Duration
42h Th, 12h Pr, 4h AUTR
Number of credits
| Bachelor in bioengineering | 5 crédits | |||
| Master in agroecology (120 ECTS) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
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
Introduction - Soil and its interactions in the environment
First part - Pedogenesis, morphology, classification
Chap. 1. Soil-forming factors
Chap. 2. Soil profile
Chap. 3. Soil classification
Second part - Soil constituents
Chap. 4. Methods of identification and quantification of soil constituents
Chap. 5. Mineral constituents
Chap. 6. Organic constitutents
Chap. 7. Soil water
Chap. 8. Soil aeration and temperature
Chap. 9. Soil biology
Third part - Soil properties
Chap. 10. Soil exchangeable complex
Chap. 11. Soil acidity, alcalinity, salinity and sodicity
Chap. 12. Biogeochemistry and fertility: N and S
Chap. 13. Biogeochemistry and fertility: P and K
Chap. 14. Biogeochemistry and fertility: Ca, Mg and micronutrients
Chap. 15. Time and spatial scales in pedogenesis
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Basic training on soil functioning knowledge, demonstrating the organization of the system as a bio-physico-chemical reactor and the importance of its understanding for sustainable use of the environement.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- describe soil profile and deal with the 12 groups of soil type in the world (USDA classification)
- understand the distribution of organic and mineral constitutents as a function of soil-forming factors
- intepret the causal relationship between constitutents, properties and functioning of soils
- Define the differents criteria of pedological diagnosis
- Evaluate soil fertility status depending on soil properties
- Relate soil properties with the resulting practical effects in terms of soil management
- understand ecological and environmental implications of soil distribution in space and time
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Earth sciences
General chemistry
Chemistry of equilibrium
General physics: particles mechanic
General physics: thermodynamic
Biosphere, agriculture and society
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Classroom lectures, and active learning: field teaching and flipped classroom
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
classroom lectures: 42h
active learning flipped classroom: 12h
Field teaching: 4h
Recommended or required readings
slides (ecampus)
Assessment methods and criteria
written exam
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Professor: Jean-Thomas Cornelis (jtcornelis@ulg.ac.be)
Assistant: Felix de Tombeur (felix.detombeur@ulg.ac.be)
Avenue Marechal Juin, 27, Bâtiment Géopédologie n°52