LAUSR

Abstract This study describes the history and outcomes of the Iranian Soil Science Congress (ISSC). From 1972, the Soil Science Society of Iran (SSSI) has organized 15 ISSCs. The ISSC has been organized at six disciplines including (I) soil chemistry, (II) soil physics, (III) soil genesis and classification, (IV) soil biology, (V) soil erosion and conservation, (VI) soil fertility and plant nutrition, this structure still has remained. In the past 25 years, 7864 papers have been presented at ISSC and the soil fertility and plant nutrition discipline has the highest number of papers. The number of papers published in the ISSC has sextupled in the 10 years from 2001 to 2011, followed by a sharp decline (i.e., 43%) in 2015. Despite the large number of papers presented in the ISSCs, knowledge about how soils should be governed is little. It is expected that studies on climate change will have a special place among Iranian soil scientists in the future. To increase trends in environmental challenges and policy issues, interdisciplinary approaches are required. Therefore, Iranian soil scientists require national and international collaboration and communication with scientists in other disciplines to successfully manage the soils. Unfortunately, there are several pessimism and concerns on the future of soil science in Iran. To get out of this situation, modeling from the successful countries in this field seems necessary.