in memoriam - Pavel Jambor (1938-2005)
On 9th June 2005 a few days before the opening of the Fourth Pedological Days in Slovakia deceased the long-term scientific worker of the Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute in Bratislava (Slovakia), excellent applied soil scientist, president of Slovak Soil Science Society (Societas pedologica slovaca) Dr. Pavel Jambor, PhD. The Slovak soil science community lost one of the outstanding scientists who considerably contributed to the soil science development and land management in Slovakia.
Born in Potvorice at Vah river valley, Pavel Jambor started his career with studying at Agronomical faculty of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra (1957-1962) where he attained his Dr. phil. degree in 1974. In the years 1964-1971 he worked in the Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Institute in Bratislava as soil surveyor at the General Soil Survey of Agricultural Soils of former Czechoslovakia . Thereafter, in the years 1971-1975 was shortly employed as technical specialist at the State Melioration Service in Bratislava . Since 1975 he anchored in Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute in Bratislava till his death. He was entrusted by several significant posts here, as a head of the scientific info service (library), as a leading person in the Pedological consultation centre and three times as deputy director of the institute. He retired in 2001, but he was actively involved in scientific and institute activities for years to come.
He acted as a president of the Slovak Soil Science Society (Societas pedologica slovaca) for some elective periods (1992-2005). He was foundation member of Pedological section of the Slovak Society for Agricultural, Forest, Food and Veterinary Sciences at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (1973), acting as a member of Czechoslovak Agricultural Academy (1964-1989) and member of the Slovak Academy of Agricultural Sciences (1993).
He also chaired the Soil erosion working group in COST action, in ArgeDonau international program, co-ordinator of international and national scientific projects referring to physical soil degradation, prominent specialist in soil erosion oriented to soil protection, author of the Manual for anti-erosion and control agrotechnics systems. In his work, there was established a very fruitful symbiosis of pure soil science and practical soil and land assessment with aspects to provided services for farmers. There were famous his newspaper articles published for agricultural practice, also he serviced as editor of many scientific proceedings of the institute. He is author and co-author of approximately 120 scientific publications, contributions including four books: ‘Main factors of land production potential (1984)’, ‘Soil and plant nutrition (1985)’, ‘Methodology for anti-erosion land management (1998)’, ‘Aspects of the Erosion by Water in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia (2003)’. There remained his incomplete four-language pedological dictionary, which will be issued in memoriam after its adjustment.
His high reputation as especial applied soil scientist was acknowledged in Fandly medal in memoriam (2005), Diploma for soil science development of the Slovak Academy for Agricultural Sciences. He was active in membership of several scientific institute boards, international societies (IUSS, ECSSS, ESSC).
We regret to have lost Pavel Jambor. His memory remains with us and his work will be a source of inspiration for those that will follow in his steps.
Jaroslava Sobocka
president of Societas pedologica slovaca