Land3005 Soil Plant Relationships

LAND3005              Course Profile

LAND3005  Soil Plant Relationships

School of Land and Food Sciences

Date of this Course Profile:  February 2003

Changes since the previous version - 1.0

Units value               2

Class contact hours  three 1 h lectures,  one 3 h practical, per week

Purpose of the course

“Soil Plant Relationships” is intended to provide you with an understanding of the inter-relationships between soil and plant growth.  The subject material is handled in a broad manner to provide students with interests in ecological, environmental, and agricultural areas an understanding of the role soil plays in plant growth.  Key issues considered are the supply of nutrient and water to plants.  However, the course is structured to provide students with an understanding of the underlying mechanisms which control the interaction between plants and soil, rather than providing a purely descriptive account.

Issues of chemical, physical and biological fertility are considered, and the course aims to integrate these various sub-disciplines into a coherent description of plant growth in soil.  This aim is enhanced through the use of a substantial practical component where students undertake glasshouse plant growth experiment.  The practical component draws on the lecture material, providing students with the opportunity to “see” the effects of different soil treatments on plant growth, and the opportunity to develop their understanding of the subject through informal interaction with the lecturers and tutors.

Supply of plant nutrients is considered from the perspective of the various reservoirs of plant nutrients in the soil (organic matter, precipitated nutrient forms, exchangeable nutrients, adsorbed nutrients).  Individual nutrients are considered to provide an example of the behaviour of a broader class of nutrient elements; for example the behaviour of nitrogen in the soil plant system is developed to describe the soil organic matter as a pool of plant nutrients.   Water supply to plants is considered in detail, and interactions between water supply and nutrient availability are discussed.  Limitations to plant growth through physical constraints, acidity and salinity are considered, and approaches used for the remediation of these problems evaluated.

 Staff

            Assoc. Prof. Neal Menzies

            School of Land and Food Sciences, St Lucia

            Ph  07 3365 2059

            Assoc. Prof. Bing So.

            School of Land and Food Sciences, St Lucia

            Ph 07 3365 2888

Course goals

Overall, our expectation is that this course will,

·        provide you with a mechanistic understanding of the process which buffer the supply of nutrients to plants growing in soil.

·        develop your understanding of the soil – plant – atmosphere continuum, including constraints to water use through restriction of rooting volume by physical and chemical constraints

·        introduce you to the use of glasshouse plant growth experiments as a tool investigate soil – plant relationships

·        enable you to describe soil processes, and to predict the behaviour of soil systems on the basis of your knowledge of the controlling processes.

As a graduate of LAND3005 you will have

·        specific and detailed understanding of the role of soil in supplying water and nutrients for plant growth

·        sufficient knowledge of soil attributes, and of their effect on plant growth, to permit you to identify plant growth constraints across a broad range of settings

·        an appreciation of the potential for manipulation of the soil system (either deliberate manipulation – fertilizer use, or inadvertent manipulation – acid rain) to affect the growth rates of plants

·        detailed knowledge of glasshouse plant growth experimentation techniques.

Assumed background

Students are assumed to have a basic knowledge of soil science (for example, completion of LAND2003), and a basic knowledge of chemistry (at least high school chemistry).

Teaching and learning modes

The course is delivered as formal lectures supported by practical sessions.  Learning modules are available to support some portions of the course.

 Recommended texts and references

“Introduction to Soil Physics” by Daniel Hillel (Academic Press, Orlando) 1982  ISBN 0123485207)

“Physical Edaphology: the physics of nonirrigated soils” by Sterling Taylor and Gaylen Ashcroft (W.F. Freeman, San Francisco) 1972 ISBN 0716708183

“Russell’s Soil Conditions and Plant Growth” edited by Alan Wild (Longman Scientific and Technical, New York) 1988 ISBN 0582446775

Resources available and required

Lecture notes are available for some aspects of this course.  These can be obtained from the Soil Website (http://www.uq.edu.au/agsoil)

Assessment program

At the end of the course we want you to have a clear understanding of the role soil plays in plant growth.  We consider that as professionals who will move into widely differing work environments, you will put this knowledge to all kinds of use.  Indeed we hope that you use the opportunity to learn the aspects of soil science that are most relevant to you; thus we expect each student to pursue some aspects of the course in more detail than is provided in the course notes, and to leave with a slightly different knowledge set.  However, there is a core set of knowledge that all of you will need.

 To assess this core body of knowledge, you will sit a two-hour essay style examination at the end of the semester.  Past examination papers are available, and these indicate the type of questions used.  This examination represents 55% of the course mark.  You are not permitted to use a dictionary in the examination.

 The practical exercise is a major part of this course, and the written reports you prepare will draw upon what you do in the practical, but also what you have learned in the lectures and from your own reading.  You will prepare three suThe practical component is worth 45% of the course total.  Internal students will undertake a number of practical sessions (information on these will be provided by your lecturer).  External students will undertake a residential school for the practical component.

Assessment criteria

Practical reports are assessed primarily on the basis that they demonstrate an understanding of the concepts involved in the subject being discussed (50% of mark).  Data presentation appropriate to the arguments being made in the discussion is considered important (30%) as is the use of appropriate literature (10%).  A small percentage of the assignment mark is attributed to the layout, neatness, correct referencing, etc of the report (10%).

 The final examination will be marked solely on the basis that the answers demonstrate an understanding of the subject matter.

Outcomes of assessment exercises

The examination delivers a single mark that is used in the calculation of your final grade.  You will not be provided with this mark, though it would be made available to you on request.  The practical exercises will be awarded a mark (to be used in the calculation of your final grade) and will also be annotated with comments to help you better understand the material assessed.

On the basis of this assessment material, you will be awarded a grade on the 1 to 7 scale.

Formative and summative assessment

All practical reports and the final examination will count toward your final grade.

Grading

The three submitted practical reports are worth 15% each (a total of 45% for the practical component).  The final examination is worth 55%.

Required work

Lectures are provided to help you learn the course content, but attendance at them is not compulsory.  You are welcome to learn from the course notes and reference texts instead of attending lectures.

 Practical exercises must be attended in order to learn these techniques.  Failure to attend the practicals will result in the loss of part, or all, of the practical component of the subject marks (45%).  If you already have the knowledge provided in the practical, a waiver to attendance can be negotiated with the lecturing staff.

Assessment policies

The due date for submission of the practical reports is final, unless a later submission time is negotiated with the relevant staff member or tutor.

Plagiarism is a serious issue of academic behaviour. The University’s policy on plagiarism makes a comprehensive statement about the University’s approach to plagiarism, the consequences and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism. If you are in any doubt about the University’s expectation of you in this regard, please visit the following website. http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/contents/view.asp?s1=3&s2=40&s3=12

 

Support for students with a disability

Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements in the course/program is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of the semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Support Services.

Course schedule 2003 - LAND3005  

Lect. Date        Lecturer           Content