Basics of Soil Science
- Description
- Curriculum
- FAQ
- Reviews
This course teaches the fundamental concepts of soil science. It includes 8 major topics – soil chemistry, soil mineralogy, soil organic matter, soil physics, soil biology, soil fertility, soil nutrient management, soil genesis & classification. This course will provide a basic understanding of all the key concepts and terminologies of every aspect of soil.
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3.1. Soil pH and ConductivitySoil pH, acidity and alkalinity in soils and its causes; how to improve acidic/alkaline soils; lime requirement, soil conductivity (EC), salinity, exchangeable; definition of saline and sodic soils sodium percentage (ESP).
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3.2. Ion exchange
Phenomena of ion exchange at clay mineral surfaces, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and anion exchange capacity (AEC) of soils
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Quiz- Soil chemistryThis quiz covers Sections 3.1 & 3.2
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3.3. Fixation reactions
Nutrient fixation reactions; the types of fixation, causes of fixation, phosphate & potassium fixation, Q-I curves
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3.4. Redox reactions
Oxidation-reduction reactions in soils; definition of redox potential (Eh); influence of pH on Eh; influence of Eh on nutrient availability
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Quiz-Soil Chemistry
This quiz covers Sections 3.3 & 3.4
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4.1. Primary & secondary minerals
Primary, secondary and accessory minerals in soils; different types of primary minerals; different types of clay minerals; non-silicate minerals
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4.2. Clay minerals
Different types of clay minerals in therms of their structure; basic structures of 1:1, 2:1 & 2:1:1 clay minerals; how structure influences CEC, AEC and swelling properties of clays
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4.3. Properties of clays
Clay mineral compositions and how to make sense of it; tetrahedral & octahedral lattice charge; colloidal properties; CEC & AEC of clays; mineral shapes and surface area
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4.4. Identification of soil clays
Methods commonly used for identifying the type of clay minerals in a soil including chemical analysis, CEC, Xray diffraction (XRD), electron microscope (SEM, TEM) & thermal methods (DTA, TG)
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Soil Mineralogy
Quiz from Section 4
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6.1. Soil texture & structure
Soil particles; sand silt and clay fractions; mechanical analysis of soils; soil textural class; soil bulk density; different types of soil aggregates
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6.2. Soil water
Composition of soil air; poorly aerated soils; soil temperature and responses of plants & microorganisms; controlling soil temperature
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6.3. Soil air & soil temperature
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Soil Physics
Quiz from section 6
