*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE*
*for sustainable agriculture and land management*
Dear Subscribers,
Please see the latest IUSS Alert 178 (April 2020).
Apologies fro any cross-posting.
*Amir Kassam *
*Moderator*
*Global CA-CoP*
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture
*Conservation Agriculture is an ecosystem approach to regenerative
sustainable agriculture and land management based on the practical
application of context-specific and locally adapted three interlinked
principles of: (i) Continuous no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance
(no-till seeding/planting and weeding, and minimum soil disturbance with
all other farm operations including harvesting); (ii) permanent
maintenance of soil mulch cover (crop biomass, stubble and cover crops);
and (iii) diversification of cropping system (economically, environmentally
and socially adapted rotations and/or sequences and/or associations
involving annuals and/or perennials, including legumes and cover crops),
along with other complementary good agricultural production and land
management practices.*
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2020 at 18:41
Subject: IUSS Alert 178 (April 2020)
To: Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
If you have problems reading this content - please follow this link to the
IUSS page <https://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=754>
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IUSS Alert 178 (April 2020)
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<https://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Union-of-Soil-Sciences/291392794207721>
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<https://www.linkedin.com/groups/IUSS-International-Union-Soil-Sciences-2871883/about>
IUSS NewsCOVID-19: The World is One Family
Quarterly Viewpoint from the desk of Rattan Lal, Past President,
International Union of Soil Sciences
The global tragedy of COVID-19 necessitates a paradigm shift in the
thinking of the scientific community towards addressing future research and
education priorities. The general education curricula, at all levels (from
primary school to the college and graduate level), must be revisited to
enhance focus on the “One Health” concept.
Read more:
<https://www.iuss.org/media/2020_april_quarterly_viewpoint_iuss.pdf>
https://www.iuss.org/media/2020_april_quarterly_viewpoint_iuss.pdf
* <https://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=594>*
* <https://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=594>*
<https://www.iuss.org/media/iuss-2019.mp4>
------------------------------
IUSS Commission 2.5 - signature access to scientific publications
Commission 2.5 would like to draw your attention to this petition,
initiated by French scientists and open to all. Many scientific
publications directly related to Covid-19 and pandemics have been made
freely available, however other important work may not be available. This
gesture highlights, independently of the Covid-19 risk, the dependence of
scientists on the major scientific publishing houses and their profit
margins in a context of decreasing finance throughout the world.
You are kindly invited to read this petition, and sign if you feel
concerned by the message: Open the bibliographic databases now! The current
COVID-19 crisis requires us to change our habits in order to maintain our
activities in a difficult situation. Our petition (
<https://freeaccesstoscience.wesign.it/en>
https://freeaccesstoscience.wesign.it/en) calls for free access to a tool
crucial for understanding the current situation and thinking about the
future: the large bibliographic databases, access to which is usually by
subscription only. By signing this petition, you will allow us to ask
publishers to open their databases transiently
*
<https://www.iuss.org/newsroom/newsletters/paleopedology-newsletters-commission-16/>*
------------------------------
IUSS Bulletin 136 – last call for contributions
The IUSS Secretariat ([log in to unmask]) kindly invites all IUSS
members to submit their contributions for our next IUSS Bulletin 136 (to be
published in June) at their earliest convenience, but no later than 15 May
2020. In particular, the Secretariat would welcome conference/meeting
reports and reports on activities dedicated to the International Decade of
Soils (2015-2024), your three favourite soil science books and any other
information you would like to share with the international soil science
community. Also we would like to give more room to national soil science
societies to present their recent activities. Please make sure to send
high-resolution photos only together with the copyright information (owner
of the photos).
------------------------------
IUSS Presidential Elections 2020 – reminder on call for nominations
The election of the next President of the IUSS is due this year. The
appointment of the President represents a total of six years commitment to
the Union by serving two years each as President-Elect (2021/22), President
(2023/24) and Past-President (2025/26). The Standing Committee on
Presidential Elections has defined the respective procedure and the
guidelines. Nominations should be made by two accomplished,
highly-respected senior soil scientists.
Full nomination documentation should be submitted electronically to Prof.
Dr. Rainer Horn (Email: [log in to unmask]) by June 1, 2020. A copy
should also be sent to [log in to unmask]
Procedure and guidelines:
<http://www.iuss.org/media/president_election_full_info_2020.pdf>
http://www.iuss.org/media/president_election_full_info_2020.pdf
------------------------------
General NewsNominate candidates for the Philippe Duchaufour Medal
The Philippe Duchaufour medal is awarded every year for distinguished
contributions to soil science. Detailed information on the selection
process and how to propose a candidate is available on the Awards & Medals
section of the EGU website. Nominations for all the medals and awards must
be submitted via an online nomination form (
https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/nominations/).
The deadline for submissions is 15 June 2020.
Read more:
<https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/proposal-and-selection-of-candidates/>
https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/proposal-and-selection-of-candidates/
------------------------------
Global soil library will help us better know the living skin of planet
Earth
A global initiative led by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has
launched the Soil Spectral Calibration Library. The University of Sydney is
a founding member of the project.
Soils are the basis of life and while humanity is building extensive
genomic libraries there is no comprehensive library of the soils upon which
much of life on Earth relies. That gap in human knowledge is being filled
with the launch of a global system of universal standards to measure and
classify soils across the planet.
Read more:
<https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/04/23/global-soil-library-understand-living-skin-planet-earth-UN-FAO.html>
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/04/23/global-soil-library-understand-living-skin-planet-earth-UN-FAO.html
------------------------------
Internationalization of science / Covid-19
IUBS have published a message from their President, Pr. LS Shashidhara,
expensing their concerns and mobilization during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is important to disseminate scientifically correct information and
prevent fake news. Therefore on IUBS website there is a link pointing to
WHO. However, if you undertake local actions which can be consolidated and
shared with all for everyone’s benefits, please send the information to
IUBS.
IUBS would like to set up a working group on Pandemics, which can
facilitate sharing of information and data for analysis and predictions and
increase the world's preparedness to such pandemic in future. We would come
back to you with specific details and seek your suggestions on the same.
Meanwhile, do let us know if you have any suggestions on action points that
IUBS can take up immediately.
Read more: <https://www.iubs.org/about-iubs/statements.html>
https://www.iubs.org/about-iubs/statements.html
------------------------------
Rootin’, poopin’ African elephants help keep soil fertile
The iconic wildlife of the African savanna—zebras, gazelles, and other
grazers—has for decades been under pressure from some unnatural rivals.
Ranchers’ cattle compete with local wildlife for food and water, and they
starve much of the soil of nutrients. But a new study suggests wildlife and
cattle can coexist—if elephants remain to help distribute nutrients into
the soil, via their poop and their habit of knocking over trees. Cattle
ranching, which has been intensifying across the savanna, can lead to
overgrazing, eroding and impoverishing the soil and helping shrubs invade
the grasslands. To investigate the ecological effects of ranching—and the
role of elephants in the ecosystem—scientists launched a long-term
experiment in 1995 at the Mpala Research Centre in central Kenya.
Read more:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/rootin-poopin-african-elephants-help-keep-soil-fertile#
<https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/rootin-poopin-african-elephants-help-keep-soil-fertile>
[From: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Science Policy Report: 15 April 2020]
------------------------------
Study shows universally positive effect of cover crops on soil microbiome
Only a fraction of conventional row crop farmers grow cover crops after
harvest, but a new global analysis from the University of Illinois shows
the practice can boost soil microbial abundance by 27%. The result adds to
cover crops’ reputation for nitrogen loss reduction, weed suppression,
erosion control, and more. Although soil microbial abundance is less easily
observed, it is a hugely important metric in estimating soil health. A new
paper looks for universal patterns among dozens of individual studies.
Read more:
<https://aces.illinois.edu/news/illinois-study-shows-universally-positive-effect-cover-crops-soil-microbiome>
https://aces.illinois.edu/news/illinois-study-shows-universally-positive-effect-cover-crops-soil-microbiome
[From: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Science Policy Report: 1 April 2020]
------------------------------
Scientists seek to establish community-driven metadata standards for
microbiomes research
In agricultural systems, the proliferation of research on plant and soil
microbiomes has been coupled with excitement for the potential that
microbiome data may have for the development of novel, sustainable, and
effective crop management strategies. While this is an exciting
development, as the collective body of microbiome data for diverse crops
grows, the lack of consistency in recording data makes it harder for the
data to be utilized across research projects. In a recent article published
in Phytobiomes Journal, researchers discuss the need for
agriculture-specific metadata standards for microbiome research.
Read more:
<https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-community-driven-metadata-standards-microbiomes.html>
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-scientists-community-driven-metadata-standards-microbiomes.html
[From: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Science Policy Report: 1 April 2020]
------------------------------
International Soil Modeling Consortium - Call for Working Groups
The International Soil Modeling Consortium has put out a call for proposals
for working groups to contribute to the work and mission of the ISMC.
Read more:
<https://soil-modeling.org/news/meetings-reports-publications/march-2020-1>
https://soil-modeling.org/news/meetings-reports-publications/march-2020-1
[From: GSBI Newsletter - March 2020]
------------------------------
Present and Future: Five Years into the International Decade of Soils 2015
- 2024
As we approach the halfway point in the International Decade of Soils in
2020 (ISC called it International Decade of Soil Health), we revisit the
critical roles that soil plays in realizing the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals for 2030.
The International Science Council spoke to Rattan Lal, Distinguished
University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management
and Sequestration Center at Ohio State University. He is also Past
President of International Union of Soil Sciences.
“Soil health and its sustainable management is critically important in
advancing the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and
specifically SDG #2 (Zero Hunger), SDG #13 (Climate Action) and SDG #15
(Life on Land),” said Lal. “Furthermore, the health of soil, plants,
animals, people and the environment are one and indivisible. Restoration
and judicious management of soil health is critical to addressing
undernourishment of 821 million people (mostly in South Asia and Sub
Saharan Africa) and 800 million malnourished people from around the world.”
Read more:
<https://council.science/current/news/present-and-future-five-years-into-the-international-decade-of-soil-health/>
https://council.science/current/news/present-and-future-five-years-into-the-international-decade-of-soil-health/
------------------------------
The novelist who loved soil
A biography digs into Pulitzer prizewinner and farming pioneer Louis
Bromfield’s life. By David R. Montgomery.
Read more:
<https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01024-1?utm_source=twt_nnc&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=naturenews&sf232899412=1&fbclid=IwAR1_C25YFRW6tdumibrpav_hTfH_VpuE9eDTs5RpFTMGXEXPQydk_W_yrYU>
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01024-1?utm_source=twt_nnc&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=naturenews&sf232899412=1&fbclid=IwAR1_C25YFRW6tdumibrpav_hTfH_VpuE9eDTs5RpFTMGXEXPQydk_W_yrYU
------------------------------
Photo and video contest on soil biodiversity
In the framework of GSOBI20, FAO and the GSP Secretariat is launching a
photo and video contest on soil biodiversity. The main objective of this
contest is to promote the importance on soil organisms and raise awareness
on the urgency of protecting soil biodiversity. The deadline to send your
submission/s is 30 June 2020.
Read more:
http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/1271715/
------------------------------
Love the smell of wet earth after rain? So do these strange creatures
Humans aren’t the only ones to appreciate the earthy aroma after an April
rain shower. That smell—known as petrichor—stems from microscopic
streptomycete bacteria in the soil that produce a compound called geosmin,
The Times reports. Although geosmin can be toxic to some species, others,
such as the insect-like springtail, associate it with a meal. A recent
study published this week in Nature Microbiology used tiny electrodes to
monitor the response of springtails’ sensitive antennae to the scent of
geosmin.
Read more:
<https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/love-smell-wet-earth-after-rain-so-do-these-strange-creatures?utm_campaign=ScienceNow&utm_source=JHubbard&utm_medium=Facebook>
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/love-smell-wet-earth-after-rain-so-do-these-strange-creatures?utm_campaign=ScienceNow&utm_source=JHubbard&utm_medium=Facebook
------------------------------
Conferences, Meetings and Workshops
*The outbreak of the Corona virus is clearly a rapidly evolving situation.
The organizers of the meetings listed below are constantly reviewing the
situation in the light of global and country-specific advice to inform
decisions to minimize the additional risks to attendees, their communities
and those living in the meeting’s host country. *
*The IUSS will also continue to monitor the situation, and advise that
prior to attending meetings our members review up to date information from
their country’s government, the WHO and from the host country to ensure
that everyone’s health and wellbeing remains a priority.*
2020Soil Science Conference of Malaysia (SOILS 2020) - “Soil Management
towards Plant Productivity & Environmental Sustainability”
Tuesday, 7 April 2020 to Thursday, 9 April 2020 *postponed!*
Johor Bharu, Malaysia
The year 2020 will witness the collaboration of Forest Research Institute
Malaysia (FRIM) and MSSS in organizing the SOILS 2020 conference. It will
gather various stakeholders from the private, governmental and
non-governmental sectors in deliberating and sharing research findings on
soil management and environmental sustainability.
Contact: [log in to unmask]
------------------------------
16th International Conference on Soil Micromorphology
Sunday, 30. August 2020 to Thursday, 3. September 2020 *Postponed to 2021!*
The short micromorphological course is also postponed to 2021.
The new date of the conference will be announced in the autumn this year.
Now we can say generally that the date of the conference will be around
September 2021. The participants who paid the conference fee are asked to
contact us if they would like to move the payment to 2021 or if they would
like to get the money back (in the latter case we will have to take 30 EUR
for manipulation costs related with bank account transfers).
Contact: [log in to unmask]
------------------------------
ISCRAES 2020
*Postponed *to 3-6 November 2020, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract (flash and poster) submission deadline: July 31, 2020
Standard registration deadline: August 31, 2020
Symposium website: <http://www.iscraes2020.org/>http://www.iscraes2020.org/
Download flyer: https://www.iuss.org/media/iscraes_flyer_updated.jpg
------------------------------
Soils Conference 2020 – Soils, investing in our future
29 November - 4 December 2020, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Soil Science Australia and New Zealand Society of Soil Science’s joint
conference
Short & Extended Abstract Submissions Deadline: May 31, 2020
Website: <https://www.soilscienceaustralia.org.au/soils-conference-2020/>
https://www.soilscienceaustralia.org.au/soils-conference-2020/
------------------------------
International workshop Soil conservation and Environmental Protection
3-5 December 2020, Imola, Italy
Deadline abstract submission: September 30, 2020
Recently, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) highlighted that Europe has
a reference legislation for safeguarding water and air quality and that no
legislation, until now, concerns soil quality. Moreover, in the last ten
years the areas at desertification risk have increased by approximately 1.8
million hectares.
The goal of the workshop is to provide methodologies, tools and data to
land managers and administrators aiming at a sustainable management and
conservation of the soil, a primary and limited resource. Moreover the
workshop wishes to highlights that a soil kept in "good health", through
good management practices, brings multiple benefits for the whole
ecosystem, not only for agriculture and forest lands but also, to assure
water quality and regulation, to preserve the hydrogeological stability of
the territory and for landscape protection and enhancement.
The last day of the workshop will be dedicated to the WSD celebration.
Registration form to be sent to [log in to unmask]
Read more:
media/soil_conservation_and_environmental_protection_december_2020_first_circular.pdf
<https://www.iuss.org/media/soil_conservation_and_environmental_protection_december_2020_first_circular.pdf>
------------------------------
Global Soil Conference 2020
Caring Soils Beyond Food Security
9-13 December, 2020, New Delhi, India
Receipt of Abstracts Deadline: 30 June 2020
Read more: <http://www.isss-india.org/img/GlobalSoilConference2020.pdf>
http://www.isss-india.org/img/GlobalSoilConference2020.pdf
------------------------------
2021International Colloquium on Soil Zoology
28 March - 2 April 2021 (postponed from 2020)
Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy
Early bird registration until December 31, 2020
Website: <https://icsz2020.eurac.edu/>https://icsz2020.eurac.edu/
------------------------------
Global Conference on Sandy Soils
30 May – 3 June 2021 (postponed from 2020); University of
Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Deadline for Abstract submission is March 31, 2021 (postponed)
Download: <https://www.iuss.org/media/global_conference_on_sandy_soils.pdf>
https://www.iuss.org/media/global_conference_on_sandy_soils.pdf
Read more: <https://sandysoils.org/>https://sandysoils.org/
------------------------------
*For the complete list of upcoming events, please see the event calendar on
the IUSS website: **
<https://www.iuss.org/meetings-events/>https://www.iuss.org/meetings-events/
<https://www.iuss.org/meetings-events/>*
------------------------------
New publicationsSoil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies
A Practical Guide
By Yong Sik Ok, Jörg Rinklebe, Deyi Hou, Daniel C.W. Tsang, Filip M.G.
Tack. 1st Edition published April 10 2020 by CRC Press, 338 Pages - 30
Colour & 70 B/W Illustrations, ISBN 9780367337407, price hardback GBP
124.00, eBook VitalSource GBP 27.29, eBook VitalSource rental GBP 21.00.
This book offers various soil and water treatment technologies due to
increasing global soil and water pollution. In many countries, the
management of contaminated land has matured, and it is developing in many
others. Topics covered include chemical and ecological risk assessment of
contaminated sites; phytomanagement of contaminants; arsenic removal;
selection and technology diffusion; technologies and socio-environmental
management; post-remediation long-term management; soil and groundwater
laws and regulations; and trace element regulation limits in soil. Future
prospects of soil and groundwater remediation are critically discussed in
this book. Hence, readers will learn to understand the future prospects of
soil and groundwater contaminants and remediation measures.
Read more:
<https://www.routledge.com/Soil-and-Groundwater-Remediation-Technologies-A-Practical-Guide/Ok-Rinklebe-Hou-Tsang-Tack/p/book/9780367337407>
https://www.routledge.com/Soil-and-Groundwater-Remediation-Technologies-A-Practical-Guide/Ok-Rinklebe-Hou-Tsang-Tack/p/book/9780367337407
------------------------------
Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental
Management
By Jeyabalan Sangeetha, Devarajan Thangadurai, Saher Islam. Published March
27, 2020 by Apple Academic Press, 396 pages, ISBN 9780429284137, price
hardcover GBP 104.80, eBook GBP 85.15.
Microbes are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere and regulate many
critical elemental and biogeochemical phenomena. Because microbes are the
key players in the carbon cycle and in related biological reactions,
microbial ecology is a vital research area for understanding the
contribution of the biosphere in global warming and the response of the
natural environment to climate variations. The beneficial uses of microbes
have enabled constructive and cost-effective responses that have not been
possible through physical or chemical methods. This new volume reviews the
multifaceted interactions among microbes, ecosystems, and their pivotal
role in maintaining a more balanced environment, in order to help
facilitate living organisms coexisting with the natural environment. With
extensive references, tables, and illustrations, this book provides
valuable information on microbial utilization for environmental
sustainability and provides fascinating insights into microbial diversity.
Read more:
<https://www.routledge.com/Beneficial-Microbes-for-Sustainable-Agriculture-and-Environmental-Management/Sangeetha-Thangadurai-Islam/p/book/9780429284137>
https://www.routledge.com/Beneficial-Microbes-for-Sustainable-Agriculture-and-Environmental-Management/Sangeetha-Thangadurai-Islam/p/book/9780429284137
------------------------------
Soil Supplements: Implications on Plant Productivity
By Bhupinder Dhir. Published in the series Agriculture Issues and Policies
<https://novapublishers.com/product-category/series/agriculture-issues-and-policies/>
in March 2020 by Nova Science Publishing, 210 pages, ISBN:
978-1-53617-423-6, price hardcover $160.00.
The need for more food to sustain the growing human population has led to
the conversion of forests to croplands. Excessive input of chemical
fertilizers has exerted pressure on soil resulting in the deterioration of
its quality and productive potential. The changing environmental conditions
and climatic transformations have also adversely affected the properties of
soil. Realizing the negative effects of chemical fertilizers on soil
quality, various organic substances, waste materials and other substances
were explored for their potential to be used as soil supplements. This book
provides detailed information about various inorganic, organic, biological
and other non-conventional soil supplements with emphasis to the role they
play in maintaining soil fertility and increasing agricultural
productivity. The soil supplements contribute a lot in restoring the
productive potential of soil to a great extent. Each soil supplement
possesses certain advantages and limitations in restoring the fertility of
soil. Integrated fertilizer treatment proves beneficial in restoring soil
fertility for various types of soils. The book provides latest information
on the topic and describes advances in soil science.
Read more:
https://novapublishers.com/shop/soil-supplements-implications-on-plant-productivity/
------------------------------
Bridging Among Disciplines by Synthesizing Soil and Plant Processes
By Ole Wendroth (Editor), Robert J. Lascano (Editor), Liwang Ma (Editor),
Published in Series Advances in Agricultural Systems Modeling in March 2020
by Wiley. 304 Pages, ISBN: 978-0-891-18364-8, price hardcover GBP 56.95.
In the 8th book of Dr. Ahuja’s innovative “Advances in Agricultural Systems
Modeling” series, authors give a look into the future of climate-smart
agricultural systems, emphasizing the integration of soil, weather,
vegetation and management information to predict relevant agro-ecosystem
processes. Expansion of data availability, improvement of sensors, and
computational power have opened opportunities in modeling and exploration
of management impact. Authors give a background on model development and
explain soil, plant, and climate processes and their interactions that
encompass the wide range of applications of simulation models to address
challenges in managing our resources and complex agricultural systems.
Read more:
<https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Bridging+Among+Disciplines+by+Synthesizing+Soil+and+Plant+Processes-p-9780891183648>
https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Bridging+Among+Disciplines+by+Synthesizing+Soil+and+Plant+Processes-p-9780891183648
------------------------------
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