Soil and Plant Science Course Intro

Soil and Plant Science Overview

• The "Soil and Plant Science" course consists of six lectures taking place from October 28, 2024, to December 2, 2024
• Instructors include Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Tobias KD Weber ([email protected]) and Abdelrazek Elnashar (Ph.D.) ([email protected])

Course Introduction

• The course is designed for individuals with a background or interest in soil science
• Target participants include those who:
  • Were born and raised on a farm
  • Have a connection to agriculture
  • Have studied agricultural or natural sciences
  • Know Excel and have used pivot tables
  • Have worked with R and Python languages
  • Have modeling experience
  • Are planning to pursue a master's degree related to soil science

Literature and Resources

• Key literature for the course, available from KARLA, includes:
  • "Soil Science" by Blume, H-P., et al. (2016)
  • "Environmental Soil Physics" by Hillel, D (1998)
  • "Elements of the nature and properties of soils" by Weil and Brady (4th edition)
  • "Soil physics" by Jury, W. A., & Horton, R. (2004).
  • "Field Measurement Methods in Soil Science" Edited by Wessel-Bothe and Weihermüller
  • "Methods of soil Analyses Part 4 - Physical Methods" Edited by Dane, J
• Recommended web resources include:
  • IUSS (International Union of Soil Sciences): www.iuss.org
  • FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations): www.fao.org and http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/en/
  • SSSA (Soil Science Society of America): www.soils.org
  • USDA (US Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service): http://www.nrcs.usda.gov
  • European Soil Portal: http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu
  • SOS (Save-Our-Soils): http://www.natureandmore.com/initiatives/sos-save-our-soils
  • ESDAC (European Soil Data Centre) https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

Course Content

• Course includes topics:
  • Definitions, soil functions, soil forming factors and processes, parent material, weathering, soil composition, and soil sampling
  • Chemical processes and properties
  • Physical processes and properties
  • Biological properties and Soil Organic Matter (SOM)

Soil Science

• Soil science deals with soils as an environmental (natural, non-renewable) resource
• Soil science covers areas of study like soil physics, chemistry, biology, fertility, pollution, erosion, classification, land evaluation, and conservation
• Soil science has two main branches: Soil pedology and Soil edaphology

Soil Pedology vs Soil Edaphology

• Soil pedology studies soil formation and classification, emphasizing factors and processes in soil type development across landscapes
• It aims to understand soils as natural, 3D bodies and create detailed soil maps
• Soil edaphology focuses on the relationship between soils and living organisms (especially plants)
• It emphasizes the practical applications of soil science for plant growth and ecosystem functioning, aiming to optimize these aspects via soil management
• Both fields are complementary in understanding and managing soil resources

Definition of Soil

• Geological definition: Soil is unconsolidated material (mineral or organic) on Earth's surface that serves as a medium for land plant growth
• Pedological definition: Soil is a natural body composed of solids (minerals/organic), liquid, and gases on the land surface, characterized by horizons due to energy and matter changes over time
• Agronomic definition: Soil is a living, breathing, and dynamic medium providing nutrients, water, air, and physical support for plant growth
• Ecological definition: Soil is the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems, providing resources and habitat for diverse organisms
• Engineering definition: Soil is unconsolidated material (mineral or organic) that can be excavated, graded, and compacted for engineering applications

Soil Defined

• Soil is unconsolidated matter (mineral or organic) on the Earth's surface affected by genetic and environmental factors like climate, organisms, and relief acting on parent material over time
• Soil is a mixture of minerals, dead and living organisms (organic materials), air, and water

Soil Functions

• Soils perform diverse roles and processes within the ecosystem:
  • Biomass production, including in agriculture and forestry
  • Storing, filtering and transforming nutrients, substances and water
  • Carbon pool (store and sink)
  • Biodiversity pool such as habitats, species and genes
  • Source of raw materials
  • Archive of geological and archaeological heritage
  • Physical and cultural environment for humans and human activities

Human-Soil Interface

• The DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response) framework illustrates the human-soil interface
• Key components include:
  • Drivers: Ecosystem services and socio-economic systems
  • Pressures: Soil management practices such as land use, tillage, fertilization, crop rotation, plant protection, and irrigation
  • State: Functional soil properties
  • Impact: Changes to soil functions
  • Response: Soil management strategies