SSC 102: Soil Fertility, Fertilizers and Integrated Nutrient Management
Credit Hours: 3 (2+1)
Full Marks: 75 (Theory: 50, Practical: 25)
Course Objectives
Upon completion, students will be able to:
- Understand soil fertility and plant nutrient requirements.
- Identify inorganic and organic fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, and green manures.
- Evaluate soil fertility and apply integrated nutrient management (INM) for sustainable agriculture.
I. Syllabus
- Historical development of soil fertility and plant nutrition.
- Essential plant nutrients: macro, secondary, micro; sources, functions, deficiency symptoms, availability.
- Chemical fertilizers: composition, behavior in soil, use.
- Organic matter and organic manures: sources, preparation, functions.
- Bio-fertilizers, green manuring, bio-gas and its role in Nepal.
- Soil fertility evaluation methods: soil testing, plant analysis, visual diagnosis, biological tests.
- Integrated nutrient management (INM) and sustainable soil management practices.
- Soil fertility problems in Nepal and factors affecting fertilizer efficiency.
II. Course Outline
A. Lecture Topics
| S.N. | Topic | No. of Lectures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Historical development of soil fertility and plant nutrition | 1 |
| 2 | Essential plant nutrients: criteria of essentiality, macro & secondary nutrients, sources, functions, deficiency symptoms, control, availability | 5 |
| 3 | Micronutrients: functions, deficiency symptoms, control | 2 |
| 4 | Fertilizers: N, P, K fertilizers; composition, uses, soil behavior | 4 |
| 5 | Organic matter: sources, composition, function | 2 |
| 6 | Organic manure: sources, classification, preparation; bio-fertilizers, green manuring, bio-gas importance | 2 |
| 7 | Soil fertility evaluation: soil testing, plant analysis, visual & biological tests | 3 |
| 8 | Soil fertility problems in Nepal; effects of continuous organic vs. inorganic fertilizers | 3 |
| 9 | Soil management for sustainable agriculture | 3 |
| 10 | Factors affecting fertilizer use efficiency; tillage and traction effects | 2 |
| 11 | Integrated nutrient management (INM): concept, relevance, components, management options | 3 |
| Total | 30 |
B. Practical Topics
| S.N. | Topic | No. of Practicals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identification and function of soil fertility lab equipment | 1 |
| 2 | Soil sampling and preparation for fertility analysis | 1 |
| 3 | Use of kit box for different elemental soil analysis | 2 |
| 4 | Chemical calculation and preparation of standard solution | 1 |
| 5 | Determination of organic matter content in soil | 1 |
| 6 | Principles of micro-Kjeldahl, spectrophotometer, flame photometer | 2 |
| 7 | Determination of available nitrogen in soil | 2 |
| 8 | Determination of available phosphorus in soil | 1 |
| 9 | Determination of available potassium in soil | 1 |
| 10 | Plant sampling and preparation for elemental analysis | 1 |
| 11 | Collection and identification of nutrient deficiency symptoms in major crops | 2 |
| Total | 15 |
References
- Brady, N.C., & Weil, R.R. (2012). The Nature and Properties of Soils (14th Ed.). Prentice-Hall.
- White, R.E. (2009). Principles and Practice of Soil Science: The Soil as a Natural Resource (4th Ed.). Blackwell.
- Tisdale, S.L., Nelson, W.L., Beaton, J.D., & Havlin, J.L. (1993). Soil Fertility and Fertilizers (5th Ed.). Macmillan.
- Roy, R.N. (2006). Plant Nutrition for Food Security: A Guide for Integrated Nutrient Management. FAO.
