German Soil Science Society

Last updated
German Soil Science Society / Deutsche Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft
AbbreviationDBG
Formation1926
TypeScientific
PurposeResearch
HeadquartersBerlin
Location
  • Germany
Membership
2000
Official language
German / English
President / CEO
Georg Guggenberger
Website http://www.dbges.de

The German Soil Science Society (Deutsche Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft, DBG) is a non-profit organisation of soil science experts and others interested in this area.

Contents

Mission and aims

Founded in 1926 in Berlin as a section of the International Soil Science Society (Internationalen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft IBG). After the Second World War the society was formed in Wiesbaden. Today there are around 2000 members, and its headquarters have been in Göttingen since 2012 (before that in Oldenburg). The bi-annual meeting of the DBG is the most important platform of German-speaking areas for the exchange of new findings in soil science. The 2013 meeting was in Rostock, that of 2015 in Munich. In 2017 it will be held in Göttingen. Board members are: Georg Guggenberger, Ute Wollschläger, Jens Utermann, Friederike Lang and GF Christian Ahl. Honorary members are: Hans-Peter Blume, Hendrik de Bakker, Hans-Joachim Fiedler, Immo Lieberoth, Monika Frielinghaus, Dietrich Rau († 2015), Othmar Nestroy, Peter Hugenroth, Günter Roeschmann, Hans Sticher, Udo Schwertmann († 2016), Bernhard Ulrich († 2016), Botho Wohlrab, Wolfgang Zech.

The DBG includes the following disciplines (committees) whose chairmen are members of the extended executive board.

Soil physics is the study of soil's physical properties and processes. It is applied to management and prediction under natural and managed ecosystems. Soil physics deals with the dynamics of physical soil components and their phases as solid, liquids, and gases. It draws on the principles of physics, physical chemistry, engineering, and meteorology. It is especially important in this day and age because most farmers require an understanding of agroecosystems. Soil physics applies these principles to address practical problems of agriculture, ecology, and engineering.

Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors.

Soil biology

Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life, soil biota, soil fauna, or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil-litter interface. These organisms include earthworms, nematodes, protozoa, fungi, bacteria, different arthropods, as well as some reptiles, and species of burrowing mammals like gophers, moles and prairie dogs. Soil biology plays a vital role in determining many soil characteristics. The decomposition of organic matter by soil organisms has an immense influence on soil fertility, plant growth, soil structure, and carbon storage. As a relatively new science, much remains unknown about soil biology and its effect on soil ecosystems.

The society's journal is the Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science (formerly: Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde) which is published together with the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pflanzenernährung (German Society of Plant Nutrition). In addition there is the Mitteilungen der Deutschen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft (Communications of the German Pedological Society) in which the Excursion Guide and annual meeting reports also appear. The Green Pages (Grünen Blätter) include last-minute communications about meetings and developments in soil science institutes. There is also an on-line publication, Berichte der DBG (DBG Reports).

International network

World Congress of Soil Science

The World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) is a conference held every four years under the guidance of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). The purpose of a congress is to: (i) ensure the advancement of soil science and its application, and (ii) to handle the business of the society. Of the 18 congresses, eight have been held in Europe, five in the Americas, three in Asia, one in Australia and one in Africa. The congresses are only open to society members. The number of members attending has steadily increased, with approximately 2000 members attending each congress since the 15th WCSS in Acapulco, Mexico.

Literature

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