2017-2018 / GEOP0002-1

Edaphology

Duration

26h Th, 10h Pr

Number of credits

 Bachelor in bioengineering3 crédits 
 Master in agroecology (120 ECTS)3 crédits 
 Master in environmental bioengineering (120 ECTS)3 crédits 

Lecturer

Aurore Degré, Sarah Garré

Coordinator

Aurore Degré

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

  • Basics of soil physics - Description of soil phases - Liquid/ solid relationship - Water flows in saturated and isotropic soils - Water flows in unsaturated soils - Anisotropy (basics) - Water effect on solide phase
  • Soil-plant interactions - Temporal and spatial scales - Soil moisture & nutrient cycles - Soil moisture & ecosystem structure - Stochastic soil moisture dynamics - Water balance - Plant water stress and strategies of water use - Application to natural ecosystems - Spatial scale issues 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

After completing the course the student is expected to


  • understand the complex interplay between soil and plant with a focus on water
  • understand and use soil-plant models at various scales
  • apply this knowledge to caracterize water-controlled ecosystems
After completing the course, the student will be skilled to
  • describe a problem of environmental management and identify the scientific and technical questions it implies as well as the data necessary to solve them.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

GEOP0009-1    Science du sol
BIOL2044-1    Physiologie végétale
MATH0485-3    Mathématique générale: Analyse 2, calcul intégral
PHYS3036-1    Physique de l'environnement

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Part I (Prof. Degré)
Classical courses and exercises.
Part II (Prof. Garré)

  • 1 introductory course
  • individual paper reading
  • online test preparing each round table  
  • round table discussions 
Excursion

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Lectures/reading classes : 28h Excursion : 8h

Recommended or required readings

 / 

Assessment methods and criteria

Written examination (100%)

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

The first part of this cours is given by Mrs Degré (soil physics). The second part by Mrs. Garré (applied edaphology). An excursion is planned illustrating both parts of the course.

Contacts

Aurore Degré Department of Biosystems Engineering (BIOSE) 081 622187 aurore.degre@ulg.ac.be 
Sarah Garré Department of Biosystems Engineering (BIOSE) +32 (0)81.62.21.62 sarah.garre@ulg.ac.be