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Division 3 - Soil Use and Management - Paper Submission
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Listed below are the
Symposia for each of the Divisions, Commissions and Working Groups available
within Division 3.
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Precision techniques and other intelligent ways
of land use for crop production, and protection of ground water, flora
and fauna (Joint Divisions 3,4)
Application of agricultural inputs such as nutrients, pesticides, and
irrigation water on agricultural lands is essential for profitable and
sustainable crop production. Reducing input, while improving crop yield
and profit, is challenging in today’s agricultural environment. Spatial
variability of soils and crop production results in both over and under
application of inputs when applied uniformly in the same fields. The
use of precision agricultural techniques and tools allows the
application of right inputs, on the right place of the field, at the
right time, in the right amounts and in the right manner. That means
also that parts of the field can experience intensification and other
parts extensification. Therefore precision farming or more broadly
precision techniques in land use can be used to increase heterogeneity
of soil properties with time which is a chance for a higher richness of
flora and fauna by developing on soils of different nutrient, acidy,
soil physical status, etc. Often the less productive soils are also the
more sensitive soils. Therefore precision farming can be used for soil,
groundwater and river water protection, and erosion reduction. The
precision techniques are also of interest for other fields of soil use.
This symposium will provide a media for researchers to report their
latest advances in precision agricultural techniques and tools that
have resulted in improved soil management and crop production,
reduction of inputs, increased economic returns, and improved
environmental protection. Papers related to soils, crops, groundwater
and habitats would be invited to participate in this symposium.
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Nutrient best management practices: maintaining agriculture and protecting the environment
Commercial chemical fertilizer use is crucial to feeding the world, but
it has to be done without harm to the environment or the resource base,
thus raising the issue of efficient and economic nutrient use. Nutrient
best management practices (BMPs) are found at the intersection of the
rigorous world of science and the practical world of real farms. They
are the best nutrient management tools science can offer farmers to
help them accomplish their objectives associated with productivity,
profitability, system sustainability, and environmental health.
Therefore, they are critical components of any policy intended to
improve nutrient use efficiency and enhance environmental protection
while also contributing to food security and system sustainability.
A global framework for nutrient BMPs is a relatively new, evolving
concept. It is based on the premise that BMP development and
implementation can be accelerated by clearly defining an appropriate
nutrient management strategy within the context of farmers’ crop
management objectives and society’s goals for sustainable development.
The nutrient management strategy is, in its simplest form, application
of the right nutrient source at the right rate, right time, and right
place. An integral part of the framework is a set of performance
indicators related to system objectives that serve as a means of
evaluating the success of the system. The BMP framework offers the
vision that a potential nutrient BMP should not be judged based on its
impact on any single performance indicator, but should be evaluated
based on a balanced set of indicators related to all four management
objectives.
The foundation of the nutrient management strategy at the core of the
framework is scientific principles. These principles connect nutrient
management to the specific cropping system and may relate to nutrient
source, rate, time and place aspects collectively or singularly. The
appropriate application of these principles allows farmers and their
advisers to select and adapt the most appropriate practices for
specific farms or fields.
The efficiency-enhancing power of the framework for agronomic research
and education lies in the universality of the farmer objectives, the
nutrient management strategy, the need for performance indicators, and
the core scientific principles. These are shared by all cropping
systems and by all farmers in all regions of the world. Local,
site-specific factors associated with the crop, soil, farmer, climate,
technology availability and cost, or ecosystem vulnerability will point
towards different specific practices for different sites, but the
principles guiding their selection are universal. The flattening effect
of modern communication technologies enables those recognizing this
universality to capitalize on the work of others, to avoid redundant
research, and to focus on those questions most critical to local
conditions. And, the core universal principles are deserving of the
very best educational materials the global plant nutrition community
can deliver. Simple schematic representation of a nutrient BMP
framework can greatly increase our ability to communicate nutrient
management to non-technical audiences.
This symposium at the World Soils Congress in Brisbane, 2010, will
feature speakers who will give an overview of principles and issues
related to Nutrient Best Management Practices and highlight case
studies of the application of such practices from around the world.
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Further development of soil evaluation methods
The proposal of this symposium is to discuss methodologies of soil evaluation in rural and urban areas.
Soil evaluation methods for industrial soils are new but they can be
very useful in urban planning processes. It allows soil function
prognoses such like as suitability for storm water infiltration or the
suitability as living space for plants. It is also possible to
calculate the soil filter and buffer capacity for harmful substances
and to calculate how much of the function is remaining for future
prevention of groundwater pollution. Additionally, in many urban
agglomerations, the soil cooling function becomes more important.
In rural areas these methodologies (also new aspects like precision
farming) are very useful to understand the soil fertility and its
behaviour and the roots relationship with the soil. Another aspect can
be the locating of areas adapted for nature conservation.
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Farm systems and environmental impacts
How different farm system can contribute with the environmental degradation or recuperation?
Some developing countries have the responsibility of being the
agricultural border associated with the preservation of the last
natural ecosystems of the world. The economical aspect and the
development model in use impose an intensification of the farm systems
and an agrarian dynamic, which brings up the question.
To answer it, we need to join several expertises and experiences that analyse this situation under the most varied angles.
Soil scientist, agronomist, social scientist, economist, ecologist,
farmers and others are very welcome to discuss how to increase the
agricultural production with the environment preservation in tropical
condition.
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Highland agriculture and conservation of soil and water resources
The purpose of this symposium will be focused on soil erosion and water
quality problem and solutions. Since highland agriculture is mostly
located in mountainous region, soil erosion is a major constraint to
productivity. Furthermore, mountainous areas are the primary sources of
fresh running water including drinking water. Erosion and agricultural
pollutants may affect water quality downstream. Proper management on
soil erosion is crucial for sustainability and environmental demand.
This symposium will contribute to expanding our knowledge and
exchanging information between advanced countries and developing
countries. Strong financial support may be necessary for developing
countries located on high mountain regions.
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Improved water and soil management using lysimeters
Nowadays, humanity is faced to the challenges of global climate change.
Water in sufficient quantity and good quality is an essential
prerequisite for life and human development. The adverse impact on
water budget and therewith on the food production has to be
investigated in detail and strategies to mitigate damages on water
resources and nutrition of mankind have to be developed. The lysimeter
is a promising approach to measure impacts on soil water and matter
balance. It represents the link between laboratory and field scale
studies. Therefore, the topics of the symposium / poster theatre are:
(i) Documentation of the technological progress in soil water balance measurement
(ii) Application of lysimeter to study and simulate land use effects
(iii) Lysimeter investigations – basis for modelling and development of improved land use strategies in different scales.
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Integrated nutrient management, innovations in high density cropping and low input systems
The high yield 2-3 crop per year systems in China and the Indo-Gangetic
Plains for example warrant special attention. They produce 12-15 t
grain/yr and have high nutrient demands and inputs. The Symposium could
examine their sustainability: their soil health, nutrient cycling and
environmental impacts. To some extent IRRI looked at this question for
2-3 crop rice systems, and the rice-wheat consortium has examined it in
India. However, there is a lot of work underway in China at present
that will be ready for reporting by 2010.
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Optimizing crop nutrition: Where conventional soil fertility ends and molecular biology begins
In the last 2 decades the amount of knowledge on genes coding for (i)
nutrient transporters in the root-cell plasma membrane as well as (ii)
nutrient transporters involved in the whole-plant nutrient cycling has
increased tremendously. However, none of that knowledge has yet
filtered into the plant production. This Symposium will provide a
critical analysis of some avenues to be explored in genetically
modifying plant capacity to take up and transport nutrients, taking
into account the potential of accumulated genetic and physiological
knowledge versus realities of soil-water environment in which plants
grow. In addition, the capacity to enhance soil fertility by exploring
the relationship between crop genotypes and soil microbial communities
involved in nutrient transformations will also be covered in the
Symposium, especially regarding contribution of bioengineering the
rhizosphere to improved soil fertility management and crop nutrition.
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Assessing soil suitability for septic tanks
Septic tanks and associated drain fields are small-scale, on-site
sewage treatment systems for homes. Under septic tank anaerobic
conditions, sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane are produced
which can cause environmental problems. In addition, low redox
potential keeps phosphate in a soluble mobile form, which can
accelerate eutrophication of water bodies. Thus, septic tanks are a
potential time bomb. Septic systems depend on the soil drain field to
i) keep the effluent out of sight and contact with people; ii) purify
the effluent; and iii) conduct it to groundwater. Soil properties such
as depth to bedrock or an impermeable pan, land slope, and depth to
seasonal high water-table can significantly influence soil suitability
for a septic tank drain field. Criteria for assessing and improving
soil suitability for septic tank construction will be discussed.
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Management of water runoff from construction sites
Construction sites are a major sediment source since on drastically
disturbed land, potential erosion per unit area is much higher than
that on agricultural land. Runoff management and erosion control goals
on construction sites are i) to avoid on-site damage and loss of
topsoil needed for eventual landscaping; and ii) to keep eroded
sediment on-site to avoid off-site impacts on water quality, reduced
soil water storage capacity, sediment deposition on neighboring land,
roads and ditches. Both conventional and state-of-the-art techniques
and ways of managing runoff from construction sites will be discussed.
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Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils – to mobilize or to immobilize?
Unlike organic contaminants, most metals do not undergo microbial or
chemical degradation and the total concentration of these metals in
soils persists for a long time after their introduction. For diffuse
distribution of metals, remediation options generally include
amelioration of soils to minimise the metal bioavailability.
Bioavailability can be minimised through chemical and biological
immobilisation of metals using a range of inorganic and organic
compounds. The more localised metal contamination found in urban
environments is remediated by metal mobilization processes that include
bioremediation (including phytoremediation) and chemical washing.
A number of amendments are used either to mobilise or immobilize heavy
metals in soils. Since one of the primary objectives of remediating
contaminated sites is to manipulate the bioavailability of metals,
in-situ (im)mobilization using some of the soil amendments that are low
in heavy metal content may offer a promising option. However, a major
inherent problem associated with the mobilization technique is that in
the absence of active plant growth the solubilized metal may be subject
to leaching. Similarly in the case of the immobilisation technique the
immobilised metal may become plant available with time through natural
weathering process or through breakdown of high molecular weight
organic-metal complexes.
This Symposium will cover the following aspects:
• Chemodynamics of heavy metals in relation to bioavailability
• Soil amendments used to im(m)obilize heavy metals
• Case studies involving im(m)obilization techniques
• Limitations of im(m)obilization techniques
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Risk assessment and risk based approaches to remediation
An inevitable legacy of industrialization has been the introduction of
contaminants into soils and groundwaters in a number of countries
throughout the world. Policy makers and regulators have grappled with
the decision criteria for remediation over decades. A central theme has
been the distinction between hazard and risk. The presence of
contamination in soils is of concern, but harm to the environment,
public health and ecosystems requires prior exposure. Two policy shifts
have been notable over the last 25 years – firstly, a recognition that
it is the management of the risks posed by contaminants in soil that
should drive remedial action; and secondly, in line with this, that not
all soils require risk management to the same degree. The assessment
and management of contaminated sites is dependent upon the proposed
land use, community and governmental expectations, and the resources
available for the task. Together these concepts form the basis of
risk-based land management (RBLM), which represents a mature,
sustainable approach to the challenges of contaminated land.
This involves quantification of risks posed by contaminants to
end-users and subsequently remediation is only recommended where
contaminants are highly bioavailable. Thus RBLM is based on monitored
natural attenuation (MNA) of toxic substances. Monitored natural
attenuation uses natural processes that decrease the risks posed by
contaminants to environmental and human health. One of the assumptions
of MNA processes is that the contaminant bioavailability in soil
decreases with time (ie. ageing). Consequently bioavailability is used
as the key indicator of potential risk that contaminants pose to both
environmental and human health. Where bioavailability is high, risk
reduction strategies that involve cost-effective treatments are adopted.
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Unravelling processes in acid sulfate soil materials to develop better management technology
Acid sulfate soil materials are widely distributed in both the coastal
and inland regions of the globe. Mismanagement of acid sulfate soil
materials has lead to severe environmental degradation of landscapes by
processes such acidification, release of toxic metals, and the
de-oxygenation of waterways. However, the development of practical and
effective management practices has been hindered by an incomplete
understanding of the processes operating in these materials, and
landscapes containing these materials, when disturbed. Better
management of these materials has been and will continue to be
underpinned by the development of and improved understanding of the
nature of these processes. This symposium will 1) explore the latest
developments aimed at unravelling the processes that operate in acid
sulfate soil materials after both disturbance and remediation practices
have been imposed, and 2) examine new management options that have been
developed from these new understandings.
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Biological and
non-biological factors in controlling forest soil processes and functions in
response to local management practices and global climate change
This
symposium will present the recent developments and applications of innovative
approaches and advanced technologies for assessing the impacts of major
biological and non-biological factors on important forest soil processes and
functions under different local management practices and global climate change.
There will be focuses on improving our understanding and management of critical
links between these biological and non-biological factors, particularly in the
context of interactive links between below-ground and above-ground processes in
response to global climate change and alternative mitigation strategies.
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Pedogenesis and functioning of soils in urban and industrial areas
Soils in areas highly disturbed by human activities exhibit specific
composition and properties. They are made of large amounts of
technogenic materials which may control their functioning and
evolution. This symposium is specifically designed to present the state
of knowledge on Technosols, the new group of the WRB. Emphasis will be
put on classification of Technosols, chemical, physical and biological
properties which control the functioning and pedogenesis of Technosols.
Management of Technosols in densely populated areas will be addressed
in relation to health, environmental and socio-economic constraints.
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Impact of global changes on soil salination. Consequences for ecosystems and irrigated agriculture
The symposium will cover issues related to the effect of changing
meteorological, hydrological and production conditions on soil salinity
and resultant ecological changes and impacts on irrigated agriculture.
Chemical and physical changes in soil properties, related to shifting
levels of soil moisture, salinity, sodicity, alkalinity will be
discussed. Presentations are welcomed on prediction of possible
changes, studies of current changes, and options to mitigate
unfavorable consequences.
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Paddy soils and water scarcity: emerging issues and
challenges in Asian and African rice-based systems
As a result of the increasing water scarcity in many
regions, rice researchers and farmers around the globe search for new
technologies reducing the water needed for rice production. However, water
management in rice-based systems has not only important implications for rice
production and management, but greatly affects paddy soil characteristics and
processes typical for these soils. Changes in the water management of paddy
soils will affect nutrient availability, carbon and nutrient cycles, soil
organisms, and many eco-system services taken for granted today. Given the
global importance of rice as a staple for the world and the extent of paddy
soils, the interactions between paddy soils, their hydrology, and the
environment need renewed attention. The symposium will address related issues
in the context of the global food crisis and the global climate change, with a
focus on Asian and African rice-based systems.
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