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From:
Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 16:42:10 +0100
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*Gobal CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE*

*for sustainable production intensification and land management*

Dear Subscribers,

Please see herebelow the latest issue of IUSS Alert 146 (August 2017).

Warmest congratulations to Professor Rattan Lal for the investiture as
“Doctor Honoris Causa” at the University of Lleida (UdL) (Spain).

*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 <
[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 1:47 PM
Subject: IUSS Alert 146 (August 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=661>IUSS Alert 146
(August 2017)

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IUSS NewsWebsite for IUSS World Congress 2018 now online

The website for the 21st World Congress of Soil Science has gone online.
The congress, which is arguably the most acclaimed meeting in the area of
soil science, will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 12-17, 2018.
Registration and call for abstracts is open.
Read more <https://www.21wcss.org/index.php>

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Anthropcentrism and Soil Health

The newest Viewpoint on “The Anthropcentrism and Soil Health” by Rattan
Lal, President of the International Union of Soil Sciences is now available
on the IUSS website.
Read more <http://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=636>

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Pedometron 40

The current issue of the newsletter of the IUSS Commission 1.5 Pedometrics
is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Pedometrics. It contains articles
about the history of Pedometrics, portraits about related IUSS Working
Groups and Prof. Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov as well as interviews with
soil experts.
Read more <http://iuss.org/index.php?article_id=421>

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IUSS Stimulus Fund – last call for submissions in 2017

IUSS has established an annual Stimulus Fund to support suitable activities
within its Commissions and Working Groups. Where appropriate, the Fund will
also support other activities to assist the development of soil science
generally but particularly in regions of the world where lack of resources
limit opportunities. The current submission period will end September 15,
2017.
Read more <http://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=594>

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National voting of Officers for IUSS Divisions and Commissions 2017 about
to start

Every four years the officers for the IUSS Divisions and Commissions are
newly elected. Voting by IUSS Members shall be conducted electronically on
a one vote per individual in each National Member Society basis. Elections
will be decided by a simple majority of votes cast.
In line with the IUSS Bye-laws (version Oct. 2014) the national Soil
Science Societies shall organize the national voting of officers for
Divisions and Commissions. The voting system for society members shall be
open from 1 September to 31 December 2017. The list of nominated persons
(ballot), the corresponding biographies and the guideline for the voting
procedure in 2017 are provided on the IUSS website.
The Presidents of the National Member Society are kindly requested to send
the results of elections to [log in to unmask] (Cc to R.Horn
<[log in to unmask]>) before 28 January 2018.
Read more <http://iuss.boku.ac.at/index.php?article_id=649>

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Investiture as "Doctor Honoris Causa" at the University of Lleida (Spain)
of Prof. Dr. Rattan Lal, President of IUSS (13 June 2017)

One of the most relevant programmed activities of the 1st World Conference
on Soil and Water Conservation under Global Change (CONSOWA Lleida 2017),
was the ceremony of investiture of Prof Dr Rattan Lal, President of IUSS,
as “Doctor Honoris Causa” at the University of Lleida (UdL) (Spain), upon
proposals of the Departments of Soils and Environmental Sciences and of
Crop and Forest Science of the Agricultural and Forestry Schools of UdL and
the support of the Sections of Control de la Degradación y Recuperación de
Suelos and of Conservación de Suelos y Aguas of the Soil Science Spanish
Society (SECS). For this investiture, there was taken into account Dr.
Lal’s long time and pioneer research, reflected in numer ous publications,
directed to solve problems of soil and water management of agricultural
soils, and their relations both with C sequestration in soils, control and
mitigation of climate changes and finally with food production and food
security.
The presentation of merits (laudatio) of Prof. Dr. Rattan Lal was in the
hands of Prof. Dr. Ildefonso Pla Sentís. For the ceremony old traditions of
the UdL were followed, which was founded in the year 1300.

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General NewsFuture Policy Award crowns the World’s Best Land Restoration
Policies

Ethiopia wins Gold Award; other winning policies from China, Brazil and
Jordan. More people, less erosion – Ethiopia’s Tigray region demonstrates
that this can be a reality: They will take home the Gold Future Policy
Award 2017, beating 26 other nominated policies to the prize. Also known as
“Oscar for Best Policies”, the Future Policy Award highlights the world’s
best policies that combat desertification and land degradation this year.
With unique collective action, voluntary labour and the involvement of the
youth, people of Tigray are restoring land on a massive scale. As a result,
erosion has decreased significantly, groundwater levels are recharged, and
the uptake of sustainable agricultural practices made a significant
contribution to food self-sufficiency and economic growth.
Read more <https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/p/2017-desertification/>

Also worth mentioning is that the Vision Award from the World Future
Council went to the international “4 per 1000” Initiative which
communicates a new concept for mitigating climate change through the
increase of soil organic carbon.
Read more <https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/press-release-fpa-2017/>

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Agri-environment schemes: impacts on the agricultural environment

Environmental protection and human food security co-exist in a critical
balance, one that is often difficult to get right. The pressures of
population rise, farming intensification, and loss of habitats and species
mean that protections afforded under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy
are pivotal to the conservation of agri-ecology. In the EU,
agri-environment schemes encourage farmers to undertake environmentally
friendly practices and are thus vital to the objective of sustainable
agriculture. This Thematic Issue looks at some of the impacts that AES have
had on European farm ecosystems, biodiversity and farmers.
Read more
<http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/AES_impacts_on_agricultural_environment_57si_en.pdf>

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National Soil Health Measurements to accelerate agricultural transformation

For scientists, farmers and ag policy makers, one nagging question has yet
to be completely “unearthed:” Just how healthy (or unhealthy) are the
nation’s soils? The concept of soil health is gaining widespread attention
because it promotes agricultural practices that are not only good for the
farmer, but also good for the environment. An abundance of research shows
that improving soil health boosts crop yield, enhances water quality,
increases drought resilience, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases
carbon sequestration, provides pollinator habitat, and builds disease
suppression. To help implement widely-applicable, consistent measures of
soil health, the Soil Health Institute announces its endorsement of 19
national soil health measurements.
Read more
<http://soilhealthinstitute.org/national-soil-health-measurements-accelerate-agricultural-transformation/>

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Measured soil moisture improves wildfire prediction

Despite the known connection between soil moisture and wildfire danger,
measured soil moisture is conspicuously absent from the list of variables
commonly used in wildfire danger assessments. Instead, assessments enlist
the help of the decades-old Keetch-Byram Drought index (KBDI), a soil
moisture surrogate calculated from precipitation and estimated
evapotranspiration. In the absence of measured soil moisture data, the
reliance upon KBDI as a surrogate to assess wildfire danger is
understandable. But is the continued reliance on KBDI justified when high
quality soil moisture data are available? According to recent work
published in Soil Science Society of America Journal, the answer is no.
Read more
<https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/story/2017/jul/mon/measured-soil-moisture-improves-wildfire-prediction>

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Friends of Phragmites

Friends of Phragmites is an organisation established by Prof D. Fanning to
promote the use of swamp plants to remediate soils degraded by acid
sulphate effects. The Australian Chapter, with new president Simon Smith,
held its second plantout to remediate a degraded site near Balmoral,
Victoria, Australia.
Read more
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Z3pi0ZMJ9iRTZ0REpCdEI5ZkU/view?usp=sharing>

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Conferences, Meetings and Workshops
Archaeological Soil Micromorphology Training and Workshop 2017

University College London, Institute of Archaeology; Training: 6-9
November, followed by Practice Days and Workshop: 10-11 November 2017.
Contact <[log in to unmask]>
The 13th International Conference of the East and Southeast Asia Federation
of Soil Science Societies (ESAFS)

“Soil Quality for Food Security and Healthy Life”
Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand, December 12-15, 2017. Good soil quality is
required for food security and healthy life of world population. ESAFS 2017
Conference aims to provide advanced scientific information on the
researches in soil quality and capacity for crop production. The conference
will provide a better understanding of the attributes of soil quality and
the way of improving soil and associated environmental quality for
sustainable food security and healthy life of East, Southeast Asia as well
as world population. Abstract submission deadline: 13 October 2017
Read more <http://www.esafs2017.com> (website will be available soon)
Conference Flyer <http://www.iuss.org/files/leaflet_of_esafs_2017_02.pdf>

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New publications
Phosphate in Soils: Interaction with Micronutrients, Radionuclides and
Heavy Metals

Edited by H. Magdi Selim. Published August 1, 2017 by CRC Press in the
Series: Advances in Trace Elements in the Environment; 381 pages, ISBN
9781138803183, Price paperback £50.00, hardback £102.00. Recent studies
reveal that Phosphorus (P) in the form of phosphate, a macronutrient
essential for plant growth, and crop yields can influence the
bioavailability, retention, and mobility of trace elements, metal(loid)s,
and radio nuclides in soils. When this occurs, phosphates can affect the
dynamics of heavy metals and influence soil characteristics, impacting soil
mobility and toxicity.
Phosphate in Soils: Interaction with Micronutrients, Radionuclides and
Heavy Metals utilizes the latest research to emphasize the role that
phosphate plays in enhancing or reducing the mobility of heavy metals in
soil, and the soil-water-plant environment. It provides an in-depth
understanding of each heavy metal species, and expands on phosphate
interactions in geological material.
Read more
<https://www.crcpress.com/Phosphate-in-Soils-Interaction-with-Micronutrients-Radionuclides-and-Heavy/Selim/p/book/9781138803183>

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Soil Nematodes of Grasslands in Northern China

By Qi Li, Wenju Liang, Xiaoke Zhang, Mohammad Mahamood; 1st Edition
published August 15, 2017 by Elsevier, imprint Academic Press, 254 pages,
Paperback ISBN: 9780128132746, price paperback EUR 75.45.
Soil Nematodes of Grasslands in Northern China presents research on China’s
temperate grasslands, providing the findings and results of a large field
survey along a transect across the northern temperate grassland. It
examines nematode distribution patterns along the transect from trophic
group and family, to genus level, also evaluating their relationship with
climatic conditions, plant biomass and soil parameters. The book then
presents detailed taxonomy information of nematodes to genus or species
level, providing keen insights into nematode diversity along the grassland
transect in north China.
Read more
<https://www.elsevier.com/books/soil-nematodes-of-grasslands-in-northern-china/li/978-0-12-813274-6?start_rank=21&producttype=books&publicationyear=2017&sortby=sortByDateDesc&q=soil>

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Comparison of dung and soil fauna from pastures treated with and without
ivermectin as an example of the effects of a veterinary pharmaceutical

By Dr. Jörg Römbke, Adam Scheffczyk, Jean-Pierre Lumaret, Thomas Tixier,
Dr. Wolf Blanckenhorn, Dr. Joost Lahr, Dr. Kevin Floate, June 2017,
Umweltbundesamt, Texte | 54/2017, 238 pages, download only, no costs.
Soil organisms in manure or organisms that colonize dung pats can be
impacted by the application of veterinary medical products, especially
parasiticides, to livestock. For this reason, the authorization process for
veterinary medicinal products in the European Union and other countries
includes a requirement for “higher-tier” tests when adverse effects on dung
organisms can be detected in single-species toxicity tests. However, no
guidance documents for the performance of higher-tier tests are available,
so far. Therefore, an international research project was undertaken to
develop and validate a proposed test method under varying field conditions
of climate, soil, and endemic coprophilous fauna. The test took place at
Lethbridge (Canada), Montpellier (France), Zurich (Switzerland), and
Wageningen (The Netherlands). The aim of the project was to determine if
fecal residues of a parasitide with known insecticidal activity
(ivermectin) showed similar effects on insects breeding in dung of treated
animals, coprophilous organisms in the soil beneath the dung, and rates of
dung degradation.
Read more
<https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/publikationen/comparison-of-dung-soil-fauna-from-pastures-treated>

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Remote Sensing of Soils

By Shankar R., 1st edition published August 2017 by Springer, 500 pages,
166 illustrations, ISBN 978-3-662-53740-4, price hardcover 149,99 € |
£112.00 | $179.00, printed e-book € | $ 24.99.
This book is about applications of remote sensing techniques in the studies
on soils. In pursuance of the objective, the book initially provides an
introduction to various elements and concepts of remote sensing, and
associated technologies , namely Geographic Information System (GIS),
Global Positioning System (GPS) in chapter-1. An overview of the sensors
used to collect remote sensing data and important Earth observation
missions is provided in chapter-2. The processing of satellite digital data
(geometric and radiometric corrections, feature reduction, digital data
fusion, image enhancements and analysis) is dealt with in Chapter-3. In the
chapter to follow the interpretation of remote sensing data , very
important and crucial step in deriving information on natural resources
including soils resources, is discussed. An introduction to soils as a
natural body with respect to their formation, physical and chemical
properties used during inventory of soils, and soil classification is given
in Chapter-5.The spectral response patterns of soils including
hyperspectral characteristics -fundamental to deriving information on soils
from spectral measurements, and the techniques of soil resources mapping
are discussed in chapter-6 and -7,respectively. Furthermore, the creation
of digital soil resources database and the development of soil information
systems, a very important aspect of storage and dissemination of digital
soil data to the end users are discussed in chapter-8. Lastly, the
applications of remote sensing techniques in soil moisture estimation and
soil fertility evaluation are covered in chapter-9 and -10, respectively.
Read more <http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783662537381>

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Sustainable Management of Land Resources: An Indian Perspective

Edited by G.P. Obi Reddy, N.G. Patil, Arun Chaturvedi. Published August 29,
2017 by Apple Academic Press, 796 pages – 116 B/W illustrations, ISBN
9781771885171, price hardback £114.00.
The depletion of land resources is one of the greatest challenges for
mankind in this millennium. Shrinking land resources, weather aberrations,
deterioration of land quality, and the globalization and liberalization of
market economies have become intertwined to influence the sustainable
management of land resources and land use plans. This important volume
addresses these challenges, looking at how scientists translate their
knowledge and experience in sustainable land resources and management into
implementable policy decisions, with a particular focus on India.
Read more
<https://www.crcpress.com/Sustainable-Management-of-Land-Resources-An-Indian-Perspective/Reddy-Patil-Chaturvedi/p/book/9781771885171>

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Vacancy for Assistant Professor of Soil Resources


*Assistant Professor (TT) of Soil Resources*

The Department of Environmental Systems Science (www.usys.ethz.ch) of ETH
Zurich invites applications for an assistant professor (tenure track)
focusing on (1) the role of soil as a key natural resource, supporting a
wide range of forest and other terrestrial ecosystem functions and services
and/or (2) quantifying the effects of changes of land use and climate on
various soil functions at local to global scales. Candidates should be
interested in system-oriented multidisciplinary research and are expected
to develop an innovative and internationally recognized research program,
making an important contribution to linking soil ecosystem services to
land-use and climate change.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in soil sciences and
demonstrated potential for innovative research. At the assistant professor
level commitment to teaching and the ability to lead a research group are
expected. Teaching duties will include advanced-level courses on the
assessment, modelling or management of soil resources as part of the
environment.

Assistant professorships have been established to promote the careers of
younger scien¬tists. ETH Zurich implements a tenure track system equivalent
to other top international universities.

*Please apply online at:* www.facultyaffairs.ethz.ch

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a
statement of future research and teaching interests, and a description of
the three most important achievements.
The letter of application should be addressed *to the President of ETH
Zurich, Prof. Dr. Lino Guzzella.*
*The closing date for applications is 31 August 2017.*
ETH Zurich is an equal opportunity and family friendly employer and is
responsive to the needs of dual career couples. We specifically encourage
women to apply.

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