User:Jakeparvin/Edaphology

Industrialization And Edaphology
Industrialization has impacted the way that soil interacts with plants in various ways. Increased mechanical production has led to higher amount of heavy metals within soils. These heavy metals have also been found in crops. While, the increased use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides has decreased the nutrient availability of soils.

Changes in agricultural practices, such as monocropping and tilling, as a result of industrialization have also impacted aspects of edaphology. Monocropping techniques are efficient for harvesting and business strategies but lead to a decrease in biodiversity. Decreased biodiversity is shown to decrease the nutrients available in soils. Furthermore, monocropping leads to an increased dependency on chemical fertilizer. While intensive tilling disturbs the community of microorganism that live with in soil. These microorganisms help maintain soil moisture and air circulation which are critical to plant growth.

History
Xenophon (431&#x2013;355 BC), and Cato (234&#x2013;149 BC), were early edaphologists. Xenophon noted the beneficial effect of turning a cover crop into the earth. Cato wrote De Agri Cultura ("On Farming") which recommended tillage, crop rotation and the use of legumes in the rotation to build soil nitrogen. He also devised the first soil capability classification for specific crops.

Jan Baptist van Helmont (1577&#x2013;1644) performed a famous experiment, growing a willow tree in a pot of soil and supplying only rainwater for five years. The weight gained by the tree was greater than the weight loss of the soil. He concluded that the willow was made of water. Although only partly correct, his experiment reignited interest in edaphology.

The history of Edapholgy is complex because both pedology and edaphology have been used to describe soil science, though the terms regard certain aspects of the study of soil '''. In debates that have been held to determine the most appropriate name for the study of soil, scientists have disagreed with one another.'''

'''At a conference in 1942 known as "IV Conférence Internationale de Pédologie", scientists discussed the appropriate name for the study of soil. Two names were identified as being candidates for the specific field of science, Edaphology and Pedology. Huguet del Villar, a Spanish soil scientist, is responsible for Spain deciding to use the word Edaphology to describe the study of soil.'''