The institutionalization of pedology as a science by Friedrich Albert fallou: the brazilian case

Abstract

The recovery of the "history of soil science" has been mainly carried out via pedogenesis, based on the evolution of taxonomic soil classifications. Ever since the early nineteenth century, naturalists have been interested in the systematization of soil studies in order to justify the creation of an autonomous science, which came to be proposed by the German F.A. Fallou, with the term "Pedology". However, he used soil names based on geological formations and locations of their occurrence, which resulted in his being criticized for not developing a genetic classification. This problem was solved by the Russian V.V. Dokuchaev, who adopted the same name (pedology) for soil sciences and thus gained the title of father of this science, although not without the protests of several scientists. In 2008 the work of Fallou became better known when it was translated into French, thereby reigniting this controversy. Until 1960, the denomination of soils in Brazil was significantly influenced by Fallou, as is evident from the strong employment of geological denominations.