About the Course

Catalog description: Consumption, existing reserves, formulation, chemical and physical properties, and manufacture of commercial fertilizers; basic chemical reactions of fertilizer materials with the soil and the fate of the nutritional elements whether it be loss by leaching, plant uptake, fixation or soil retention.

This course focuses on how a plant's nutritional requirements can be satisfied to maximize yields, maintain soil fertility and soil health, and minimize environmental impacts. We will examine the role essential nutrients play in plant nutrition and how key biogeochemical reactions affect their availability in soils. We will cover how different fertility sources – primarily fertilizers but also manures, composts, etc. – supply nutrients to plants as well as challenges associated with their use. This course will present tools to manage soil nutrients sustainably, including soil and plant tissue testing, criteria to determine nutrient input requirements, and best management practices.