On 13 October 2021, ISRIC senior soil scientist Johan Leenaars delivered a guest lecture to the Soil Science Society of Nigeria and the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science on the topic: “Compiling a Nigerian Soil Profiles database for agricultural development.”

Though we may not recognise it on a daily basis, standards are important for all of us. They help us work together, to measure progress, and to ensure quality and fairness. At their heart, standards are about cooperation, which is crucial to our mission at ISRIC – World Soil Information

ISRIC – World Soil Information is pleased to welcome visiting PhD candidate Eric Asamoah from the Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implementation (FERARI) program in Ghana.

Multi-element soil extractions, like Mehlich 3 (M3), have recently gained popularity. M3 is a cost-effective method as it extracts macronutrients, including phosphorus and potassium, and micronutrients from soil samples. The availability of M3 data presents challenges for using soil and crop models that are calibrated based on different soil tests.

ISRIC pedometrician and senior researcher Gerard Heuvelink recently gave a talk on what he considers to be the gold standard of soil map accuracy assessments: design-based probability sampling.

Soil spectroscopy is a rapidly growing field of research used to measure soil properties and generate soil data. Along with the increased use of soil spectroscopy, sound and standardised procedures are needed for soil spectral measurements, analysis, storage, exchange and prediction of soil properties.

This Sunday, 12 September, the ISRIC World Soil Museum is open for tours as part of Open Monumentendag, a celebration of cultural heritage across the Netherlands and Europe.

Two articles co-authored by ISRIC – World Soil Information scientists were recently selected for the European Journal of Soil Science Editor’s Choice 2021 list. The articles address important and timely digital soil mapping topics related to machine learning.

At the June board meeting, ISRIC – World Soil Information’s leadership and managing board had a bittersweet moment congratulating Machteld Roos and also bidding her farewell from the ISRIC – World Soil Information managing board. Machteld has been a valuable member of the managing board for four years.