PLNTSOIL 580:  Soil Fertility Instructor: Dr. Douglas Cox Semester:  Fall Lecture: MWF 9:05    Laboratory: None Credits: 3 Required Work:  3 Examinations Course Description: To discuss soil fertility management and fertilizer use with the goal of producing desired crop response and to consider ways the goal can be met while minimizing adverse effects on the environment. Emphasizing the basic soil biological and chemical processes which control plant nutrient availability for all types of economic plants. Course Schedule: Week:* Discussion Topic       1 Introduction; Review of Nutrient Availability in Soil and some basic terminology 2 Mineralization of Organic N and Carbon; Nitrification and its implications 3 Potential environmental effects of Nitrogen fertilization practices; Fate of Nitrates 4 Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilizers; Organic Nitrogen Fertilizers 5 Sulfur Fertility-Potential for Sulfur Deficiency 6 Potential Environmental effects of phosphorus fertilization practices 7 Plant response to phosphorus fertility; phosphorus deficiency symptoms 8 Potassium in Soils: Plant response to potassium fertility 9 potassium deficiency symptoms and fertilizer practice 10 Soil pH, liming, liming materials, and plant nutrition 11 Calcium and magnesium fertility; Iron fertility 12 Manganese: An example of micronutrient toxicity 13 Soil and plant analysis for evaluating soil fertility   *Time devoted to each topic is approximate Back to the Top   Back to the Courses Page   Copyright© 2003 University of Massachusetts Amherst. Site Policies. This page is produced by The Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, designed by Phyllis M. Berman, Nicholas B. Connor, and Huan Zhang and maintained by Emily Bellegarde. Page last updated Sun, November 2, 2003 Plant & Soil Sciences is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Department