مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد کنگره علوم خاک ایران – الزویر ۲۰۱۸

This study describes the history and outcomes of the Iranian Soil Science Congress (ISSC). From 1972, the Soil Science Society of Iran (SSSI) has organized 15 ISSCs. The ISSC has been organized at six disciplines including (I) soil chemistry, (II) soil physics, (III) soil genesis and classification, (IV) soil biology, (V) soil erosion and conservation, (VI) soil fertility and plant nutrition, this structure still has remained. In the past 25 years, 7864 papers have been presented at ISSC and the soil fertility and plant nutrition discipline has the highest number of papers. The number of papers published in the ISSC has sextupled in the 10 years from 2001 to 2011, followed by a sharp decline (i.e., 43%) in 2015. Despite the large number of papers presented in the ISSCs, knowledge about how soils should be governed is little. It is expected that studies on climate change will have a special place among Iranian soil scientists in the future. To increase trends in environmental challenges and policy issues, interdisciplinary approaches are required. Therefore, Iranian soil scientists require national and international collaboration and communication with scientists in other disciplines to successfully manage the soils. Unfortunately, there are several pessimism and concerns on the future of soil science in Iran. To get out of this situation, modeling from the successful countries in this field seems necessary.

Introduction

Soil is essential for life and identified as being central to many of the challenges facing society, including food, water, energy security and supporting biodiversity, all of which contribute to human health (Bouma, 2014; McBratney et al., 2014; Arrouays et al., 2017). The soil is a critical component in understanding global issues and these require research that leads to understanding and solutions at national and regional levels (Hartemink, 2014). Soil science is special and maturing science that became a scientific discipline in the 19th century when agricultural chemists and agrogeologists combined their efforts and soils were seen as natural bodies that ought to be studied independently (Hartemink et al., 2014). The content of soil science is uneasily placed between natural science on the one hand, and the world of professional practice on the other (Philip, 1991). In the first half of the 20th century, soil science grew rapidly and established some sub-disciplines such as pedology, soil chemistry, soil biology, soil fertility and soil physics (Brevik and Hartemink, 2010). Although, the soil science developments have been different in various parts of the world, one of the main pillars in the development of the soil science discipline has been the formation of an international learned society. The International Society of Soil Science (ISSS) or its successor the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) has played a major role in the development and promotion of soil science as a discipline. Since the ISSS had paid little attention to historical developments, a working group was formed to deal with the history and sociology of soil science at the 12th congress of ISSS, held in New Delhi in 1982 (Boulaine, 1989). The IUSS provides opportunities to: (i) ensure the advancement of soil science and its application, (ii) to handle the business of the society, (iii) working groups through the World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS). The Soil Science Society of Iran (SSSI) as a member of IUSS was formed 45 years ago with the aim of exchanging the latest research results and international sharing the advanced research methods in soil and environmental issues. The SSSI started with 5 members and presently has nearly 1223 members. Number of SSSI members increased dramatically (i.e., 5 versus 1223) over time from 1992 to 2017. From 1992 to 2000, the number of members grew steadily but between 2000 and 2017 the growth occurred with a higher rate (Fig. 1). This paper aims to investigate the history and outcomes of the ISSC from 1972 to 2017.