2024-2025 / GERE0043-1

Foundations of soil quality

Duration

18h Th, 6h Pr

Number of credits

 Bachelor in bioengineering2 crédits 

Lecturer

Gilles Colinet, Caroline De Clerck, Aurore Degré

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

  • Introduction to soil quality/soil health, indicators and monitoring policies
  • 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)
  • Basics of soil chemistry
  • Acido-basic status and nutrient balances,
  • Soil texture and mineral reserve,
  • Status and dynamics of soil organic matter
  • Cationic exchange capacity
  • Main contaminants and indicators of soil degradation
 

  • Basics of soil biology
          (1) The soil habitat,

          (2) soil biota organisms: description and ecological roles,

          (3) approaches to study soil biota, associated processes and functions

  •  Integrated exercice of soil functionning assessment

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

After completing the course the student is expected to

  • Understand importance of soil functions within ecosystems and the services they provide
  • Understand the soil's role in regulating water flows
  • understand the complex interplay between soil and plant with a focus on water
  • apply this knowledge to caracterize water-controlled ecosystems
  • Understand chemical soil functionning in relationship with bioavailability of elements within soil-water and plant systems
  • understand roles played by soil organisms and make links with the physico chemical properties of a soil.
  • Apply the concepts to a diagnostic of soil fertilty

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

GEOP0009-1    Science du sol

BIOL2044-1    Physiologie végétale

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Classical courses and exercises. Excursion

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus


Further information:

 / 

Written examination (100%)

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

   

Contacts

Gilles Colinet

gilles.colinet@uliege.be

Caroline de Clerk

caroline.declerk@uliege.be

Aurore Degré

aurore.degre@uliege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs