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Syllabus for: PLSS 447 Fertilizers and Soil Fertility Spring Semester, 2004; 3 Credits Lectures:
170 Ag Building, —M W F 10:00 a.m. Instructor: Edward C. Varsa, Room 161B, Ag Building, Office Hours: MWF 11:00 - 12:00 noon or by appointment. I. Course Objectives: The objectives of the course include but are not limited to acquainting the students with the following: a) recent trends in fertilizer use and implications of soil nutrient build-up and increase beyond sufficiency levels. b) behavior of fertilizer materials in soils and factors involved in nutrient losses and most efficient utilization by plants; understanding the basis for fertilizer recommendations for crops. c) the essential nutrients required by plants, amounts required, their role and function in plants, and deficiency symptoms. d) application systems for nutrients including variable rate technology (VRT) and the development of nutrient management plans. e) implications and consequences of excessive nutrient applications in our environment, including livestock wastes. II. Course Topics Areas: 1. Introduction. The current status and recent changes in
fertilizer use, plant nutrient recommendations, and fertilization
practices. Role of fertilizer use in sustainable agriculture and in
an increasingly environmentally 2. Fertilizer usage - past, present and future - the global outlook for fertilizer resources in the short and long run. 3. General characteristics of fertilizers and their reactions and interactions with soils and plants. Role of inhibitors and slow release products to improve fertilizer use efficiency by crops. 4. Organic and inorganic fertilizers as nutrient sources and their relative plant availability. 5. Energy requirements for fertilizer production. Recent advances to improve fertilizer manufacture efficiency and use efficiency by plants. 6. The required mineral elements in plant nutrition and their role and function in plants. Nutrient deficiencies and toxicities in plants. 7. Factors influencing plant growth and the nutrient requirements of corps. 8. The plant uptake of nutrients and "nutrient partitioning"
within the plant. 9. The importance of "nutrient mobility" in soils which dictates to a large extent the amounts of each nutrient needed in the soil for optimum plant growth. 10. Acidity of the soil - the key to optimizing plant nutrient utilization of applied fertilizers. 11. The liming practice - for the "adjustment" of soil acidity. The importance of acidification of soils that are too alkaline. 12. Nutrient ratios and balances for optimum plant growth. 13. Fertilizer placement methods and timing of application for most efficient utilization of nutrients by plants. 14. Foliar application of nutrients as a supplement to the amount of available forms in the soil. 15. Tillage systems and their effects on plant utilization of applied nutrients. 16. Fertilizer management under high soil test environments and economic returns from fertilizer use. 17. Manures, sludges, and other wastes and by-products as nutrient sources. 18. Fertilizers - their impact on air, surface water, and ground water quality. 19. Nutrient water quality regulations and Nutrient Management Plans. 20. Current research and "hot topics" in soil fertility. III. Outside Readings and Assignments Abstract...............................................................................to be discussed in class Problem set..........................................................................to be discussed in class IV. Selected References for Technical Discussion of Fertilizers, Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition A. Journals 1. Soil Science Society of American Journal (SSSAJ) or Proceedings (SSSAP) 2. Soil Science (Soil Sci) 3. Agronomy Journal (Agron J) 4. Journal of Production Agriculture (Vol. 1-12, thru 1999) 5. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 6. Journal of Plant Nutrition 7. Journal of Fertilizer Issues (Vol 1-8, thru 1991) 8. Soil and Tillage Research 9. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (J. Agr. Food Chem.) 10. Plant and Soil (Pl. And Soil) 11. Journal of Agricultural Science (J. Agr. Sci.) 12. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (J. Sci. Fd. Agric.) 13. Journal of Soil Science (J. Soil Sci.) 14. Canadian Journal of Soil Science (Can. J. Soil Sci.) 15. Journal of Environmental Quality (J. Environ. Qual) 16. Journal of Horticultural Science 17. Journal of the American Society of Horticulture Science 18. Journal of Forest Science 19. American Society of Agricultural Engineers - Transactions 20. Irrigation Science 21. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 22. Biology and Fertility of Soils 23. Applied Agricultural Research 24. Fluid Journal 25. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 26. Journal of Sustainable Forestry B. Books 1. Soil Fertility, by B.G. Ellis and H.D. Foth. 2nd Edition. 1996. Reserve Room, 1st floor, Morris Library. 2. Fertilizers and Soil Fertility, by Ulysses S. Jones, Second Edition 1982. 3. Fertilizers and Soil Amendments, by Follett, Murphy and Donahue 1981. 4. Handbook of Soil Science, Malcolm E. Sumner, Editor-in-Chief. CRC Press. 2000. 5. The Encyclopedia of Soil Science, Part I. Edited by R.W. Fairbridge and C.W. Finkl, 1979. 6. Advances in Agronomy, Vols. 1-74 (2001) 7. Advances in Soil Science, Vols. 1-22 (1994) 8. Fertilizer Technology and Use. Third Edition. O.P. Engelstad, Editor. 1985. 9. Evaluation of Fertility by Plant and Soil Analysis. By D. Davidsecu and V. Davidescu. 1982. 10. Nitrogen in Crop Production. Edited by R.D. Hauck. 1984. V. Grade Determinants 3 Hour Exams............................................................................................... 60% Assignments.................................................................................................. 10% Final Exam
(Comprehensive).........................................................................
30% 90-100
= A NOTE: Attendance sheets will be passed out in class for student signatures each class period. These records will be used to determine grades in borderline situations.
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