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Soil Research

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• Soil science is among the least diverse fields in STEM. “Race and racism in soil science,” a new paper by Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Teamrat A. Ghezzehei, asks how this lack of diversity impacts the field. How can soil scientists apply antiracist practices and policies to reverse this problematic trend?

 

• Last year’s paper by Bavaye on hyperbole and bypass in soil science has started a fascinating public reflection on the state of this crucial discipline. In the most recent addition to the conversation, early career researchers reflect on how the publish-or-perish research culture is shaping the discipline, and what the obligations of established colleagues are to rectify the issues.

 

• A paper on the interactions between carbon, soil and soil enzymes raises new questions about how long sequestered carbon can stay in the ground. The Princeton study shows soil enzymes can help release carbon molecules from clay particles, making them accessible to soil microbes and more mobile in soil ecosystems.

 

• Soil & Plastics: Microplastics are contaminating farm soils more than oceans, says a new article in Civil Eats. Microplastics make their way into farm soils through sewage sludge used for fertilizer, plastic mulches, fertilizers and seed coatings, and can increase contaminant uptake in plants. A team at the Free University of Berlin is studying the impacts microplastics have on soil and water, suggesting microplastics damage soil ecosystems as much as drought. In Spain, a new study from Almería, also known as "the sea of plastic" visible from space, shows that the intensive use of plastics in greenhouses since the 1970s has led to a dramatic accumulation of microplastics in seagrass soil. 

 

• Plant roots respond to compacted soils through a biological “off switch” that restricts plant growth. This study by Pandey et al. found that when soil compaction reduces porosity and gas diffusion, ethylene accumulation in root tissues triggers a hormone response that restricts growth. The findings could help researchers determine how to grow plants in compacted and degraded soils.

 

• New research has found that more than 70% of soil bacteria feed on the hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane in the air we breathe. The paper, published in Nature Microbiology, suggests soil bacteria could play a key role in regulating atmospheric pollution and climate change. 

 

• The Traditional Medicine Group has discovered an antimicrobial streptomyces species in ancient Irish soil used in folk medicine may aid the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs. 

 

• A study by Sylvain Monteux and Ellen Dorrepaal at Umeå University shows that projected CO2 released from warming Arctic permafrost may underestimate emissions from increasingly diverse soil bacterial communities. 

 

• What constitutes ‘progress’ in farming in relation to soils? This new archeological research finds that sophisticated means of maintaining soil fertility existed throughout Europe everywhere, to a greater or lesser extent, since the very beginnings of agricultural history, confirming the high level of skill in prehistoric and Early Medieval farming practices. 

 

• Is the Amazon a wilderness to conserve, or a resource to extract? Research on the Amazonian anthroposols, cultivated forests, and earthworks, shows the long entangled story of humans and ecosystems which goes beyond such questions, and demands a future of land use which protects both humans and other lives. 

 

• Engineers at the University’s Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering have designed self-watering “hydrogel soil” that pulls water from the air. 

 

• Purdue University scientists found that the soil microbe trichoderma harzianum helps wild tomato growth and disease defense, while most varieties under cultivation lack the ability to benefit from these soil microbial partnerships. Scientists hope the genes could strengthen modern hybrids. 

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Soil Policy

 

• A new report from the Microbiology Society is urging microbiologists to partner with farmers and agricultural colleges to expand research on soil health.

 

• Researchers call for greater attention to soil biodiversity in international conservation efforts in a recent Science paper by C.A. Guerra el al. Their appeal goes out to the 196 nations who are currently negotiating a new strategy to protect biodiversity within the framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

 

• 25 institutions from 24 European countries have come together to form the EJP SOIL commission to provide sustainable agricultural soil management solutions which target climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable agricultural production, ecosystem services and restoration and prevention of land and soil degradation.

 

• A new FAO resource - SoiLEX - provides information about legal instruments for soil protection and soil governance around the world.

 

• No-till practices significantly reduce soil erosion in vulnerable areas, and a new framework distinguishes managed and natural soil structure based on different formation processes and functions.

 

• Canada is set to invest up to 55 million Canadian dollars in the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund. The Fund supports private sector projects in developing countries that use sustainable land management techniques to restore degraded ecosystems and adapt to green economies.

 

​Other News

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• Soil erosion costs U.S. corn farmers half a billion dollars every year, a new study from the University of Colorado has found.

 

• Compacted Martian soil has prevented the InSight “Mars Mole” from taking the planet’s internal temperature. Scientists determined Martian soil is “too thick” and have abandoned their plans for now. 

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New Resources for Growers

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• This comprehensive new resource - the Good Soil Guide - discusses practical tips for soil health management and resilience. 

 

• The Rodale Institute will host a three-part webinar on No-Till Organic Cover Cropping for Weed Suppression and Soil Health, beginning February 3. 

 

• The Soil Health U and Trade Show took place January 21, 2021 and session recordings are now available online.

 

• The Living Soil Handbook by Farmer Jesse of the No Till Grower’s podcast is now available for pre-order from Chelsea Green Publishing.

 

Fun & Soily Educational Resources!

 

• Sierra Magazine has published a beautiful article on the degradation of cryptogamic soils in US National Parks that discusses current research to rebuild damaged biocrusts. 

 

• Artists and soil scientists use pigments collected from soils and ash in this fun story published in Smithsonian Magazine.

 

• A BBC Food article looks at the importance of soil health, the UK’s soil crisis,  and suggests ways for people to become involved.

 

• A mesmerizing time lapse. Check out this short and soothing video: “Three Earthworm Species, Three Different Lifestyles”.

 

• Are urban soils included in the no-till revolution? Loren Byrne discusses the importance of urban habitats, making the case for greater attention to these often-overlooked “no-till” soil ecosystems.

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