World Soil Day celebrated at Shoolini University

World Soil Day was celebrated at Shoolini University by organising special lectures focusing on soil management for posterity. MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture of the University hosted the event.

World Food Laureate and Glinka Soil Science awardee Prof. Rattan Lal gave the virtual address, and Prof. Bijay Singh, Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and former ICAR National Professor, spoke in person at the event.

Prof. PK Khosla, Chancellor Shoolini University,  conveyed his best wishes for the success of the programme.

Prof. YS Negi, Dean Agriculture of MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, welcomed the guests and the audience. He said that the health of our soils is linked to the health of the planet. He pointed out that the celebration of World Soil Day is an attempt to highlight the need for focused attention on soil management.

Prof. Lal said that soil is a living entity and soil and life evolve together. He felt that the “one health concept,” which summarises the soil-human relationship, must lie at the centre of food security research. Since soil organic matter is at the heart of soil health, we need a paradigm shift in soil management; from the current system of deplete, degrade, destroy, discard, and dominate to the 5-Rs system, which should include, reduce, reuse, recycle, regulate, and restore.

Prof. Bijay Singh analysed the often-debated issue of whether application of nitrogen fertilisers for crop production deteriorates soil health? He emphasised the importance of soil, saying that more than 99.7 percent of human food (calories) comes from the terrestrial environment.

India is the second largest user of nitrogen fertilizers, in spite of the notion that fertilizers, being chemicals, are harmful for soil health.