Drylands occupy 31% of the South America. Although diverse, the soils in these environments are fragile and highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. In this study, bibliometric techniques were used to analyze 3309 papers published on soil science in the Caatinga, Patagonia, Gran Chaco, and Atacama Desert, aiming to understand the evolution, map the produced knowledge, and identify future trends of soil science research in the dry environments of South America. The database was obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, considering the period 1992-2022. Data analysis was performed using regression analysis, descriptive statistics, and cluster analysis. The results indicated that the Caatinga was the biome with the highest number of publications on soil science (n = 1203), followed by Patagonia (n = 1096), Atacama (n = 644), and Gran Chaco (n = 366). EMBRAPA in Caatinga (16.2%), CONICET in Patagonia (55.2%), and the Gran Chaco (42.9%), and NASA in Atacama (15.9%) were the institutions with the highest number of published studies. Citation analysis indicated the strong influence of soil science research conducted in the Atacama for global scientific research, especially in studies related to geochemistry, soil microbiology, and the existence of life on other planets, given the physicalclimatic similarity between this environment and the planet Mars. In the Caatinga, research was more related to agriculture (58.0%), while in Patagonia (41.9%) and Gran Chaco (37.4%), research was related to environmental sciences and ecology, as a result of the high level of environmental degradation observed in these environments. In general, the development and use of biological indicators of soil quality and health, subjected to various degradation types (agriculture, overgrazing, deforestation, burning, mining) and climate change, as well as the biotechnological potential of the soil microbiota found under conditions of greater water deficit (arid and hyperarid regions), can be considered as the main trends of soil science research in the studied environments. The results of this study may be useful for conducting new research and collaborations that contribute to the sustainable use of soils in the dry environments of South America.
