The Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in 1953. Its predecessor is the Research Office of Soil, Central Geological Survey Bureau established in 1930. As the place of origin of Chinese soil sciences, since its establishment, our institute has always been shouldering the heavy responsibility to offer service for the development of China’s agriculture and the construction of ecological environment, accumulating and cultivating a large group of excellent talents, and carrying out a series of fruitful research work focusing on national soil resources. It has won over 40 science & technology rewards at national level and over 200 science & technology rewards at provincial level successively. It has been gradually developed into a research center at national level and a training base of senior talents featuring strong power in study on the soil science field, a complete range of subfields as well as relatively high reputation internationally, and makes important contributions to the development of soil sciences at home and even throughout the world.

Since Knowledge Innovation Project has been carried out in 2001, focusing on national demands in soil resource utilization, sustainable agricultural development and ecological environment construction, aiming at the frontier of disciplinary development, our institute has condensed development goal, optimized disciplinary layout, and science & technology innovation has obtained overall achievements. In the fields including the evolution rule of soil quality, high-efficiency utilization of water and fertilizer resource, pollution and restoration of soil, control and management of rural area source pollution, contribution and response of paddy field ecological system towards global change, impact of human activities on soil resource utilization and etc., a group of original research achievements have been made; conspicuous progress has been achieved in fundamental research including surface features and evaluation of soil quality, classification of soil system, soil characteristics of variable charges, element circulation of pedosphere and substance exchange of other spherical layers and etc. A group of research achievements have entered the world frontier, and international academic status has been obviously improved. With fairly good overall development trend, the operation mechanism and the atmosphere of innovative culture suitable for science & technology innovation and development of modern institute have been set up. It is evaluated as Class A (Excellent) institute by Chinese Academy of Sciences. At present, closely going around the topic of innovation and leap as well as sustainable development in Knowledge Innovation Project Phase Ⅲ, taking the improvement of the capacity of science & technology innovation to a great extent as main line, according to new strategic demands of the state and the development trend of soil sciences in the world, our institute brings the leading role in soil science field into full play, and actively participates in the construction of the base for science & technology innovation of modern agriculture and the base for ecological and environmental science & technology innovation.

In the journey of the new century, the Institute of Soil Science leading the scientific development of soil in China shoulders a heavy responsibility and embarks on a long journey. Here, I'd like to show sincere gratitude to people of various circles and friends at home and abroad who give care to the development of Nanjing Institute of Soil! We cordially welcome excellent talents at home and abroad to join us to jointly create new brilliance of China soil science undertaking!