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We attempted to consider Albarella island as a model for estimating the ability of humans and the capacity of the environment to react to climate change. On its 550 hectares, this island hosts management centers, 2800 private homes, several restaurants and hotels, shops, public and private swimming pools, a golf course, beaches, green areas equipped to satisfy the 2,000 stable inhabitants and more than 110,000 annual tourists. We collected data on the following variables: 1) net storage of the semi-natural ecosystems; 2) diet of humans staying on the island; 3) fossil energy currently used to keep the island economically active; 4) electricity demand; 5) waste produced and 6) transportation. A dynamic simulation model of the island’s CO2 equivalent emissions proposes two scenarios that illustrate how these variables can change over the next 10 years if the management remains that of the present days, or switching to all photovoltaics, proposing new diets to inhabitants and tourists, planting trees on half of the island’s lawns. In the second case, CO2 eq emissions lowered to a level of 50 years ago (10 kt y-1). Taken to the level of planet Earth, the model nurtures a seed of hope.

Continuing nitrogen (N) deposition has a wide-ranging impact on terrestrial ecosystems. To test the hypothesis that, under N deposition, bacterial communities could suffer a negative impact, and in a relatively short timeframe, an experiment was carried out for a year in an urban area featuring a cover of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and simulating environmental N deposition. NH4NO3 was added as external N source, with four dosages (N0 = 0 kg N ha&minus, 2 y&minus, 1, N1 = 50 kg N ha&minus, 1, N2 = 100 kg N ha&minus, 1, N3 = 150 kg N ha&minus, 1). We analyzed the bacterial community composition after soil DNA extraction through the pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicons. N deposition resulted in soil bacterial community changes at a clear dosage-dependent rate. Soil bacterial diversity and evenness showed a clear trend of time-dependent decline under repeated N application. Ammonium nitrogen enrichment, either directly or in relation to pH decrease, resulted in the main environmental factor related to the shift of taxa proportions within the urban green space soil bacterial community and qualified as a putative important driver of bacterial diversity abatement. Such an impact on soil life induced by N deposition may pose a serious threat to urban soil ecosystem stability and surrounding areas.

International audience; Soils and crops are nowadays particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stresses. In many agrosystems, soil biodiversity and the ecosystem services soil provides are under threat from a range of natural and manmade drivers. Agricultural soils are perturbated by the agronomic practices so far adopted, that disrupt soil trophic networks to a large extent, and make soils less and less productive in the long term. In this scenario, sustainable soil uses aimed at improving plant/root status, growth and development play a crucial role, as they have been found to enhance the biological capacity of agricultural soils. This review paper is divided into five parts: a) The contentious nature of soil organic matter. A few points in Lehmann and Kleber's article may mislead thinking but this doesn't necessarily mean that they were right. b) Soil physicochemical quality and changes in soil organic matter. c) Soil biological quality/fertility. Soils are alive, organic, full of life. d) Soil classification. The concepts contained in the first three points were well known to the fathers of pedology. Unfortunately, their principles have been lost over time. e) Which agricultural practices can be defined as sustainable? The published literature was analyzed within a holistic view, with agrosystems considered as living systems where soil, vegetation, fauna and microorganisms co-evolve and are reciprocally influenced. Ultimately, this review will suggest a better stewardship of agricultural soils as a natural capital.

One of the new objectives laid out by the European Union’s Common Agriculture Policy is increasing environmental sustainability. In this paper we compare the degree of average dependence index for each member state (ADIMS) in EU28 from 2007 to 2019 in order to verify the following: (1) whether there was a difference in this index when comparing two CAP periods—(a) from 2007 to 2013 and (b) from 2014 to 2019—and (2) which crops had a larger effect on the ADIMS. The study showed no significant variation in the average ADIMS at EU level between the first (2007–2013) and second (2014–2019) CAP periods. The AIDMS index highlighted three types of EU agriculture: (1) agriculture in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, characterized by a high level of ADIMS (10.7–22) due to the widespread cultivation of oil crops as rapeseed and sunflower; (2) Mediterranean agriculture including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus and France with lower AIDMS levels (5.3–10.3) given their heterogeneous crop portfolios with different degrees of dependence on animal pollination (almond, soy, rapeseed, sunflower and tomatoes) and (3) continental agriculture including Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Baltic countries, Benelux, Finland, Sweden and Ireland, which are characterized by the lowest ADIMS level (0.7–10.6) due to the widespread cultivation of cereals (anemophily and self-pollination) which increase the denominator of the index. The study suggests that a sustainable management of the agroecosystem will be possible in the future only if CAP considers pollinators’ requirements by quantifying the timing and spatial food availability from cultivated and uncultivated areas.

International audience; The SETA group (Agricultural Science and Technology) sent a letter to the Italian Parliament advising them not to adopt a legislative measure that favors organic and biodynamic agriculture compared to the conventional one. Another group of scientists thinks instead that the Italian government should favor organic and biodynamic agriculture and explains its reasons. The current article lists the SETA letter and the point of view of other Italian and international ecologists, economists, pedologists, ecologists, writers and artists, which are tendentially “protectors of nature” but not idealists. Nor are they so much in agreement with each other. Judge for yourself in scrolling through the Discussion chapter. The divergence leads to the “why” it is necessary to switch to organic farming not on the “need” to do so. There are also disappointments about the use of GMOs orthe costs of highly technological agriculture. The situation is such on planet Earth that it is necessary to involve the whole society to get out of it. In addition, politicians are also needed to structure the collective action that only if conceived by the whole society and not by individuals or by non-coordinated organizations can save our species. We are convinced that agriculture and soil are among the fundamental levers of this action.

This article illustrates a short training course for students at the Master's level, which explores relationships between plants and soil. It takes place in the Forest of Fontainebleau (France), where a reception centre with a large room (30 m2) is located containing a Berlese equipment, and many microscopes. On the first day, students are accompanied by their professors in the field and visit the four sites which are located along an ecological transect. Vegetation and soils at each site are presented to them by specialists. In the laboratory, indications are written on a black board, explaining how to use relatively simple tools for biological investigations (microscopes, GPS, Berlese funnel, photometer, flora and fauna guides…). Students are then divided into 4 groups of 4–6 students. Each group is assigned a site which is then described and analysed. At the end, each group produces a written report. Are the measured parameters interrelated within each site? Are there functioning principles that may distinguish the four stations? Three professors are always present and accompany the students in the field or in the laboratory so as to provide help when necessary. After a brief moment of uncertainty, students are able to quickly organise themselves and after three days identify the essential elements of these ecosystems. They also learn how a real biologist observes a forest ecosystem. They discover that plants, soil and animals are interconnected and form a natural functioning system. Students thus learn that nonetheless, it is difficult to have clearly identified boundaries between the investigated forest stations, because the gradient between them is gradual and ecologically indefinite.

This contribution aimed to underline the relationship between humus forms, vegetation types and wild mammals disturbance in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem: Castelporziano Presidential Reserve- CPR (Rome, Italy). Humus forms were surveyed along a transect from coast to inland in five forest plant associations representative of evergreen and deciduous forests in the Reserve. The organic carbon-OC and other parameters (pH, Ntot, Moisture) were evaluated in the humus form horizons in the five associations to focus differences in the ecosystem functioning. Principal Component Analysis-PCA was performed on a floristic matrix of 113 plant species × 32 releves and Pearson correlation test was applied to the PCA axes coordinates versus 38 factors, among which 36 measured in the soil and two indicators of disturbance. This integrated study between soil and vegetation highlighted four main points: classification and functioning of the humus forms, ecological gradients, wild mammals impact, organic carbon storage.

One day, I was at work on my knees inspecting a soil profile when two young women arrived in the same forest cheerfully conversing amongst themselves. They began to take infrared photographs here and there. They did not see me at first as I was in a soil hole that I had dug for my research. They were studying how art and science could interact by “questioning” trees. They looked for their infrared “answers”, mainly on the trunks and leaves.

International audience; Soils formed in tidal and subtidal environments often do not show sufficient accumulation of undecomposed plant tissues to be classified as Histosols. In this article we present a first attempt of morpho-functional classification of aquatic humus, a revision of the terminology and of the diagnostic features employed by pedologists in the description of aqueous and submerged soils, and we finally suggest some criteria to be used during field investigations. According to the proposed criteria, Redoxi, Reductitidal, and Subtidal humus forms can be distinguished in aquatic systems, avoiding any possible confusion with Histic, Epihisto, Hydro and Para Anaero/Archaeo or Crusto humus forms. The article concludes with some examples of classification, including prefixes for detailing particular intergrades with the other groups of humipedons and with the discussion of the contribution of algae and seagrasses to the formation of Crusto forms.

The article is structured in six sections. A first portion is dedicated to the state of the art concerning climatic change and agriculture. Internet available IPCC maps and cartographic documents made by scientific Centres of research were used for illustrating forecasted climatic changes. In Sections 2 and 3, bibliographic evidences were collected for supporting a vegetation and soil co-evolution theory. Humus, soil and vegetation systems are presented at planet level in many synthetic maps. In Sections 4, 5 and 6 the authors discussed the human influence on the soil evolution during the Anthropocene. It appears that humans detected and used the Mull humus systems all over planet Earth for crop production and pasture. Human pressure impoverished these humus systems, which tend to evolve toward Amphi or Moder systems, losing their natural biostructure and carbon content. Published version false (Extension publication?)

International audience; This paper presents the specific terms of vocabulary and diagnostic horizons necessary for a field classification of submerged Histic humipedons (peats, moors). It is simply an exposition of definitions placed side by side with photographic samples, with rather practical interest. The knowledge reported here is mandatory for people wanting to use the key of classification of these humipedons presented in Humusica 2, article 10. The paper illustrates with schemes the spatial and functional relationships between diagnostic horizons of different Histic humipedons.

Plant protection is essential for providing high-quality food in adequate quantities. However, the use of insecticides often induces adverse effects on environment and human health. The Agency for the Environmental Protection of Tuscany (Italy) arranges pesticide ingredients in five classes basing on their impact on human health. We classified the pesticide treatments carried out by 48 winegrowers of the Veneto Region (Italy) in relation to the active ingredients contained into the used pesticides over a three-year period (2015–2017). It was found that the cost of insecticides and their class of impact were related, and that the cost's pressure led farmers to favor insecticides with active ingredients having a high negative impact on human health. The same active ingredients are used worldwide. We propose to implement taxation measures and subsidies to deter the use of the most harmful insecticides. Keywords: Insecticides, Biodiversity decline, Sustainable viticulture, Human health, Vine cultivation

Quality of Experience (QoE) should be the driver for network orchestration in 4G networks. At the same time, the network must be able to cope with high bandwidth requirements from applications such as video streaming, while dealing with a large number of users. This paper proposes a network orchestrator that adjusts network parameters to improve QoE of video streaming. The orchestrator uses Device-to-Device (D2D) communication to improve user's QoE, also reducing the demand on 4G network. The use of D2D is triggered by a machine learning engine. Experiments made in a physical testbed show an improvement on the mean horizontal video resolution from 768 to 1280 pixels, as well as a decrease of around 90% at the impact on the QoE, considering the number of video resolution changes. Finally, the demand on the network backhaul is decreased by around 38%.

International audience; The name TerrHum is an abbreviation of the words “Terrestrial” (not hydromorphic, not submerged) and “Humipedon” (organic and organic-mineral humus horizons). With this application, it is possible to describe and classify terrestrial forest and grassland topsoils in a system published as a Special Issue entitled “Humusica 1– Terrestrial Natural Humipedons” in the journal Applied Soil Ecology. The iOS application TerrHum allows the storage of the main content of Humusica 1 on a cellular phone. Images, diagrams and simplified tables of classification may be recalled with a few touches on the screen. Humus forms, representing five humus systems, are classified based on the vertical arrangement of diagnostic horizons and their attributes. TerrHum allows accessing specific figures that are stored in a virtual cloud and can be downloaded the first time the user recalls them. Once all figures have been opened in the device, the application is ready to use, without any further internet connection. The application is in continuous evolution.

International audience; Philosophy can overlap pedology. It is not casual that life begins and finishes in the soil. We separated the concepts of Humipedon, Copedon and Lithopedon. Some sections were dedicated to the founders of the movement for a new type of agriculture (agroecology). They simply proclaim to accompany the process of natural evolution instead of spending a lot of energy in hunting competitor organisms with pesticides or boosting the soil with mineral fertilisation and tillage. The core of the article is built on a biological concept of the soil and shows researches supporting this view. After pointing to the soil structure and illustrating its natural genesis, explaining which cultural conditions may improve its quality, we finished the article with economic considerations, combining at planet level a program of soil restoration with a mitigation of the greenhouse effect. What a reader should have in mind at the end of the article: soil organisms have a prominent positive influence on soil structure and fertility; their mass is proportional to the amount of soil organic matter; it is possible to counteract climate warming by using soil as sink of C. We estimated that the Agro Humipedons of a European economically active region could sink about 13 or 20% of its emissions, by switching from conventional to minimum or no tillage during the coming 40 years. At planetary level, a well-programmed 4 per 1000 action can even be more efficient and might compensate part of the global greenhouse gas effect.

International audience; This article is an as simple as possible key of classification of terrestrial (aerobic, not submerged) topsoils (organic and organic-mineral series of soil horizons). Based on the introduction exposed in Humusica 1, article 1, and using vocabulary and definitions listed in article 4, a classification is proposed for better understanding the biological functioning of the soil, partially disclosing the process of litter digestion. Five types of terrestrial topsoils, called terrestrial humus systems, are described and illustrated with the help of photographs. Within each humus system, 3–4 humus forms are also revealed, corresponding to similar series of soil horizons generated in a relatively homogeneous environment whose range of ecological factors is not so large to overstep and cause the genesis of another different humus system. The article ends with a figure that shows the relationship between Tangel and Amphi humus systems, and a dichotomous key of classification that one can easily print and bring in the field for practicing humus classification.

International audience; Terms and concepts have been defined in Humusica 1, article 1 and the functioning of humus systems has been discussed in Humusica 1, article 2. Here a short overview of the matter, showing humus systems in their environment, is provided for beginners, before making field investigations. The present work is intended as a part of the field manual (Humusica 1 and 2), an illustrated, easy-to-use application tool for humus systems classification, helpful even for not (yet) expert pedologists. The present article gives also a fast look at the classification, sharing Terrestrial, Histic, Aqueous and Para humus systems, every group being defined by its characteristics set in synthetic tables, and suggests a step-by-step approach allowing everyone to classify and investigate humus systems and forms.

Functional studies of tree decline have mainly focused on process inside the plant showing possible alterations of carbon transport, storage and hydraulic functions. However, the processes occurring at the plant-soil interface have been seldom investigated. Our objective is to examine carbon functional alterations in the belowground compartment in the case of a long term beech decline. Soil and nutrient content profiles were characterized under five healthy and five declining trees. Seasonal root growth and rhizodeposition were characterized using, ingrowth cores, and microbial biomass combined with soluble carbon organic content, respectively. Podzolisation associated with soil acidification and deficiencies in Ca, Mg and Mn were observed in the soil under declining trees, but not under healthy trees. Spring fine root growth was higher in declining trees than in healthy trees but there were only minor differences concerning rhizodeposition proxies. In our study, we showed that the tree health status is associated to a marked heterogeneity of soil characteristics. Podzolisation close to declining trees leads to a local mineral deficiency which probably stimulates their fine root growth but without altering their flux of carbon exudates.

By inverting the movement of the galaxies, which are constantly moving (except the ones forming local clusters) away from each other and thanks to a system of complex equations, astrophysicists have found that all matter detected in a 13.799 billion light-year radius was originally contained in a volume 10 24 times smaller than an atom. In the same spirit, a relationship between the processes of biodegradation and the general evolution of the entire universe is suggested in this short communication. This reflexion aims at answering questions related to humus systems from a biological perspective: Why is life always the result of recycling of previously formed structures? Why do organisms get old and die? The cyclic succession of life and death can be puzzling and may go beyond a scientific discussion into a more existential realm relating matter, life essences, and even philosophical or religious considerations. To read in moderation.

International audience; The Special Issue Humusica 1 corresponds to a field guide for the classification of terrestrial humus systems and forms. The present first article of the issue defines vocabulary, objects and concepts necessary for: (a) field investigation, (b) understanding the process of classification, (c) assigning ecological significance to the defined morpho-functional units, (d) discussing and exchanging scientific data about humus systems. The article starts with general considerations, as the necessity humans have to classify natural objects for sharing ideas and information on them. Then the article focuses on soil as functional element of every ecosystem. Historical and recently published international definitions of soil are reported and compared to the more biological definition of the authors of the paper. Once the concept “soil” is clarified, the soil profile is shared in three new sub-units, for further specialised investigations. The superficial and organic-rich sub-unit is labelled Humipedon. In the rest of the article, authors explain the different constituents of a general humipedon, introducing even novice soil scientists to field practice and topsoil observation. A general overview of the variety of humipedons that one may expect to find all over planet Earth, classified in humus systems and forms, concludes the article.

Some soil scientists or biologists (14, one preferring anonymity) answered the three following questions: (1. Introduction) 2. Why is organic food better (tastes better, is healthier, richer in nutrients, contains less pesticide, etc.) than food produced with hydroponic or intensive farming techniques? 3. In a humipedon, are soil functioning, biodiversity and carbon content three interdependent and intersected aspects of a single ecosystem? In other words, can we treat these aspects as if they were inseparable in a humipedon? 4. Are agriculture and civilization (the society, culture, and way of life) interconnected? All scientists expressed affirmative answers. Nuances or in depth information were also furnished. The article allows to understand the real “agronomic challenge” that the predicted Global Change might represent for humanity.

International audience; The processes of formation and evolution of Histic humipedons are related to the soil/water dynamics. In a first part of the paper we present diagnostic features and horizons necessary for describing the intergrade humipedons existing between Histic and Hydro humipedons. Called Epihistic (" superficial " Histic), these humipedons are very common and help in better defining the relationships between plant and soil in semi-terrestrial environments. In a second part of the paper we set some information about biological activities and correlated environmental frames of Histic and Epihisto units. The article concludes with dynamic relationships between humipedons, describing them in fen or bog ecosystems, allowing the interpretation of complex wetlands. The present manuscript updates the description and classification of semi-terrestrial humus forms previously published by Zanella et al. (2011a, 2011b).

International audience; Litter biodegradation is a process of life. Organisms feed, reproduce, die and decompose. Decomposition is essential, and it is never complete. In addition, the elements generated by this process become new bricks for building more complex structures in a dynamically evolving environment. In this article, we show some pictures of the main actors in litter biodegradation. We also try to associate living organisms to the soil aggregates they generate, furnishing photographs of organisms and aggregates visible in the field even with a naked eye. The transformation of dead bodies, organs or cells and droppings in the soil ecosystem is influenced by biotic and abiotic factors and hence it must be considered as a dynamic, never ending, local evolution. Instead of focusing on specific data, we have tried to present the involved phenomena to a non-specialised public (naturalists, students, teachers, etc.) through the use of graphical schemes, indicating arrows, photographs, and drawings. In the end, readers will be aware that things are not as simple as expected, that static models cannot give a precise image of a reality in constant evolution. The article can be inspected as a photo album, read as a comic strip or used as a dictionary. The authors aim to illustrate rather than to explain the relationships between humus systems, climate and biodiversity.

International audience; Planet Earth is covered by very common Terrestrial (not submersed), Histic (peats) and Aqueous (tidal) humipedons. Beside these typical topsoils there are other more discrete humipedons, generated by the interaction of mineral matter with microorganisms, fungi and small plants (algae, lichens and mosses). In some cases roots and their symbionts can be a driving force of litter biotransformation, in other cases a large amount of decaying wood accommodates particular organisms which interfere with and change the normal process of litter decomposition. Particular microorganisms inhabit submerged sediments or extreme environments and can generate specialised humipedons with grey-black or even astonishingly flashing colours. We describe all these common but still unknown humipedons, defining diagnostic horizons and proposing a first morpho-functional classification, which still has to be improved. At the end of the article, the hypothesis of evolving and interconnected Cosmo, Aero, Hydro, Humi, Co, Litho and Geopedons (related to the microbiota) is formulated as a speculative curiosity.

International audience; Techno humus systems correspond to man-made topsoils under prominent man influence. They may be purposely conceived for supporting agricultural activities or dumping of waste products, sometimes abandoned to an unknown evolution. Both categories needed a more scientific frame. This is the reason we classified them as morpho-functional humus systems. Improving agricultural soils with organic waste products is an ancestral practice. We present four examples of Techno humus systems purposely created for supporting plant growth. Considering a simple home-made compost pile, we give a few basic notions about the biological functioning of these artificial humus systems. Humipedon functioning and structuration are similar to those observed in natural humus systems. Using even animal manure, we illustrate how to manage larger compost piles of waste for application in farming areas. Composting waste that contains animal proteins needs a more careful measurement of the temperature of the pile and a longer period of elevated temperature in the core of the pile. Mulching of pruning residues is presented in a large urban context. The use of mulch must take into account the quality and composition of woody material. The lack of nutrients in some residues has to be compensated by a moderate use of appropriate mineral fertilizers. Municipal solid waste, anaerobic digestion residues (grape remains) and spent mushroom compost, eventually mixed with mineral fertilizers, have been tested in horticulture. Benefits and drawbacks are listed for each experiment, with the evolution of carbon storage along 8 years of horticultural practice. Finally, we present an example of “dump” humus system. Mine tailing wastes represent a huge problem in many countries. Pointing to their microbial activity, we show that they must be seen as manageable living humipedons, not as piles of inert rocky material.

International audience; The aim of this article is to present a sort of state of the art from a soil classification point of view. How far are soils from their original natural state? A few years ago, the two most important soil classification systems added a classification of anthropogenic soils. Even so, although the concept of anthropogenic soil differs slightly in the two systems, it is easy to recognize these soils all around us, in both urban and agricultural contexts. After presenting the main types of anthropogenic soils, using WRB or Soil Taxonomy characteristics, we will focus on anthropogenic humipedons, presenting a table where they are subdivided into two new units called Agro (natural topsoils used for agricultural purposes) and Techno (human-made humus systems). This allows to conceptually compare soil and humipedon classifications, and prepares the field for further investigations on Agro (Humusica 2, article 15) and Techno (Humusica 2, article 16) humipedons.

International audience; The present paper should be read after the six preceding articles dealing with fundamental concepts, vocabulary, principles and keys of our morpho-functional classification of humus systems and forms, the whole book being conceived as a guide for field studies. It now concerns seven questions which may arise when passing from knowledge to practice or, in other terms, from concepts to real things. In the field, humipedons can differ from reported photographs. Trees, bushes and/or herbs interfere with soil functioning and may generate different humipedons even over a relatively small surface. More generally a researcher must select a few unit plots representative of a given natural floor for defining the frame of his investigation. In this article, authors present some practical and theoretical landmarks and illustrate some solutions for studying humipedons in common natural sites, and replacing them within ecosystem dynamics.

Born in Trento (Italy, 2003) for the purpose of standardising vocabulary and units of humus form classification, after publishing a first synthetic classification e-book (Zanella et al. 2011) they do not cover all site conditions in the European area. Although having basic concepts and general lines, the European (and North American, Canadian, the Humus group decided to use its classification for handling global change (Zanella and Ascher-Jenull 2018). The process is detailed in many scientific articles published in three Special Issues (Humusica 1, 2 and 3) of the journal Applied Soil Ecology. Conceptually, the whole of Humusica answers three crucial questions: A) What is soil? Soil is a biological ecosystem. It recycles dead structures and implements mineral material, furnishing more or less re-elaborated organic, mineral and organic-mineral elements to support living organisms. Article chapters: 1. Essential vocabulary; 2. Soil covers all the Earth’s surfaces (soil as the seat of processes of organic matter storage and recycling); 3. Soil may be involved in the process of natural evolution (through organisms’ process of recycling biomass after death). B) If soil has a biogenic essence, how should it be classified to serve such managerial purposes as landscape exploitation or protection? A useful classification of soil should consider and propose useful references to biologically discriminate soil features. Article chapters: 4. Soil corresponds to a biogenic structure; 5. TerrHum, an App for classifying forest humipedons worldwide (a first attempt to use a smartphone as a field manual for humus form classification). C) How can this soil classification be used for handling the current global change? Using the collected knowledge about the biodiversity and functioning of natural (or semi-natural) soil for reconstructing the lost biodiversity/functioning of heavily exploited or degraded soils. Article chapters: 6. Agricultural soils correspond to simplified natural soils (comparison between natural and agricultural soils); 7. Organic waste and agricultural soils; 8. Is traditional agriculture economically sustainable? Comparing past traditional farm practices (in 1947) and contemporary intensive farm practices in the Venice province of Italy.

International audience; Agro humus systems correspond to agricultural humipedons. Specific terms and diagnostic horizons are defined and topsoil profiles are described. With this new vocabulary, which focuses on the biological structure of the A horizon, we can compare these humipedons with their original natural expression. Under human pressure for agricultural purposes, natural humipedons evolve toward anthropic Mull (See Humusica 1, articles 5 and 6 for natural humus horizons) or Amphi (Mull with layers of still not incorporated OH organic horizons) humus systems. In each humus system, we define a few humus forms in order to estimate the biological health of the soil, with a rapid observation realisable in the field by the naked eye. Histic anthropic Anmoor is also possible, as well as Hydro or Epihistic intergrades to Terrestrial systems. WRB qualifiers and Soil Taxonomy subgroup adjectives are reported at the end of the article and can be used for a more detailed classification.