Applied Soil Fertility

The course will address the rel­e­vance of soil fer­til­i­ty includ­ing the impor­tance of soil fer­til­i­ty in plant growth and nutri­ent uptake by crops. The agro­nom­ic sig­nif­i­cance of soil phys­i­cal, chem­i­cal, and bio­log­i­cal prop­er­ties as they per­tain to soil fer­til­i­ty will be dis­cussed. Top­ics will include major nutri­ents, as well as sec­ondary and micronu­tri­ents, and cor­re­spond­ing fer­til­iz­ers. The course will also exam­ine soil fer­til­i­ty eval­u­a­tion: soil test­ing; the back­bone of soil fer­til­i­ty and prob­lems soils (acid and saline soils). Soil man­age­ment chal­lenges includ­ing fer­til­iz­er appli­ca­tion, water use effi­cien­cy, inter­ac­tions amount nutri­ents, and eco­nom­ics of plant-nutri­ent use will be addressed.

Course at a glance
What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify and develop familiarity with the basic concepts of plant growth and nutrient uptake.
  • Understand how soil fertility is impacted by basic soil constituents, soil clay mineral composition, organic matter, soil physical properties, soil water, soil aeration and temperature, and soil reaction.
  • Identify the 4R Nutrient Stewardship principle and how it applies to all aspects of soil fertility in everyday life.
  • Understand soil diagnostic techniques and how they apply to soil fertility.
  • Develop the skills necessary to identify various nutrient products and their utilization by plants.
  • Identify the inputs and outputs of all nutrients in the soil-plant system.
  • Assess the economic impact of decisions made in relation to soil fertility.
  • Understand the complex relationship between climate, crop genetics, and nutrient supply to growing common crops.
This course has no prerequisites

Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.

Take note:

  • Recommended textbook: Soil Fertility and Fertilizers, Tisdale et al.
  • Assessment includes course work outside of class times; post-course work may be required.
  • A final exam will be completed on the last day of class.
Currently counts towards:

Applicants intending to enrol in a program are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to lock in their course requirements since they are prone to change.

*If you are already enroled in this program, please refer to your specific program requirements as outlined at the time of your admission: Bear Tracks > Academic Advisement.

When will
this course be offered?

New course schedules are released each June and November.

Course not yet scheduled

This course is not currently scheduled, but may be offered in an upcoming term.

New course schedules are announced each June and November.


Sign up for updates

Interested in future offerings of this course? We can let you know when this course becomes available.