Soil Science in Italian Universities

The community of soil scientists in Italian universities is small, approximately 100 people as permanent staff, distributed from North to South in groups of variable dimensions. Despite being a small community, their research activities show a wide range of topics, ranging from the molecular to the landscape scale, and encompassing evergreen themes and present-day hot topics. This chapter summarizes the main topics investigated over the last five years, as they appear in the Scopus database. The activities were grouped into seven main research fields that offer an overview of both the specific topics, and the scale at which a phenomenon can be investigated: (1) soil development, pedogenic processes and soil classification, (2) soil functions and ecosystem services, (3) soil organic matter characteristics and functions, (4) soil chemical and biochemical properties, (5) biowaste upcycling for soil remediation and fertility enhancement, (6) soil degradation, contamination and remediation and (7) land suitability and management, soil variability and mapping. In many cases, collaborations among Italian universities and with international partners are visible, testifying the need of joining efforts and expertise to address the present-day challenges.