International Union of Soil Sciences

The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), founded in 1924 under the name International Society of Soil Science, is a scientific union and member of the International Science Council (ISC).

International Union of Soil Sciences
AbbreviationIUSS
Formation1924; 100 years ago (1924)
TypeINGO
HeadquartersRome
Region served
Worldwide
Official language
English
President
Edoardo Costantini (Italy)
Parent organization
International Science Council
Websiteiuss.org

The Union has 86 national and regional member societies with about 60,000 scientists[1] in several countries and individual members in 57 countries.[citation needed] Every four years, the IUSS holds the World Congress of Soil Science.

As of January 2023, the secretariat was taken over by the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics of Italy.[2] Previously, the secretariat was managed by Sigbert Huber, an officer of the Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt), located in Vienna.

Mission

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The purpose of the IUSS is to promote all branches of soil science and its applications, to promote contacts among scientists and other persons engaged in the study and the application of soil science; to stimulate scientific research and to further the application of such research.

The IUSS is a founding partner of the International Year of Planet Earth and supports all of its activities. The IUSS has contributed to the International Year of Planet Earth's brochure "Soil – earth's living skin", which has been translated into several languages.

The IUSS publishes[3] monthly the IUSS Alert and twice a year the IUSS Bulletin. December 5 is celebrated as the World Soil Day.

Divisions

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The IUSS has Divisions and Commissions in the following areas:

Division 1 – Soils in space and time

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  • C1.1 Soil morphology and micromorphology
  • C1.2 Soil geography
  • C1.3 Soil genesis
  • C1.4 Soil classification
  • C1.5 Pedometrics
  • C1.6 Paleopedology

Division 2 – Soil properties and processes

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  • C2.1 Soil physics
  • C2.2 Soil chemistry
  • C2.3 Soil biology
  • C2.4 Soil mineralogy
  • C2.5 Soil chemical, physical and biological interfacial reactions

Division 3 – Soil use and management

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  • C3.1 Soil evaluation and land use planning
  • C3.2 Soil and water conservation
  • C3.3 Soil fertility and plant nutrition
  • C3.4 Soil engineering and technology
  • C3.5 Soil degradation control, remediation, and reclamation

Division 4 – The role of soil in sustaining society and the environment

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  • C4.1 Soil and the environment
  • C4.2 Soil, food security, and human health
  • C4.3 Soil and land use change
  • C4.4 Soil education and public awareness
  • C4.5 History, philosophy, and sociology of soil science

This structure and the Commissions have grown from the original six Commissions established in 1924.

In addition, the IUSS holds many Working Groups.[4] Every Working Group is associated to a Commission.

President

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Until 2014, the IUSS President was designated by the national soil science society that was responsible for the next World Congress of Soil Science. This was normally a four-year period. The change in office was immediately after closing the World Congress. However, many tasks of scientific leadership were done by a Secretary-General. The last IUSS President according to this regulation was Jae Yang, who acted from the closure of the World Congress 2010 till the closure of the World Congress 2014.

Since 2014, the IUSS President is elected by the IUSS Council for a two-year period. Since 2017, the change in office is January 1. The election is more than two years in advance. The IUSS President is the scientific leader, and the Secretary (instead of the former Secretary-General) is the organizing leader. The first IUSS President according to the new regulation was Rainer Horn, who acted from the closure (June 13) of the World Congress 2014 till December 31, 2016.

Congresses and Presidents

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World Congresses of Soil Science and IUSS Presidents[5]

Nr Congress Location President
24. 2030 Toronto   Canada
23. 2026 Nanjing   China 2025–2026 Victor Okechukwu Chude   Nigeria
2023-2024 Edoardo A.C. Costantini   Italy
22. 2022 Glasgow   United Kingdom 2021–2022 Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez   Mexico
2019–2020 Takashi Kosaki   Japan
21. 2018 Rio de Janeiro   Brazil 2017–2018 Rattan Lal   United States
20. 2014 Jeju-do Island   South Korea 2014–2016 Rainer Horn   Germany
19. 2010 Brisbane, Queensland   Australia 2010–2014 Jae Yang   South Korea
18. 2006 Philadelphia   United States 2006–2010 R.S. Swift   Australia
17. 2002 Bangkok   Thailand 2002–2006 D. L. Sparks   United States
16. 1998 Montpellier   France 1998–2002 S. Theerawong   Thailand
15. 1994 Acapulco   Mexico 1994–1998 A. Ruellan   France
14. 1990 Kyoto   Japan 1990–1994 A.A. Santelises   Mexico
13. 1986 Hamburg   West Germany 1986–1990 A. Tanaka   Japan
12. 1982 New Delhi   India 1982–1986 K.H. Hartge   West Germany
11. 1978 Edmonton, Alberta   Canada 1978–1982 J.S. Kanwar   India
10. 1974 Moscow   Soviet Union 1974–1978 C.F. Bentley   Canada
9. 1968 Adelaide   Australia 1968–1974 V.A. Kovda [ru]   Soviet Union
8. 1964 Bucharest   Romania 1964–1968 E.G. Hallsworth   Australia
7. 1960 Madison, Wisconsin   United States 1960–1964 N.C. Cernescu   Romania
6. 1956 Paris   France 1956–1960 R. Bradfield   United States
5. 1954 Kinshasa (Leopoldville)   DR Congo 1954–1956 A. Oudin   France
4. 1950 Amsterdam   Netherlands 1950–1954 R. Tavernier   Belgium
x 1950 C.H. Edelman   Netherlands
3. 1935 Oxford   England
2. 1930 Leningrad   Soviet Union 1930–1935 J. Russell   United Kingdom
1. 1927 Washington, D.C.   United States 1927–1930 K. Gedroiz   Soviet Union
Fd. 1924 Rome   Italy 1924–1927 J. G. Lipman   United States

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "OSU professor receives top ag award". www.farmanddairy.com. 8 November 2018.
  2. ^ "IUSS Alert 210 (December 2022)". www.iuss.org. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  3. ^ "IUSS Publications".
  4. ^ "List of the IUSS working groups".
  5. ^ IUSS Past Presidents Archived 2019-05-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 02/06/2015.
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