Application of ChatGPT in soil science research and the perceptions of soil scientists in Indonesia

Since its arrival in late November 2022,ChatGPT-3.5 has rapidly gained popularity and significantly impacted how research is planned,conducted,and published using a generative artificial intelligence approach.ChatGPT-4 was released four months later and became more popular in November 2023.However,there is little study about the perception of scientists of these chatbots,especially in soil science.This article presents the new findings of a brief research investigating soil scientists’responses and perceptions towards chatbots in Indonesia.This artificial intelligence application facilitates conversation-based interactions in text format.The study evaluated ten ChatGPT answers to fundamental questions in soil science,which has developed into a normal science with a mutually agreed-upon paradigm.The evaluation was carried out by seven soil scientists recognized for their expertise in Indonesia,using a scale of 1-100.In addition,a questionnaire was distributed to soil scientists at the National Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Indonesia(BRIN),universities,and Indonesian Soil Science Society(HITI)members to gauge their perception of ChatGPT’s presence in the research field.The study results indicate that the scores of ChatGPT answers range from 82.99 to 92.24.ChatGPT-4 is better than both the paid and free versions of ChatGPT-3.5.There is no significant difference between the English and Indonesian versions of ChatGPT-4.0.However,the perception of general soil scientists about the level of trust is only 55%.Furthermore,80%of soil scientists believe that chatbots can only be used as digital tools to assist in soil science research and cannot be used without the involvement of soil scientists.

A STUDY ABOUT SOIL WATER CHARACTERISTIC,CONDUCTIVITY OF WATER AND EQUILIBRIUM ADSORPTION OF CUPRIC ION IN SOIL——A UTILITY EQUIPMENT USED IN SOIL SCIENCE AND ITS ILLUSTRATION OF USE

A utility equipment used in soil science is designed and installed.The equipment can be used in research pro- grams of soil water and solute transport.Pressure in pressure chamber of the equipment in which a tested soil sam- ple is laid can be adjusted exactly so that we can determine the water content of soil sample.With the equipment we can not only study the problems related water movement in soil but also measure some solute,such as cadmi- um,plumbum and so on,adsorption on surface of soil in saturated and unsaturated state.As an illustration of the use of the equipment,we give the isothermal of cupric ion adsorption in soil.This equipment can be used in the re- search work and application of soil science.

Overview on current criteria for heavy metals and its hint for the revision of soil environmental quality standards in China

Following rapid social and economic development over the past several decades, soil pollution by heavy metals(HMs) has been both serious and widespread in China. The Soil Environmental Quality Standards(SEQSs) in China(GB 15618-1995) have been introduced to encourage and enforce sustainable soil HM management. However, in recent years, HM contents in soils have frequently been found to exceed their associated standard values, while the crops growing on them might still meet regulatory standards, and vice versa. There is thus growing awareness that GB 15618-1995 does not effectively regulate current soil HM pollution, as it has encountered bottlenecks, and disappointing outcomes caused by poor execution along with deficiencies and gaps in the policies. However, due to the deficiency of scientific research about relationships between soil HM concentrations and their ecological or human health effects, the development of SEQSs in China is still greatly restricted. This paper discusses international SEQSs of HMs as well their development in China over time, then examines current Chinese SEQSs to demonstrate their potential regulatory deficiencies by referring to international SEQSs. The corresponding legislative policies are described, and scientific information or responses are outlined for maintaining soil environmental quality. China’s experience has shown that policy and science can be linked to work in tandem to better understand and manage soil quality issues.

Discussion on Soil Sampling Technology Based on the Experience of Yuanzegou Small Watershed

Based on the experience of soil sampling in Yuanzegou small watershed,several matters needing attention in soil field sampling are summarized.This paper focuses on the layout of sampling points,soil sample collection,soil sample preparation and matters needing attention about potential factors in soil field sampling,with a view to providing reference for undergraduates,master students or non-subject experimenters who are about to carry out experiments in this discipline.

Pedosphere and Its Effect on Global Changes

With development of modern geoscience, particularly development of environmental sciences, the contemporary soil science is undergoing great changes in both research contents and scope. Soil is not onlya certain substance or a certain independent natural historical body but also a spheric layer with peculiarstructure and functions in the earth system. From the viewpoint of the geo-biosphere system of earth, soilscience does deal not only with the soil substances per se but also more importantly with the relationshipsamong soil, the other spheres and the human survival environment in view of the "pedosphere". This is thenew orientation of soil science today and will affect profoundly the studies on the human survival environmentand global changes. To throw more light on this subject, the present paper intends to address the conceptionof pedosphere and its role in global changes. Also addressed are series of environmental issues in China andtheir relations to the global changes. Moreover, research orientation and priorities are indicated, includingexploitation and protection of the soil resources, soil fertility and sustainable agricultural development, construction of the ecological environment, and the material cycling in pedosphere and its relation to globalchanges.

Microfluidic hotspots in bacteria research:A review of soil and related advances

Soil science is an inherently diverse and multidisciplinary subject that cannot develop further without the continuous introduction and promotion of emerging technologies.One such technology that is widely used in biomedicine and similar research fields,microfluidics,poses significant benefits for soil research;however,this technology is still underutilized in the field.Microfluidics offers unparalleled opportunities in soil bacterial cultivation,observation,and manipulation when compared to conventional approaches to these tasks.This review focuses on the use of microfluidics for bacteria research and,where possible,pulls from examples in the literature where the technologies were used for soil related research.The review also provides commentary on the use of microfluidics for soil bacteria research and discusses the key challenges researchers face when implementing this technology.We believe that microfluidic chips and their associated auxiliary technologies provide a prime inroad into the future of soil science research.

Transition along gradient from warm to mesic temperate forests evaluated by GAMM

Aims The aim of the study was to discover what set of variables best explains the transition from warm to mesic forest vegetation.Based on various variables grouped into sets(geomorphological,ecological,structural,soil characteristics and chorological),six models were built and tested by generalized additive mixed models(GAMMs).We assumed that each set of variables has different explanatory power.Our aim was to compare the six different models(sets of variables),to test which model best explains the species turnover in forest communities along the transition between warm and mesic temperate forests and to try to find reasons for the different explanatory power of the models.Methods The research took place in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula.Field sampling was done according to standard methods.The gradient from warm to mesic forests was defined as the turnover of species and evaluated by projection of samples on the first unconstrained DCA axis.Geomorphological,ecological,structural and soil characteristics,together with chorological sets of variables,were regressed on the turnover of species composition.Based on the five sets of variables,six models were constructed and tested by generalized additive mixed models.Important Findings Ecological conditions best explain the change of forest communities along the gradient;evolution and the development of vegetation reflected in chorotypes are also of high importance;geomorphology and structure seem not to change so dramatically and soil shows the least significant differences of all.Ecological variables are the most important set of variables in the transition between warm and mesic temperate forests but eco-evolutionary dynamics after the Pleistocene should also be taken into consideration.