Soil, a natural capital, provides a range of ecosystem services crucial from economic and environmental perspectives. Recent anthropogenic influence on soils has led to the decline in soil nutrients and vegetative cover, increased soil pollution, compromised the ability to combat the changing climate scenarios, and shifts in hosted biodiversity adversely affected the soil functions. In addition, soil being the interface between air and water resources as well as the place where most human activities are performed has been proposed as a dynamic regulatory center in most of the processes occurring in nature. In such scenario, sustainability of soil resources is a key factor for the current and future human needs.

The Research Group of Soil and Environment seeks to understand soil from perspectives of plant nutrition, toxicity, microbiology, and salinity but also from ecological view to ultimately improve the sustainable use of this nonrenewable natural resource. We aim to carry out fundamental and applied research in soil and environmental perspectives to engage academia, researchers, and industry as well as the policy maker to achieve these pivotal goals.

Focus Areas

Focus Areas

• Soil fertility and plant nutrient losses and restoration
• Soil ecosystems under changing climate
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Soil microbial ecology and its implications
• Soil salinization and management strategies
• Soils and sustainable development