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Department of Soil Science
263 Soils Bldg
1525 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262.2633

Department News

Assistant Professor Joel Pedersen is the recipient of the 2006 Early Career Professional Award from the ASA-CSSA-SSSA.

Several department members participated in the recent 18th World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia, PA. Click here to view abstracts.

Recent publications

Nitrification, the microbiological process by which ammonia is converted to nitrate, is a major component in the global nitrogen cycle, plays a crucial role in transformation of fertilizer nitrogen in agricultural systems, and is a key component of nitrogen removal in wastewater systems. Understanding the interactions occurring between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) such as Nitrobacter winogradskyi that affect this process could facilitate development of improved strategies for nitrogen management. The genome sequence of N. winogradskyi Nb-255 is the first determined for an NOB and will be used as a model to study the cellular and molecular processes that control nitrite oxidation and its interaction with other nitrogen-cycling processes. The complete article on the genome sequence of N. winogradskyi Nb-255 by William J. Hickey, professor of soil science, and colleagues has been published in the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Soil-Bound Prions Remain Infectious - soil has been hypothesized to act as a reservoir of infectivity in chronic wasting disease, a prion disease of North American deer and elk. In a paper recently published in PLoS Pathogens, Joel Pedersen, assistant professor in soil science, and co-workers test the potential for soil to serve as a reservoir for prions. They demonstrate that pathological prion protein binds to a variety of soil minerals and to whole soils. They also quantitate the levels of protein binding to three common soil minerals and show that the interaction of prion protein with montmorillonite, a common clay mineral, is remarkably strong. Prion protein bound to montmorillonite remained infectious to laboratory animals, suggesting that soil can serve as a reservoir of TSE infectivity. The paper can be accessed free of charge at http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.0020032.

The Department of Soil Science is pleased to announce the availability of the revised second edition of Marion L. Jackson's classic "Soil Chemical Analysis--An Advanced Course" as a memorial to his long and influential career. This version has been rekeyed based on the author's final (1985) version, with a new introduction by Associate Professor Phillip Barak and commemorative material, including a comprehensive list of Dr. Jackson's students and publications. Order your copy now!