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Ethnopedology:An Ancient Way to Better Comprehend Modern Soil Science


Affiliations
1 Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour 855 107, India
2 ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora 263 601, India
3 ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
4 ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi 284 003, India
 

Historically soils have been classified according to their appearance and characteristics. The Chinese textbook, Yugond (2500 BC) is probably the first ever on soil classification; indeed, it provided an effective and interpretative classification. Dokuchaev and others used vernacular soils like chernozem, solonetz and gley as central concepts for scientific classification. Vernacular soil names have been used throughout history and helped provide the basis of scientific classification. Folk soil taxonomies were characterized, developed, refined and used generation after generation through time-tested trials and errors. Basically, indigenous wisdom which farmers have acquired and preserved over time has repeatedly been ignored rather than streamlined. Scientific systems and detailed soil mapping have already replaced folk taxonomies, especially in the more developed countries.
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  • Ethnopedology:An Ancient Way to Better Comprehend Modern Soil Science

Abstract Views: 514  |  PDF Views: 120

Authors

Arindam Nag
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour 855 107, India
Anirban Mukherjee
ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora 263 601, India
Pragati Pramanik
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
Aniruddha Maity
ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi 284 003, India

Abstract


Historically soils have been classified according to their appearance and characteristics. The Chinese textbook, Yugond (2500 BC) is probably the first ever on soil classification; indeed, it provided an effective and interpretative classification. Dokuchaev and others used vernacular soils like chernozem, solonetz and gley as central concepts for scientific classification. Vernacular soil names have been used throughout history and helped provide the basis of scientific classification. Folk soil taxonomies were characterized, developed, refined and used generation after generation through time-tested trials and errors. Basically, indigenous wisdom which farmers have acquired and preserved over time has repeatedly been ignored rather than streamlined. Scientific systems and detailed soil mapping have already replaced folk taxonomies, especially in the more developed countries.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi09%2F1641-1642