Chernozem presented as the IUSS World Soil of the Year 2024
IUSS president Edoardo Constantini presenting the IUSS WSY 2024
The World Soil of the Year (WSY) of 2024 is the typical Chernozem of the Bălţi steppe of the Republic of Moldova. At the Centennial Celebration of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) on 19-21 May in Florence, Italy, this soil was presented as the first World Soil of the Year.
"Chernozem can and should be called the king of soils; it is, so to speak, ideal soil ... thus, it is ideal, the best of the best soils ... ", Dokuchaev. [1]
Geologist and geographer Dokuchaev called the Chernozem the king of soils. Chernozems are soils with a thick black mineral surface layer, rich in organic matter and of high natural fertility and favourable topography. Various countries, such as Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, elect a soil of the year as a way to engage society with the topic of soils and enhance public awareness.
The IUSS has now scaled this practice globally by introducing the WSY. A dedicated task force, which included Stephan Mantel of ISRIC-World Soil Information, was formed to facilitate the selection of the WSY and will continue its work as a permanent working group within the IUSS. The announcement of the WSY 2024 was made by Dr Edoardo Constantini, IUSS President. Dr Boris Boincean of the Selectia Research Institute of Field Crops of the Republic of Moldova highlighted the typical Chernozem of the Bălţi steppe, and Prof Cezary Kabala, chair of the working group of the World Reference Base for soil resources, presented on the broader international perspective of the Chernozems and their importance and management.
ISRIC at IUSS Centennial Celebration and Congress
The centennial celebration and congress of the IUSS was well attended, with 1436 participants from 73 countries. There were 14 plenary sessions, 82 parallel sessions, 1441 presentations (705 orals) and pre- and post-conference excursions.
From ISRIC, various staff participated in the conference on a range of topics and in several sessions. Paul van Genuchten presented on data sharing in a session chaired by Fenny van Egmond. In the session “Soil in the Digital Era: Digital Soil Mapping”, the digital soil mapping and assessment of DSM products was presented (Laura Poggio et al.). Stephan
Mantel presented on the educational approach of the ISRIC World Soil Museum: “Tales of the soil: bridging the gap between soils and people”, in session 2. Soil and humanity – Soil as a cultural heritage: the soil knowledge as a heritage for the future generations. In session 3. Soil governance – Potential of Soil Archives to Answer Management Questions Today, he presented the physical collections of ISRIC: “The ISRIC world soil reference collection: a unique resource”.
Notes
[1] Dokuchaev V. V. 1883. Russian Chernozem.