Department Soil Science and Environmental Analyses (NGŚ)

Manager: 

dr hab. Grzegorz Siebielec, prof. IUNG-PIB
tel. 81 4786 910
mobile: 516 203 523
e-mail: Grzegorz.Siebielec@iung.pulawy.pl

Secretary:

tel. 81 47 86 919

Department’s Research Profile:

1. cartography and spatial valuation of soils on a national and regional scale, as well as mapping soil degradation phenomena and their spatial variability
2. research and construction of databases of physical and chemical properties of soils and monitoring the dynamics of their changes at the national and regional level
3. determining the impact of agricultural and non-agricultural activities on the state of the natural environment – ​​monitoring and improvement of criteria for assessing the state and level of soil and water pollution
4. research on the impact of extreme natural phenomena (droughts, torrential rains, floods) on the physicochemical properties of soils and their agricultural suitability
5. research on the impact of climate change on the retention and production potential of soils
6. research on the mechanisms and indicators of soil degradation and development of methods for remediating land and degraded areas
7. supporting the implementation and assessment of the impact of agricultural policy instruments in relation to soils and the environment
8. assessment of the possibilities of using waste substances for fertilization and soil reclamation
9. transformation of available spatial information resources on soils into formats used in the European Union
10. development of remote methods for assessing the condition of soils, natural phenomena and changes occurring in rural areas
11. development of decision support systems for the rational use of agricultural production space
12. development of geographic information systems for the assessment of natural and socio-economic phenomena in rural areas
13. soil valuation and decision support systems for soil management in urban areas
14. maintaining databases and modeling phenomena occurring in agricultural and urban space using GIS techniques and machine learning
15. development of principles for comprehensive management of rural areas, taking into account European Union standards

Offer

1. Elaborations concerning the assessment of land use changes, soil quality, level of its pollution, land productivity and soil degradation processes.
2. Ecotoxicity assessment and ecological risk analysis of soil contamination.
3. Development of databases and integration and processing of soil quality and rural areas spatial data.
4. Development and delivery of digital soil and agricultural maps and their derivatives and digitalization and updating of soil maps to various scales.  
5. Evaluation of the usefulness of waste substances in agriculture.
6. Modelling of water balance and migration processes of nutrients and contaminants in the catchment areas.
7. Development of comprehensive rural area management projects.
8. Determination of soil properties and level of soil contamination with trace elements and organic compounds.

Research Equipment

1. Advanced software for spatial analysis, modelling changes in land use, water balance, erosion processes, migration of nutrients and contaminants.
2. Integrated databases on soils and the environment.
3. Determination of soil physicochemical properties – granulometric composition laser analyzer, Mastersizer 2000, mobile spectrophotometer VIS-NIR, CN VarioMacro analyzer, soil electrical conductivity detector, soil penetrologger, profile probes for soil moisture determination, flow analyzer CFA AutoAnalyzer for nitrates, nitrites and phosphates measurement.
4. Determination of the content of elements and organic compounds in soil, water and plant samples – ICP-MS spectrometer, AAS spectrophotometer with graphite furnace, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, Hg analyzer, microwave stove, ASE extractor, gas chromatograph with ECD detector, gas chromatograph with MS detector, GC MS/MS (QqQ) gas chromatography kit.
5. Microtox water or soil toxicity testing system, Oxi-Top kit, Fitotox-kit system.