UNFCCC, UNCBD) and beyond.
For example, soil has recently made its way into high-level policy mechanisms such as the Australian National Soil Strategy and the European Union Soil Strategy for 2030, and is gaining ground through the United Kingdom with the Soil Health Inquiry. Recent policy assessments identified opportunities for integrating soil health and soil organic carbon in the NDCS (https://bit.ly/46wgO86). In global dialogues, soil health was also included in the decisions following the UNFCCC COP27 in 2022, through the Koronivia joint working group on agriculture, but translating these decisions into enabling policy mechanisms is not a linear path.
This session will contribute to increasing awareness of the need for soil health to be integrated into policy. The session will bring together stakeholders from research, policy, development and farmer organizations, and governments to discuss opportunities to engage and integrate soil health into policy at national and international levels. Key outcomes for the session include: 1) Expand the policy analysis to across countries to identify entry points for soil health; 2) Bring together actors from government, research private sector, and development to share experiences in working with policy makers to scale healthy soil practices; and 3) Identify key action points to support governments to fill knowledge gaps and bring evidence to bear to support policy and decision making.
KEYWORDS:
1. NDC
2. Soil health
3. Policy
4. Evidence
LEAD CONVENER:
C. ZACCONE- University of Verona, Department of Biotechnology, Verona, ITALY
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Peatlands contain up to 30% of the world’s soil carbon pool, underlining their role in the global carbon cycle. Currently peatlands are under various pressures such as climate and land-use change, or nutrient loading with unknown consequences for their functioning as carbon sinks and stores, and the uptake or release of the greenhouse gasses.
This session will focus on observed or predicted changes on the biogeochemistry and ecology of peatlands caused by climate change and human activity at different time scales.
KEYWORDS:
1. Peat
2. Carbon sequestration
3. Natural archives
4. GHG fluxe
5. Drainage
