Spanish Group of Soil Enzymology: Overview and Activities

Overview and Activities

The Spanish Group of Soil Enzymology was established in July 1997. Since then, continuous efforts to define common strategies and methodologies have been made. This web page is intended as a point of contact and information for all those interested on the development of Soil Enzymology in Spain.

A brief history of the activities carried out by the Group since its foundation can be found in the following lines:

1997

The Spanish Group of Soil Enzymology was officially established in July 1997 after a meeting hold in the CEBAS/CSIC at Murcia, coordinated by Carlos García-Izquierdo , and attended by a significant number of the Spanish researchers currently working on different subjects related to enzymes in soil. The main objectives of the Group are:

To put all Spanish researchers concerned with soil enzymes in touch, allowing a fluid exchange of information and ideas, and creating a contact point for all researchers interested on the subject.
To establish common standard methodologies for determination of soil enzymatical activities.
To plan and develop joint actions leading to the incorporation of Soil Enzymology into the PhD courses related to Edafology or Environmental Research.

In this first meeting, three important decisions were taken:

Carlos García-Izquierdo was appointed President of the Group
A programme of method intercalibrations was designed to be developed during the following months.
A book describing the state of research of Soil Enzymology in Spain would be jointly written, its edition being funded by the CSIC.

1998

In October 1998 a second meeting took place in the facilities of the Agriculture Council of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, coordinated by Maria del Carmen Lobo, head of the IMIA group. The main subjects dealt with in this meeting were:

Preliminar drafts of the chapters to be included into the book on Soil Enzymology in Spain were presented.
Results of the first intercalibration assays were presented and discussed, and further tests were agreed to be carried out.
The Group would attend jointly the international congress Enzymes in the Environment: Activity, Ecology and Applications, which will take place in Granada from 12th to 15th July 1999, and the book on Spanish Soil Enzymology would be used as introduction of the Group to the international scientific community.

1999

A new meeting was held on February 1999 at Santiago de Compostela, coordinated by Fernando Gil-Sotres , one of the components of the USC/IIAG-CSIC group. The following subjects were dealt with:

Last touches to the book Research and Perspectives of Soil Enzymology in Spain, to be presented at the international congress at Granada, were made.
A joint poster introducing the Group would be displayed at the cited Congress, indicating objectives, members and current research lines.
A web page would be created and maintained by the IVIA members, to serve as a point of contact and information for all those interested on the development of the Soil Enzymology in Spain.
New results of the method intercalibrations programme were presented and discussed, new assays being considered necessary to improve data required for the final standarization.
Joint actions to obtain official funding for further meetings and design and development of more ambitious programmes of method standardization would be taken in the future.

During the international congress Enzymes in the Environment: Activity, Ecology and Applications, held in Granada from 12th to 15th July 1999, a special poster introduced the Group to the scientific community, and the book Research and Perspectives of Soil Enzymology in Spain was presented and offered free of charge to all interested parties.

A wide difussion of Soil Enzymology as a powerful tool of analysis in Environmental and Soil Sciences is one of the main objectives of the Group, and a continuous effort of teaching and public activity is carried out by all its members. From 19th to 23rd July 1999, most of them presented and discussed different aspects of the use of biological and enzymatical activity in soils at the Summer Course Assessment of Soil Quality Through the Analysis of Biological and Biochemical Parameters. Applications to Contaminated and Eroded Soil Remediation , held in the University of Burgos and directed by Salvador González-Carcedo and Carlos Rad-Moradillo .

2000

On 16th June 2000, the 4th Annual Meeting of the Group was held at the facilities of the Polytechnic University of Barcelona, coordinated by Manel Bonmatí . The main subjects and conclusions of the meeting were:

Copies of the book Research and Perspectives of Soil Enzymology in Spain were handed to every partner.
Final conclusions were extracted from the results of the intercalibration experiment, of which a publication will be shortly written and published.
Many proposals on joint research projects and diffusion activities were discussed and approved.

2001

During May 2001, an International Workshop on Soil Enzymology took place at the facilities of the IMIA. The Workshops was attended by some of the most prestigious experts such as Richard Burns, Paolo Nannipieri or Brunello Ceccanti, together with representatives of all research teams within the Group. A book with the proceedings of the Workshop will shortly be released, edited by Mª. C. Lobo .

On 5th October 2001, the 5th Annual Meeting of the Group took place at the new facilities of the CEBAS-CSIC, coordinated by Carlos García and Mª Teresa Hernández. The main subjects and conclusions of the meeting were:

The Group has succesfully fulfilled all the objectives included in an Special Action granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology
A new book jointly written by the Group was discussed and accepted
Further ideas about intercalibration data and their publication were discussed

2002

The 6th annual meeting of the Group was held during June 2002 in Valencia, at the facilities of the IVIA, Rodolfo Canet and Remedios Albiach being their coordinators. The main topics discussed were:

The new book on methodologies of determination of soil biochemical parameters was nearly finished and ready for release
New ideas on courses on soil enzymes were exposed and discussed
Given the steady arrival of applications for the book on Spanish Soil Enzymology, the preparation of an electronic version was proposed
The state of Soil Enzymology within the new European scientific interests was analyzed and discussed

2003

On 12th December 2003, the 7th meeting of the Group took place in Santiago de Compostela, coordinated by Carmen Trasar, one of the components of the USC/IIAG-CSIC group. The following subjects were dealt with:

The book on soil biochemistry methodologies, Técnicas de Análisis de Parámetros Bioquímicos en Suelos, freshly released, was introduced to the members of the Group
Carlos García was reelected as President of the Group, and Mª Teresa Hernández as Secretary
Further works on common procedures for natural samples collection and handling were discussed and agreed
New ideas on dissemination and funding of works on soil enzymes were exposed and debated

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