Edaphology

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Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings

title: "Edaphology" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["edaphology", "soil-science", "physical-geography"] description: "Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edaphology" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Science concerned with the influence of soils on living beings ::

Edaphology (from Greek ἔδαφος, edaphos 'ground' + -λογία, -logia) is concerned with the influence of soils on living beings, particularly plants.{{cite book|last1=Lal|first1=R.|last2=Shukla|first2=M. K.|title=Principles of soil physics|volume=102|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8247-5324-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3leGCMKvPZwC|publisher=Taylor & Francis|location=Switzerland|quote=study of soil in relation to plant growth is called edaphology}}{{cite journal | last=Shaw|first=C. F.|year=2001|title=Is Pedology Soil Science? (1930)|journal=Soil Science Society of America Journal| volume=B11 | pages=30–33|doi=10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x | url= https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2136/sssaj1930.036159950B1120010005x| quote=The use Edaphology by Lyon and Buckman is interpreted by Dr. Buckman (personal communication) in the rather restricted sense of 'the soil in its relation to plants' rather than with a pure soil science meaning. Their interpretation is essentially like that given to Fallou to the word 'Agrology'|url-access=subscription}} It is one of two main divisions of soil science, the other being pedology. Edaphology includes the study of how soil influences humankind's use of land for plant growth as well as people's overall use of the land. General subfields within edaphology are agricultural soil science (known by the term agrology in some regions) and environmental soil science. Pedology deals with pedogenesis, soil morphology, and soil classification.

History

The history of edaphology is not simple, as the two main alternative terms for soil science—pedology and edaphology—were initially poorly distinguished. Friedrich Albert Fallou originally conceived pedology in the 19th century as a fundamental science separate from the applied science of agrology, a predecessor term for edaphology, a distinction retained in the current understanding of edaphology. During the 20th century, the term edaphology was "driven out of [pedology-centric] soil science" but remained in use to address edaphic problems in other disciplines. In the case of Russian soil scientists, edaphology was used as an equivalent term to pedology, and in Spain, soil scientists adopted edaphology in preference to the term pedology. In the 21st century, edaphology is recognized by soil scientists as a branch of soil science necessary and complementary to the pedology branch.

Xenophon (431—355 BC), and Cato (234—149 BC), were early edaphologists. Xenophon noted the beneficial effect of turning a cover crop into the earth. Cato wrote De Agri Cultura ("On Farming"), which recommended tillage, crop rotation, and the use of legumes in the rotation to build soil nitrogen. He also devised the first soil capability classification for specific crops.

Jan Baptist van Helmont (1577—1644) performed a famous experiment, growing a willow tree in a pot of soil and supplying only rainwater for five years. The weight gained by the tree exceeded the weight loss of the soil. He concluded that the willow was made of water. Although only partly correct, his experiment reignited interest in edaphology.

Areas of study

Agricultural soil science

Main article: Agricultural soil science

Agricultural soil science is the application of soil chemistry, physics, and biology dealing with the production of crops. In terms of soil chemistry, it places particular emphasis on plant nutrients of importance to farming and horticulture, especially with regard to soil fertility and fertilizer components.

Physical edaphology is strongly associated with crop irrigation and drainage.

Soil husbandry is a strong tradition within agricultural soil science. Beyond preventing soil erosion and degradation in cropland, soil husbandry seeks to sustain the agricultural soil resource though the use of soil conditioners and cover crops.

Environmental soil science

Main article: Environmental soil science

Environmental soil science studies our interaction with the pedosphere on beyond crop production. Fundamental and applied aspects of the field address vadose zone functions, septic drain field site assessment and function, land treatment of wastewater, stormwater, erosion control, soil contamination with metals and pesticides, remediation of contaminated soils, restoration of wetlands, soil degradation, and environmental nutrient management. It also studies soil in the context of land-use planning, global warming, and acid rain.

Industrialization and edaphology

Industrialization has impacted the way that soil interacts with plants in various ways. Increased mechanical production has led to higher amount of heavy metals within soils. These heavy metals have also been found in crops. While, the increased use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides has decreased the nutrient availability of soils.

Changes in agricultural practices, such as monocropping and tilling, as a result of industrialization have also impacted aspects of edaphology. Monocropping techniques are efficient for harvesting and business strategies but lead to a decrease in biodiversity. Decreased biodiversity is shown to decrease the nutrients available in soils. Furthermore, monocropping leads to an increased dependency on chemical fertilizer. While intensive tilling disturbs the community of microorganism that live with in soil. These microorganisms help maintain soil moisture and air circulation which are critical to plant growth.

Notes

References

References

  1. (2020). "Fundamentals of Agriculture". Scientific Publishers.
  2. Muhs, D. R.. (2021). "Soils and paleosols". Publications of the Us Geological Survey.
  3. (1960). "The Nature and Property of Soils - A College Text of Edaphology". [[Macmillan Publishers.
  4. Gardiner, Duane T.. "Lecture 1 Chapter 1 Why Study Soils?". [[Texas A&M University]]-Kingsville.
  5. Research Branch. (1976). "Glossary of Terms in Soil Science". [[Canada Department of Agriculture]], Ottawa..
  6. Whittow, John B.. (1984). "The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography". [[Penguin Books]].
  7. Rana, Lalita. (2008). "Geographical Thought. A Systematic Record of Evolution". Concept Publishing Company.
  8. Shaw, C. F.. (2001). "A Glossary of Soil Terms (1928)". Soil Science Society of America Journal.
  9. Fallou, F. A.. (1862). "Pedology or General and Special Soil Science".
  10. Shaw, C. F.. (2001). "Is Pedology Soil Science? (1930)". Soil Science Society of America Journal.
  11. (2018). "Edaphology in the structure of soil science and ecosystem ecology". Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology.
  12. (2005). "Soil Science Web Resources: A Practical Guide to Search Procedures and Search Engines". Eurasian Soil Science.
  13. (September 2023). "Edaphosphere: A Perspective of Soil Inside the Biosphere". Earth.
  14. (2018). "Edaphology in the structure of soil science and ecosystem ecology". Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology.
  15. (1998). "Soils in Our Environment". [[Prentice Hall]].
  16. (2023-01-01). "Nanoremediation approaches for the mitigation of heavy metal contamination in vegetables: An overview". Nanotechnology Reviews.
  17. (2016-06-01). "Pesticides effect on soil microbial ecology and enzyme activity- An overview". Journal of Applied and Natural Science.
  18. (January 2022). "Agroforestry Systems for Soil Health Improvement and Maintenance". Sustainability.
  19. (2014-03-01). "Plant: soil interactions in temperate multi-cropping production systems". Plant and Soil.
  20. (2017). "Conservation agriculture – a panacea to improve soil physical health". Current Science.

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edaphologysoil-sciencephysical-geography