Aims

The overall aim of the Module is to present the principles of soil management for agricultural systems and thereby enabling students to critically assess approaches to practical soil management in cropping and grassland systems. Student will gain a foundation in the basics of soil science and apply this within practical case studies.

Outline Of Syllabus

Topics are introduced in the lecture programme,
• Why soil matters; soil quality as integration of soil physical, chemical and biological properties
• Soil texture, OM and structure
• Soil forming factors – spatial variability of soil
• Soil acidity – managing and maintaining pH
• Plant response to nutrients (K, N, P), response curves – factors affecting nutrient availability in soils
• Factors affecting soil water balance
• Managing soils in practice – tillage systems
• Managing soils in practice – integrated approaches to manage soil health
• Soil spatial variability and tools to map this in the field

This will be supported through field and laboratory classes, where an system-approach to soils and soil forming processes is taken.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures introduce key knowledge and appropriate reading.
Field work introduces techniques in description of soil properties and assessment of soil quality and and practicals consolidate learning from lectures by problem solving. Practical soil management skills such as fertiliser recommendation and irrigation scheduling will be developed through practicals and their assessment.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The soil management report provides the opportunity for students to consolidate and synthesise learning from lectures, field trips and practical classes and apply it to a real-world situation.

The weekly online quizzes have proven popular with students as a way to reinforce and consolidate concepts from lectures.