ACE2063 : Managing Soils in Agricultural Systems
- Offered for Year: 2019/20
- Module Leader(s): Dr Julia Cooper
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
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
• Factors driving land use patterns – links between land quality, soil, productivity and environmental impacts
• Soil texture, OM and structure
• Soil forming factors – spatial variability of soil, soil profile and classification (E&W)
• 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
This will be supported through field and laboratory classes, where an system-approach to soils and soil forming processes is taken.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 17 | 1:00 | 17:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 7:30 | 15:00 | Preparation of assessed individual reports to interpret data collated in practicals |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 14:30 | 14:30 | Revision for and completion of examination |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 1 | 4:00 | 4:00 | Practical class on-farm |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 4 | 3:00 | 12:00 | Practical sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 20:30 | 20:30 | Reading to extend understanding and application beyond the course materials |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 17 | 1:00 | 17:00 | Consolidation and follow up of lecture material |
| Total | 100:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | Mixture of question types including one essay type question |
Exam Pairings
| Module Code | Module Title | Semester | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACE2074 | Soils in Terrestrial Ecosystems | 1 | N/A |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | 25 | Nutrient management planning report. Total word count |
| Computer assessment | 1 | M | 25 | Online BB assessment based on practical classes in soil biology, soil chemistry and irrigation |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The examination tests the assimilation of a broad body of knowledge and understanding (LOs 1-2).
The reflective practical reports test application of soil information to guide management in practice (LOs 3-5).
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ACE2063's Timetable