Search

Soil is an integral component of the global environmental system which supports the quality and diversity of terrestrial life on Earth. Therefore, it is vital to consider the processes and impacts of soil degradation on society, especially on the provision of environmental goods and services, including food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Scientific societies devoted to soil science play significant roles in reducing soil degradation and promoting soil conservation by advancing scientific knowledge, education and environmental sustainability. The ESSC was founded on 4 November 1988, with the aims to: 1. Support research on soil degradation, soil protection and soil and water conservation. 2. Provide a network for the exchange of knowledge about soil degradation processes and soil conservation research and practises. 3. Produce publications on major issues relating to soil degradation and soil and water conservation. 4. Advise regulators and policy-makers on soil issues, especially soil degradation, protection and conservation. The societal challenges that can be addressed through better soil protection, advancing knowledge and scientific approaches to soil protection and sustainable management, mean the ESSC embraces the on-going development, application, review and constructive criticism of highly innovative scientific soil conservation methods. In this context, the ESSC analyses and publicizes the roles and functions of soil in natural and human-modified systems and the functional optimization of soils to ensure sustainable environmental protection. “The thin layer of soil that forms a patchy covering over the continents controls our own existence and that of every other animal of the land” (Rachel Carson (1962) in ‘Silent Spring’).

The Resolve research project set up a multidisciplinary research work to evaluate the effects of possible errors in soil management during pre-planting and vineyard cultivation, leading to severe soil erosion. Different soil functionalities were considered, namely provision of grape yield and quality, water and nutrient supply, carbon sequestration, organic matter recycling, and soil biodiversity. The project involved 19 experimental organically farmed vineyards situated in Italy, France, Spain and Slovenia (wine grape), and in Turkey (table grape). The aim of the project was to understand the causes of soil malfunctioning and work out a proper strategy to restore soil fertility

This multidisciplinary research work evaluated the effects of soil erosion on grape yield and quality and on different soil functions, namely water and nutrient supply, carbon sequestration, organic matter recycling, and soil biodiversity, with the aim to understand the causes of soil malfunctioning and work out a proper strategy of soil remediation. Degraded areas in nineteen organically farmed European and Turkish vineyards resulted in producing significantly lower amounts of grapes and excessive concentrations of sugar. Plants suffered from decreased water nutrition, due to shallower rooting depth, compaction, and reduced available water capacity, lower chemical fertility, as total nitrogen and cation exchange capacity, and higher concentration of carbonates. Carbon storage and organic matter recycling were also depressed. The general trend of soil enzyme activity mainly followed organic matter stock. Specific enzymatic activities suggested that in degraded soils, alongside a general slowdown in organic matter cycling, there was a greater reduction in decomposition capacity of the most recalcitrant forms. The abundance of Acari Oribatida and Collembola resulted the most sensitive indicator of soil degradation among the considered microarthropods. No clear difference in overall microbial richness and evenness were observed. All indices were relatively high and indicative of rich occurrence of many and rare microbial species. Dice cluster analyses indicated slight qualitative differences in Eubacterial and fungal community compositions in rhizosphere soil and roots in degraded soils. This multidisciplinary study indicates that the loss of soil fertility caused by excessive earth movement before planting, or accelerated erosion, mainly affects water nutrition and chemical fertility. Biological soil fertility is also reduced, in particular the ability of biota to decompose organic matter, while biodiversity is less affected, probably because of the organic management

Delimited degraded soil areas caused by an improper land preparation before vine plantation and or management can be observed in conventional and organic Euro-pean vineyards. Soil malfunctioning including: poor organic matter content, imba-lanced nutritional status, altered pH, water deficiency, soil compaction and/or scar-ce oxygenation. The goal of the present study was to compare the effects of some agronomic strategies to restore optimal soil functionality in degraded areas in orga-nic commercial vineyards located in five countries, and to evaluate the impact of these soil management practices on vegetative growth, yield and grape quality pa-rameters. Grapevines located in non-degraded soils showed higher vegetative growth and yield, and lower total soluble solids in grapes. Generally, there were no significant differences in vegetative growth, yield and grape quality among the soil management strategies in degraded areas.

A study was carried out in nineteen vineyards of five countries, well representative of major viticultural districts, which showed areas with fertility problems, consequence of strong soil erosion occurred during either pre-planting or ordinary cultivation. The comparison between degraded and non-degraded areas highlighted that the soil features limiting water nutrition and enhancing potential water stress were the most frequent discriminant soil conditions. Low nitrogen availability was the second most important cause of soil malfunctioning, together with low organic matter content. The degradation was also reflected in the very low values of the C/N ratio, pointing to a difficulty of microbiota in synthetizing humus. Other limiting factor were excessive lime content and poor drainage. Also nutrient unbalance or toxicity and low cation exchange capacity sporadically occurred. Since physical and hydrological limitations are hardly modifiable, especially in depth, the study underlines the difficulties to restore the fertility of degraded soils, and suggests caution in planning new vineyards.

Degraded areas are frequent in vineyards, even if managed by organic farming, mainly caused by soil truncation, soil erosion, or salts enrichment. Recovering strategies implemented in 19 degraded vineyards in 5 countries within the RESOLVE project concerned: (i) composted organic amendments, or seeding of cover crops (including legumes) for (ii) green manure or (iii) dry mulch. The relationships between vineyard management and pedo-climatic conditions are useful to better understand other contributions dealing with RESOLVE project reported in the present special issue. The results suggested that the nature of degradation requires optimum seedbed preparation to grow green manure crops. Whereas dry mulching plants needs less tillage operations (neither incorporation nor sowing, if self-reseeding plants), helping the recovery of soil functionality. The potential soil erosion by water was esteemed for the 38 plots, confirming that is a common agent of land degradation in vineyards.

Knowledge about the rates of pedogenic processes is essential to understand landscape development and history. It can be attained by the quantitative investigation of soil chronosequences. In this work, the development of Chromic Luvisols in the Mediterranean is addressed. The soils investigated are located on fi ve uplifted Pleistocene marine terraces in south-western Sicily, and have developed on calcareous marine and fl uvial sediments. The soil on the highest terrace is a Ferri-Profondic Luvisol, while soils on the lower terraces represent a Chromi-Profondic Luvisol (Bathifragic), a Chromi-Profondic Luvisol and two Bathicalci-Chromic Luvisols. The soils on the 1st (lowest) and 2nd terrace are 100 cm thick, the one on the 3rd terrace, 160 cm and those on the 4th and 6th (highest) terrace more than 200 cm. All soils are decalcifi ed, while greater CaCO3 contents in the Ap horizons of the soils on the three lower terraces are due to deposition of younger calcareous fl uvial sediments. Soil pH (water) drops from pH 7.7¿8.9 in the soils on the three lower terraces to values below pH 7 in the soils on the two higher terraces. In general, the chemical alteration and the leaching of silicic acid increase with elevation, and are most pronounced on the 4th and 6th terrace. Clay illuviation and associated translocation of Fe, Al and K is pronounced in all soils. The clay minerals include kaolinite, illite and expandable three-layer silicates. Irregularly interstratifi ed clay minerals are composed of illite, vermiculite, smectite and chlorite, and usually constitute 20¿40 % of all clay minerals, indicating proceeding soil development. The comparatively more advanced weathering and the high kaolinite content on the most elevated terrace point to soil development under warmer and wetter climate, that is early Pleistocene or earlier. The soil on the 4th terrace is more developed than the soils on the less elevated terraces. The 3rd terrace was exposed to local rejuvenation by, El conocimiento sobre las tasas de procesos pedogenéticos es esencial para entender el desarrollo y la historia del paisaje. Este puede obtenerse a través de la investigación cuantitativa de cronosecuencias de suelos. En este trabajo analizamos el desarrollo de Luvisoles crómicos en el Mediterráneo, en una secuencia de cinco terrazas marinas pleistocénicas emergidas, localizada en el suroeste de Sicilia. Las terrazas se desarrollan a partir de sedimentos marinos y fl uviales calcáreos. El suelo de la terraza más alta es un Luvisol Ferri-Profóndico, mientras que los suelos en las terrazas más bajas representan un Luvisol Cromi-Profóndico (Bathifragic), un Luvisol Chromi-Profóndico y dos Luvisoles Bathicalci-Crómicos. Los suelos en la 1a (más baja) y 2a terraza tienen 100 cm de profundidad, el situado en la 3a terraza tiene 160 cm y aquellos de la 4a y 6a (más alta) terraza tienen más de 200 cm de profundidad. Todos los suelos están descalcifi cados; el mayor contenido de CaCO3 en los horizontes Ap de los suelos en las tres terrazas más bajas se debe a la deposición de sedimentos fl uviales. El pH (en agua) disminuye de pH 7.7¿8.9, en los suelos de las tres terrazas más bajas, a valores debajo de pH 7 en las dos terrazas más altas. De manera general, la alteración química y la lixiviación de ácido silícico aumentan con la elevación, y son más pronunciadas en la 4a y 6a terraza. La iluviación de arcilla y la translocación de Fe, Al y K asociada es evidente en todos los suelos. Las minerales arcillosos presentes incluyen a caolinita, illita, vermiculita y esmectita. Los minerales interestratifi cados irregulares se componen de illita, vermiculita, esmectita y clorita, y constituyen generalmente un 20¿40 % de todos los minerales arcillosos, indicando que el desarrollo del suelo sigue en proceso. La meteorizacion comparativamente más avanzada y el alto contenido de caolinita en la terraza más alta indican que este suelo se ha desarrollado bajo un clima más cálido y más hú

HIV y capas mezcladas de illita-clorita, y clorita. El envejecimiento del suelo se caracteriza por un cambio en la composición de minerales arcillosos, que aumenta con la edad. La argiluviación está marcada por una acumulación preferencial de caolinita en horizontes iluviales, mientras que la formación de lenguas en fragipanes no produce ninguna diferencia significativa en la composición de minerales arcillosos entre las partes lavadas y manchadas de los horizontes. Más aún, la densidad aparente de los fragipanes no está relacionada con el contenido de minerales arcillosos. Por otra parte, las grandes masas lavadas en suelos más maduros contienen más kaolinita y vermiculita que la masa circundante. Las tendencias de los contenidos de minerales arcillosos a través de los horizontes del suelo confirman los dos tipos de discontinuidades litológicas que fueron pronosticadas durante levantamientos de campo.