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From:
Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
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Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 25 May 2017 19:05:00 +0100
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*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE*

*for sustainable production intensification and land management*


Dear Subscribers,

Please see herebelow the latest issue of the IUSS News Alert 143 (May 2017).

Apologies for cross-posting.

*Amir Kassam *

*Moderator*

e-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: www.fao.org/ag/ca

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The International Union of Soil Sciences - IUSS <
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Date: Wed, May 24, 2017 at 2:09 PM
Subject: IUSS Alert 143 (May 2017)
To: [log in to unmask]



If you have problems reading this content - please follow this link to the
IUSS page <http://iuss.boku.ac.at/index.php?article_id=646>IUSS Alert 143
(May 2017)

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IUSS NewsPreparation of the World Congress of Soil Science 2018

The last months have seen a lot of progress with the preparation of the
scientific programme of the 21st World Congress of Soil Science 2018. The
programme will be available in June 2017. The next steps towards the
Congress taking place from 12 to 17 August 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
are the following:

- On-line registration and abstract submission open: June 2017
- Deadline for abstract submission: 30/11/2017
- Notification for abstract acceptance: 15/01/2018
- Deadline for early registration: 15/02/2018
- Deadline for regular registration: 12/05/2018

Please take note of these dates in order to submit your contribution and to
register for the congress in time. We are looking forward to seeing as many
of you as possible at the WCSS 2018.

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General NewsThe marvel of soil biodiversity

In this article, Leo M. Condron explains why the multitude of organisms
actively making up the soil biomass are crucial to the survival and growth
of all plants and animals. Most people are familiar with the concept of
biodiversity. Its health and functional benefits are derived from the
presence of many different plant and animal species in an environment.
Biodiversity ‘hotspots’ support a vast variety of plant and animal species;
an example being a tropical rainforest with up to 80,000 plant, 50,000
insect, 1,500 bird, and 2,000 mammal/amphibian species. However, the
corresponding level of biodiversity present in the underlying soil
environment is much greater than above-ground, with over 100,000 known
species of bacteria and fungi, 25,000 species of nematodes, 40,000 species
of mites, and 7,000 species of earthworms.
Read more
<http://blog.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/sites/default/files/The%20Marvel%20of%20Soil%20Biodiversity%20L%20Condron.pdf>

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Cattle-associated antibiotics disturb soil ecosystems

Manure from cattle administered antibiotics drastically changes the
bacterial and fungal make-up of surrounding soil, leading to ecosystem
dysfunction, according to a Virginia Tech research team. The team analysed
soil samples from 11 dairy farms in the United States and found that the
amount of antibiotic resistant genes was 200 times greater in soil near
manure piles compared with soil that wasn’t. Furthermore, microbes with
greater antibiotic resistance showed higher stress levels. Soil microbial
communities are important for sustaining ecosystem services, such as
climate regulation, soil fertility, and food production. Perturbations,
such as antibiotic exposure, can have marked effects on soil microbes and
these services.
Read more
<https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/03/033017-fralin-manure.html?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=>

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Is soil the great new integrator?

Farmers, researchers and development agencies are all increasing their
focus on soil. Globally, change in the way land is used and managed puts
pressure on soils to do more. Farmers are growing more monoculture crops;
rotating them less; and leaving behind pesticide residues, polluted waters
from fertilizer run off, carbon loss, and depleted aquifers. For some
farmers though, attention to soil has been a business decision, leading to
increased production and yields, and has helped them withstand weather
extremes. In a recent survey, insight from 2,020 farmers from across the
United States reflected enthusiasm for cover crops to help improve
soils—for the fourth year in a row—and found a yield boost in corn and
soybeans following cover crops.
Read more
<http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2017/march/is-soil-the-great-new-integrator>

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Monthly and seasonal rainfall erosivity in Europe

The development of the Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES)
and its 2015 update with the extension to monthly component allowed to
develop monthly and seasonal R-factor maps and assess rainfall erosivity
both spatially and temporally. During winter months, significant rainfall
erosivity is present only in part of the Mediterranean countries. A sudden
increase of erosivity occurs in a major part of the European Union in May
and the highest values are registered during the summer months. Starting
from September, the R-factor has a decreasing trend. The monthly erosivity
maps allowed the development of indicators for studying the intra-annual
variability of erosivity and the concentration of erosive events. Data are
available in ESDAC: 12 monthly R-factor maps, 4 seasonal erosivity maps,
Erosivity ratio, Coefficient of V ariation, Weighted Density, Month with
highest/lowest R-factor.
Read more <http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/themes/monthly-erosivity>

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N2O emissions from agricultural soils in Europe

This dataset is derived from the integration of the LUCAS soil survey data
with the bio-geochemistry process-based model DayCent. The model was run
for more than 11,000 LUCAS sampling points under agricultural use,
assessing also the model uncertainty. Meta-models based on model outcomes
and the Random Forest algorithm were used to upscale the N2O emissions at
1km resolution. ESDAC makes available a) Average nitrous oxides emissions:
contains the average (2010-2014 time period) emissions of N2O-N (kg ha-1
yr-1) simulated in soil LUCAS points; b) Nitrous oxides emissions in
agricultural soils of the EU: contains the N2O-N emissions (kg ha-1 yr-1)
at 1 km2 resolution in the EU, obtained by the meta-model MT1 and MT2.
Read more
<http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/n2o-emissions-agricultural-soils>

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Soil erosion in Tanzania – in pictures

The Jali Ardhi, or ‘care for the land’ project, studies the impact of soil
erosion on Maasai communities and their grazing lands. Photojournalist
Carey Marks captures the changing landscape, its people – and the
challenges they face.
Read more
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2017/may/04/soil-erosion-in-tanzania-in-pictures?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other>

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Why You Need More Dirt in Your Life

Soil helps build up our defences against disease and imparts a sense of the
sacred—and we are killing it.
Read more
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/soil-dirt-ground-beneath-us-bogard/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20170501news-booktalk&utm_campaign=Content&sf74976627=1>

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Bricks made of martian soil may be stronger than steel-reinforced concrete

Even The Martian’s Mark Watney didn’t have this trick up his spacesuit
sleeve. Materials scientists have now created super sturdy bricks, made of
material similar to Martian soil, Newsweek reports. The bricks, which the
researchers say are stronger than steel-reinforced concrete, are the latest
effort to make building blocks from materials readily available on the Red
Planet. Prior attempts required treating martianlike dirt with heat or
chemicals, but the new study, published today in Scientific Reports, shows
that simple pressure can compact small red bricks held together by iron
oxide in the soil. The finding might be too late for Watney, but maybe not
for future Mars-bound travellers.
Read more
<http://www.sciencemag.org/news/sifter/bricks-made-martian-soil-may-be-stronger-steel-reinforced-concrete>

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Lithuanian scientists create innovative technologies for use of organic
lakes sediments

Lithuanian scientists have created and patented innovative technologies for
the use of organic lake sediments – sapropel – in order to create fertile
soil in the desert, and to support recreation of agronomic soil properties
in degraded soil. Using these technologies in desert sand, the yield was
comparable to that of the Nile delta. The effect of these technologies was
tested in Egypt, UAE and Bahrain.
Read more <http://www.iculom.eu>

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New Editor’s Choice papers in the European Journals of Soil Science –
currently all free to read!

See what Margaret Oliver, Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Soil
Science, has selected as her current Editor’s Choice: “This is my latest
selection of ‘Editor’s Choice’ papers; I selected them because the subject
matter is unusual and of interest to more readers than simply those working
in the particular field of research. They cover a range of topics in soil
science. Two of the papers are open access, meaning they are easily
accessible to readers.”
Read more
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291365-2389/homepage/EditorsChoice.html>

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Conferences, Meetings and Workshops
Degradation and Revitalisation of Soil and Landscape

Olomouc, Czech Republic, 11-13 September 2017 (9 and 10 September
pre-conference tours). Conference theme: Degradation causes and
consequences, degradation monitoring and assessment, revitalisation
measures.
New deadlines:
Deadline for *abstract submission: 29.5.2017*
*Registration deadline: 29.5.2017*.
Read more <http://ekologie.upol.cz/v4conference>

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New publications
Mires and peatlands of Europe. Status, distribution and conservation

Joosten/Tanneberger/Moen (eds.). Published in 2017 by Schweizerbart Science
Publishers, 780 pages, 129 figures, 161 tables, ISBN 978-3-510-65383-6,
price hardcover 94.00 €.

This book provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date overview of mires
and peatlands in biogeographic Europe. Written by 134 mire specialists, the
book describes mire and peatland types, terms, extent, distribution, use,
conservation, and restoration, individually for each European country and
in an integrated manner for the entire continent. Complemented by a
multitude of maps and photographs, the book offers an impressive and
colourful journey, full of surprising historical context and fascinating
details, while appreciating the core principles and unifying concepts of
mire science.
Read more <http://schweizerbart.com/9783510653836>

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Multifunctional Land-Use Systems for Managing the Nexus of Environmental
Resources

By Zhang, Lulu, Schwärzel, Kai (Eds.), 1st ed. 2017 by Springer, 148 pages,
34 illus., 31 illus. in colour. ISBN 978-3-319-54957-6, price hardcover
86,99 € | £64.99 | $99.00.

This book comprehensively describes the major ecosystem services in dryland
environments that are provided by typical land use, including forestland,
grassland and farmland, using the Loess Plateau, Northwest China as an
example. It offers extensive information on land policy, implementation and
scientific evidence, and discusses the restoration of the degraded Loess
Plateau environment, which that brings new challenges in the sustainable
use of natural resources, in particular soil and water.
Read more
<http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319549569#otherversion=9783319549576http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319549569>

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The Ground Beneath Us: From the Oldest Cities to the Last Wilderness, What
Dirt Tells Us About Who We Are

By Paul Bogard. Published March 21, 2017 by Little Brown and Company. 336
pages. ISBN 316342262 (ISBN-13: 978-0316342261), price USD 17.49.

When a teaspoon of soil contains millions of species, and when we pave over
the Earth on a daily basis, what does that mean for our future? What is the
risk to our food supply, the planet’s wildlife, the soil on which every
life-form depends? How much undeveloped, untrodden ground do we even have
left? From New York (where more than 118,000,000 tons of human development
rest on top of Manhattan Island) to Mexico City (which sinks inches each
year into the Aztec ruins beneath it), Paul Bogard shows us the weight of
our cities’ footprints.
Read more
<http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29977072-the-ground-beneath-us>

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Special issue on digital soil mapping across the world

Geoderma Regional has just published a special issue on digital soil
mapping across the world (Vol. 9). The issue edited by Dominique Arrouays
and Philippe Lagacherie contains papers from Scotland, Chile, Madagascar,
France, Brazil, India, and Belgium. These papers illustrate the advances in
digital soil mapping, highlight the complexity of sparse data sets, but
produce results using the best available data. They can be used for a wide
range of purposes including a call for re-investment in soil mapping as
well as the need for new soil data collection.
Read more <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/23520094/9>

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Springer Nature groundbreaking collection ‘Change the World’

The paper “Molecular microbiology methods for environmental diagnosis” by
soil microbiologists has been nominated by Springer Nature among 180
scientific findings of the year 2016 that could help change the world.
This paper highlights how several molecular techniques can now be used to
detect, quantify or characterize a microbial community, population,
species, function or functional group in a precise and robust manner. New
methods have for the first time made it possible to map the bacterial
diversity of soils at a national scale.
Read more
<https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-016-0581-3?wt_mc=Other.Other.2.CON417ctw_2017_a32>
Read more
<http://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/campaigns/change-the-world?utm_source=Other&utm_medium=Other&utm_campaign=ctw_2017_email_launch>

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