Research

The Department of Soil and Environment develops the scientific basis for sustainable land use from several perspectives. Soil science is a multi-and interdisciplinary subject and covers the interaction between biological, chemical and physical processes and properties of the soil environment.

Agricultural water management

Water is fundamental to all life and for all the processes on and in the soil. The management of water is one of the biggest challenges in agriculture, especially in a world of changing climate that affects the conditions.

Research catalog

Here you can find information if you want to learn more about research projects- and groups at SLU. The central research catalogue includes research projects- and groups from the department, as well as from the entire SLU.
SLU:s central research catalog

Soil mechanics and soil management

Our research aims to understand how soil management and natural processes impact soil properties, processes, and functions. The focus is on soil structure and associated soil mechanical and hydraulic properties, but our research covers all aspects of soil quality/soil health.

Soil and environmental physics

Soil and Environmental Physics deals with the physical transport processes that regulate flows of energy and matter in the soil-plant-atmosphere system.

Soil biology

Fungi, bacteria and animals form complex communities in soil and interact with plant roots, organic matter and minerals. Soil organisms play an important role in agriculture and forestry and are central to the regulation of carbon and nutrient cycling in ecosystems.

Soil nutrient cycling

In the context of global food and water security, current concerns of climate change and environmental degradation, soil functioning plays a crucial role. Therefore, our research focuses on furthering our understanding of complex process-interactions from the microbial soil habitat scale to the field-scale.

Soil chemistry

The chemistry of soils affects our life in many ways. Food production, forestry, and the effects of pollution on ecosystems are all dependent on chemical reactions that occur in soils.

Biogeochemistry of forest soils

We study the interactions between chemical, biological, geological and physical processes governing element cycling in forest soils.