Shoolini University celebrated World Soil Day with special lectures focusing on soil management for posterity.
Solan, December 6
Shoolini University celebrated World Soil Day with special lectures focusing on soil management for posterity. The event was hosted by the MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture at the university.
World Food Laureate and Glinka Soil Science awardee Prof Rattan Lal gave the virtual address. 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.
MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture Dean Prof YS Negi welcomed the guests and the audience. He said there was a strong connection between the health of our soil and that of the planet. He pointed out that the day highlighted the need to focus on soil management.
Prof Lal said the soil was a living entity that evolved together with life. He felt the “one health concept” that summarised the soil-human relationship must lie at the centre of food security research. Since soil organic matter was at the heart of soil health, he said, “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 whether applying nitrogen fertilisers for crop production deteriorated soil health. He emphasised the importance of soil, saying that more than 99.7 per cent of human food (calories) came from the terrestrial environment.
India was the second largest user of nitrogen fertilisers, despite the notion that fertilisers, being chemicals, were harmful for soil health.
Dr Santanu Mukherjee concluded the event with a vote of thanks.