Soil Science in Estonia 1919…1940

Soil science in Estonia 1919…1940 Composed by prof. Loit Reintam. Published in: Science in development of Estonian agriculture. II volume. p. 15...18. Estonian Academic Agricultural Society, Tartu, 2003. Original text in Estonian, translated to English in 2009. A new era in the development of soil science in Estonia started with the resolution of the Interim Council of the University of Tartu of 5 August 1919. It was regarded as necessary to establish, among other chairs, the one of soil science, agricultural chemistry and plant nutrition. Establishment of the latter should be considered a logical development in the organisational activities that had been done so far. Anton Nõmmik, director of the North-Estonian Agricultural School (which at that time was in Tallinn and later at Jäneda), was invited to take the position of the first head of the chair. He was also the person, with whose name the study and research activities in soil science and agricultural chemistry in Estonia until the year 1944 are associated. The teaching staff of the Agricultural Department of the University of Tartu in 1929. First row (from the left): professor of animal husbandry dr. agr. J. Mägi; professor emer. mag. oec. A. Thomson; professor of forestry dr. rer. for. A. Mathiesen; acting associate professor of silviculture O. Daniel; professor of soil science and agricultural chemistry M. of. sc. A. Nõmmik. Second row: professor of crop production dr. agr. N. Rootsi; professor of agriculture dr. agr. P. Kõpp; associate professor of construction P. Mielberg; teacher of horticulture and apiculture A. Mätlik; acting associate professor of silviculture dr. rer. for. K. Verberg (Veermets). Third row: associate professor A. Luksepp; acting associate professor agr. E. Liik; acting associate professor M. Gross (Järvik); professor of land improvement dr. agr. L. Rinne; and K. Zolk (Leius) who performed practical study task in zoology. Anton Nõmmik had already earlier established contacts with Russian soil scientists, for example K. D. Glinka, P. S. Kossovich, S. S. Neustruyev, K. Kassatkin etc., but also with a number of colleagues from several European countries. The chair even participated in several programmes of collaborative cross-checking and harmonisation of analysis methods implemented by foreign companies. In 1927 A. Nõmmik took part in the Congress of Soil Scientists in Leningrad, in the International Congress of Soil Scientists in Moscow and Leningrad (1930) and Oxford (1935), but also in the following research trips to the Soviet Union and England. He repeatedly participated in the work of the standing committees of the International Union of Soil Scientists: in Danzig in 1929, in Austria, Hungary and Poland in 1937 and in Sweden in 1939. For research purposes he visited Moscow, Leningrad, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940. From all these places he brought along numerous soil samples, literature, field descriptions and continuing communication and exchange of research papers with colleagues. Unfortunately, few have survived the fires during the war. Needless to say, such activities had a great importance in developing the reputation of the University of Tartu and the Estonian soil science in the science circles of the world. This was pointed out by several soil scientists (K. Gorshenin, J. Prescott, J. Russell) in conversations with the author even decades after their immediate contacts with Anton Nõmmik. An experimental station of soil science and agricultural chemistry was founded for research (1921). Anton Nõmmik was a researcher of broad interests, which is why research was conducted in the area of both subjects from the beginning. Already in early 1920s A. Nõmmik compiled the soil map of Estonia, which was later published several times (Nõmmik, 1924, 1934, 1938), and which was also used by H. Stremme (1927) for preparing the soil map of Europe. Extensive work was done to study the structure, composition and properties of Estonian soils, the efficiency of mineral fertilizers, the impact of local fertilizers and for fertilizing field crops. Several authors have tendentiously ascribed the agrogeological approach to A. Nõmmik, but this cannot be taken seriously, as the soil descriptions given by Nõmmik revealed the genetic-ecological approach and the evident impact of the Dokuchaev school. Before returning to Estonia he had been involved in preparing the soil map of Russia. A. Nõmmik also became known for several "unconventional" at the time, but topical to this day studies on the transformation of organic matter (Nõmmik, 1939) and hydrochemistry (Nõmmik, 1941). Although he started work on explaining the lime content of soils and the impact of lime already in 1923, it developed into a separate research trend with the activities of Oskar Hallik in Valga county (Hallik, 1939, 1941) and was extensively developed in the 1940s-1950s and in the following years. Osvald Hallik (1906-1964), the leader in Estonian soil science and agrochemistry in the years 1944…1964, started his varied activities as an assistant to A. Nõmmik already in 1930 after graduating from the department of chemistry. His education in both chemistry and agriculture made it possible for him to particularly successfully solve quite complicated problems of soil and agricultural chemistry in these and especially in the following years. At the same time with the general soil map prepared by A. Nõmmik and covering the whole of Estonia, a number of maps were compiled for different parts of the country (Kongo, 1957). These were the soil maps of Järva county (Konokotin, 1923…1924), Harju county (Anveldt, 1925-1928), Viru county and Lääne county (Blumberg-Lillema, 1925…1930), the latter three were also published in print. The general maps and descriptions for the soil of islands of Hiiumaa (Lillema, 1938) and Muhu (Nõmmik, Anveldt, 1934) followed next. The distribution of soils of Petseri county and their relations with other natural components was studied by Eduard Markus (1938), whose later landscape-ecological works and activities as the professor of geography at the university have global importance. An analytical review of these maps, but also of the contents of the map by A. Nõmmik is provided in the paper by Kongo (1957). He also mentions that Alfred Lillema made an effort to generalise the obtained land valuation data to compile the soil map of the entire Estonia on the basis of land quality class (Lillema, 1938), with an attempt of linking the fertility of soils to their genesis and development, ecology (conditions of genesis) and geographical distribution. The work A. Lillema started in the 1920s…1930s he completed by publishing the new soil map of Estonia and its accompanying explanations soon after the end of the war (Lillema, 1946). This map has not lost its scientific and practical importance to this day. Besides Anton Nõmmik, namely Alfred Lillema (Blumberg) (1897…1965) was the most merited soil researcher during the first period of independence of the Republic of Estonia. Already in that period his activities were not only related with mapping soils and land valuation, but he started research on the properties of different soils (especially Rendzic Leptosol and Calcaric Regosol), production specifics and relations with the geological, geomorphological and hydrological situation and vegetation. The ample experiences gained in these years in researching soils and soil ecology were constantly improved and realised in a number of thorough publications in 1946…1966. In the conditions of the independent state it also became necessary to take an inventory of the quality of North Estonian soils that were not valuated in earlier periods, and to harmonise the results for the whole country. As for the fundamental problems of land valuation, professor of economics Peeter Kõpp (1922) emphasises the importance of the physical and chemical status of the soil, which is also given due consideration in the properties of soil classes, specified in the law act of 8 February 1923 (Vint, 1959). In the concise review article by Endel Vint a detailed overview is given of the bases of the land valuation system applied in the Republic of Estonia and its results on soils as well as yield and net proceeds. It should be mentioned that until 1938 latter was measured in "net profit roubles" originating from the gold rouble of the Czarist Russia. In 1938 they were renamed as valuation points or units, and by comparing the value to yield, a relatively good and, to a large extent, topical to this day overview was achieved of the quality of land by regions (Vint, 1959). Naturally, this system was used when the new valuation was conducted several decades later (Palm, 1959; Kask, Pant, 1961). At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Karl Liideman (from 1936 Kaarel Liidak) made a longer soil research trip to North and Central Estonia in 1921. He published the results with detailed characterisation of soils when he presented the work programme of Kuusiku Agricultural Experimental Station (Liideman, 1925a). It is noteworthy that already in that period it was regarded necessary not only to conduct field and pot experiments but also to study soil processes, plant growth dynamics, soil moisture regime, the movement of chemical compounds in soil and the biochemical composition of plants. The versatility of K. Liideman, who had worked in Moscow in the laboratory of D. N. Pryanishnikov in 1923, is proved by his writings on the changes of the physical status and properties of soil in fallows, on phosphates, manure and the role of soils in crop production (Liideman, 1923a'b; 1924; 1925b; 1931). Although his position was oriented on the importance of soil, K. Liideman criticised Part I of "Põllumehe käsiraamat" (Farmer's Manual), edited by Ants Käsebier (from 1936 Käspre), for its too lengthy general description of soils and for the lack of land valuation tables and an agrological (i.e. agro-soil scientific – L.R.) approach (Liideman, 1926).

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