Soil Management (Agriculture)

SOIL MANAGEMENT - HOME LEARNING COURSE

Gain practical soil management skills

Soil Management is aimed at those wanting to learn about soils and how to improve the quality of soils.  Soil is the foundation for profitable farming. There are many things that can be wrong with soil (eg. poor nutrition, chemical imbalance, structural problems such as drainage, lack of microbial life). Often minor and relatively inexpensive treatments can make a huge difference to productivity, but the problems need to be identified first, and that requires a solid understanding of soil theory and management practice.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

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
   • 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.

Aims

• Develop a broad understanding of the physical and chemical properties of soils.
• Develop strong understanding of soil science and its impact on plant growth.
• Develop skills in sampling and field testing soils for basic physical and chemical properties
• Understand the principles, methods and techniques of sustainable soils management.
• Understand the principles and practices of earthworks.
• Understand causes and remediation methods of land degradation and soil problems.
• Develop a broad knowledge in the use of growing containers for agriculture.
• Develop strong understanding of soil science and its impact on plant growth.
• Develop practical knowledge about managing soil for particular cropping uses.

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This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.

• If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
• If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
• If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
• There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
• Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
• You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
• You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.

Who are our tutors?

Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “About Us” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.

What learning method should I choose?

We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Learning” box above, then “Learning Methods.”

How Long will it take to complete the course?

This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.

Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”