Soil Science in Italy

Carmelo Dazzi (1953) was Full Professor of Pedology at the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Sciences of the University of Palermo. His studies have always considered the many themes of Soil Science and Land Evaluation. In these fields, he has carried out several research projects and published over 330 publications. During his long university career, he has been President of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC); Vice-Chair of the European Soil Partnership (FAO, Rome); President of the Italian Society of Soil Science (SISS); and Vice-President of the European Ecocycles Society (ECyS). Awards: Honorary Professor of the University of San Agustin in Arequipa (Peru); Honorary Professor of the M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University (Kazakhstan); Honorary member of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS); Honorary Member of the Academia of Agriculture and Forestry Science (Romania); Academician of the Italian Academy of Forestry Sciences; Academician of the Italian National Academy of Agriculture.

Anna Benedetti (1956) was Director of Research Centre Plant and Soil System of the Council for Economy and Agriculture Research (CREA). Her research topics were about soil microbiology and biodiversity, plant nutrition and soil fertility, soil fertilization, and soil sustainable use. She has published around 500 papers including books. She chaired numerous research projects on soil at international and national level. She has been President of the Italian Soil Science Society (SISS), National Focal Point for Global Soil Partnership (FAO, Rome), Expert in Working Group Fertilizer of EU, Chair of Cost Action 831 on Soil Biotechnology. Academician of the Italian National Academy of Agriculture, Academician of the Georgofili Academy.

Giuseppe Corti (1961) has been Full Professor of Pedology at the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences at the Università Politecnica delle Marche (Ancona). His studies have encompassed many Soil Science topics like the genesis of soils from severe environment (including cold and hot deserts, volcanoes, and saline environments), soil-plant relationships, soil pollution, soil fertility, and soil rehabilitation. He has also managed projects funded by European Union, Italian Ministries, National Science Foundation (USA), and local administrations. He published 109 papers on journals with impact factor, 10 book chapters, and 2 monographies. He is in the editorial board of Geoderma, Pedosphere, Italian Journal of Agronomy, and Alexandria Science Exchange Journal. Since January 2022, he is Director of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), agency under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture. He served the Italian Society of Pedology (SIPe) as President and is currently President of the Italian Society of Soil Science (SISS). Awards: Academician of the Italian Academy of Forestry Sciences and of the Italian National Academy of Agriculture.

Edoardo A.C. Costantini (1955) is current President of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and has been President of the "Paleopedology" commission of the IUSS, Secretary of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC), President of the V Commission "Genesis, Classification and Cartography of Soil" and Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Soil Science (SISS), and of the Italian Society of Pedology (SIPe). He has been Researcher and Research Director of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) and of the National Research Council (CNR) in Florence and Modena, Acting Director of the Research Centre for Agrobiology and Pedology of Florence, and Professor of Pedology at the University of Siena. He has carried out over 40 years of research work in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America, leading international projects focused on Soil Restoration and Conservation, Land Suitabili

Soil science in Italy: from the birth of the Unitarian State to the ISSS foundation (1861 - 1924).- The Italian contribution to the foundation of the International Society of Soil Science.- Soil Science in Italy in the period 1920 - 1950.- 1950-1980: from the foundation of the Italian soil science society to the awareness of soil as a primary resource.- From the 1980s to the 2000s: the golden years of the Italian soil science .- Soil science in Italy from 2000 to 2024.- The future of soil science in Italy.- PART II - The development of Soil Science in the Italian regions.- The development of Soil Science in Abruzzo.- The development of Soil Science in Basilicata.- The development of Soil Science in Calabria.- The development of Soil Science in Campania.- The development of Soil Science in Emilia Romagna.- The development of Soil Science in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.- The development of Soil Science in Lazio.- The development of Soil Science in Liguria.- The development of Soil Science in Lombardy.- The development of Soil Science in Marche.- The development of Soil Science in Molise.- The development of Soil Science in Piedmont.- The development of Soil Science in Apulia.- The development of Soil Science in Sardinia.- The development of Soil Science in Sicily.- The development of Soil Science in Tuscany .- The development of Soil Science in Trentino-Alto Adige .- The development of Soil Science in Umbria.- The development of Soil Science in Aosta valley.- The development of Soil Science in Veneto .- PART III - Soil Science in Institutions and Research Centers .- Soil Science in Italian Universities.- CNR's contribution to the advancement of soil science in Italy.- CREA's contribution to the advancement of soil science in Italy.- Land and Soil Monitoring, Mapping and Assessment Activities in the National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).- Agricultural Soil Science concerns and research activities in the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA).- Soil Science at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (1992-2022).- Soil Science at the CIHEAM's Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari in Italy.- PART IV - The Italian Scientific Societies on Soil Science.- The Italian Society of Soil Science.- The Italian Society of Agricultural Chemistry.- The Italian Society of Pedology.