UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT UTUADO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY SYLLABUS

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1 UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT UTUADO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY SYLLABUS COURSE TITLE: Soil Sciences CODIFICATION: AGSU 3006 CREDIT HOURS: Three (3) PREREQUISITE: None CO-REQUISITE: AGSU 3007 (Soil Science Laboratory) CONTACT HOURS: Three hours per week I. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the biological, chemical and physical properties of soils. Principles of soil genesis, dynamics, degradation and conservation will be discussed. Soil sampling, mapping and fertility management will be explored. II. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the students will: 1. Identify and classify different soil types. 2. Differentiate the basics of soil biology, soil chemistry and soil physics. 3. Collect and compare soil samplings. 4. Evaluate soil maps. 5. Design soil conservation and soil fertility management plans.

2 III. COURSE OUTLINE AND TIME DISTRIBUTION Topic Number of contact hours A. Introduction to soils 3 hours 1. Definition of soil 2. Soil ecosystems 3. History of soil science B. Soil Genesis, Classification and Morphology 8 hours 1.Soil Morphology 2. Soil Forming Factors 3. Soil Genesis 4. Soil Classification 5. Soil Mapping 6. Geomorphology C. Influences on Soil Physical Properties 9 hours 1. Soil Physical Properties 2. Soil-Water Relationships 3. Water Movement 4. Soil Aeration 5. Temperature D. Soil Biology and Ecology 6 hours 1. Soil fauna 2. Soil microorganisms 3. Soil Ecology E. Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy 9 hours 1. Solid Phase and Weathering 2. Ion Exchange 3. Acidity 4. Oxidation-Reduction F. Management of soils 10 hours 1. Soil erosion, sedimentation and conservation 2. Acidity and salinity

3 3. Fertility and organic matter 4. National Organic Program Rule for soil and fertility management 5. Regulatory agencies Total 45 hours IV. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES Instructional strategies include: lectures, discussions, field activities, team exercises, and digital educational modules. V. LEARNING RESOURCES The course will be offered in classrooms with internet and multimedia equipment. The course will use the UPRU farm for field activities. The students will use the Learning Resources Center of the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado to access the internet, data bases, books and scientific journals. VI. EVALUATION STRATEGIES 1. Exams. 40% 2. Final Exam.. 10% 3. Quizzes and Assigments % 4. Special Project 35% Total 100% VII. GRADING SYSTEM A B C D < F

4 VIII. REFERENCES: Textbook Weil, Ray R. y N.C. Brady The Nature and Properties of Soils. 15 th Edition. Pearson. Additional Resources Some resources that are older than five years are listed due to their importance in class discussion. Binkley, D. and R. Fisher Ecology and Management of Forest Soils. 4 th Edition. Wiley Blackwell. Budhu, M Soil Mechanics Fundamentals. 1 st Edition. Wiley-Blackwell. Chalise, D. R. and A. Sharma Fundamentals of Soil Science and Geology: Physicochemical properties of soil and soil genesis. Lap Lambert Academic Publishing. Das, B. M Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering. 4 th Edition. CL Engineering. Essington, M. E Soil and Water Chemistry: An Integrated Approach. CRC Press. Fortier, J.M The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-scale Organic Farming. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, Canada. Gregory, P. J. and S. Nortcliff Soil Conditions and Plant Growth. 1 st Edition. Wiley- Blackwell. Harter, R Soil Chemistry: Fundamental Principles. Kindle Edition. ADS, Inc. Havlin, J. L., S. L. Tisdale, W. L. Nelson and J. D. Beaton Soil Fertility and Fertilizers. 8 th Edition. Prentice Hall. Hopkins, D Biological Diversity and Function in Soils. Retrieved on October Huang, Y. H Slope Stability Analysis by the Limit Equilibrium Method: Fundamentals and Methods. American Society of Civil Engineers. Huffman, R. L., D. D. Fangmeier, W. J. Elliot and S. R. Workman Soil and Water Conservation Engineering. 7 th Edition. American Society of Agricultural Engineers. Kale, M. U. and M. S. Supe Fundamentals of Agriculture Engineering. Narendra Publishing House. Morrow, C. A The organic matter of the soil: a study of the nitrogen distribution in different soil types. Leopold Classic Library. Mosier, J. G Laboratory manual for soil physics. Leopold Classic Library Nesse, W Introduction to Mineralogy. 3 rd Edition. Oxford University Press. Osman, K. T Soils: Principles, Properties and Management. Springer. Patton, Hattey Fundamentals of Soil Science: A Laboratory Manual. 3 rd Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing. Paul, Eldor A Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry. 4 th Edition. Academic Press.

5 Plaster, Edward Soil Science and Management. 6 th Edition. Delmar Cengage Saravanan, Thangavelu Fundamentals of Soils. Lap Lambert Academic Publishing. Learning. Sartar, Dipak y A. Haldar Fundamental Principles of Soil Science. Today and Tomorrow Printer & Publisher. Kindle Edition. Schaetzi, Randall y M. L. Thompson Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology. Cambridge University Press. Shukla, Manoj K Soil Physics: An Introduction. 1 st Edition. CRC Press. Strawn, Daniel G. y H. L. Bohn Soil Chemistry. Wiley-Blackwell. Vandermeer, John H The Ecology of Agroecosystems. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Weil, Ray R Laboratory Manual for Introductory Soils. 9th Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing. IX. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS Students who receive vocational rehabilitation services must inform the professor at the beginning of the semester to plan for reasonable accommodations and the necessary equipment, in accordance to the recommendations provided by the Office of Students Affairs. Other students with special needs that require some type of assistance should also communicate with the professor at the beginning of the semester. X. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY The University of Puerto Rico promotes de highest standards on academic and scientific integrity. Article 6.2 of the UPR General Students Manual (Certification Num. 13, of the Board of Trustees) establishes that academic dishonesty includes but it s not limited to: fraudulent actions, obtaining grades or academic degrees based on false or fraudulent simulations, copying totally or partially the academic work of someone else, total or partial plagiarism of answers to a test, having someone take an oral or written test on other student s behalf, and aiding someone to incur in the referred conduct. Any of these actions is subject to disciplinary sanctions, following the disciplinary process established by the active UPR General Students Manual.