History

Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection was established on 1st January 1924 at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The first Head of Department was Zygmunt Starzyński, PhD and after his death in 1925 the Department operated under the supervision of Professor Władysław Vorbrodt, the Head of Agricultural Chemistry Department. At that time the lectures in soil science were presented by Professor Sławomir Miklaszewski who commuted from Warsaw. In 1928 Walerian Łoziński, PhD, DSc. was appointed the Head of Soil Science Unit at the Jagiellonian University; he was the co-author of Soil Maps of Europe (1937). After the end of the Second World War, i.e. in 1945-1960 the Head of Department was Professor Julian Tokarski, a mineralogist and petrographer from Lvov, formerly (1928/29) the Rector of Lvov Polytechnic, Dean of Chemistry Faculty at the Lvov Polytechnic (1922-1924) and Life Science Faculty at Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov. The Department remained within the structure of the Jagiellonian University until 1953 when it became a part of newly established Higher Agricultural College in Krakow. Professor Julian Tokarski retired in 1960 and the new Head of Department was appointed Tomasz Komornicki, PhD, DSc., who raised to full professorship in 1967. In result of reorganization which took place in 1970, the Department changed its status to a Unit of Soil Science and became a part of the Institute of Soil Science, Agricultural Chemistry and Microbiology. The Institute was dissolved in 1981 and the Unit again became a Department within the former University structure and still under supervision of Professor Tomasz Komornicki. The Professor established “the Krakow school of soil science”, based on of soil research closely connected with petrographic and mineralogical research, which was first initiated by Professor Julian Tokarski. Several eminent researchers received their doctor habilitatus degrees and professor titles during Professor Komornicki’s term of office, among those were: Bolesław Adamczyk (1966), Krystyna Oleksynowa (1970), Józef Tokaj (1978), Stanisław Zasoński (1983) and Stefan Skiba (1985). Professor Komornicki was twice elected Dean of Agriculture Faculty. In 1986 the Head of Department became Professor Bolesław Adamczyk, who in 1984-1987 was also the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture with Food Technology Unit. After his death in 1989, Professor Stanisław Zasoński became the Head of Department. He resigned from the function in 1995 due to health reasons. Professor Zasoński initiated a center for soil micromorphology which has been developing ever since. In 1995-2006 the Head of Department was Professor Joanna Łukaszuk-Niemyska. In 2000 the name of Department was changed into Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection to emphasize the research initiated in the eighties of the 20th century. The present Head of Department (since 2006) has been Professor Anna Miechówka.

Fields of research

• Soil geochemistry, genesis and classification (research on the relationship between parent rock and soil properties; criteria for typological soil classification),
• Soil cartography (soil mapping of protected areas),
• Degradation and protection of soils (investigation of toxic elements in soils of protected areas, urban and industrial areas, remediation effect on areas destroyed by industry),
• Phytosociology and soil ecology (research on the relationship between plant cover and soil: soil activity evaluation and biodiversity),
• Soil physics (research on the influence of pedogenical and morphogenical processes on soil properties: retention, water-air properties, infiltration, compaction),
• Soil micromorphology (use of micromorphological methods for the study of physical properties, type of soil macro- and microstructure and documentation of pedological processes and biological activity).

Offer of the department

LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, COURSES:

• Actual state, environmental threats (pollution, erosion) and protection of mountain soils
• Soil classification according to World Reference Base for Soil Resources and Soil Taxonomy
• Soils of protected areas
• Multifunctional role of soil – their role regarding to non-production function
• Agricultural management on protected areas
• Protected areas and sustainable development of rural areas
• Soils of boggy ecosystems – characteristic, environmental role, protection
• Areas characterized by exceeding of soil quality standards limits

• Pedological cartography
• Soil-habitat expertise
• Soil monoliths
• Evaluation of soil capability and quality in the field

List of publications

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