COURSE TITLE AND ID: Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, CRSS/HORT 4590/6590

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Soil conditions affecting availability of plant nutrients; function and movement of nutrients in plants; methods of determining nutrient levels in plants, soils, and other growing media.

PREREQUISITES: CRSS 3050-3050L or CRSS(FORS) 3060-3060L or permission of major.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objective of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of soil fertility, plant nutrition, and nutrient management so that they can 1) describe the influence of chemical, biological, and physical properties of soil and other growing media on nutrient availability to plants; 2) identify soil (or growing media) fertility and plant nutrition problems and recommend proper corrective action; 3) identify soil (or growing media) and nutrient management practices that maximize plant productivity and profitability while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality.

TOPICAL OUTLINE:

1. Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
2. Basic Soil-Plant Relationships
3. Nutrient Transport in Plants
4. Soil Acidity and Alkalinity
5. Nitrogen
6. Phosphorus
7. Potassium
8. Sulfur, Calcium, and Magnesium
9. Micronutrients
10. Soil Fertility Evaluation and Tissue Analysis
11. Nutrient Management

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty". Each student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.

INSTRUCTORS:

• Miguel L. Cabrera -- Room 4119 Miller Plant Sciences Building -- 542-1242.
• Marc van Iersel -- Room 1307 Miller Plant Sciences Building -- 583-0284.

INSTRUCTION: There will be 2 lectures per week (75 minutes each). The lecture material will come from the class textbook and from references such as the ones listed below.  Class participation is encouraged.

Each week the students will be given a problem set which will emphasize the application of concepts covered in class. The problem set will  be due a week later.

There will be three 75-minute exams in addition to the final exam. The exam material will include topics from the textbook, lectures, and problem sets. All exams will be comprehensive and will include material covered through the week previous to the one in which the exam is held.

From time to time there may be an unannounced short quiz at the beginning of the class period. This quiz will consist of a few questions on the material covered during the previous class.

GRADING POLICY

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIAL: Soil Fertility and Fertilizers by John L. Havlin et al. 6TH Edition.

USEFUL REFERENCES

• Russell's Soil Conditions and Plant Growth by A. Wild (Ed.). 1988.
• Soil Science Principles & Practices by R.L. Hausenbuiller. 1985.
• Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants by H. Marschner. 1995.
• Principles of Plant Nutrition by K. Mengel and E.A. Kirkby.  2001.
• Plant Analysis Handbook II: A Practical Sampling, Preparation, Analysis, and Interpretation Guide by H.A. Mills and J.B. Jones Jr.

POLICY FOR MAKE-UP OF EXAMINATIONS

Exams can be made up with proper justification of the reasons why the student could not take them at the specified dates and times.