Soil science is the science of the characteristics of the soil, its structure, properties, composition and geographical distribution, the patterns of its origin and development, functioning, significance in nature, methods and methods of reclamation, the intricacies of protection and rational use in the course of economic activity. Today, soil science is rapidly transforming from a descriptive science into an instrumental one; it is engaged not only in the inventory of nature, but is also looking for ways to manage it.
Prerequisites for the emergence of soil science
One of the main reasons for the emergence of this science is the problem of hunger. The insufficient amount of food grown by mankind is associated with a lack of land, catastrophic soil erosion, desertification, and a decline in fertility. Equally important is the need to get more yield from a smaller area. It was as a solution to the problem of population growth and spontaneously developing agriculture that a new science was formed -soil science.
About the soil, as a loose layer of the earth, a person developed an idea with the beginning of agriculture. But often the soil was identified with the surface area on which a person lives. But land is a more complex concept that has historical and socio-economic aspects. Although it refers to natural resources, it includes not only soil, but also a certain proportion of the earth's surface, a certain position in geographical space, has socio-economic potential.
Formation of domestic science
The development of soil science in Russia is usually counted from the moment the Academy of Sciences was opened in 1725. According to V. I. Vernadsky, M. V. Lomonosov should be called the first soil scientist. In his writings, he clearly showed the role of plants in the transformation of various rocks into soil. Also, it was Lomonosov, as the founder of soil science, who laid the foundation for the development of a biological view of the soil as a kind of body formed during the transformation of rocks under the influence of vegetation.
Important milestones in the development of science are:
- 1779 - P. Pallas's assumption about the black soil as a sea silt left after the regression of the Black and Caspian Seas.
- 1851 - compilation and publication by V. S. Veselovsky of the first soil map of European Russia.
- 1866 - F. Ruprekh developed the theory of the terrestrial-vegetative origin of chernozems.
Proceedings of V. V. Dokuchaev
In his monograph "Russian Chernozem" he wrote about soil asnatural-historical independent natural body. During the defense of his dissertation, Dokuchaev proved that chernozem is formed under the influence of many factors of soil formation. It happened on December 10, 1883, and this day is considered to be the official date of the birth of soil science in St. Petersburg.
The creation of the Russian school of soil science, and at the same time the training of specialists for the needs of agriculture, became a matter of life for Dokuchaev. His developments included methods to deal with drought. By all means trying to raise agriculture to the highest level, he also increased the economic well-being of Russia as a whole. For his work, he earned the title of founder of soil science. Dokuchaev's works have been translated into various languages.
Other achievements of V. V. Dokuchaev:
- For collected collections of soils and compiled soil maps, he received gold medals at the International Exhibitions in Chicago and Paris.
- Together with his student N. M. Sibirtsev, he developed the law of zonal and azonal distribution of soils.
- Developed a methodology for soil mapping, which is widely used abroad.
- Began long-term stationary studies of processes occurring in soils, which were completed and deepened by his student G. N. Vysotsky.
Other soil scientists
- P. A. Kostychev (1845-1895). He made a significant contribution to the study of soil agronomy, in particular, chernozem. It was he who proved that the cultivation of forage grasses allows maintaining soil fertility and achievingbig harvests.
- P. S. Kossovich (1862-1915). He suggested that individual soils are only stages in the soil process. Kossovich tried to link the chemical, physical, and agronomic data of soil studies with the fundamentals of genetic soil science. This allowed him to base soil formation on leaching or eluvial processes.
- K. K. Gedroits (1872-1932). He developed a manual for laboratories "Chemical analysis of the soil", and also studied in detail the colloidal processes in the soil, which resulted in the doctrine of the absorption capacity of soils.
- K. D. Glinka (1867-1927). Worked in various fields of soil science: the study of the mineral composition of the soil, the study of the processes of weathering of minerals, the study of ancient soils, and the conduct of soil-geographic studies.
- S. S. Neustruev (1874-1928). He is the author of the first course of lectures on soil geography.
- B. B. Polynova (1877-1952). He laid the foundation for the modern theory of soil weathering, and also experimentally proved the leading role of organisms in soil formation.
Thanks to the work of these and many other scientists, soil science as a science was formed in Russia. Many scientific terms entered the international lexicon precisely at the suggestion of Russian scientists (chernozem - black earth, podzol - podzol, etc.).
Development directions
Like any other science, modern soil science is differentiated into a number of sections that can be combined into two large blocks: fundamental and applied. Fundamental (general) soil scienceis aimed at studying the characteristics of the soil as a single natural body. Applied (private) soil science aims to study various aspects of human use of soil.
Fundamental soil science includes the following disciplines considered exclusively in relation to soils:
- morphology;
- physics and chemistry of soils;
- history of soil science;
- soil biogeochemistry;
- biology and zoology of soils;
- soil microbiology;
- soil mineralogy;
- geography and cartography of soils;
- ecological functions of the soil;
- soil hydrology;
- soil energy;
- soil fertility;
- soil ecology;
- paleosoil science;
- degradation and soil protection;
- genesis and evolution of soils.
Morphology, physics, chemistry, mineralogy and biology of soils directly study the composition, structure and properties of the soil. Such sections of fundamental soil science as geography and systematics, soil ecology, soil assessment and soil informatics serve to study the spatial distribution and natural diversity of soil on the Earth's surface, together with general geography. Historical soil science is associated with the study of the development and evolution of the soil, its disciplines are soil genetics and paleosolology. Dynamic soil science includes the study of the processes of formation of modern soil regimes. Regional soil science is the most valuable basis for rational nature management, since directlyassociated with the study of soils of large regions.
As part of applied soil science, the following directions are studied:
- agricultural;
- forest;
- reclamation;
- sanitary;
- engineering;
- geological (ground science);
- environmental;
- archaeological;
- forensic;
- landscape and gardening;
- land management;
- soil appraisal and land cadastre;
- conservation soil science;
- soil agrochemistry;
- soil agrophysics;
- bionomics;
- teaching soil science.
Applied soil science considers agrosoil science to be the most valuable, which includes the rational organization of territories, the choice of crop rotation, the selection of cultivation methods and ways to increase soil fertility. Ameliorative soil science is also important. This is the theoretical basis of complex melioration by the methods of engineering and technology, chemistry, biology and agricultural technology. Sanitary soil science has a considerable range of tasks related to the problems of neutralizing various wastes, the geography of plant and animal diseases.
Soil functions
- Ensuring the possibility of life on Earth. The soil is considered one of the main we alth of any state, because about 90% of all food products are produced on its surface and in its thickness. Soil degradation is inextricably linked with crop failure and food shortages, leading to poverty in countries. From the soil, most plants, which are the beginning of the food chain,receive trace elements and minerals, water for biomass growth. Soil is not only a consequence of life, but also a condition for its existence.
- Ensuring the connection between the geological and biological cycles of substances carried out on the earth's surface.
- Regulation of the composition of chemicals in the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Under the action of soil microorganisms, which produce various gases in large quantities - nitrogen and its oxides, oxygen, carbon mono- and carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide and others, the soil has a huge impact on the chemical composition of the atmosphere.
- Regulation of biospheric processes. The distribution of living organisms on land, as well as their density, is mainly determined by the geographical characteristics of the soil. Its heterogeneity, along with fertility and climatic factors, affects the choice of habitats, including humans.
- Accumulation of active organic matter and associated chemical energy.
Factors of soil formation
The basis of soil science as a science is soil formation factors. Soil today is understood as a complex multifunctional and multicomponent open structural system with fertility in the surface layer of the earth's crust, which is a complex function of rocks, organisms, climate, relief and time. These five factors are the basis of soil formation. Two more factors have been added relatively recently: ground and soil water, as well as human activities.
Soil-forming rocks are usually called the substrate on whichthe process of soil formation takes place directly. They contain particles that are inert to the chemical processes taking place around, but play an important role in creating the physical and mechanical properties of the soil. Other constituent components of soil-forming rocks are quite easily destroyed, which leads to the enrichment of the soil with certain chemical elements. Obviously, the structure and composition of soil-forming rocks have an extremely strong effect on soil formation. That is why the section "Fundamentals of Geology" in soil science is extremely important.
Plants in the course of their life are capable of synthesizing organic substances and distributing them in the soil in a special way. In living plants, this is the root mass, and in dead plants, the aerial part is plant litter. The decomposition of these plant residues leads to the transfer of chemical elements into the soil, which, in turn, gradually enriches it.
Thanks to the vital activity of microorganisms, biological residues are decomposed and compounds absorbed by plants are synthesized. Plants with microorganisms form certain complexes that lead to the formation of different types of soils. So, in coniferous forests, chernozem will never be formed, for which meadow and steppe plants are needed.
No less important for soil formation and animal organisms. For example, earthmovers constantly break through the soil, which contributes to its loosening and mixing, and this, in turn, provides good aeration and the rapid development of the soil-forming process. Do not forget about the enrichment of the organic part of the soil with their products.life.
Periodic moistening and drying, freezing and thawing cause the formation of deep cracks on the soil surface. At the same time, the processes of air exchange of the soil are violated, and hence the chemical processes. Thus, soil science is a science for which it is important to understand the great variety of processes occurring in the environment.
Who studies soil science and where?
Soil science as an individual subject or as a section within another is studied in the training of specialists in various industries. Often, educational institutions do not even have a faculty of soil science, but geographers, biologists or ecologists teach it.
It is obligatory to study soil science by students studying in the areas of environmental protection and its rational use. Especially in those sectors of the economy that can cause extreme damage to soils: oil and gas production, metallurgy, chemical synthesis and many others.
This discipline is no less important for future specialists in forestry and forestry, landscape design, land management and cadastre, agriculture and agrochemistry, land cadastre and many others.
Faculty at Moscow State University
Despite the fact that there is no institute of soil science in Russia as such, Moscow State University is rightfully considered the center of the study of this science. For the first time, the issue of teaching soil science and the opening of soil science departments in Russian universities was raised and substantiated by V. V. Dokuchaev in1895 But then this proposal of his did not materialize. And only a decade later, in 1906, his supporter, head. A. N. Sabanin, the Department of Agronomy of Moscow State University, introduced the teaching of soil science to students of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, or rather, its natural department. The Department of Soil Science appeared in 1922 on the basis of the Department of Agronomy.
During the long history of the university, the department of soil science in different years belonged to the physical and mathematical, and to the soil-geographical, and geological-soil, and biological-soil faculties. Today, the Faculty of Soil Science is an independent structural unit of the university and includes 11 departments:
- Agrochemistry.
- Geography of soils.
- Soil erosion.
- Agriculture.
- Soil Chemistry.
- Soil science.
- Radioecology.
- Biology of soils.
- Soil physics.
- Soil assessments.
- Agroinformatics.
Training of soil scientists takes place with different levels of higher education: "bachelor of soil science" (duration of study 4 years), "specialist soil scientist" (duration of study - 5 years) and "master of soil science" (duration of study - 6 years).
Postgraduate studies
A postgraduate course works at the Soil Science Faculty of Moscow State University, allowing about 90 future scientists to study at the same time. For this purpose, councils have been created at the faculty for awarding scientific degrees to doctors of biological sciences in the speci alty "Soil Science", doctors and candidates of biological sciences in the speci alty"Biogeochemistry", candidates of biological sciences in the speci alties "Soil Science", "Agrochemistry", "Microbiology" and "Agrosoil Science and Agrophysics".
