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Soil Science Lab
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A lab that studies soil to explore its relationships with plants, the environment, and ecosystems.
AboutAbout the lab
Studying soil as a natural chemical substance.
The Soil Science Lab studies soil itself, as well as its relationships with plants, the environment, and ecosystems.
The lab views soil as a natural chemical substance made up of various minerals and organic matter.
In the field, researchers dig pits to examine soil profiles and collect samples, then use chemical and spectroscopic analysis to determine the condition of the soil.
In cultivation experiments, they grow plants in soils under different conditions to study the relationship between soil and plants.
Key terms
- Soil profile
- A vertical cross-section of soil exposed by digging a pit. It is divided into horizons by its features and described, and is used to classify the soil and infer how it formed.
- Kuroboku soil (Andosol)
- A soil formed from volcanic ejecta. It often has a high carbon content and a thick, dark-colored layer.
NewsLab news
A student received the Young Researcher Excellent Presentation Award at the Kyushu Branch Meeting of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
A co-authored paper on paddy soils received the 13th Paper Award of the Japanese Society of Pedology
ResearchResearch themes
Building on soil surveys, chemical analysis, and spectroscopic analysis to clarify the chemical characteristics of soil, the lab works to understand and conserve the natural environment and to clarify the relationship between plants and soil. Research topics include the ecosystems of grasslands and the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, the dynamics of phosphorus and carbon in soil, and soil formation and classification.
*Illustrative imageSoil management to protect grassland vegetation
In Japan, grasslands appear to have been widely maintained by human activity since around the Jomon period, and they support valuable native herbaceous plants. It has become clear that preserving this ecosystem requires keeping the soil's long-established properties intact, and the lab studies the management needed to do so.
*Illustrative imageEcosystems and soils of the Ogasawara Islands
On the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, the lab studies soils to clarify the terrestrial ecosystem and its material cycles. In some areas, seabirds carry nutrient elements for plants into the soil. The lab also studies the effects of soil loss behind the failure of vegetation to recover even after livestock were removed, as well as future management.
*Illustrative imageChemical forms of phosphorus in soil
Plants need phosphorus, but they can use only a very small part of the total phosphorus in soil. The lab investigates the chemical forms of soil phosphorus, its availability to plants, and the phosphorus cycle, using various analytical methods such as colorimetric analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
*Illustrative imageCarbon dynamics in soil
Soil holds large amounts of carbon and thereby limits the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Kuroboku soils (Andosols) in Japan often have a high carbon content. To help curb global warming, the lab works to clarify the mechanisms of carbon storage, build models of storage rates, and develop effective storage methods.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Soil Science Lab are faculty, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorSyuntaro Hiradate
- Assistant ProfessorYuki Mori
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Gombe state University Geography students visits an Escavated hill showing soil profile with its horizons at Waka biu, Borno state 05” Csasavage / CC0 (cropped)
- Soil management to protect grassland vegetation: “Alpine meadows, Grassland, Georgia” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Ecosystems and soils of the Ogasawara Islands: “Ogasawara islands” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Chemical forms of phosphorus in soil: “Laboratory analysis of soil samples from different locations using universal indicator” Knowledge genome / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Carbon dynamics in soil: “Fates of soil CO2” Microbialmatt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Pathology Lab): “Leaves with Rust Infection” Mokkie / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Aqua Field Science Lab): “Erizo de mar violáceo (Sphaerechinus granularis), Madeira, Portugal, , DD 40” Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Aquatic Environmental Biology Lab): “Red algae bloom, Boathaven Bay, Airlie Beach IMGP0273” John Robert McPherson / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Analysis Lab): “High-performance liquid chromatography” Dqwyy / CC0 (cropped)
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