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Pedology: The Grammar of Soil Science

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 Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science, Vol. 62 (Supplement) pp S25-S39 (2014)

The 32nd Prof. J.N. Mukherjee ISSS - Foundation Lecture*

Pedology: The Grammar of Soil Science

Tapas Bhattacharyya
National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur, Maharashtra

I deeply appreciate the honour the Indian Society of pedological processes, it is appropriate to revisit ped-
Soil Science has done me for delivering the 32nd Prof. ology and its grammar to understand all about soils
J.N. Mukherjee ISSS Foundation Lecture. I came to and how they influence other aspects of soil science.
know about Prof. Mukherjee during later part of my It is for this reason, I have decided to flag some ex-
under-graduate courses in Agricultural Sciences in amples of pedological significance in soil science for
Kalyani, West Bengal, when my teacher mentioned arriving at a common understanding that pedology is
about Prof. Mukherjee’s contribution while discuss- the grammar of soil science.
ing the diffuse double layer theory. Later during my
post-graduate studies at the Indian Agricultural Re- I. Pedology: the building block to develop soil
search Institute, New Delhi, I could know more about information system
him. During the passage of 36 years, Prof. Spatial Hierarchy and Level of Mapping: It has
Mukherjee’s contribution influenced me through de- long been felt that our natural environment should be
liberations made by my senior colleagues from this mapped and monitored with the active participation
platform. Prof. Mukherjee was a scientist of interna- of agencies responsible for managing natural re-
tional reputation with a great vision. His scholarly sources, industry groups and community organiza-
contribution enriched the subject of soil science to a tions. This organized information forms a basis for
great extent. As a student of soil science with my storing soil and land database for implementation and
little experience in pedology, I have decided to share monitoring various efforts on land resource manage-
some of our research findings which could be a ment. Thus, pedological information on soil and land
humble tribute to this great scientist. resources is fundamental and therefore soil informa-
Pedology is the study of soils in their natural tion system (SIS) plays a pivotal role in capturing
environment. It is one of the two main branches of pedological information in the form of soil and ter-
soil science, the other being edaphology. Pedology rain digital database (SOTER) (1:1 M) as the data
deals with pedogenesis, soil morphology and soil clas- storage and retrieval for improved mapping, model-
sification whereas edaphology studies the way soils ling and monitoring of changes of world soil and ter-
influence plant, microbes and other living things. Ped- rain resources (Batjes et al. 2007; Bhattacharyya et
ology, in its broad sense includes soil survey, map- al. 2014a; Chandran et al. 2014). Pedological infor-
ping, geomorphology, soil micromorphology, and soil mation has been generated and collated through dif-
and clay mineralogy with special reference to soil ferent sources and at various scales to develop user-
formation. Since soils are formed from different types friendly datasets at different scales depending on pur-
of rocks or sediments, pedology has a close relation pose of survey and its use (Table 1) (Staff
with geology and geological sciences. With the ad- NBSS&LUP 2002; Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a).
vent of modern technologies like remote sensing and Soil information system to develop soil loss and
geographical information system, pedometrics, conservation for crop productivity model: Since soil
pedotransfer and taxotransfer rules, soil database stor- erosion is the major reason for soil loss and conse-
age and retrieval, the subject of pedology has become quent decline in soil and crop productivity, it becomes
much incisive. Since all the gamutes of agriculture imperative for the land use managers and planners to
depend directly on soils which is controlled by the adopt appropriate soil conservation measures (Fig. 1).
Loss of crop yield due to loss of topsoil is compen-
*Delivered on 24 November 2014 at the 79th Annual Conven- sated by the use of manures and fertilizers. At the
tion of Indian Society of Soil Science at Hyderabad. same time, loss of topsoil by soil erosion is also com-
Email: [email protected]
S26 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

Table 1. Available soil and land information system – spatial hierarchy*

Level Land unit Soil unit Descriptive legends Description of map unit Map Scale

Level 1
1. Country Order Soil Orders Inceptisol, Entisols 1:25 million
2. State Suborder Soil Suborder Red and yellow soils, red loamy soils, mixed 1:7 million
red and black soils
3. State Old soil Traditinal soil names Bengal plains, hot subhumid to humid LGP 1:4 million
classification 210-300 days (AER 15)
4. State (Region) - Agro-ecological Bengal plains, hot subhumid to humid LGP 1:4.4 million
region (AER) 210-300 days (AER 15)
5. State ~ Agro-ecological Bengal basin and north Bihar plains, hot moist 1:4.4 million
(sub-region) subregion (AESR) subhumid with medium to high AWC and LGP
(210-300 days) (AER 15.1)
6. Country Soil family Soil family Total 1649 units in the country (Indo-Gangetic 1:1 million
(sub country) association Plains:IGP had 74 no. of units)
Level 2
7. State Soil family Soil family Total 74 soil map units in the IGPshowing 1:250,000
(Physiography) association association of dominant (60% average in
polygon) and subdominant (40% in a polygon
soils); and 50%, 30% and 20% where 3 soil
families exist.
8. District Soil series Soil series association Total 28 soil units showing association of 1:50,000
(Hooghly, dominant and subdominant soil series with
West Bengal) inclusions
9. Watershed Soil series Soil series association Two soil series and five map units in Chuchura 1:2400
(Chuchura, farm
West Bengal)
*Source: Bhattacharyya et al. (2014a)

pensated by the formation of fresh soil layers through publications which has been used for disseminating
pedogenesis. To calculate loss of topsoil it is neces- georeferenced soil information system (web GeoSIS)
sary to take into account the amount of soil regener- in an electronic format (Fig. 2). This enables the us-
ated, keeping in view the difference in the rate of soil ers to access information/ datasets for various pur-
formation under different types of climatic conditions poses including land resource inventory and manage-
using pedological and geological information of the ment. Query-based information on soil, and land use
study area. Pedological data-aided improvised FAO along with their spatial distribution can also be ac-
model helped estimating the annual loss of soil as 15 cessed for a specific purpose. Web GeoSIS can en-
mt yr -1 and also to assess its tolerable limit able collaboration between different agencies, facili-
(Bhattacharyya et al. 2010). tating better communication and can save duplication
Soil information system – clay minerals vis-a- of research. This exercise can open a new vista for
vis land use options in humid tropics: Pedology as a participatory research programmes using common
part of basic science finds its application when clay people and other organisations, and can, therefore,
mineralogy, physiography, soil chemistry and land use provide scope for revising the database for monitor-
options are linked (Bhattacharyya et al. 2010, 2013a). ing soil health and changing land use pattern
During humid tropical weathering huge quantity of (Bhattacharyya et al. 2014 b,c).
Al3+ ions (149 kg ha-1 soils) are liberated to cause Soil correlation and pedology: Computer-aided
higher acidity (H+). To form hydroxy-interlayered ver- soil correlation software (SOILCOR) was developed
miculites/smectites (HIV/HIS), vermiculites/smectites for correlating soil series and to enrich the existing
adsorb these Al3+ ions. The vermiculite/smectite min- soil and land resource databse. Pedological signifi-
erals thus act as a natural sink to sequester Al3+ ions. cance finds its edaphological application to assess soil
This fact may possibly help in removing the myth quality in terms of both organic and inorganic form
about the Al–toxicity in acid soils vis-à-vis the con- of soil carbon and their influence on soil properties
cept of acid-loving crops. through an indigenous soil and land quality (SOLAQ)
Georeferencing pedological information: Web software for assessing soil and land quality (Figs. 3-
technology has made it easier to bring out web-based 4).
2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S27

Fig. 1. Soil erosion-crop productivity model (Source: Bhattacharyya et al. 2010)

II. Pedology (soil taxonomy) and map scales: The basic reason why soil survey is important
multidisciplinary approach because resource inventory with special reference to
Pedology in terms of soil genesis, mineral trans- soil rests on the principles of pedology including geo-
formation and soil taxonomy is always linked with morphology, soil formation and the techniuqe to group
mapping. Mapping refers to developing different poly- soils following the US soil taxonomy. This suggests
gons in the form of features of natural or artificial the exercise of resource inventories as a basic and
objects as are observed on the surface. Various avail- fundamental research carried out by a group of dedi-
able products such as topomaps, aerial photo, re- cated soil scientists more precisely known as pedolo-
motely-sensed data and other collateral information gists. The basic concept of converting a map into soil
spread below the surface which cannot be seen with map is to incorporate and link soil information with
the above mentioned tools. the map and at the same time revising the boundaries
S28 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

Fig. 2. Mapping, monitoring and modelling are complementary activities to use and update Georeferenced Soil Information
System with pedological input for web based GeoSIS (Source: Bhattacharyya et al., 2014 b, c)

Fig. 3. Soil correlation software to correlate soil series with the exixsting database
2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S29

Fig. 4. Soil and land quality (SOLAQ) software for assessing and monitoring soil health

of the base map (prepared by a mapper with the ductivity even in an intense leaching environment
knowledge of remote sensing and cartography or (Bhattacharyya et al. 1993).
both). The type of soil information is embedded in Gibbsite formation model and anti-gibbsite ef-
the basic concept of the US taxonomy as evidenced fect: Presence of gibbsite in soils does not indicate
by clear definition of order, sub-order, great group, their advanced stage of weathering. The formation of
sub-group, family, series and phase. Each of these typically rod-shaped and well-crystallized gibbsite in
categories is mutually inclusive down the line as we the presence of large amounts of 2:1 minerals indi-
reach the base of the pyramid to a large scale soil cates that the anti-gibbsite hypothesis may not be ten-
map showing soil phase information. This statement able in the tropical acid soils (Bhattacharyya et al.
requires retrospection in terms of detailing soil infor- 2000). Pedological information on the presence of
mation system and incorporating it in the large scale gibbsite in rubber-browing soils (Chandran et al.
soil map. In other words, a large scale soil map (say 2005) suggests researchable issues to link rubber pro-
1:10000 or 1:5000 scale) requiring phase level soil duction in gibbsitic and non–gibbsitic rubber soils in
information should not end up with a mere mention Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
of only one soil information showing surface and sub-
surface phase; the entire pedigree of soil information IV. Pedology and soil carbon sequestration: an in-
with that phase must be detailed in the large scale verse pyramid relation
soil map. The qualitative nature of the soil substrate and
their quantitative proportion of surface reactivity, re-
III. Pedology, geomorphology and soil genesis ferred as surface charge density (SCD) control the
through landscape reduction process rate of SOC sequestration. The presence of smectites
Landscape reduction process and influence of and SOC increases SCD, which offer greater scope of
zeolite in soil formation: Formation of soil and its carbon sequestration in black soils. Black soils reach
persistence in the humid tropical climate (HTC) in more than 2% quasi-equilibrium value of SOC
the Western Ghats prevailing since the early Tertiary (Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a). A minimum 78% of the
is comprehended by pedological information. The total organic matter in soil is controlled by inorganic
deep black soils in the valleys are formed due to the substrate (precisely phyllosilicates minerals with
progressive landscape reduction process and persist higher surface area in the finer fractions)
in HTC due to the presence of base-rich zeolites of (Bhattacharyya and Pal 2003) which finds support in
amygdoloidal basalt. The knowledge gained on the the formation and persistence of Mollisols in the hu-
role of zeolites in soils provides a check on the rea- mid tropical climate (Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a) and
soning of models on the formation of soils in HTC. Vertisols in Australia. Importance of SCD, rainfall
Zeolites also prevent the soils from losing their pro- and their combined influence shows an inverse pyra-
mid relation of SOC with soil taxonomy (Fig. 5).
S30 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

Fig. 5. Inverse pyramid relation with accumulation of organic carbon (OC) in soils influenced by precipitation, temperature and
substrate quality (* SCD: Surface charge density) (Source: Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a).

Pedology and carbon transfer model: Detailed attaineded similar threshold limit for MAR to describe
studies on Indian Vertisols and other alluvial and fer- inorganic carbon sequestration and its consequences
ruginous soils and elsewhere in the world (Lal and to soil sodicity (Fig. 6) (Bhattacharyya et al., 2011).
Kimble 2000a, b; Breecker et al. 2009; Hua, 2011) Pedology, paleopedology, paleosols and climate
indicate that the drier climate is the prime factor re- change: Jenny’s soil formation model indicates cli-
sponsible for the depletion of Ca2+ ions from the soil mate as an important state factor. Therefore, it is no
solution due to CaCO3 formation (Pal et al. 2000; wonder that climate change due to global warming
Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a). The CaCO3 (as pedogenic will have its effect on soil. With the change in the
carbonate, PC) enhances the pH and also increases soil environment clay mineral assemblage over time
the relative abundance of Na+ ions in both soil ex- gets modified (Jenkins 1985). But the pedogenic clay
change sites and solution. Thus, the formation of minerals of the intermediate weathering stages, when
CaCO3 accentuating inorganic C sequestration has a preserved in a paleosol, can also be helpful not only
deleterious effect on soil quality since it affects soil for paleoclimatic interpretation but also to identify
pH, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and hy- the polygenesis of soils (Pal et al. 1989). It appears
draulic properties. RothC model arrived at a thresh- that polygenesis in soils is a rule than an exception.
old limit of MAR of 850 mm while determining SOC Time is the essence in the emerging environmental
turnover rate. Pedological (soil survey) data also observatories across scientific disciplines, such as

Fig. 6. Different bioclimate showing accumulation of CaCO3 (red areas) (MAR : Mean annual rainfall; H : Humid; PH : Per
humid; SH(m) : Sub humid moist; SH(d) : Sub humid dry; SA(d) : Semi-arid dry; A : Arid; blue areas are non-calcareous)
(Source: Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a).
2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S31

critical zone observatories (Lin 2011). Long-term re- release of CO2 from soil organic matter, soils must be
cording of soil-health through monitoring its blood treated as different layers. Effect of warming on SOC
pressure (soil water potential), and other important loss is buffered by increased soil depth which is fur-
soil parameters suggest importance of climate change ther reduced by the application of organics. Soil con-
and global warming for monitoring soil health. This servation should be a recommended practice with spe-
demands periodic monitoring of soil parameters (Lin, cial reference to humid tropical climate to conserve
2011; Bhattacharyya et al., 2014a). Soils have a soil organic carbon to mitigate global warming
unique capacity of memorising landscape development (Bhattacharyya et al., 2011; 2013b; 2014 a, b, c).
over time, which stores information about environ- Benefits of soil carbon and pedology: Soils pro-
mental conditions (read pedological processes) vide important ecosystem services of landscape at lo-
through their complex interactions with the environ- cal and global level. They provide the basis for crop
ment. Identifying these signatures in soil requires the production and help mitigate climate change by stor-
experience, wisdom and eyes of an expert pedologist ing carbon. A rapid decline of soil carbon due to
who has a fairly good idea about geology, pedology, human clearing of natural vegetation for agricultural
climate, biology, environment and many other allied land use and management practices followed by a cri-
subjects. Decoding these signatures helps pedologists sis phase of diminished soil fertility and finally by
to understand influence of paleo-climate to predict recovery due to good agricultural mangement. The
future changes in soils in terms of their quality and carbon transition curve conveys the impact of major
health for agricultural sustenance. Capacity of soil to land use changes on soils with examples from arable,
memorize events and to retrieve them to the expert grazing and forest land in different parts of the world
pedologists has also been mentioned by Lin et al. (Bhattacharyya et al. 2015; Van Noordwijk et al.
(2011) and Bhattacharyya et al. (2013a). 2015).
Clay minerals as indicator of climate change:
The products of the self-terminating, irreversible re- V. Pedology and soil and land quality
actions such as calcareous or siliceous incrustions in Assessment of the quality of cultivated land (Liu
soils are the identifiable indicators of paleo-environ- et al. 2010) and development of crop-specific land
mental conditions. In spite of difficulty in arriving at quality index (LQI) using soil quality index (SQI)
a particular or a group of minerals as carrirrers of from the pedological dataset were detailed by Mandal
climate change signatures, several Indian reserachers et al. (2001). Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
have linked smectite, smectite/kaolin, and pedogenic technique was used to identify the minimum soil pa-
CaCO3. with climate change (Bhattacharyy et al. 1993, rameters which can give the interpretable information
1999, 2014a; Chandran et al. 2000; Pal et al. 1989, to explain soil parameters ably supported by the ex-
2012). pert opinion (EO). Here comes the role of pedologist
Pedology in soil carbon and crop modelling: as an expert who interprets the surface soils of the
Terrestrial Ecosystem model found out equilibrium IGP as overstressed. Comparison of total available K
response of soil carbon to climate change for estimat- stock for the IGP and the black soil regions (BSR)
ing global loss of SOC as 26.3 Pg assuming 1oC bring similar scenario (Bhattacharyya et al. 2007).
warming (Mcguire et al. 1995). Soil moisture is an Primary pedological datasets were useful to assesss
important parameter in the empirical models to arrive LQI to suggest crop planning (Ray et al. 2014) (Fig.
at better SOC responses. Considering soil as a uni- 7).
form layer in century, the model makes it less suit- Pedology and soil microbiology : In recent years,
able than those (such as DNDC model) which treat indicative components like soil microbial biomass car-
soil as multiple layers as pedologists do. Realization bon (MBC), community structures, functions, and en-
of the usefulness of multi-layered soil carbon model zyme activities have been used to describe soil quali-
faces a challenge for the modellers since most of the ties under different agricultural practices (Vallejo et
experimental studies rarely contain reliable time-se- al. 2010). The MBC generally comprises 1–4% of
ries data of SOC in the long-term fertilizer experi- soil organic matter (Anderson and Domsch 1989) and
mental trials (Bhattacharyya et al. 2013b). The role is the most active component of soil organic carbon
of pedological information with primary datasets on that regulates biogeochemical processes in terrestrial
various soil parameters has been extremely benefi- ecosystems (Paul and Clark 1996). The MBC is one
cial. To project actual effects of global warming in of the most promising indicators of soil quality be-
accelerating decomposition of soil C and the resultant cause it responds promptly to environmental changes,
S32 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

Fig. 7. Variation of soil quality index in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (0-15 cm depth) (Source: Ray et al. 2014)

often much earlier than bulk soil organic matter. The observed as these soils are under rainfed conditions
pooled comparisons of MBC in different soils indi- supporting mostly single crop in a year. It has been
cated significant differences between the soil types experimentally found that the apparently high avail-
(Fig. 8). Pedological investigations suggest able K of BSR soils is not sustainable when geneti-
(Velmourougane et al. 2014) smectite clay to enhance cally modified deep-rooted crops like hybrid cotton
protection of mineralizable SOC within macroaggre- was introduced because these soils contain very low
gates in Vertisols. amount of K-releasing minerals like biotite. Such
Pedology and soil potassium: The BSR stores crops started responding to K application after 3 years
326 to 891 kg ha-1 more K than the IGP soils in first of cropping. In contrast, the crop response to K fertil-
30 and 150 cm soil depth, respectively. Exhaustive izer application in soils of IGP is seldom observed
mining of K through extensive agricultural landuse even after cropping for the last 30 years. This is due
during the green revolution era and also thereafter to the high K reserve in soils rich in biotite mica (Pal
caused low reserve in the IGP. In BSR, this is not et al. 2003; Bhattacharyya et al. 2007).

Fig. 8. Impact Variation of soil sub-groups on microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in different types of soils (Source: Velmourougane
et al. 2014)
2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S33

Table 2. Soil carbon stocks in different bioclimatic systems in India

Bioclimatic Area SOC SIC TC Pg/m ha

systems* Coverage TGA Stock % of Stock % of Stock % of SOC SIC
(m ha) (%) total SOC total SIC total TC

Arid Cold 15.2 4.6 0.6 6 0.7 17 2.7 20 0.0192 0.0327

Arid Hot 36.8 11.2 0.4 4 1.0 25
Semi arid 116.4 35.4 2.9 30 1.9 47 4.8 35 0.0249 0.0163
Sub Humid 105 31.9 2.5 26 0.3 8 2.8 20 0.0238 0.0029
Humid to 34.9 10.6 2.1 21 0.04 1 2.14 15 0.0602 0.0011
per Humid
Coastal 20.4 6.2 1.3 13 0.07 2 1.37 10 0.0637 0.0034
*Ranges in rainfall: Arid = <550 mm, Semi arid = 550-1000 mm, Sub Humid = 1000-1500 mm, Humid to per humid = 1200 -
3200 mm, Coastal = 900-3000 mm. (Source: Bhattacahryya et al. 2014a)

VI. Pedometrics and Conservation Agriculture spread form of soil degradation and signiûcant
(CA) amounts of carbon are either relocated in soils at lower
Prioritization of areas for CA in rainfed (dry) elevations, water bodies and sediments or degraded
area: The criterion such as SOC stock per unit area to CO2 during soil erosion (Alewell et al. 2009). The
as well as point data for individual soil indicate that range of SOC lost by erosion in the top 25 cm of
the vast areas in the arid, semi-arid and drier part of moderately and severely eroded soils can be as much
sub-humid bioclimatic systems (155.8 Mha) are low as 19–51% for Mollisols and 15–65% for Alûsols
in SOC and high in SIC stock (0-1.5 m soil depth) (Kimble et al., 2001). The estimation of the spatial
and thus should get priority for organic carbon man-
agement (Table 2, Fig. 9). Altough soil carbonates
play an important role in the global carbon cycle yet
their contribution as a probable source of calcium nu-
trition in soils was reported rarely (Bhattacharyya et
al. 2014a). This suggests management intervention
and its effects through CA to maintain soil quality in
drier tracts through C transfer model and to recom-
mend “not to keep any parcel of land fallow” (Fig.
10).
Pedometric approach in (humid) rainfed areas:
The quantitative methods for the spatial distribution
patterns of soil are collectively categorized in the
emerging field of soil science as pedometrics
(McBratney et al. 2000). Geostatistics are one of the
most popular tools of pedometrics as well as of digi-
tal soil mapping. Pedometrics address the issues re-
lated to the application of mathematical and statisti-
cal methods for the study of the distribution and gen-
esis of soils. Probability distributions of soil type can
be obtained from soil maps using pedometric meth-
ods such as indicator Krigging (Goovaerts and Journel
1995; Oberthur et al. 1999). Soil survey reports ac-
companying traditional soil maps often provide areal
estimates of soil type occurring within the map units.
Such information may be used to define a frequency
distribution for each map unit which can again serve
Fig. 9. Soil carbon stock (in Pg) map in different agro-ecologi-
as a probability distribution of any map unit. cal subregions showing prioritized areas (shaded areas) for car-
Soil erosion, degradation and conservation agri- bon sequestration (0–0.3 m soil depth) (Source: Bhattacharyya
culture are inter-woven. Soil erosion is the most wide- et al. 2014a)
S34 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

Fig. 10. Carbon transfer in semi-arid and arid bioclimatic systems of (a) chemically degraded land, and (b) areas showing
management intervention (the size of circle and letters indicate relative proportion of individual component) (Source:
Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a)

distribution of the loss of SOC is also essential in characterization of sodic soils in terms of sHC <10
view of its impact upon soil quality. The production mm h-1 instead of any ESP or sodium adsorption ratio
of digital soil maps, as opposed to digitized (existing) (SAR) is considered as a robust criterion for better
soil maps, is moving inexorably from research phase use and management of naturally-degraded soils (Pal
to production of maps at the sub-country and country et al. 2000; 2006; Bhattacharyya et al. 2014a) (Fig.
level. Since 1960s there has been an emphasis on 11).
what might be called geographic or purely spatial ap- Chemical degradation in tropical ferruginous
proaches, to enable prediction of soil attributes from soils: Presence of pedogenic carbonate as spongy nod-
spatial position largely by interpolating soil and ob- ules and cluster of lubinite needles below 40 cm depth
servation locations. In view of maintaining the natu- indicates their formation in the prevailing semi-arid
ral ecosystem, it will be prudent to bridge two sets of climate in the southern Peninsula (Pal et al. 2000).
information on soil loss and SOC status to assess SOC Supersaturation of the soil solution with CaCO3 fa-
loss in a case study state of Tripura. cilitating the formation of lubinite crystals in the lower
horizons was favoured by the presence of smectite
VII. Pedology and soil modifiers clay. The formation of pedogenic CaCO3 caused the
Formation of pedogenic calcium carbonate (PC) development of subsoil sodicity in the lower horizons
at the expense of non-pedogenic calcium carbonate due to the formation of CaCO3 (@ 0.20 g 100g-1 of
(NPC) is the prime chemical reaction for the natural soil yr-1 in the first 100 cm) (Pal et al. 2000). Al-
chemical degradation realized in terms of impairment though it is not alarming now; however, with time
of hydraulic properties of soils mediated through the these soils are prone to become more calcareous and
development of subsoil sodicity. Presence of gypsum sodic and might demand management intervention.
and Ca-zeolites, on the other hand, prevented the rise
of pH, decrease in Ca/Mg ratio of exchange sites and VIII. Pedology: agro-ecozone based agricultural
improved the hydraulic properties even if exchange- land use planning
able sodium percentage (ESP) >15. The improvement Improved agro-technology can reclaim physical
in saturated hydraulic conductivity (sHC) (>10 mm conditions of soils (Bhattacharyya et al. 20014a;
h-1) of zeolitic sodic soils does commensurate fairly Sidhu et al. 2014) using the knowledge of pedology
well with the performance of rainy season crops. Thus, (Bhattacharyya et al. 2014 b, c). Agro-ecological sub-
2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S35

Fig. 11. Calcium carbonate in cross polarized light. (a) pedogenic carbonate (PC) and (b) non-pedogenic carbonate (NPC)
(Source: Pal et al. 2000)

Fig. 12. Decision support system (DSS) for developing land use plans at district level-A framework (Source: Bhattacharyya et
al. 2014 b, c)

region (AESR) map can act as an agro-technology Concluding Remarks

transfer wheel (Mandal et al. 2014a,b) using appro- In the terrestrial system many events keep on
priate land evaluation methods (Chatterji et al. 2014). happening everyday: but only a few occurring
Soil, landuse/land cover and AESR maps in conjunc- aboveground are visible. Most of these natural events
tion with information on socio-economic and produc- occur in the soils without any notice of the beholder.
tion systems are used in various steps of land evalua- Pedological processes which govern the changes
tion that help in land allocation for suggesting agri- within the pedo-environment belong to such events.
cultural land use plans (Fig. 12). The framework for To understand these processes and their signatures
district level can be downscaled to block level using preserved quietly and affectionately by the mother
large scale soil map at 1:10,000 with appropriate earth within the soil are identified only by the ped-
method of soil survey and mapping by using expert ologists. Identifying and capturing the signatures of
pedological knowledge to arrive at a decision support nature form a multidisciplinary approach. This is more
system to develop AESR-based crop planning. so, since different kinds of soils indicate that the soil
S36 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62

diversity is quite large because of variability of sev- Alfisols of the Western Ghats, India. Geoderma, 90,
eral factors of soil formation. The inherent capacity 263-276.
of tropical soils demands that the most productive Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K. and Srivastava, P. (2000) For-
agriculture of the world may begin with indepth re- mation of gibbsite in presence of 2:1 minerals: an
search. It will depend again on how rapidly institu- example from Ultisols of North-East India. Clay Min-
tions for eduction, research and other public and pri- erals 35, 827-840
vate sectors including the professional societies will
Bhattacharyya, T., and Pal, D.K. (2003) Carbon sequestra-
revisit importance of this important natural resource.
tion in soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. In: RWC-
It is never too late to introspect about the basic and CIMMYT. Addressing Resource Conservation Issues
fundamental research on soils to address soil-related in Rice-Wheat System of South Asia. A Resource
problems in agriculture and other allied fields. We Book. Rice Wheat Consortium for Indo-Gangetic
have to keep pace with research and development of Plains. International Maize and Wheat Improvement
other countries in Asia, Europe and the United States Centre, New Delhi, India pp. 68-71.
shown in the past by our predecessors led by Profes-
Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K. Chandran, P , Ray, S.K.,
sor J.N. Mukherjee. Let us remind ourselves, our stu- Durge, S.L., Mandal, C. Telpande, B. (2007) Avail-
dents and the gennext that science is Truth, science is able K reserve of two major crop growing regions
God and science is Worship. If we do not understand (alluvial and shrink-swell soils) in India, Indian Jour-
the importance of the basics and the grammar of ped- nal of Fertilizers 3, 41-52.
ology as the fundamentals of soil science, we may not
Bhattacharyya, T., Sarkar, Dipak, Pal, D.K., Mandal, C.,
be able to appropriately manage tropical and sub-
Baruah, U., Telpande, B. and Vaidaya, P.H. (2010)
tropical soils for their restoration and preservation. Soil Information System for resource management-
Tripura as a case study, Current Science 99, 1208-
Acknowledgement 1217.
Grateful acknowledgements are due to the In-
dian Society of Soil Science, New Delhi for the Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K., Deshmukh, A.S., Deshmukh,
R.R., Ray, S.K., Chandran, P., Mandal, C., Telpande,
invitaion to deliver the lecture. Thanks are also due
B., Nimje, A.M. and Tiwary, P. (2011) Evaluation of
to Director, and staff of the National Bureau of Soil RothC Model Using Four Long Term Fertilizer Ex-
Survey and Land Use Planning, (ICAR), Nagpur for periments in Black Soils, India, Agriculture Ecosys-
the help and assistance. A special note of thanks to tems & Environment 144, 222-234.
Drs. D.K. Pal, P. Chandran and S.K. Ray for care-
fully editing the manuscript. Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K., Mandal, C., Chandran, P.,
Ray, S.K., Sarkar, Dipak, Velmourougane, K.,
Srivastava, A., Sidhu, G.S., Singh, R.S., Sahoo, A.K.,
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About the Lecture Raychaudhuri - one of the brilliant students of Pro-

This Lecture is being organized by the Indian fessor Mukherjee (Journal of the Indian Society of
Society of Soil Science to commemorate its founda- Soil Science Vol. 31, pp. 359-363, year 1983). The
tion in 1934 and its founder - Professor J.N. subsequent lectures in this series were delivered by
Mukherjee, a doyen of Colloid and Soil Sciences, Prof. L.N. Mandal (1984), Dr. G.S. Sekhon (1985),
known internationally. The lecture was first instituted Dr. K.V. Raman (1986), Dr. N. Panda (1987), Dr. S.
in 1983 as a part of felicitations to Professor J.N. Patnaik (1988), Dr. N.T. Singh (1989), Dr. I.P. Abrol
Mukherjee on the eve of his 90th birthday celebration (1990), Dr. S.B. Varade (1991), Dr. Raj Pal (1992),
(on April 23, 1983). Unfortunately, after a few days, Dr. S.S. Khanna (1993), Dr. U.S. Sreeramulu (1994)
on May 10, 1983, the members of the Society had to Dr. N.N. Goswami (1995), Dr. P.N. Takkar (1996),
mourn his demise. A short life sketch of this reputed Dr. S.K. Ghosh (1997), Dr. S.R. Poonia (1998), Dr.
scientist and his achievements can be seen in an ear- D.K. Das (1999), Dr N.K. Tomar (2000), Dr. S.K.
lier issue of this Journal (Journal of the Indian Soci- Sanyal (2001), Dr. N.S. Pasricha (2002), Dr. D.K. Pal
ety of Soil Science Vol. 31, pp. 350-358, year 1983), (2003), Dr. Sridhar Komarneni (2004), Dr. A.K.
while a brief account of the birth, growth and achieve- Sarkar (2005), Dr. Bijay Singh (2006), Dr. Kunal
ments of the Society is available in another publica- Ghosh (2007), Dr. K.N. Tiwari (2008), Dr. Kanwar
tion of the Society (Souvenir, pp. 26-35), which was L. Sahrawat (2009), Dr. A. Subba Rao (2010), Dr.
released during the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Biswapati Mandal (2011), Dipak Sakar (2012) and
the Society on 28th November, 1994. Dr. S.C. Datta (2014). The 32nd lecture in 2014 was
Most appropriately, the privilege and honour of delivered by Dr. Tapas Bhattacharyya in Hyderabad
delivering the First Lecture in this series went to an- and his biography in brief appears in the next section.
other internationally known Soil Scientist, Dr. S.P. This is for the information of the Readers that all the
 2014] PEDOLOGY: THE GRAMMAR OF SOIL SCIENCE S39

Prof. J.N. Mukherjee-ISSS Foundation lectures deliv- Research (ICAR), New Delhi for the last 28 years. He
ered up to year 2002 have been published as the ISSS is carrying out basic and fundamental pedological re-
Bulletin No. 21. search in terms of soil genesis, classification, survey
and mapping. He has also been working for various
About the Speaker national and international projects with special refer-
Dr. Tapas Bhattacharyya was born in November, ence to soil carbon sequestration and soil carbon mod-
1956. He is an agricultural graduate and a Ph.D. from elling to address global warming and climate change.
the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He has nearly 100 referred journal papers and review
As a Soil Scientist he is working in the National Bu- articles in books. Dr. Bhattacharyya is now working
reau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning as Head, Soil Resource Studies Division at
(NBSS&LUP) under Indian Council of Agricultural NBSS&LUP, Nagpur.

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