Basics of Soil Science

Soil pH, acidity and alkalinity in soils and its causes; how to improve acidic/alkaline soils; lime requirement, soil conductivity (EC), salinity, exchangeable; definition of saline and sodic soils sodium percentage (ESP).   

Phenomena of ion exchange at clay mineral surfaces, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and anion exchange capacity (AEC) of soils

Nutrient fixation reactions; the types of fixation, causes of fixation, phosphate & potassium fixation, Q-I curves

Oxidation-reduction reactions in soils; definition of redox potential (Eh); influence of pH on Eh; influence of Eh on nutrient availability

Primary, secondary and accessory minerals in soils; different types of primary minerals; different types of clay minerals; non-silicate minerals

Different types of clay minerals in therms of their structure; basic structures of 1:1, 2:1 & 2:1:1 clay minerals; how structure influences CEC, AEC and swelling properties of clays

Clay mineral compositions and how to make sense of it; tetrahedral & octahedral lattice charge; colloidal properties; CEC & AEC of clays; mineral shapes and surface area

Methods commonly used for identifying the type of clay minerals in a soil including chemical analysis, CEC, Xray diffraction (XRD), electron microscope (SEM, TEM) & thermal methods (DTA, TG)

Humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA); their polymeric structure and configuration in solution; functional groups, CEC; importance in soil fertility; non-humic substances including litter

Soil particles; sand silt and clay fractions; mechanical analysis of soils; soil textural class; soil bulk density; different types of soil aggregates

Composition of soil air; poorly aerated soils; soil temperature and responses of plants & microorganisms; controlling soil temperature