SOQ-31806 Nutrient Management

Vak

Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

Soil Plant Relations (CSA-20306) or Soil Pollution and Soil Protection (SOQ-21306), Soil Quality (SOQ-21806) or comparable

Continuation courses:

MSc courses for MSc programs Soil Science, Organic Agriculture, Plant Sciences

Contents:

Any ecosystem that is managed in order to produce output for human ends, needs nutrient management. This is because nutrient cycles become unbalanced by extraction of products. Nutrient managers must keep nutrient cycles in balance in order to maintain the soil's capacity to supply the nutritional needs of crops and to reduce environmental problems caused by loss of excess nutrients. In areas designated for nature development, managers may wish to reduce the nutrient content of an ecosystem. This course deals with the science behind these goals of nutrient management and the tools that can help achieve these goals. It covers a range of (agro)ecosystems, including low-input tropical systems, organic farming systems, highly productive conventional European systems, and areas designated for nature development. It deals with situations of both limited nutrient availability and excess. The course begins with a brush up and update on nutrient cycles of soils. The major part of the course is dedicated to implementation of current knowledge for tools to achieve sustainable nutrient management, including policy measures to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. This course is intended for students with an interest in soil science, environmental science, organic agriculture, (tropical) crop science and nature development.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of the key processes in nutrient cycles;
- evaluate the use of stable isotopes in nutrient management research;
- design nutrient balances at farm level;
- understand a model to evaluate soil fertility of tropical soils;
- evaluate options to deplete fertile soils from nutrients for nature development;
- analyse causes of low availability of micronutrients essential for crops and their consumers;
- evaluate the effectiveness of policy measures to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.

Activities:

At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of the key processes in nutrient cycles;
- evaluate the use of stable isotopes in nutrient management research;
- design nutrient balances at farm level;
- understand a model to evaluate soil fertility of tropical soils;
- evaluate options to deplete fertile soils from nutrients for nature development;
- analyse causes of low availability of micronutrients essential for crops and their consumers;
- evaluate the effectiveness of policy measures to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.

Examination:

Assignments need to be handed in on time. Performance during and quality of assignments will be assessed.

Literature:

Lecture notes will be available at the start of the program.