COURSE SYLLABUS - Nutrient Management

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
AGRN 5020/6020
Syllabus and General Course Outline

Instructor:        Wes Wood, 255 Funchess Hall, 844-3997, wwood@acesag.auburn.edu.

Course Objective:    To teach the student principles of nutrient management as related to soil or growth media, plants, fertilizer practices, management systems and the environment.

Text:            The text Soil Fertility by Foth and Ellis will, in general, be followed in the course. This text is available in the Auburn Bookstore.

Missed Lectures:    It is the student’s responsibility to obtain notes from other classmates when lectures are missed.

Grading:        (1) Three examinations worth 30% of final grade each.  Exam 3, which is not comprehensive, will be given at the scheduled time for the final examination. Ten problem quizzes over the course of the semester will be given, which are collectively worth 10 percent of the final grade.  Grading is based on a 10-point scale.

Missed Exams:    Arrangement to make up missed examinations and quizzes due to properly authorized excused absences (as defined by the Tiger Cub) shall be initiated by the student within one week from the end of the period of the excused absence. A make-up exam shall occur within two weeks from the time that the student initiates arrangements for it.

Honesty:        Cheating will not be tolerated. Breaches of academic honesty will be handled according to rules in the Tiger Cub.  Violations will be reported to the Academic Honesty Committee.



AGRN 5020/6020 Course Outline

I. SOIL FERTILITY AND SOIL SCIENCE
    A. Definitions
    B. Historical Perspective
    C. Importance of Fertilizers
    D. Components and Composition of Soil
II. FACTORS AFFECTING PLANT GROWTH
    A. Genetics
    B. Temperature
    C. Water
    D. Light
    E. Soil Air
    F. Pests
    G. Root/Soil Interaction
    H. Essential Elements
    I. Growth and Nutrient Uptake Curves
III. SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
    A. Ion Exchange
    B. Soil Acidity and Liming
IV. NITROGEN
    A. Importance
    B. Inventory of Earth's N
    C. Quantity in Soils
    D. Forms in the Soil
    E. C:N Ratios
    F. The N Cycle
    G. N Uptake
    H. N Deficiency Symptoms
    I. Basis of N Fertilizer Recommendations
    J. N Fertilizers
    K. Factors to Consider when Choosing N Source
V. PHOSPHORUS
    A. Importance
    B. Functions in Plants
    C. Inventory of Earth's P
    D. Quantity in Soils
    E. P Cycling
    F. Soil Solution P
    G. Adsorbed P - Labile P
    H. Precipitated P
    I. Soil Organic P
    K. Basis of P Fertilizer Recommendations
    L. P Fertilizers
    M. Use of P Fertilizers
    N. Fate of Applied P
VI. POTASSIUM
    A. Importance
    B. Functions in Plants
    C. Inventory of Earth's K
    D. Quantity in Soils
    E. K Cycling
    F. Forms in Soil
    G. Plant Uptake
    H. K Buffer Capacity
    I. Quantity-Intensity Relationships
    J. Factors Affecting K Uptake
    K. Basis of K Recommendations
    L. K Fertilizers
VII. CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, and SULFUR
    A. Calcium and Magnesium
    B. Sulfur
VIII. MICRONUTRIENTS
    A. General
    B. Zn
    C. Cu
    D. Fe
    E. Mn
    F. B
    G. Mo
    H. Toxic Metals

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