Gurpal Toor has been honored with the SSSA’s highest recognition for his excellence in soil science.
Environmental Science & Technology professor and Extension specialist Gurpal Toor has been named a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The award is the highest recognition bestowed by the SSSA, and is presented to members who make outstanding contributions to soil science through education, national and international service, and research.
Toor is internationally recognized for his work on the fate and transport of nitrogen and phosphorus from land to water. With expertise in nutrient management, soil fertility, and water quality, Toor focuses his research and Extension on curbing the environmental impacts of farming and developing tools and innovative approaches to reduce nutrient pollution from agricultural land to waterways, such as the Chesapeake Bay.
Appointed by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture to represent UMD on the state’s Phosphorus Management Tool Committee, Toor is conducting integrated research and Extension to reduce nutrient runoff from farmers' fields into surrounding waterways in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. His Extension program provides leadership to develop nutrient management recommendations and technical expertise to develop and implement science-based policies and programs to reduce nutrient losses to water bodies. He also served as an elected member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Agricultural Workgroup.
He has published more than 114 refereed journal articles and more than 40 Extension publications and has given over 400 presentations around the world. He has advised and mentored over 78 students, postdocs, faculty, and scholars. He currently serves as an academic editor for Scientific Reports and PLoS ONE journals. Toor has served the soil science and agricultural community in various leadership roles; he currently serves on the American Society of Agronomy Board, and the agronomy, crop, and soil science societies of America (ASA-CSSA-SSSA) book and multimedia publishing committee.
Toor holds a B.S. in Agriculture & Chemistry, an M.S. in Soil Fertility & Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Soil Science. Before coming to UMD in 2017, Toor was a professor and Extension specialist of soil and water sciences at the University of Florida.
Toor was recognized at the awards presentations during the 2023 agronomy, crops, and soils international conference in St. Louis, MO, in October.
