INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE

INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE
Ist Floor, National Societies Block
National Agricultural Science Centre Complex
Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi - 110 012 (India)
(Phone: 011-25841991, 25841529, Email: isss1934@gmail.com, isss.secretary@gmail.com)
79th ANNUAL CONVENTION
(November 24-27, 2014)
Final Announcement
As per the First Announcement dated 30 June 2014 the 79th Annual Convention of the Indian Society of
Soil Science will be held at Prof. Jayshankar Telangana State Agricultural University in collaboration
with ANGRAU, Hyderabad during November 24-27, 2014 (Monday to Thursday). The tentative
programme is as follows:
November 24, 2014 (Monday)
0800 - 0900 Registration
0930 - 1130 Inaugural Function
1130 - 1200 Tea
1200 - 1300 32nd Prof. J.N. Mukherjee-ISSS Foundation Lecture by Dr. Tapas Bhattacharyya, Nagpur
Topic: Pedology : The grammar of soil science
1300 - 1400 Lunch
1400 - 1600 National Seminar on “Developments in Soil Science - 2014”
Session Ia (Oral Presentations)
Hall 1 — Soil Fertility I
Hall 2 — Soil Chemistry I
Hall 3 — Soil Biology I
Hall 4 — Soils and the Environment
1600 - 1630 Tea
1630 - 1730 Session Ib (Poster Presentations)
1730 - 1830 1st Dr. S.N. Saxena Memorial Lecture by Dr. Sunil K. Sharma, Udaipur
Topic: Long-term fertilization and soil health : A relook
1900 - 2030 Cultural Programme
2030
Dinner
November 25, 2014 (Tuesday)
0900 - 1000 41st Dr. R.V. Tamhane Memorial Lecture by Dr. B.S. Dwivedi, New Delhi
Topic: Revisiting soil testing and fertilizer use research
1000 - 1030 Tea
1030 - 1300 Dr. J.S. Kanwar Brain Storming Session on "Soil Science Education and Society"
1300 - 1400 Lunch
1400 - 1530 National Seminar on “Developments in Soil Science - 2014”
Session IIa (Oral Presentations)
Hall I — Soil Fertility II
Hall II — Soil Chemistry II
Hall III — Soil Physics and Soil Engineering & Technology
Hall IV — IPNI Sponsored Session on "Precision Nutrient Management in
Smallholder Systems of India"
1530 - 1630 Session IIb (Poster Presentations)
1630 - 1700 Tea
1730 - 1900 Annual General Body Meeting
2000
Dinner
November 26, 2014 (Wednesday)
0900 - 1100 ISSS Best Doctoral Research Presentation Award Contest
(Final Round)
1100 - 1130
1130 - 1330
1330 - 1430
1430 - 1530
1530 - 1700
2000
Tea
National Seminar on “Developments in Soil Science – 2014”
Session IIIa (Oral Presentations)
Hall 1 — Soil Fertility III
Hall 2 — Soil Biology II
Hall 3 — Soil Classification; Soil Evaluation and Land Use Planning; Soil Degradation
Control, Remediation, and Reclamation
Lunch
Session IIIb (Poster Presentations)
Concluding Session
Dinner
November 27, 2014 (Thursday)
Field Trip (Optional)
NATIONAL SEMINAR
Oral Presentations: For oral power point presentation of papers a maximum of 10 minutes will be
allowed. Participants are advised to contact in advance the person-in-charge of projection for copying
the files onto computer hard-disk in the hall where the paper is to be presented. Files in MS Word or
Power Point format are to be brought in Pen Drive or CD.
Poster Presentations: For mounting posters a minimum of one square meter per paper will be
allotted. Letter size of posters should be bold and large enough so that one can read the poster
contents comfortably from a distance of 2 metres.
Poster Presentation Tips
 Don’t crowd too much information into the presentation; concentrate on two or three main points. Highlight
your title, headings, and sub-headings with colours or coloured lines. Make sure your poster information
(text, figures, tables, photos) is clearly visible from a distance of 2m from the poster so it can be easily read
from this distance.
 Format headings and sub-headings should be at least 25% larger than the text in bold or semi bold.
 Keep your text in short, concise, legible statements; minimize complete sentences and paragraphs. Remember that photos and graphs convey information more readily than text and tables.
 Text in upper and lower case letters is more readable than all capitals. Use Arial or Times New Roman font
style. Text type should be at least 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) tall and readable from a distance of 2m.
Registration Fee: Registration fee of Rs 3000/- (Rs 1000/- in case of students) is to be paid in advance by
each delegate to the Secretary, Indian Society of Soil Science, Ist Floor, National Societies Block,
National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi - 110012
either in cash/ money order or in the form of a bank draft drawn in favour of “Indian Society of Soil Science”
and payable on any bank in New Delhi so as to reach the ISSS headquarters by 30 October 2014. Subsequently the registration fee will be accepted only in cash at the venue of Convention on 24 November 2014
onwards. Outstation cheques will not be accepted. Registration fee once paid shall neither be refunded
nor transferred to any other purpose or person.
Accommodation Facility: The University/ICAR guest house tariffs vary between Rs 500-1000 per double
bed room per night depending upon the type of room. However, limited accommodation will be available in
the University/ICAR Guest House which will be allotted on first-come first-serve basis. The hotel
accommodation will be available within a distance of 8 km from University and 5-6 km from Nampally
railway station. Following are the hotel room tariffs:
Non-AC (Single) :
Rs. 750-1500
Non-AC (Double) :
Rs. 1200-2000
AC (Single)
Rs. 1500-3500
AC (Double)
Rs. 2000-4500
:
:
The delegates who want the organizers to arrange for hotel accommodation are required to send an amount
of Rs. 2000/- in advance in the form of demand draft in favour of 79th Annual Convention of Indian Society
of Soil Science, to Dr. G.Padmaja, Secretary, Hyderabad chapter of ISSS, Department of Soil Science &
Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030. The hotel accommodation
will be confirmed only on receipt of advance amount. The control room for accommodation will be available
in Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad500030 under the supervision of Dr. A. Siva Shankar (Email: issshyderabad1980@gmail.com) Phone:
09392492745.
Transport Facility: The transport facility will be available at Hyderabad, Secunderabad (Main gate), Kachiguda
Railway Stations and Shamshabad Airport for the delegates who indicate their detail travel plans (date and
time of arrival, train name and number) well in advance. The different Railway stations viz. Hyderabad/
Nampally, Secunderabad, Kachiguda are located at 16, 25 and 17 km, respectively. The Shamshabad RGI
Airport is 19 km away from University. The detailed travel plans may be sent to Dr. A.Siva Shankar
(Email: issshyderabad1980@gmail.com, Phone: 09392492745).
Climate: In the month of November, weather is pleasant at Hyderabad with the mean minimum temperature
ranges between 18 and 22 °C and maximum temperature between 28 and 32 °C. The delegates are
advised to bring normal warm woollen clothing during the convention.
New Delhi
Dated 18 October 2014
(D.R. Biswas)
Secretary
Note: Dr. G. Padmaja is the key person to be contacted for any information regarding registration, accommodation, transport and all other local arrangements in Hyderabad. Her address is given below:
Dr. G. Padmaja, Organising Secretary, 79th Annual Convention, Department of Soil Science & Agricultural
Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500 030, Andhra Pradesh
Mobile: +91-9866976067, Email: issshyderabad1980@gmail.com
79th Annual General Body Meeting Notice
Date: 25 November 2014 (Tuesday)
Time: 5:30 PM
Venue: Prof. Jayshankar Telangana State Agricultural University and ANGRAU, Hyderabad
AGENDA
1.
Confirmation of the proceedings of the 78th Annual General Body Meeting held on 24-10-2013 at CAZRI,
Jodhpur.
2. Presentation and adoption of the Annual Report of the Society for 2013-2014.
3. Presentation and adoption of the audited statement of accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2014.
4. Presentation and adoption of the budget estimates for 2015-2016.
5. To consider and adopt, if approved with or without modification, the following amendments of the Rules and
Regulations of ISSS in the matter of increasing the existing ceiling of the fellows and institution of a memorial
award.
Existing: 11.3.1.The ISSS shall have Fellows from amongst the sustaining active Members and Life Members
in recognition of their professional outstanding contributions and service to the ISSS. Total number of Fellows
shall not at any time exceed 100 and the number of persons bestowed with Fellowship each year shall not
exceed four.
Amended: 11.3.1. The ISSS shall have Fellows from amongst the sustaining active Members and Life
Members in recognition of their professional outstanding contributions and service to the ISSS. Total number
of Fellows shall not at any time exceed 125 and the number of persons bestowed with Fellowship each year
shall not exceed four.
“11.6. Prof. Sant Singh Memorial Award for Excellence in Education and Research in Soil Science
11.6.1. The award instituted in the memory of Late Prof. Sant Singh on request from Varanasi Chapter of the
ISSS, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS for his/her outstanding contributions in teaching
and research excellence in the field of soil science. The candidate shall be a current member of ISSS and
the membership shall be at least five years in continuation. Contribution in teaching and research made
during last 10 years only shall be considered for the award.
11.6.2. On notification by the ISSS, an individual shall apply in prescribed proforma for the award, giving a
concise account of the work (not more than 500 words each for teaching and research) supported by
documentary evidence in the form of: (a) For the assessment of teaching: A certificate from Dean/Director
of the Faculty/Institute authenticating contribution of the applicant in development /revision of course
curriculum, copies of teaching materials like books, book chapters, manuals, models, bulletins, technical
folders, e-courses, e-lectures developed, list of courses taught at UG/PG levels, number of M.Sc and Ph.D
students supervised and quality of students/human resources as evident by their placements; and (b) For
the assessment of research: Best five original research papers published in not less than three different
peer –reviewed journals of repute.
11.6.3. The judging shall be done according to the procedures laid down in Article 11.4.3.
11.6.4. The awardee shall be honoured with a gold-plated medal and citation at the Annual Convention.
Subsequently existing 11.6 will become 11.7 and —————— 11.11 will be 11.12 with insertion of the
above para.
6. Election of Office Bearers and Councillors in the Council of the Society to the offices falling vacant during
2014 and 2015.
7. Any other matter with the permission of the Chair (Members desirous of raising any point under this item are
required to send the same in writing to the Secretary on or before 17th November 2014).
8. Presidential address.
9. Vote of thanks.
New Delhi
Dated: 18 October 2014
(D.R. Biswas)
Secretary
Indian Society of Soil Science
National Societies Block, National Agricultural Science Centre Complex,
Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi -110012
Proceedings of the 78th Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS)
held on 24th October, 2014 at the Auditorium of the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur
Dr. R.K. Rattan, President ISSS, chaired the meeting attended by 149 members of the Society. Dr. Rattan
extended a formal welcome to the Members. He informed the Members of the sad demise of seven of its
Members viz. Dr. Sant Singh, Dr. N. Panda, Dr. S.B. Sinha, Dr. V. Shantaram, Dr. R.N. Prasad, Dr. Bhajan
Singh and Dr. A.N. Pathak since the 77th Annual General Body Meeting. Members joined the President in
paying tributes to the departed souls and observed one minute silence in their memory.
Subsequently the agenda items as circulated earlier were taken up for consideration.
1. Confirmation of the proceedings of the 77th Annual General Body Meeting held on 4-12-2012 at
PAU, Ludhiana.
The Secretary, ISSS briefly highlighted the salient features of the proceedings of the 77th Annual General
Body Meeting already circulated among the members and the actions taken thereon. After a brief
discussion, the proceedings were confirmed without any modification.
2. Presentation and adoption of the Annual Report of the Society for 2012-2013.
The Annual Report of the Society for the year 2012-2013, as approved by the Council in its meeting held
on 21 September 2013 and circulated among the members, was presented by the Secretary of the
ISSS. Dr. R.K. Rattan, President asked for suggestions from the members. After brief discussion, Annual
Report as presented by the Secretary was adopted without any modifications.
3. Presentation and adoption of the Report of Editorial Board for 2013.
Dr. D.R. Biswas presented the report of Editorial Board for 2013. Dr. Rattan, President ISSS invited the
suggestions from members for smooth and timely publications of the journal. Most of the members gave
their concern to reduce the time lag between submission of the manuscripts and final decision as well
as NAAS rating of the journal. After detailed deliberation it was decided to adopt the new guidelines
proposed for processing of manuscripts through online system. It was also decided to have at least one/
two meeting(s) as and when required.
4. Presentation and adoption of the audited statement of accounts for the year ended 31st March,
2013.
The audited statement of accounts of the Society for the year ended 31st March 2013 was presented by
Dr. S.K. Singhal, Treasurer ISSS. After a brief discussion the statement was adopted.
5. Presentation and adoption of the budget estimates for 2014-2015.
Dr. S.K. Singhal presented the budget estimates for 2014-2015 which had been drawn and approved
earlier by the Council. With this brief discussion, the budget estimates were adopted by the house
without any modifications.
6. To consider and adopt, if approved with or without modification, the following amendments of
the Rules and Regulations of ISSS in the matter of institution of a memorial lecture and others.
The one new paragraph proposed for inclusion and one change in paragraph numbering are as
under:
“12.13. Dr. S.N. Saxena Memorial Lecture
12.13.1. This lecture instituted in 2013 out of a donation received from the Udaipur Chapter of ISSS,
will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri
Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given
by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.”
To change the existing paragraph number “12.13” as “12.14” in view of the insertion of the above para.
After some deliberations, the amendment was accepted.
7. Election of Office Bearers and Councillors in the Council of the Society to the offices falling
vacant during 2014 and 2015.
The Secretary informed the house that following the procedure enshrined in the Rules and Regulations,
Council in its meeting held on 21 September 2013 had elected the following Office-bearers and
recommended the same to the Annual General Body Meeting:
Vice-President
:
Dr. S.K. Singh
Assistant Secretary
:
Dr. K.M. Manjaiah
Treasurer
:
Dr. S.K. Singhal
The Secretary informed that postal ballots for electing 10 Councillors received in Jodhpur were counted
by a team led by Dr. G. Padmaja. The ten Councillors elected for the years 2014 and 2015 were: Dr Om
Prakash Aishwath, Dr Ashis Kumar Biswas, Dr. Gora Chand Hazra, Dr Mahesh Kumar, Dr Mahesh
Chand Meena, Dr M.V.S. Naidu, Dr S.S. Prabhudesai, Dr P.S. Sangwan, Dr Yad Vir Singh and Dr C.T.
Subbarayappa.
The house approved the results and congratulated all the members elected to the Council.
8. Any other matter with the permission of the Chair. (Members desirous of raising any point under
this item are required to send the same in writing to the Secretary on or before 16th October
2013).
Secretary informed the House that since no item was received for discussion from the members by the
stipulated date, hence no matter should be taken up. House agreed with the observations of the Secretary.
8. Presidential Address
Dr. R.K. Rattan, President ISSS delivered the presidential address on the topic “Soil Science and
the Society”. He focused on the measures for enhancing visibility of soil scientists and emphasized
that soil scientists should effectively demonstrate their pro-active role in addressing and remedying
global issues such as anthropogenic climate change, water quality and quantity issues including
competing demand for water by different sectors; develop inter-disciplinary teams in close
cooperation with agronomists, climatologists, ecologists, plant protection scientists, ecologists,
plant breeders, plant physiologists, economists, non-governmental organizations, policy makers
and industrialists; create public awareness through mass media, vernacular press, and interaction
with policy makers on ecosystem services provided by the soils. He also urged the academia and
education planners for introducing Soil Science as a subject at the school level.
10. Vote of thanks.
The meeting came to a close with a vote of thanks by Dr. A.K. Patra, Joint Secretary, ISSS.
(D.R. Biswas)
Secretary, ISSS
Indian Society of Soil Science
Ist Floor, National Societies Block
National Agricultural Science Centre Complex
Dev Prakash Sastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi -110 012
ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014
This report includes the salient features of the different activities of the Society during November 2013 – October 2014
and is being presented by the Council at the 79th Annual General Body Meeting on 25th November, 2014.
COUNCIL (NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2013)
President: Dr R.K. Rattan; Vice-Presidents: Dr Jagdish Prasad and Dr G.S. Dasog; Secretary: Dr D.R. Biswas; Joint
Secretary: Dr A.K. Patra; Assistant Secretary: Dr K.M. Manjaiah; Treasurer: Dr S.K. Singhal (w.e.f. 16 March 2013)
Members: Dr J.S. Kanwar, Dr D.R. Bhumbla, Dr S.S. Khanna, Dr I.P. Abrol, Dr N.N. Goswami, Dr G. Dev, Dr D.K. Das,
Dr M. Velayutham, Dr P.K. Chhonkar, Dr G. Narayanasamy, Dr J.S. Samra, Dr J.C. Katyal, Dr A.K. Singh and Dr B.P.
Singh (Past Presidents; Ex-officio)
Dr P.K. Basavaraja, Dr H.T. Channal, Dr Pradip Dey, Dr M.S. Grewal, Dr Brij Lal Lakaria, Dr B.R. Maurya, Dr G.
Padmaja, Dr Mausumi Raychaudhuri, Dr D.K. Shahi, Dr R.D. Singh, Dr K.S. Anil Kumar, Dr D.S. Benipal, Dr S.P. Datta,
Dr G. Jayasree, Dr R.N. Katkar, Dr K.C. Patel, Dr K.K. Rout, Dr Pramod Kumar Sharma, Dr S.K. Sharma and Dr Sunil
Kumar Sharma
Chief Editor: Dr B.S. Dwivedi
COUNCIL (JANUARY–OCTOBER 2014)
President: Dr R.K. Rattan; Vice-Presidents: Dr G.S. Dasog and Dr S.K. Singh; Secretary: Dr D.R. Biswas; Joint Secretary:
Dr A.K. Patra (up to June 2014); Assistant Secretary: Dr K.M. Manjaiah; Treasurer: Dr S.K. Singhal
Members: Dr J.S. Kanwar, Dr D.R. Bhumbla, Dr S.S. Khanna, Dr I.P. Abrol, Dr N.N. Goswami, Dr G. Dev, Dr D.K. Das,
Dr M. Velayutham, Dr P.K. Chhonkar, Dr G. Narayanasamy, Dr J.S. Samra, Dr J.C. Katyal, Dr A.K. Singh and Dr B.P.
Singh (Past Presidents; Ex-officio)
Dr K.S. Anil Kumar, Dr D.S. Benipal, Dr S.P. Datta, Dr G. Jayasree, Dr R.N. Katkar, Dr K.C. Patel, Dr K.K. Rout, Dr
Pramod Kumar Sharma, Dr S.K. Sharma and Dr Sunil Kumar Sharma, Dr Om Prakash Aishwath, Dr Ashis Kumar
Biswas, Dr Gora Chand Hazra, Dr Mahesh Kumar, Dr Mahesh Chand Meena, Dr M.V.S. Naidu, Dr S.S. Prabhudesai,
Dr P.S. Sangwan, Dr Yad Vir Singh and Dr C.T. Subbarayappa
Chief Editor: Dr B.S. Dwivedi
EDITORIAL BOARD (2014)
Chief Editor: Dr B.S. Dwivedi
Editors: Dr Tapan Adhikari, Dr Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Dr A.K. Biswas, Dr S.K. Chaudhari, Dr S.P. Datta, Dr V.K. Kharche,
Dr S.S. Kukal, Dr Lata, Dr Kaushik Majumdar, Dr S.K. Mahapatra, Dr M.C. Manna, Dr A.L. Pharande, Dr Dhyan Singh,
Dr Ch. Srinivasarao, Dr S.K. Singh, Dr A.K. Srivastava; Dr D.R. Biswas (Ex-officio) and Dr A.K. Patra (Ex-officio) (up to
June 2014)
International Consulting Editors: Dr J.D. Beaton, Dr K. Harmsen, Dr Rattan Lal and Dr Paul L.G. Vlek
MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIBERS
The membership position at close of the year 2013 was as follows:
Honorary Members 15; Life Members 751; Members 1109; Student Members 434; Donor Members 14; and
the total being 2323.
As on 10th October, 2014 the position is:
Honorary Members 15; Life Members 760; Members 1176; Student Members 396; Donor Members 14; and
the total being 2361.
Subscription for the Journal
During 2013: Indian 123 and Complimentaries 11; total = 134
As on 10th October, 2014: Indian 80 and Complimentaries 11; total = 91
SEVENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
The 78th Annual Convention of the Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS) was held at the Central Arid Zone Research
Institute, Jodhpur during October 23-26, 2013. A brief report on the Convention is presented hereunder.
Inaugural Session
The inaugural session was held on 23 October 2013 at the Auditorium of the Central Arid Zone Research
Institute, Jodhpur. On behalf of the CAZRI, Jodhpur and Jodhpur Chapter of the ISSS, Dr. M.M. Roy, Director, CAZRI
welcomed the delegates and expressed this event as an unique chance for the scientists and researchers to enhance
their academic knowledge while attending the symposium and convention. Dr. R.K. Rattan, President, ISSS, extended
a warm welcome to the Chief Guest, Padma Bhusan Prof. R.B. Singh, President, National Academy of Agricultural
Sciences; the Guest of Honor, Prof. S.S. Khanna an eminent soil scientist and Ex-Vice Chancellor, Narendra Dev
University of Agriculture and Technology; Past Presidents of ISSS present in the inaugural ceremony, members of the
Council of ISSS, Institute officials, delegates from all parts of the country; and other distinguished guests. In his
presidential remarks, Dr. Rattan highlighted about the activities of the society in various aspects of development
related to soil science in the country and its long term implications for the social development. The Guest of Honor,
Prof. Khanna urged that technologies available with ICAR institutes and universities need to be at the doorstep of the
clientele. Chief Guest, Padma Bhusan Prof. R.B. Singh, President, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences presented
the Fellowship and various Awards of the ISSS for 2013. Dr. D.R. Biswas, Secretary read the citations. A set of
publications brought out on the occasion of the Convention were released during the inaugural ceremony. In his
inaugural address, Prof. R.B. Singh, emphasized the necessity to have human face of the R&D of soil science, advocated
about the land use planning at different levels need to be very much comprehensive, new disciplines like, geo-informatics,
socio-economy, soil biodiversity studies, soil biotechnology, nanotechnology applications in soil science need to be
inculcated. Inaugural function formally came to a close with a vote of thanks by Dr. J.C. Tarafdar, Organizing Secretary,
78th Annual Convention of ISSS, and National Fellow, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur.
Special Lectures
During the Convention two special lectures were organized. The 31st Prof. J.N. Mukherjee - ISSS Foundation Lecture
was delivered by Dr. S. C. Datta, IARI, New Delhi. He delivered this lecture on the topic “Re-viewing ionic sorption in
a molecular way” on 23 October 2013. Dr. D.K. Das, Former President ISSS chaired the session. The 40th Dr. R.V.
Tamhane Memorial Lecture was delivered on 24 October 2013 by Dr. J.C. Tarafdar, National Fellow, CAZRI, Jodhpur
on the topic “Phosphorus – A Bright Future Ahead!”. Dr. R.P. Dhir, Jodhpur, chaired the session.
National Symposium on Agro-Ecozone based Land Use Planning
Half-a-day National Symposium on “Agro-Ecozone based Land Use Planning” was held on 24 October
2013 with Dr. J.C. Katyal, past President, ISSS and former VC, CCS HAU, Hisar, former DDG (Education), New
Delhi in the Chair; Dr. Pradeep K. Sharma, Palampur co-chaired this session and Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao,
Hyderabad was the Rapporteur. Speakers in the session included Dr. Jagdish Prasad (on behalf of Dr. Tapas
Bhattacharyya), NBSS&LUP, Nagpur; Dr. Praveen Kumar, CAZRI, Jodhpur; Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, CRIDA,
Hyderabad, Dr. H.K. Rai (on behalf of Dr. V.S. Tomar), JNKVV, Jabalpur; Dr. P. Sureshkumar, KAU, Thrissur;
and Dr. Pradeep K. Sharma, HPKV, Palampur.
National Seminar
A National Seminar on ‘Developments in Soil Science - 2013’ was organized, in which a total of 107 papers in
oral and 185 papers in poster sessions were presented on 23rd afternoon, 24th afternoon and 25th forenoon
October 2013. Out of the poster presentations spread over three sessions, following three were selected for the
Best Poster Presentation Award:
1. Contributions of soil-Zn, fertilizer-Zn and sprayed-Zn in fortification of brown rice and husk of two contrasting
paddy varieties. – P. Surendra Babu, A. Madhavi, M.C. Patnaik, M. Ram Prasad and A.K. Shukla.
2. Investigation on alkalinity of biochar produced from different feedstocks at different temperatures. –
Tanumoy Bera, A.K. Patra, T.J. Purakayastha and S.C. Datta.
3. Assessment of soil organic carbon in trans-gangetic plains with special emphasis to carbon sequestration
potential under rice-wheat cropping system. – Shreyasi Gupta Choudhary, S.K. Singh, Dipak Sarkar,
N.P.S. Yaduvanshi and S.K. Chaudhari.
Chapter Activities
Following an encouraging response during the previous years, Chapters of ISSS were invited to display in the
form of posters their activities of the preceding one year. These posters remained on display on 23-25 October
2013 with one of the Chapter representatives available for discussion for a limited time fixed each day. The
Chapters participated in this programme were: Akola, Delhi, Dharwad, Gwalior, Hisar and Indore. Poster
presentations were informative, interesting and well laid-out. Visitors appreciated the efforts of the Chapters.
Cultural Programme
Cultural programme depicting the cultural heritage of Rajasthan on the evening of 23 October 2013 was the key
attraction of this technically-rich convention.
Concluding Session
The concluding session was held on 25 October 2013 with Dr. R.K. Rattan, President of the ISSS in the chair. In-depth
review of all the special and technical sessions including the National Symposium was made. Members were requested
to offer their comments on the several activities carried out during the preceeding three days. Members made many
useful suggestions. Dr. Gopal Ramdas Mahajan, ICAR Research Complex for Goa (Ph.D. Thesis submitted to IARI,
New Delhi) was awarded the ISSS Best Doctoral Research Presentation Award for the year 2013, while the other
contestants, namely, Dr. Mandira Barman, Dr. Priyadarshani Arun Khambalkar, Dr. Anil Kumar, Dr. D.V. Naveen and Dr.
C. Santosh were given Commendation Certificates. Mr. Arijit Barman and Ms. Somimol, P.V. were awarded the Zonal
Award from North Zone and South Zone, respectively. Dr. Rattan, President, ISSS presented award/ commendation
certificates. Efforts made by the Members of the Jodhpur Chapter under the stewardship of Dr. M.M. Roy, Director,
CAZRI, Jodhpur in making the Convention a memorable and grand success were highly commended; the delegates
gave the standing ovation to the organizers. At the end of the concluding session, the annual convention was declared
formally closed by Dr. R.K. Rattan, President of the ISSS.
BUSINESS MEETINGS
78th Annual General Body Meeting
The 78th Annual General Body Meeting of ISSS was held on 24 December 2013. Dr. R.K. Rattan, President of
the ISSS, chaired the meeting attended by 149 members of the Society. The business of the meeting as per the
listed agenda, was transacted. The proceedings of the 77th Annual General Body Meeting held on 4 December,
2012 at Ludhiana, were considered and confirmed by the house. Dr. D.R. Biswas, Secretary presented the
Annual Report of the Society for the period November 2012 – October 2013; it was adopted by the house. The
audited statement of the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2013 and budget estimates for 2014-2015 were
presented by Dr. S.K. Singhal, Treasurer; these were adopted by the house after some discussion and
clarifications. The results of election for filling the offices falling vacant for 2014 and 2015 were announced; Dr.
S.K. Singh, Professor, SSAC, BHU, Varanasi was elected Vice President; Dr. K.M. Manjaiah, Principal Scientist,
Division of SSAC, IARI, New Delhi and Dr. S.K. Singhal, Senior Scientist, Division of SSAC, IARI were elected
as the Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. The 10 Councillors, declared elected were Dr. Om
Prakash Aishwath, Dr. Ashis Kumar Biswas, Dr. Gora Chand Hazra, Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Dr. Mahesh Chand
Meena, Dr. M.V.S. Naidu, Dr. S.S. Prabhudesai, Dr. P.S. Sangwan, Dr. Yad Vir Singh and Dr. C.T.
Subbarayappa. The members elected were felicitated in the Annual General Body meeting. Dr. R.K. Rattan
delivered the presidential address. The meeting came to a close with a vote of thanks by Dr. A.K. Patra, Joint
Secretary, ISSS.
Council Meetings
The Council met three times in 2014, on 22nd March, 8th June, and 18th October, 2014 to transact the business of the
Society. All the meetings were chaired by Dr. R.K. Rattan, President. Members of the Council attended these meetings
in large numbers and contributed substantially to the proceedings of these meetings.
FINANCE
The financial position of the Society continues to be satisfactory. The Society was sanctioned Rs. 1,50,000/- as grantin-aid by ICAR during 2013-2014 for the publication of the Journal of the Society. The audited statement of accounts
for the year ended 31st March, 2014 and the budget estimates for the year 2015-2016 drawn by the Council are being
placed for approval at the 79th Annual General Body Meeting.
PUBLICATIONS
Journal: The third and fourth issues (September & December 2013) of the Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science,
Vol. 61 were brought out. Volume 61 for the year 2013 covered 378 pages. As a new feature, the supplementary issue
of 2013 containing the memorial lectures delivered in 2012 was published. So far March and June 2014 issues of the
Journal (Vol. 62 for 2014) have been brought out and these run into 188 pages.
EDITORIAL BOARD REPORT
With an ultimate objective of improving the visibility of theJISSS, hastening decision making on the manuscripts, and
enhancing the quality of papers published, modified editorial guidelines adopted earlier by the Council were followed.
These guidelines, besides other reforms, included online submission and processing of manuscripts, and empowering the editors to choose reviewers as per specialization.This helped reducing time lag between receipt of the manuscripts and final decision thereon. The efficiency would improve further with (i) familiarization of authors/reviewers/
editors with the online editorial management system, and (ii) more cooperation from authors in terms of quick revision
of manuscripts complying the suggestions meticulously.
LINKS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SOIL SCIENCES
The Indian Society of Soil Science is Full Member in the Category of Nations in Development. Society’s subscription to
the IUSS is being sent for the current year.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
Most of the Chapters of the Society located at Annamalainagar, Akola, Allahabad, Anand, Bangalore, Bapatla, Bhopal,
Bichpuri (Agra), Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dantiwada, Dapoli, Delhi, Dharwad, Faizabad, Gwalior, Hisar,
Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jobner, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kalyani, Kanpur, Karnal, Kolkata, Kota, Lucknow, Ludhiana,
Modipuram, Nagpur, Navasari, Palampur, Pantnagar, Parbhani, Pusa (Bihar), Rahuri, Ranchi, Sabour, Shimoga, Thrissur,
Tirupati, Udaipur and Varanasi remained active in promoting the aims and objectives of the Society by organizing
conferences, meetings, seminars, group discussions, special lectures, etc. A number of Chapters are bringing out
Newsletters periodically and also the Annual Reports. Following an encouraging response during the previous years,
Chapters of ISSS were invited to display in the form of posters their activities of the preceeding one year. These
posters remained on display on 23-25 October 2013 with one of the Chapter representatives available for discussion
for a limited time fixed each day. The Chapters participated in this programme were: Akola, Delhi, Gwalior, Hisar and
Indore. Poster presentations were informative, interesting and well laid-out. Visitors appreciated the efforts of the
Chapters. Invitation to the Chapters has also been extended this year.
Memorial Lectures: Following chapters who were assigned the responsibility of organizing the different lectures did/
are doing a commendable job in organizing these lectures as is evident from the following table.
Memorial lecture
Organizing chapter
Speaker
Delivered on/to
be delivered
Dr. SP Raychaudhuri
Dr. DP Motiramani
Dr. BV Mehta
Dr. NS Randhawa
Dr. RS Murthy
Dr. RR Agarwal
Dr. TD Biswas
Prof. SK Mukherjee
Dr. GS Sekhon
Dr. NP Datta
Bhopal
Akola
Navsari
Tirupati
Ludhiana
Varanasi
Jabalpur
Jodhpur
Bangalore
Ranchi
Dr. A. Rajarajan
Dr. A.S. Dhawan
Dr. K.P. Patel
Dr. V.R.R. Parama
Dr. S.K. Chaudhari
Dr. Biswapati Mandal
Dr. Anil Kumar Singh
Dr. S.K. Sanyal
Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao
Dr. D.K. Kundu
23-09-2014
11-11-2014
02-09-2014
23-09-2014
17-10-2014
24-09-2014
03-09-2014
19-09-2014
10-09-2014
15-09-2014
ISSS Best Doctoral Research Presentation Award: During 2013 the first round of this contest was organized in South
Zone by Dharwad Chapter on 17th September, 2014, East Zone by Bhubaneswar Chapter on 27th September, 2014;
West Zone by Udaipur Chapter on 27 September 2014. Since no applications were received by the NorthZone the
contest was not organized in the North zone.
Zonal Award Contests: The ISSS Zonal Award Contests were organized for the East, West, North and South Zones at
Bhubaneswar, Udaipur, Delhi and Dharwad, respectively.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sincere thanks are placed on record to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for the grant of financial support of
Rs 150,000/- for the publication of Journal of the Society. Help and support extended by the Jodhpur Chapter of ISSS
and the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur in organizing the 78th Annual Convention of ISSS are gratefully
acknowledged. The assistance of various kinds received for the smooth and effective functioning of the Society from
its members and a large number of institutes, organizations, associations and individuals are gratefully acknowledged.
INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE
BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR 2015-2016
RECEIPT
AMOUNT (Rs)
Membership subscription
Journal subscription
Sale of publications
ICAR Grant
Interest & Dividends
Printing page charges
Revenue from Annual Convention
Total
9,00,000
5,50,000
3,50,000
1,50,000
4,00,000
30,000
1,50,000
25,30,000
EXPENDITURE
AMOUNT (Rs)
Publication of Journal/ NL
Publication of miscellaneous
Postal expenses
Establishment (Salary)
Stationery
Audit Fee
Telephone, Fax & Internet
Conveyance (Local Travelling)
Contingency (Staff welfare)
Annual Convention
Awards & Fellowship
Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture
Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Gold Medal
Prof. J.N. Mukherjee-ISSS Foundation Lecture
Dr. R.V. Tamhane Memorial Lecture
Dr. D.P. Motiramani Memorial Lecture
Dr. B.V. Mehta Memorial Lecture
Dr. N.S. Randhawa Memorial Lecture
Dr. R.S. Murthy Memorial Lecture
Dr. R.R. Agarwal Memorial Lecture
Dr. T.D. Biswas Memorial Lecture
Prof. S.K. Mukherjee Memorial Lecture
Dr. G.S. Sekhon Memorial Lecture
Dr. N.P. Datta Memorial Lecture
Dr. S.N. Saxena Memorial Lecture
TA to Office-Bearers
TA to Past-Presidents
Publication of Bulletin
Council Meetings including TA
Office Rental & Maintenance
IUSS Membership
Total
6,00,000
50,000
3,30,000
6,50,000
70,000
30,000
40,000
15,000
7,000
1,50,000
80,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
25,000
30,000
25,000
3,00,000
1,25,000
1,25,000
27,22,000