| Department of Agricultural Sciences 0 % | |||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | |||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1 semester | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 6 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | Joint BSc and MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | written examination Aid allowed Description of Examination: 13-point scale, internal examiner Dates of Exam: | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures: 1 course modeule per week Exercises and seminars: 3 hours per week | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | F6, spring Wednesday 13-16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 055511 Plant Growth Factors and Crop Physiology 035311 Geology and Soil Science Plant Growth Factors and Crop Physiology A; Geology and Soil Science | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||
| Sustainable utilization of natural resources in tropical agriculture requires an in-depth and a holistic understanding of the diverse tropical bio-physical conditions. The course objectives are: · Provide basic knowledge of the bio-physical environment of important tropical agro-ecosystems with a focus on soil, water and plant nutrient characteristics, processes and interactions. · Establish a basis for the more specialised MSc courses on tropical agriculture and natural resources management. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||
| Following the course objectives, the course content emphasises on the natural science foundation for further and more specialised studies on Tropical Agriculture with a focus on the fundamental natural resources for agriculture: soil, water and nutrients. The course has four main elements, covered by lectures and exercises: · Introduction: Soil, water and nutrients (SWN) as basic natural resources; tropical farming and land use systems; land degradation; and integrated natural resources management. · The Bio-Physical Environment incl. (i) Pedology: tropical soils, formation, characteristics, classification and catenae. (ii) Agro-hydrology: climate, hydrological cycle, agro-ecological zones, soil erosion, soil and water management. (iii) Plant nutrition: availability and requirement, organic matter turnover, N-fixation, bio-availability, N-fixation and uptake. · Integrated SWN Management: soil and water management, fertilisers, cropping systems and agroforestry. · Themes: soil acidity; soil salinity; soil erosion; water use efficiency; nutrient balances; soil fertility and capability. In the course of the lectures and exercises and group work, important agro-ecosystems are discussed and analysed in terms of the bio-physical environment and natural resources utilisation, with a focus on the following zones: · Humid zone: lowland wetland, flood plains incl. Coastal zone; rainforests · Semi-arid zone: rain fed Africa and South-America (Acid and non-acid savannah), rain fed Indian sub-continent (red soils and black soils areas); irrigated areas (Africa and Asia) · Highlands zone: East Afrcan Highland; Himalaya; South-east Asia; Andean range. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Lectures and theoretical exercises, and group work including the preparation of a report on a selected topic. Participation in the exercises and group work is considered essential for successfully completing the course. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Compendium (DSR Bookstore) and notes. Fageria, N.H.; Baligar, V.C. and Jones, C.A. (1997): Growth and mineral nutrition of field crops. Marcel Dekker, Inc. Pp 624 Jackson, I.J. (1989): Climate, water and agriculture in the tropics. 2nd ed. Longman. Pp 374 Morgan, J.P. (1997): Tropical soils: formation and properties and the impacts of land use. Kemisk Institut, KVL Thomas, M.F. (1994): Geomorphology in the tropics. A study of weathering and denudation in low altitudes. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Error. Person Not Found Ole Kragholm Borggaard, okb@life.ku.dk, Department of Natural Sciences/Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Phone: 35332419 Jens Raunsø Jensen, jrj@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Environment, Resources and Technology, Phone: 35333387 | |||||||||||||||||
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