Editing Pedology (section)

==Overview==
[[Soil]] is not only a support for [[vegetation]], but it is also the [[pedosphere]], the locus of numerous interactions between [[climate]] ([[water]], air, [[temperature]]), [[soil life]] (micro-organisms, plants, animals) and its residues,  the [[mineral]] material of the original and added [[Rock (geology)|rock]], and its position in the landscape. During its formation and genesis, the [[soil profile]] slowly deepens and develops characteristic layers, called 'horizons', while a steady state balance is approached.

Soil users (such as [[agronomist]]s) showed initially little concern in the dynamics of soil.  They saw it as medium whose chemical, physical and biological properties were useful for the services of agronomic productivity.<ref>Saltini Antonio, ''Storia delle scienze agrarie'', 4 vols, Bologna 1984-89, {{ISBN|88-206-2412-5}}, {{ISBN|88-206-2413-3}}, {{ISBN|88-206-2414-1}}, {{ISBN|88-206-2415-X}}</ref> On the other hand, pedologists and geologists did not initially focus on the agronomic applications of the soil characteristics (edaphic properties) but upon its relation to the nature and history of landscapes. Today, there is an integration of the two disciplinary approaches as part of landscape and environmental sciences.

Pedologists are now also interested in the practical applications of a good understanding of  [[pedogenesis]] processes (the evolution and functioning of soils), like interpreting its environmental history and predicting consequences of changes in land use, while agronomists understand that the cultivated soil is a complex medium, often resulting from several thousands of years of evolution. They understand that the current balance is fragile and that only a thorough knowledge of its history makes it possible to ensure its [[sustainable development|sustainable]] use.