Soil Management - Agriculture 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 8 lessons:

1 Introduction: Soils And Soil Classification

• Soil health and Agricultural soils
• What is soil health?
• Soil Composition and Formation
• Classifying Soil Groups and Soil Landscapes
• Soil Profiles
• Soil Horizons
• Key Properties of Selected Soil Groups
• Parent Materials
• Classifying Soils According to Hydrological Properties
• Soil hydrology Groups: Uniform Coarse-textured Soils, Permeability Contrast Soils; Cracking Clays; Medium to Fine Textured soils

2 Properties of Soils and Plant Nutrition

• Understanding Soils
• Mineral and Rock
• How Soils Develop Naturally
• Mechanical Weathering
• Chemical Weathering
• Geo-chemical Weathering Processes
• Pedo-chemical Weathering
• Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
• Organic Carbon
• Soil Colour
• Texture and its Effect on Plant Growth
• Structure and its Effect on Plant Growth
• Consistence and its Effect on Plant Growth
• Depth of Profile and how it Relates to Plant Growth
• PH and Plant Growth
• Porosity and Plant Growth
• Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Toxicity

3 Soil Testing Methods

• Tilth and Organic Matter
• Soil Sampling for Chemical Analysis
• General Principles of Soil Analysis
• Tools for Field Sampling and Soil Investigation
• Digging a Sample Pit or Hole
• Finding Out about your Soil
• Settlement Activity
• Soil Structure Activity
• Recording Soil Colour
• Testing Consistence
• Describing Texture
• Test for Free Carbonates
• Soil pH Testing
• Stability of Clods to Wetting (Slaking and Dispersion)
• Bulk Density Testing
• Measurement of Organic Matter Content of Soil
• Measuring Salinity
• Measuring Water Content
• Fertiliser Solubility
• Affect of Lime on Soil
• Laboratory Testing of Soils

4 Land Degradation and Other Soil Problems

• Soil Structure Decline
• Water Repellence
• Erosion
• Hard-Layers in Soils
• Transient Bonding; Compaction; Cementation; and Natural Rigidity
• Sub-Soil Compaction: Compression, shearing and smearing
• Soil Acidification
• Alkalinity and Sodicity
• Water-logging
• Salinity
• Chemical Residues

5 Soil Management on Farms

• Conservation Farming
• No-Tillage (Zero tillage)
• Minimum Tillage
• Trap Cropping
• Cover Crops and Green Manure Cropping
• Alley Farming (AF)
• Contour Farming and Strip Farming
• Controlled Traffic Farming
• Stubble Management
• Establishing Water and Nutrient Management Plans
• Soil Conservation Earthworks
• Integrated Pest Management
• Direct Drilling in Pasture Establishment
• Soil Management in Orchards
• Soil Management in Market Gardens

6 Crops: Soil and Nutrient Requirements (Part A)

• Wheat
• Oat
• Barley

7 Crops: Soil and Nutrient Requirements (Part B)

• Narrow-Leafed Lupins
• Canola
• Faba Beans
• Grapes

8 PBL Soil project - Soil Investigation and Report

• evaluate a range of soils for a given situation
• determine soil problems or limitations that exist for a given land use
• decide on suitable soil management strategies for the selected land
• prepare and present a report

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.