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JUANA GONZÁLEZ PARRA AN. R. ACAD. NAC. FARM.

La capacidad de los suelos para producir alimentos se está degradando y al
mismo tiempo el número de personas que necesitan alimentos incrementa, luego
el conocimiento de la Ciencia del Suelo es fundamental para encontrar nuevos
recursos que hagan frente a la humanidad en el siglo XXI. Será preciso aplicar los
principios básicos de la biología, la química y la física con objeto de minimizar la
degradación y destrucción de uno de nuestros más importantes recursos naturales.

Palabras clave: Ciencia del suelo.—Arcillas.—Materia orgánica.—Intercambio
Catiónico.—Origen de la vida.

ABSTRACT

The soil: Integration of mineral and organic components

The purpose of this article is to explain the fundamental principles of Soil
Science, to define the soil, and to present the functions of soils in our Ecosystem.
Soil properties influence how soils function in an ecosystem and how they can best
be managed to protect the environment and the same time produce food to support
society.

A soil is a three dimensional natural body. In fact, the four major components
of soil are: mineral matter, organic matter, air and water. These components
interact with each other to determine the nature of a soil. The relative proportions
of these components greatly influence the behaviour and productivity of soils. A
soil is the product of both destructive and synthetic processes. Formations of
colloidal particles (clay and humus) are examples of synthesis. For most soil
colloids, electronegative charges predominate. These charges attract ions of an
opposite charge to the colloidal surfaces. The adsorbed cations are subject to
exchange with other cations held in the soil solution (cation exchange). Toxic
elements thus released can be absorbed by plants. Toxic elements become part of
the food chain: soil? plant? animal? human.

I present the hypothesis for the origin of life, the peptide formation processes
on the clay mineral surface (montmorillonites) and the decisive role played by the
catalyst Cu(II), as an amalgam of ideas provided by Rode, Bujdak, Le Son and
others.

The capacity of soils to produce food is being degraded, even as the number of
people needing food is increasing. A fundamental knowledge of Soil Science is a
prerequisite to meeting the many natural resource challenges that will face
humanity in the 21st century. The basic principles of biology, chemistry and physics
can be used to minimize the degradation and destruction of one of our most
important natural resources.

Key words: Soil science.—Clays.—Organic Matter.—Cationic Exchange.—Origin
of Life.

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