Soil scientists share joys, grievances and hopes
Following the launch ceremony of the modernized Williams Soil-Agronomic Museum (see Williams Soil-Agronomic Museum moves into digital age), Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (RSAU – MTAA) hosted a symposium that brought together many national and foreign experts.
Prof. Vladimir Naumov, Head of Department of Soil Science, Geology and Landscape Science, Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (RSAU – MTAA), highlighted the historic link that had united his department and the museum since its establishment, calling the two institutions ‘a seamless whole’. The department conducts offsite meetings, and students returning from their practice always bring earth columns with them to enrich the museum’s collection, thus preserving its traditions.
Prof. Jetse Stoorvogel, Soil Geography and Dynamics professor, Wageningen University Research center, Netherlands, joined the symposium via videoconference and underscored the important role that the earth column collection of the Williams Museum played. The Museum’s standardization of research, description and data storage practices significantly facilitate international collaboration in soil science. A wide range of exhibit items allows for in-depth study of various soil functions. Prof. Stoorvogel noted the museum’s uniqueness compared to other museum collections of soil samples.
Prof. Pavel Krasilnikov, Head of Faculty of Soil Science ad interim, Lomonosov Moscow State University, highlighted Russia’s contribution to a series of the Global Soil Partnership’s projects. He pointed out priority tasks for the development of this subject area, such as introducing sustainable soil resource management practices; cooperation for innovation and dissemination of information; applied research development; fostering the information architecture across Russia and the Eurasian Soil Partnership; standardization of soil information and data bases. Prof. Krasilnikov underscored the Museum’s emerging opportunities and expressed his willingness to cooperate.
Prof. Carmelo Dazzi, President of the European Society of Soil Conservation, Palermo University, Italy, spoke of changes in public sentiments and made an urgent call to adapt to these trends, create a favourable environment for effective communication with broader public, combining education, learning and entertainment.
Prof. Dazzi outlined the Museum’s five key functions: education, research, raising awareness, social interaction, as well as the need to exhibit its collection. He noted the timely use of modern technologies for communication with the public, urging to establish internet cooperation with the Museum in this regard.
Dr Elena Sukhacheva, Director of the Dokuchaev Central Museum of Soil Science, further detailed the Museum’s key functions, highlighting the three of them: the scientific and research function, as well as the cultural and social one, and the traditional function to collect museum items. The expert also outlined key challenges that museums were facing: maintenance of a single standardized catalogue of soil samples; digitalization and photofixation that could not preserve the authenticity of colours when picturing the samples, as well as the absence of a single photofixation method; insufficient multimedia multilateral public engagement into the Museum’s processes. At the same time, Dr Elena Sukhacheva suggested solutions, in particular, through establishing a general meeting ("online museum") of all museums in the Russian Federation and, in the future, the whole world, as well as the introduction of common standards for digitizing material.
Prof. Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez, President of International Union of Soil Sciences, noted the importance of involving all members of the public in the museum's activities to raise awareness. As an example of a successful pilot programme, the expert shared the results of her research on the education of preschoolers and primary school students in the field of soil science through an interactive educational programme. The study showed excellent results, and the child participants demonstrated a thoughtful perception and understanding of the complexity of the soil microcosm. Prof. Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez outlined the priority goals for all participants of the soil industry: to stop the deterioration of the quality of fertile land, as well as to pay attention to educating preschool children and schoolchildren of all ages, so that they understand the importance of soils and their role in human life.
Dr Aleksey Naliukhin, deputy Head of Pryanishnikov Institute of Agrochemistry, noted two main global crisis factors: an increase in the population and a reduction in the world's natural resources. The expert urged not to underestimate agroecological experiments that can answer many questions, supporting this thesis by improving bioproductivity as the main result of such long-term experiments. According to the expert, in Russia, these experiments can increase the yield of soil twice. He noted the importance of using modern technologies for soil identification, giving as an example two approaches, i.e., isotopic and atomic emission approaches, which allow for a more in-depth study of soil processes and cycles at a considerable depth.
Q&A
During the discussion, prompted by questions from the audience, and the exchange of views, additional valuable information was announced:
Mrs Irina Seliverstova, Director ad interim of the Williams Soil-Agronomic Museum, expressed a desire to increase the collection, to make it more diverse at the expense of exhibits from other countries. The current geopolitical situation and the coronavirus pandemic have played an unseemly role, complicating the process of international cooperation.
Dr Aleksey Naliukhin, answering the question about the importance of fertilizers, noted that the most important component of a good and stable yield is a systematic approach to maintaining the balance of soil nutrients, as well as a sowing system.
Prof. Vladimir Naumov complained about the lack of scientific staff in the museum and expressed the hope that its modernization will attract "new minds". In addition, he noted that it is impossible to create black earth soil in artificial conditions from scratch at the moment. Such a soil can only be formed by natural processes over time. Ms Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio, in conclusion, confirmed that previous attempts to artificially create a nutrient-rich soil had failed.