INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE USE AND MANAGEMENT OF SOILS IN ARID AND SEMIARID REGIONS

MURCIA

22nd–26th

September, 2002

Supporting Organizations:

International Union of Soil Sciences

Spanish Society of Soil Science

The University of Murcia

The Polytechnic University of Cartagena

European Soil Commission

European Soil Conservation Society

Introduction:

    This symposium is part of the inter-congressional activities of the Commission V Soil Genesis, Classification and Cartography of the IUSS. The Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Geology, and Pedology of the University of Murcia and the Department of Agricultural Production of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena will jointly organise this symposium. The province of Murcia is one of the driest regions of the continental Europe and facing many problems associated with agriculture and environment, including scarcity of water, urbanisation, salinization, soil erosion, and desertification. Explosion in greenhouse cultivation within the last two decades in the region, using advanced plantation technologies, created new challenges regarding the use and management of soils under arid and semi-arid conditions. Sometimes new agricultural developments in Murcia were in response to external demand rather than taking into account the suitability of the soil to produce appropriate crops. Therefore, most of the products are not used locally but shipped immediately to North European markets. New agricultural practices have created many soil and environmental problems that may be restorable. The region has reached a critical level that requires a through examination of the water use efficiency under new sets of conditions.

    The objective of this symposium is to bring together an expert group for consultation to identify strategies, priority issues, and technical options for the sustainable use of arid lands when used for intensive agriculture.

Venue of the Meeting:

    The meeting will take place in Murcia. The City of Murcia is located in the South-East of the Iberian Peninsula with a population of 400,000. It can be reached by plain, railway, and buss from the major airport of the continental Europe. The province of Murcia has typical Mediterranean characteristics, which is hot and dry in the summer and rainy and mild in the winter. The province has a lot of unique historical and touristic attractions with natural beauties. As a result of that Murcia receives a lot of tourists.

All correspondence should be sent to the following address:

Ángel Faz Cano

Secretary,

Department of Agricultural Production,

The Polytechnic University of Cartagena

Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48.

30.203 Cartagena. Murcia. Spain.

Email: sumass2002@upct.es

Phone:34-968-32 54 40

Fax: 34-968-32 54 35            

Web Page: http://www.upct.es/sumass2002

http://www.um.es/sumass2002

The Structure of the Symposium:

    The symposium will consist of invited lectures, scientific sessions with oral and poster presentations, and field excursions:

1) Scientific sessions: 23rd, 24th  and 26th September/2002

2) Midweek field excursion: 25th  September/2002.

This will include the examination of the major soils of the region and visiting the newly established greenhouses in Campo de Cartagena. The lunch will be in an exclusive typical restaurant along the Mediterranean Sea cost.

Main Topics of the Symposium:

    The main topics are indicated below, however, we welcome suggestions from the prospective participants that may be of general interest:

1.-Genesis, classification, and cartography of soils

2.-Mineralogy of soils in arid and semi-arid regions

3.-Chemistry and physics

4.-Soil biology and ecology

5.-Land evaluation for different uses

6.-Soil management techniques (conservation tillage, residue management, agroforestry) for  sustainable use of fertilizers.

7.-Intensive agricultural production in Mediterranean agro-ecological conditions

8.-Soil erosion

9.-Soil-water-plant relationship

10.-Indicators of soil quality

11.-Carbon sequestration in arid regions

12.-Soil degradation (desertification) and mitigation  technologies for degraded lands

13.-Aplication of geographical information systems and remote sensing

14.-Anthropogenic influence

15.-Soil pollution and remediation

16.-Soil salinization

17.-Technologies to improve soil quality

The Format of the summary:

    The extended summary of all the invited, poster, and oral presentations, should be sent to the Secretary of the symposium. Deadline for abstract submission will be announced in the second circular letter. It is our intention to make arrangements with an appropriate journal to publish scientific papers in a special issue after the regular review process. We plan to publish the invited presentations in a separate book. All the submissions are expected to be in electronic form MS Word 95 or latter version.

a)- The extended summary should not exceed 2 A4 size pages, single spaced typed with Times New Roman lateral, with appropriate margins.

b) The title in font Times New Roman:14, capital letters, bold and centred.

c)- The author(s) affiliation: in Italic letters, centred, if more than one Author number them and include the full address of each Institution. This will be in Times New Roman 12.

d) Introduction: in bold, text normal, Times New Roman 12.

e)- Materials and Methods, Results and Discussions will be as in Introduction

f)- References for the extended abstract:

Rasiah, V., Biederbeck, V. O., Curtin, D., Zetner, R. P. 1997. Parameterizing temporal changes in aggregation in a sludge amended soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 61, 579-585.

Pre-registration Form:

    Those interested in attending the Symposium should complete the attached pre-registration form and send it back to the secretary. The deadline for the submission of the pre-registration form is November 30/2001. The pre-registration form can be send to secretary of the symposium by E-mail.

Registration Fee:

    Registration fee will cover the welcome reception, symposium abstract book, coffee and tea, participate in the scientific sessions, mid-week excursion, and others.

Members of SECS, IUSS and ESCS     250    €

Students (evidence in support)               125    €

Non-members                                       300    €

Method of Payment:

    Can be by credit card or bank transfer. Details will be provided in the second circular

Second Circular Letter:

    The second circular letter will be sent in Feburary 2002 to those who have sent the pre-registration form. We will include more information about the symposium, included accommodation.

Organization Committee.

Roque Ortiz Silla, Chairman; Ángel Faz Cano, Secretary; Raquel Arnaldos Lozano, Treasurer; Antonio L. Alarcón Vera; Juan Albaladejo Montoro; José Álvarez Rogel; Mª José Delgado Iniesta; Gregorio García Fernández; Francisco Guillén Mondéjar; Joaquín Hernández Bastida; Juan Miguel Hernández Huescar; Purificación Marín Sanleandro; A. R. Mermut, Chairman Commision V, IUSS; Antonio Sánchez Navarro.

Scientific Committee

    Will be announced in the second circular letter