Hohenheimer Bodenkundliche Hefte: 20 years of publishing original soil research

The Hohenheimer Bodenkundliche Hefte (ISSN 0942-0754) or Hohenheim Soil Science Book Series will be 20 years old in 2012. Since the release in 1992 of Volume 1 with the title “Stickstoff-Dynamik in Catenen einer erosionsgepraegten Loesslandschaft by G. Lorenz” (Nitrogen dynamics in catenas of an erosion-affected loess landscape), it has already published a hundred volumes of original and relevant soil research. Volume 100 which came out last year (2011), was authored by Shabnam Rathore and carried the title “Assessment of biomass production potential on salt affected land: a soil and terrain database case study (SASOTER) in Badin District, South of Pakistan.”

Published by the renowned Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation of the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, this book series publishes dissertations and habilitations carried out at the Institute. During its early years, it was edited by Prof. U. Babel (Soil Biology), Prof. W.R. Fischer (Soil Chemistry), Prof. K. Roth (Soil Physics), and Prof. K. Stahr (Soil Science and Petrography). The present editors are Prof. E Kandeler (Soil Biology), Prof. Y. Kuzyakov (Soil Biogeochemistry), Prof. K. Stahr (Soil Science and Petrography) and Prof. T. Streck (Soil biogeophysics), all internationally well-known soil scientists and authors at the Institute.

In its 20 years of existence, the Hohenheimer Bodenkundliche Hefte has clearly established itself as an important publication in soil science. As can be seen from Google Scholar, many of the titles published in the book series have been cited by papers in various prestigious international journals and books. Vol. 36 on dust deposition of soils in West Africa by Dr. Ludger Herrmann has been the most frequently cited volume of the book series.

World Soil Day

December 05 of every year is celebrated as World Soil Day by the global community of more than 60,000 soil scientists. According to the official IUSS website, World Soil Day is held on the said date since it is the birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, The King of Thailand, who has officially sanctioned the event.

As a tribute to the soil as a vital resource, I am posting below a poem written in 2007 by one of my former students at Visayas State University, Juvia P. Sueta. Juvy is now finishing her PhD at the Buesgen Institute, University of Goettingen, Germany.

The Soil Beneath

by Juvia P. Sueta

The soil tells a

fascinating story

of enduring patience

and great beauty.

Out of the hardened rock,

it changes into

an interesting mass

of sand, silt, and clay.

Exposed to the rain, wind

and sunshine, it

grows to maturity.

Time polished it,

throughout all history.

Out of its bosom,

the flowers bloom

and trees grow steadily.

And in its face,

the children play.

Below it;

scholars, artists,

beggars, and poets lay.

Great is the earth,

it cares and nourishes

the whole humanity.

It is nature’s best habitat,

sustaining creatures,

strong or tiny.

It bears witness,

to all that took place

throughout the ages.

It holds the secrets

of past or future events.

it is a treasure chest,

keeping nature’s wealth.

And so nothing compares

to the soil beneath.

The impacts of mining in the Philippines

Mining is a top and very controversial environmental issue in the Philippines today. It is increasingly becoming a divisive issue too. The government cite economic benefits as sufficient justification to support and encourage mining. In fact, the Intellasia News Online (http://www.intellasia.net) reported on 08 August 2011 that the Philippines' Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has announced that about 5 million hectares of potentially mineralised areas across the archipelago are now open to local and foreign investors. On the other hand, environmental and religious groups strongly oppose mining because of its well-known negative environmental and health impacts.

A Fact-Finding Team composed of human rights and environmental experts from the United Kingdom which looked into the impact of mining on the environment and peoples' livelihoods in the Philippines highlighted the occurrence of mining-related human rights abuses affecting local communities especially indigenous people; extrajudicial killings of persons protesting against mining; corruption in the mining sector; political pressure on the judiciary resulting in pro-mining decisions; and environmental impacts.

The team observed that "the record of mining companies with regard to environmental protection, disasters and post-mining clean-up in the Philippines is widely acknowledged, even with the government, to be very poor. As of 2003, there had been at least 16 serious tailing dam failures in the preceding 20 years and about 800 abandoned mine sites have not been cleaned up. Clean-up costs are estimated in billions of dollars and damage will never be fully reversed."

It warned that "water contamination from mining poses one of the top three ecological security threats in the world. Many mining applications in the Philippines are in water catchment areas close to the sea, and pose major threat to valuable marine resources." The severe pollution of the Taft river system in Eastern Samar as a result of the mining activities in Bagacay is a vivid example (please see related article in this blog).

The report also emphasized the very high geo-hazard risks in the Philippines. "In the Philippines, over half of the active mining concessions and two-thirds of exploratory concessions are located in areas of high seismic risk where earthquakes are likely."

"The Philippines is considered as the hottest hotspot in the world in terms of threats to its mega diverse biodiversity. Thus there is an urgent need to properly manage its natural resources. It is estimated that 37% of Philippine forests may be exposed to new mining."

Should universities campaign for or against mining?

Some leading state universities in the Philippines are reportedly being pressured by environmental and religious groups to take an “official” anti-mining stand. Universities may take lead in promoting responsible mining and in fact should conduct relevant scientific investigations to prevent or minimize the impacts of mining on the environment and people. But universities should not take an anti or a pro mining stand. They should remain neutral and allow their constituents (the researchers and scientists) to evaluate facts and decide for themselves what stand to take about mining. A university should strive to seek the truth. Always.

Reference:

Doyle C, Wicks C, and Nally F. 2007. Mining in the Philippines: Concerns and Conflicts. Report of a Fact-Finding mission to the Philippines. Society of St. Columban, West Midlands, UK, 63pp.

Jackfruit is suitable for Leyte and Samar islands

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is now an important crop in Leyte and Samar islands or Eastern Visayas (Region 8) in the Philippines. In fact, the Department of Agriculture (Region 8) and the Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program (ViCARP) based at VSU have made it a priority crop for the region. Consequently, more studies are now being conducted by research centers and universities to improve jackfruit productivity and to develop jackfruit-based food products.

A research funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (Manila) from 2000 to 2003 titled "Characterizing biophysical environments for research prioritization and agricultural production in Region 8 (VB Asio, BB Dargantes, PP Garcia, K Israel)" produced the first solid scientific evidence that jackfruit is generally suitable for the region based on climate, geology, topography, land use, and soil factors. Among the significant outputs of this research were the suitability maps developed using GIS for jackfruit, rambutan, mango, abaca, coconut, sweetpotato and cassava which were distributed to all government agencies in the region starting 2004.

The suitability maps and other highlights of the research were also presented during the First Regional Fruit Congress in Tacloban City in 2003 which was attended by researchers, agricultural technicians, farmers, and policymakers. It was agreed at this congress to give priority to jackfruit and not mango which was found generally unsuitable for most parts of the region (except the northwestern side of Leyte whose climatic, geologic and soil characteristics are closely similar to those of the nearby Cebu island).

(The land suitability map for jackfruit shown was the first draft version we developed in 2002. Photo of jackfruit tree was taken from www.backpackingmalaysia.com)

Reference:

Asio VB, BB Dargantes, PP Garcia and K Israel. 2004. Characterizing biophysical environments for research prioritization and agricultural production in Region 8 (Leyte-Samar). Terminal Report, LSU-DA-BAR GIS Project.

Methane emission from rice fields

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the end products of carbon decomposition in rice fields and other wetlands. Methane, a major greenhouse gas, is the terminal step of the anaerobic breakdown of organic matter in wetland soils. It is exclusively produced by methanogenic bacteria that can metabolize only in the absence of free oxygen and at redox potentials below -150 mV (Neue et al. 1997).

According to the above-cited paper by Dr.H.U. Neue (former Head of the Soils Department at IRRI and later Professor of Soil Chemistry at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany) one of the pioneers in methane research in rice fields, methane is largely produced by transmethylation of acetic acid and to some extent, by the reduction of carbon dioxide in wetland soils.

The rate and pattern of organic matter addition and decomposition also contribute to the rate and pattern of methane production. In rice field, methane production generally increases during the cropping season. Easily degradable soil carbon, plant litter, root exudates, decomposing roots and aquatic biomass that are added to the anaerobic zone of the paddy soil (this is the zone below the thin oxidized or brown soil surface) are the major carbon sources for methane production.

Presently, there is widespread research interest in the development of methods and strategies to reduce methane emission from rice fields and other wetlands. Some early studies have shown that sodium chloride at high concentration inhibits methane formation. Addition of sea water has also been found to inhibit methane formation at low salt concentration because of its sulfate content. Very recently, Dr. Roel R. Suralta and colleagues at Philrice, Nueva Ecija, have demonstrated that iron fertilizer application significantly reduced methane emission from rice field. More importantly, the iron fertilizer application also increased rice yield (Suralta et al., 2011).

References

Neue HU, JL Gaunt, ZP Wang, P Becker-Heidmann, and C Quijano. 1997. Carbon in tropical wetlands. Geoderma 79: 163-185.

Suralta RR, FS Gorospe, CA Asis Jr and K Inubushi. 2011. Effect of iron fertilizer application on the yield and methane emission of paddy rice field. In: Proceedings of the 14th Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference, Philippine Society of Soil Science and Technology (PSSST), VSU, Baybay, Leyte 25-27 May 2011, pp:95-96

Report on the 14th PSSST Scientific Conference held at VSU, Baybay, Leyte

The 14th Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Philippine Society of Soil Science and Technology (PSSST) was held at the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte last 25-27 May 2011. About 140 soil scientists, soil practitioners, and agriculturists working in universities, government agencies, non-government organizations, and private companies throughout the country attended the conference.

The opening program was graced by Dr. Florentino Tesoro who represented Congressman Angelo B. Palmones (AGHAM Partylist), Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo (VSU President), Prof. K. Stahr (Germany), Mr. Deogracias Pernites (representing Mayor Carmen Cari of Baybay City), Dr. Cezar Mamaril (PSSST Adviser), Dr. Eduardo Paningbatan (PSSST Adviser), Ms. Constancia Mangao (PSSST President) and Dr. Victor B. Asio (Dean of the College of Agriculture, VSU).

Prof. Dr. Karl Stahr, the Chairman of Division I of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), gave the keynote lecture about the limestone soils in Southeast Asia particularly Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Dr. Gamini Keerthisinghe of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) gave a plenary paper on challenges to sustainable crop production.

A total of 26 oral papers were presented dealing with various soil topics ranging from fertilization to soil characterization and geospatial modeling. In addition, 25 poster papers were presented. The presenters of the best oral and poster papers were awarded with certificates and cash.

In the afternoon of the last day of the conference, a post-conference tour was organized and sponsored by the Department of Agronomy and Soil Science of VSU to Lake Danao located at 630 m ASL in the central highlands of Leyte. On the way to the lake, the participants were able to see the following: 1) the City of Ormoc; 2) the mouth and headwater of Anilao River which caused the tragic flooding of Ormoc City in 1991 killing 8,000 people; 3) the volcanic landscape which was traditionally used for large-scale sugarcane production; 4) the 1,912 ha Lake Danao along the Philippine Fault Line; 5) an Andisol soil profile (Typic Hapludand); and 6) the Tongonan Geothermal Plant, one of the largest in Asia.

Overall, the conference was a great success. The attendance of Prof. Stahr from the University of Hohenheim in Germany and Dr. Keerthisinghe from ACIAR in Australia gave the conference an international standing especially since Prof. Stahr represented the IUSS of which PSSST is a member.

The Department of Agronomy and Soil Science of VSU which co-hosted the conference, is grateful to the VSU president for the encouragement and support, and the officers and advisers particularly Dr. Cezar Mamaril of PSSST for bringing the conference to VSU.

A report on this conference has been published in the IUSS Bulletin Vol. 119 (Dec 2011 issue)

(All photos were taken by Glenn Largo)

Soil Science is also called pedology

In American soil science, pedology (pedo is Greek for ground or soil) has recently been made as a subdiscipline that deals with soil morphology, genesis and classification. In other parts of the world, however, particularly in non-English speaking countries in Europe, Asia and Africa soil science has remained synonymous to pedology (Bech, 2006). Historically, pedology was the original term for the scientific study of the soil introduced by Fallou and it was only in 1924 during the planning for the first international congress that the term soil science was introduced as a synonym. This was in fact reflected in the paper that Glinka presented during the congress (Glinka, 1927).

Until today many textbooks, scientific journals and academic departments dealing with soil science in non-English speaking countries bear the name pedology. In 2002, there was an internet debate among some members of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) about the term pedology. While many North Americans who joined the debate strongly argued for the use of pedology as a branch of soil science, most soil scientists from Europe (e.g. the world-reknown R. Dudal from Belgium) and other parts of the world maintained that pedology is synonymous to soil science and is not a subdiscipline. Because of the disagreement, pedology was not used as a subdiscipline in the IUSS,

The traditional branches of soil science include soil chemistry, soil biology and biochemistry, soil physics, soil mineralogy, soil genesis, survey and classification, soil conservation, and soil fertility. Many soil scientists at present are experts of new emerging fields of soil science like hydropedology (interaction between hydrosphere and pedosphere), landscape pedology (role of soil in landscape processes), ecopedology (role of soil in terrestrial ecosystems), soil biogeochemistry (how biological and geochemical processes in soils affect element cycle), pedometrics (use of mathematical and statistical tools to interpret and analyze soil data), soil geography (local, regional and global distribution of soils), soil protection, and soil science history.

References
Bech, J. 2006. Eupedology: a solution to a controversy. IUSS Bulletin 109: 27-30.
Glinka, K.D. 1927. Dokuchaiev’s ideas in the development of pedology and cognate sciences. Trans. First Intern Congr. Soil Sci., Wisconsin, vol. 1, pp: 116-135

Leading Soil Scientist is Keynote Speaker of the 14th PSSST Conference in May 2011

Prof. Dr. KARL STAHR, Chairman of Division I (Soil in Space and Time) of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), the global association of soil scientists, has accepted our invitation to be the Keynote Speaker of the 14th PSSST Scientific Conference on 25-27 May 2011 at VSU, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.

Prof. Stahr gained his doctorate from the Technical University Stuttgart, Germany, in 1972 and his Habilitation (highest academic qualification required to become a professor in Germany and several other European countries) in Soil Science at the University of Freiburg in 1979. Since 1988 he is Professor of Soil Science and Petrography at the Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. His main fields of research are: soil genesis, soil mineralogy, land evaluation, N-cycle, and recycling of organic waste. He has conducted research projects dealing with forest and agricultural soils of Germany as well as Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, PR China, Somalia, Niger, Benin, Vietnam, Thailand, and Philippines.

Prof. Stahr has been actively involved in a wide range of professional activities serving as: Vice Chairman (1979-1981, 1985-1989) and Chairman (1989-1995) of Commission VII of the German Soil Science Society, Vice Chairman of Commission VII of the International Soil Science Society (1986-1998), and President of the German Soil Science Society from 1998 to 2001. He has organized several national and international workshops, excursions and congresses.He has been elected member of many University boards since 1967 such as Dean of the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Technical University of Berlin (1987/88), Dean of the Faculty of Plant Production and Landscape Ecology, University of Hohenheim (2000-2002) and as Vice Dean of the same faculty since 2002. He also serves as Chairman of the special research project "Uplands Program 564" of the University of Hohenheim since 2005.

He has authored and co-authored hundreds of papers which appeared in prestigious peer-reviewed international journals as well as several influential textbooks in soil science (in German). He is in the Editorial Boards of Catena, Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Geoderma, Trends in Soil Science, and Hohenheimer Bodenkundliche Hefte.

Prof. Stahr has supervised close to a hundred PhD students from many countries around the world.

National Conference of the Philippine Society of Soil Science to be held in May 2011

The Philippine Society of Soil Science and Technology Inc (PSSST) will hold its 14th Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference on 25-27 May 2011 at the beautiful campus of the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.

Theme of this year's conference is Improving the Productivity of Marginal Lands Through Integrated Soil and Water Management. Marginal lands particularly degraded uplands are widespread throughout the country and improving their productivity is vital to attaining food security.

More than a hundred soil scientists from various universities, government agencies, private companies and non-government organizations are expected to attend the three-day conference. In addition, some leading soil scientists from Australia, Canada, and Germany will be attending as plenary speakers.

The Department of Agronomy and Soil Science of VSU, a co-sponsor of the conference, will be organizing a pre-conference tour for those participants who will arrive early. The tour will enable the participants to observe the major soils in the central highlands of Leyte.

VSU can be reached via Ormoc City and Tacloban City. It takes about 30 minutes by car to reach VSU from Ormoc City and two hours from Tacloban City.