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 Council for Science (ICSU).

International Union of Soil Sciences
AbbreviationIUSS
Formation1924 (1924)
TypeINGO
HeadquartersVienna
Region served
Worldwide
Official language
English
President
Edoardo Costantini (Italy)
Parent organization
International Council for Science
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. 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 secreteriat was managed by Sigbert Huber, an officer of the Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt), located in Vienna.

Mission

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

The IUSS has Divisions and Commissions in the following areas:

Division 1 – Soils in space and time
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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

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

World Congresses of Soil Science and IUSS Presidents[5]

NrCongressLocationPresident
24.2030Toronto Canada
23.2026Nanjing China2025–2026Victor Okechukwu Chude Nigeria
2023-2024Edoardo A.C. Costantini Italy
22.2022Glasgow United Kingdom2021–2022Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez Mexico
2019–2020Takashi Kosaki Japan
21.2018Rio de Janeiro Brazil2017–2018Rattan Lal United States
20.2014Jeju-do Island South Korea2014–2016Rainer Horn Germany
19.2010Brisbane, Queensland Australia2010–2014Jae Yang South Korea
18.2006Philadelphia United States2006–2010R.S. Swift Australia
17.2002Bangkok Thailand2002–2006D. L. Sparks United States
16.1998Montpellier France1998–2002S. Theerawong Thailand
15.1994Acapulco Mexico1994–1998A. Ruellan France
14.1990Kyoto Japan1990–1994A.A. Santelises Mexico
13.1986Hamburg West Germany1986–1990A. Tanaka Japan
12.1982New Delhi India1982–1986K.H. Hartge West Germany
11.1978Alberta Canada1978–1982J.S. Kanwar India
10.1974Moscow Soviet Union1974–1978C.F. Bentley Canada
9.1968Adelaide Australia1968–1974V.A. Kovda Soviet Union
8.1964Bucharest Romania1964–1968E.G. Hallsworth Australia
7.1960Madison, Wisconsin United States1960–1964N.C. Cernescu Romania
6.1956Paris France1956–1960R. Bradfield United States
5.1954Kinshasa (Leopoldville)Democratic Republic of the Congo DR Congo1954–1956A. Oudin France
4.1950Amsterdam Netherlands1950–1954R. Tavernier Belgium
x1950C.H. Edelman Netherlands
3.1935Oxford England
2.1930Leningrad Soviet Union1930–1935J. Russell United Kingdom
1.1927Washington, D.C. United States1927–1930K. Gedroiz Soviet Union
Fd.1924Rome Italy1924–1927J. G. Lipman United States

See also

References
  1. News, Other (8 November 2018). "OSU professor receives top ag award". www.farmanddairy.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  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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