Soil Science

History

Soil Science in Brazil goes back to the beginning of 19th century when the Imperial Institutes of Agricultural Education were created, followed by creation of the Experimental Stations, with strong emphasis on soil fertility studies. The first Soils Department was created in 1928, and the current number in the Universities total 25. The number of professors total 345, with strong research activities in the graduate programs in different regions of Brazil. There are 65 State and Federal Agriculture Research Centers, involving many soil scientists.

The major contribution of Soil Science in Brazil and to the world was development of the largest and most competitive technology for tropical agriculture. Specifically, the agricultural viability of soils in the Cerrado Biome, the adaptation of plant genotypes to abiotic stresses, techniques for nitrogen fixation in grasses, the technology to support the no-till system, the Brazilian System of Soil Classification, practices to control land degradation, management of cover crops and forestry crops, analysis and recommendation of nutrients for regional crops.