World Soil Day (WSD) 2022 and its campaign, “Soils: Where food begins,” aimed to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health. (©FAO)

To celebrate WSD 2022, the Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) and related units held various events to improve public awareness of soil protection. Their contributions are described below.

Expert Talks on WSD 2022 and the Third National Soil Census

Coinciding with the theme of WSD 2022, this year China conducted the third national soil condition census to stimulate agricultural production and guarantee food security.

On December 5, 2022, the SSSC, the State Council’s Third National Soil Census Leading Group and the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) specially invited four leading experts to share their insights on the theme of WSD 2022 and the national soil census. They all highlighted the significance of healthy soil for food security and the need to conduct a soil census in view of current soil problems in China, such as black soil degradation, acidification and salinization. On the occasion of this important day, the experts appealed to the soil community to do their part for the national soil census and to the public to protect soil resources.

Expert Lecture on Soil Health and Food Security

On December 5, 2022, the SSSC and the Institute of Soil Science of the CAS hosted an online expert lecture on the theme “Soil Health and Food Safety.” Prof. Junling Zhang, Director of the Soil Health Working Group of the SSSC, Prof. Peng Wang of Nanjing Agricultural University and Prof. Zhichang Chen of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University were invited to discuss the following three topics: “What is Soil Health?,” “Soil Element Cycles and Human Health” and “The Importance of Healthy Soil for Plant Nutrients.” In her lecture, Prof. Zhang said, “Plagued by the pandemic in recent years, we have become more conscious of the significance of human health, food safety and sustainable development, and healthy soils are a prerequisite to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals.” This lecture attracted more than 6,000 people who interacted actively with the three professors to learn more about healthy soils.

A Virtual Special Issue Published by PEDOSPHERE

On December 5, 2022, the peer-reviewed international journal PEDOSPHERE published a virtual special issue on “Use of composts to improve soil health and sustain food production.” The issue included the following articles:

1. Assessment of compost and three biochars associated with Ailanthus altissima (Miller) Swingle for lead and arsenic stabilization in a post-mining Technosol

2. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016021600255

3. Biological weathering of phlogopite during enriched vermicomposting

4. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016020600832

5. Complementary effect of zoo compost with mineral nitrogen fertilisation increases wheat yield and nutrition in a low-nutrient soil

6. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016021600784

7. Earthworm biomass and population structure are negatively associated with changes in organic residue nitrogen concentration during vermicomposting

8. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016020600893

9. Effect of lignite amendment on carbon and nitrogen mineralization from raw and composted manure during incubation with soil

10. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016022000091

11. Evaluation of immobilizing agents as soil quality conditioners in addition to their metal(loid) immobilizing effect

12. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016021600759

13. How do greenhouse gas emissions vary with biofertilizer type and soil temperature and moisture in a tropical grassland?

14. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100201602060025X

15. Impact of a biochar or a biochar-compost mixture on water relation, nutrient uptake and photosynthesis of Phragmites karka

16. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100201601760362X

17. Recycling of isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk.) straw biomass and mineral powder with bio-inoculants as an effective soil amendment for isabgol cultivation

18. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016022000108

19. Soil micromorphological and physical properties after application of composts with polyethylene and biocomponent-derived polymers added during composting

20. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002016020600467

21. Utilization of lignocellulosic plant residues for compost formation and its role in improving soil fertility

22. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100201602200100X

Summit Forum on Soil Fertility and Productivity Improvement

From December 4−5, 2022, the Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Specialty Committee of the SSSC, the Chinese Society of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer Science and Shanxi Agricultural University co-hosted an online summit forum on the theme of “Soil Fertility and Productivity Improvement.” A total of 21 experts were invited to present academic reports revolving around issues such as farmland health and sustainable agricultural development, degradation mechanisms and control of cultivated land and the principles and technology of soil fertility and productivity improvement. Prof. Xibai Zeng, Director of the Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Specialty Committee stated, “We soil practitioners shall take advantage of the annual WSD to exchange our latest research, and 2023 will be a year filled with opportunities and challenges for us, as the third national soil census will be in full swing.”

  Seminar on High Quality Liupao Tea and Soil Health  

On December 5, 2022, the Working Committee on Soil Science Popularization of the SSSC and the Department of Science Popularization of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Science and Technology Association co-hosted a hybrid seminar on “High-Quality Liupao Tea and Soil Health,” with one plenary session at the Agricultural Resource and Environment Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and four parallel sessions at the Guangxi Tea Science and Technology Institute, the Wuzhou Agricultural Sciences Institute, the Doctoral Workstation of Guiping Xishan Tea and the School of Modern Liupao Tea Industry, Wuzhou University. The invited professors and participants had extensive discussions and agreed that it is necessary to promote the sustainable use of soil resources and raise awareness about soil nutrient balance in order to improve tea quality.