from Dr. Bill [wwh]: 'Pedology' reminded me that there are a number of Russian words commonly used in agricultural articles.

"Chernozem" and "Podzol" are two that come to mind. Maybe you might be interested to hunt for enough more to make a post.

Why Russian terms? [I wonder]*

"The scientific basis of soil science as a natural science was established by the classical works of Dokuchaev. Previously, soil had been considered a product of physicochemical transformations of rocks, a dead substrate from which plants derive nutritious mineral elements. Soil and bedrock were in fact equated.

Dokuchaev considers the soil as a natural body having its own genesis and its own history of development, a body with complex and multiform processes taking place within it. The soil is considered as different from bedrock. The latter becomes soil under the influence of a series of soil-forming factors--climate, vegetation, country, relief and age. According to him, soil should be called the "daily" or outward horizons of rocks regardless of the type; --------

Beginning in 1870, the Russian school of soil science under the leadership of V.V. Dokuchaiev (1846 – 1903) and N.M. Sibertsev (1860 – 1900) was developing a new concept of soil. The Russian workers conceived of soils as independent natural bodies, each with unique properties resulting from a unique combination of climate, living matter, parent material, relief, and time. They hypothesized that properties of each soil reflected the combined effects of the particular set of genetic factors responsible for the soil's formation. -----

* The Russian concepts were revolutionary. Properties of soils no longer were based wholly on inferences from the nature of the rocks or from climate or other environmental factors, considered singly or collectively; rather, by going directly to the soil itself, the integrated expression of all these factors could be seen in the morphology of the soils. This concept required that all properties of soils be considered collectively in terms of a completely integrated natural body. In short, it made possible a science of soil.

The early enthusiasm for the new concept and for the rising new discipline of soil science led some to suggest the study of soil could proceed without regard to the older concepts derived from geology and agricultural chemistry. Certainly the reverse is true. Besides laying the foundation for a soil science with its own principles, the new concept makes the other sciences even more useful. ----

Under the leadership of Marbut, the Russian concept was broadened and adapted to conditions in the United States. --- "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_science

BTW Forestry is a related field of study [because trees prevent soil erosion]. This search turned up "silviculture", formerly the name for Forestry, and "edaphology" another name for "pedology". [As if we needed another name for "pedology". "Pedology" has more legs than a pedestrian! :) ]

Pedestrian: From Latin pedester, pedestr-, going on foot, from pedes, a pedestrian, from ps, ped-, foot. See ped- in Indo-European Roots. Dictionary.com

So how come a pedologist isn't a pedestrian, Dr. Bill? [You figure that one out, OK.]