EJSS Landmark paper series

October 24, 2011

After more than 60 years of publishing, we thought that it is timely to re-visit some of the more influential papers published in The European Journal of Soil Science and its former alter ego the Journal of Soil Science. These LANDMARK papers will be those which we consider have challenged our understanding of soils.

The first of these (Tisdall, J.M. & Oades, J.M. 1982. Organic-matter and water-stable aggregates in soils: Journal of Soil Science, 33, 141-163), continues to influence the way in which we appreciate soil function and is, very importantly, of huge relevance to many of today's issues relating to soil science. As well as the paper itself, we will also include some reflections from the two authors as well as a commentary by three of the Journal's current Associate Editors who are much involved with, and have much expertise in, this particular topic. We will also publish a virtual issue of the Journal online on Wiley Online Library, containing papers that have, in some way, used the concepts and thoughts expounded by Tisdall and Oades. Both the LANDMARK paper and the virtual issue should appear early in 2012: we will repeat this exercise from time to time with other influential papers in other areas of soil science published in the Journal.

Judy Tisdall and Malcolm Oades note "We are proud that our model has been used in a wide range of soil studies, and, with minor modifications, seems to have stood the test of time. Our work has been quoted in research on topics such as carbon sequestration, greenhouse emissions, mathematical modelling of organic matter, dynamics of soil aggregation, food webs, indicators of soil quality and sustainable land use - all themes of much current interest"

In their commentary, Johan Six, Ed Gregorich and Ingrid Kögel-Knabner also note that this paper on soil organic matter and soil aggregates, which is not only one of the most highly cited papers of the journal, but is also of great relevance to various current soil issues and rapidly developing areas of soil research. They go on to state that "the increasing number of studies focusing on aggregation underscores the importance of this process in SOM function. Many of these studies espouse the aggregate model and aggregate hierarchy confirming their usefulness and practicality for elucidating and unraveling the secrets held in the soil. We are confident that this work will continue to inspire future scientists to study soil - one of our most precious resources."