Conventional soil resources information in the Philippines, primarily comprising legacy soil maps, requires modernization to meet the demands of contemporary environmental and agricultural planning. This study developed and validated a robust, scalable framework for updating the national soil information system by integrating legacy pedological data with advanced digital geospatial processing techniques. The methodology leveraged high-resolution (5-meter) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and a quantitative landform classification approach based on the Topographic Position Index (TPI) to generate preliminary soil mapping units with significantly improved spatial accuracy and objectivity over analog methods. Legacy soil datasets, containing soil properties and characteristics up to the Soil Series level of the USDA Soil Taxonomy, were synthesized into soil-landscape relationship conceptual
Background: Soil mapping has been a foundational element in Malaysia’s agricultural and environmental development for nearly a century, evolving from rudimentary colonial-era surveys into a sophisticated, digitally enabled system that underpins modern land management and policy. Beginning in the 1920s, early soil reconnaissance guided plantation planning in British Malaya. Following independence in 1957, Malaysia systematically expanded soil surveys to support rural development and the Green Revolution. Over time, mapping efforts advanced from basic reconnaissance to nationwide surveys covering coastal plains, peat swamps, and highlands. Institutional innovations paralleled this technical progress. For example, in 1991 Malaysia established a national soil survey standardization committee to harmonize methods across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. By the late 20th century, the
Flooded conditions are favorable for methane (CH4) production in the soil. Continuous flooding (CF) during growth period produces the highest CH4 emissions, compared to multiple opportunities for drainage, mid-season drainage, intermittent irrigation, early-season drainage, or alternate wetting and drying (AWD), yet shown the opposite in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The AWD technology can be considered in increasing rice production, saving water resources and increasing farmers’ resilience in facing climate change. The combination of AWD with soil amendments such as biochar and compost in water-saving irrigation may be effective to ensure the yield increase and climate change mitigation. AWD and other water-saving technologies can be incorporated in sustainable rice production such as climate smart agriculture (CSA). The implementation of CSA technology on a wider scale in Indonesia
In Vietnam, passionfruit has become a major crop in many regions of the country such as the Central Highlands, Nghe An, Son La provinces. Passion fruit plantation area in Vietnam rapidly increased to 10,000 ha in 2019. However, the occurrence of passionfruit diseases caused by viruses has become a serious limiting factor in its production. In Vietnam, six viruses infecting passionfruit have been identified. Among these, East Asian Passiflora virus (EAPV) and Passiflora mottle virus (PaMoV), which cause woodiness disease, are considered the most damaging. It affected the quality and yield of passionfruit in the Central Highlands, Son La, and Nghe An, resulting in serious damage to orchards. A total of 270 passionfruit samples collected from Son La, Nghe An province and Central Highlands areas were analyzed using RT-PCR and PCR. The results showed the presence of three potyviruses (EAPV,
2025 General Issue
Leveraging Digital Geospatial Processing Techniques for Updating and Enhancement of Philippine Conventional Soil Resources Information
From Pedons to Policy: The Strategic Role of Soil Mapping in Peninsular Malaysia’s Agricultural Transformation
AWD Implementation and its Challenges in Indonesia
Passionfruit Virus Disease and Integrated Crop Management in Vietnam