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Early History
The Beginning - 1907
- Southern California Pathological Laboratory and Experiment Station is established in Whittier and Riverside. The headquarters for soil and irrigation studies is located in Riverside.
1913
- Reorganized to Citrus Experiment Station and Graduate School of Tropical Agriculture.
1914
- Agricultural Extension Service established.
The Kelley Years 1914-1937
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry established in 1914.
- Faculty
- 1914-1927
- W.P. Kelley, S.M. Brown, E.E. Thomas, A.P. Vanselow.
- 1927-1937
- H. D. Chapman, H. Jenny, V. Socolf.
- Research Emphasis
- Chemistry/biochemistry of nitrogen in semi-arid soils.
- Chemical/physical effects of salinity/sodicity on soils.
- Base/cation exchange in soils.
- Major Accomplishments
- The clay mineral concept (Kelley, Brown And Dore).
- Mole fraction ion exchange equation (Vanselow).
The Chapman Years 1937-1961
- Faculty
- 1940'S
- Homer Chapman, Albert Vanselow, Daniel Aldrich, Sterling Olson, James Martin, Frank Eaton, Ellis Wallihan, Robert Harding.
- 1950-1961
- John Kaudy, Frank Bingham, William Moje, Roy Branson, Parker Pratt, Albert Page, Nathaniel Coleman, John Letey, Lewis Stolzy, Sterling Richards.
- Research emphasis of the department changed to mineral nutrition of plants, mainly citrus and avocados.
- The department name changed to Soils and Plant Nutrition
- Research Highlights 1940-1950
- Technology of sand/solution culture was developed.
- Use of leaf analysis for the diagnosis of deficiencies of plants.
- Functional groups in soil organic matter and their contribution to cation exchange capacity.
- Reclamation of saline/sodic soils.
- Citrus replant problem.
- The College of Letters and Science was established in 1954.
- The College of Agriculture at UCLA was phased out in 1958, and John Letey, Sterling Richards, Lewis Stolzy, and Jacob Oertli were assigned to Riverside.
- Research Highlights 1951-1961
- Effects of air pollutants on plants.
- Soil phosphorus/trace element nutrition of plants.
- Methods for the diagnosis of soil acidity, lime and sulfur requirement.
- Boron chemistry in soils, deficiencies and excesses in soils and irrigation waters.
- Measurement of soil water content- neutron probe - soil suction devices (tensiometers).
- Role of microorganisms in the formation of humic/fulvic acids.
The Coleman Years 1961-1965
- Undergraduate and graduate program in Soil Science initiated
- Research Highlights
- Oxygen diffusion rate - its measurement and effect on plant growth.
- Soil wettability/repellency - the effects of wetting agents and surfactants on infiltration and hydraulic conductivity.
- Exchangeable and titratable acidity of clays and soils - the role played by and chemistry of aluminum.
- Chemistry and mineralogy of trioctahedral micas.
- Negative adsorption by clays and soil.
Early and recent arial photographs of the Citrus Experiment Station and the UCR campus.