Theory
Unit I
Soil fertility and soil productivity; fertility status of major soils group of India; nutrient sources – fertilizers and manures; Criteria of essentiality, classification, law of minimum and maximum, essential plant nutrients – functions and deficiency symptoms, Nutrient uptake, nutrient interactions in soils and plants; long term effect of manures and fertilizers on soil fertility and crop productivity.
Unit II
Soil and fertilizer nitrogen – sources, forms, immobilization and mineralization, nitrification, denitrification; biological nitrogen fixation -types, mechanism, microorganisms and factors affecting; nitrogenous fertilizers and their fate in soils; management of fertilizer nitrogen in lowland and upland conditions for high fertilizer use efficiency.
Unit III
Soil and fertilizer phosphorus – forms, immobilization, mineralization, reactions in acid and alkali soils; factors affecting phosphorus availability in soils; phosphatic fertilizers – behavior in soils and management under field conditions. Potassium – forms, equilibrium in soils and its agricultural significance; mechanism of potassium fixation; management of potassium fertilizers under field conditions.
Unit IV
Sulphur – source, forms, fertilizers and their behavior in soils; role in crops and human health; calcium and magnesium– factors affecting their availability in soils; management of sulphur, calcium and magnesium fertilizers.
Unit V
Micronutrients – critical limits in soils and plants; factors affecting their availability and correction of their deficiencies in plants; role of chelates in nutrient availability.
Unit VI
Common soil test methods for fertilizer recommendations; quantity– intensity relationships; soil test crop response correlations and response functions.
Unit VII
Fertilizer use efficiency; site-specific nutrient management; plant need based nutrient management; integrated nutrient management; speciality fertilizers concept, need and category. Current status of speciality fertilizers use in soils and crops of India;
Unit VIII
Soil fertility evaluation – biological methods, soil, plant and tissue tests; soil quality in relation to sustainable agriculture, Determination of critical limit, DRIS
Unit IX
Definition and concepts of soil health and soil quality; Long term effects of fertilizers and soil quality.