SL SC 41.6
Fundamentals of Soil Science
1(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): Restricted to students enrolled in the Diploma in Agriculture program in the College of Agriculture.

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of soil science. It examines basic physical and chemical properties of soil, soil genesis and classification, soil fertility, and problem soils. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of these characteristics on soil productivity.

SL SC 52.6
Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
2(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 41.6 and enrolled in the Diploma in Agriculture program in the College of Agriculture.

Examines major soil fertility issues with emphasis on their application in western Canada. Fundamental issues of soil nutrient status, form and function will be addressed. Fertilizer forms, application methods and behaviour in soil are examined with a view to maximizing their benefits to crop production. Methods of assessing soil fertility and basic fertilizer manufacturing processes will also be investigated.

SL SC 73.6
Soil Management and Land Evaluation
1(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 41.6 and enrolled in the Diploma in Agriculture program in the College of Agriculture.

This course will identify soil quality parameters and discuss land capability classification, mapping, and soil mapping for precision farming. Soil management practices will be discussed for problem soil conditions and also for general conservation and improvement of soil fertility. Soil management practices and their effect on the soil and its environment will be discussed.

SL SC 88.3, 89.6
Special Topics

These courses are offered occasionally in special situations to
students enrolled in the Diploma in Agriculture program in
the College of Agriculture. Interested students should
contact the Department of Soil Science for more
information.

SL SC 220.3
Environmental Soil Science
1(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): AGRIC 111 or GEOG 111 and 112 or GEOL (6 credit units).

Focuses on soils as an integrator of a broad range of environmental processes and as a critical component in human-induced environmental change. Major topics include the influence of the environment on soil formation; local, regional and global scales of soil formation; and the physical, chemical, and microbial/biochemical soil processes of relevance to environmental science.

Note: Students with credit for SL SC 240 may not take this course for credit.

SL SC 240.3
Agricultural Soil Science
2(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): AGRIC 111 and 112.

Introduces the student to the major areas of soil science and develop an understanding of how soils influence crop production, with special emphasis on fertility management and cropping systems in Western Canada. Pertinent chemical, physical, and biological processes in soil will be discussed in relation to their role in crop production. The impact of agricultural activities on the soil resource will also be examined.

Note: Students with credit for SL SC 220 may not take this course for credit.

SL SC 312.3
Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
1(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 220 or 240.

The forms, flows, and transformations of plant nutrients in soils are examined, with emphasis on Western Canadian agricultural systems. The fate of applied fertilizers is stressed, especially as to how agronomic practices affect the utilization of soil and fertilizer nutrients by plants. Techniques for soil fertility evaluation and the development of suitable fertilizer recommendations are covered, along with approaches to fertilizer application. Best management practices for fertilizer and manure nutrients are considered.

SL SC 313.3
Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy
1(3L)
Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 and 251; SL SC 220 or 240.

The lectures and reading assignments cover the structural and chemical properties of major soil components and the principles of soil chemical equilibria and kinetics in soil solution and surface chemistry in relation to pedogenesis and physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and environmental protection.

SL SC 322.3
Applied Soil Physics
1(3L-3P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 220 or 240.

The course combines theoretical and experimental elements aimed at providing understanding of the fundamental soil physical properties and processes, as well as the ability to solve practical problems related to agricultural and environmental problems. Topics include a discussion of the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of the soil and the interactions between the phases, the movement of water, air, and heat in soils, and the effects of these on plant growth and the environment. The laboratory involves the measurement of selected properties and their interpretation.

SL SC 332.3
Soil Genesis and Classification
1(3L)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 220 or 240.

Deals with soil systems and their environments from the perspective of soil development and soil classification. Attention is given to the biotic, geological and physical factors that influence soil formation, and the response of soils to altered environments. The primary emphasis is on Canadian soils and classification, with significant attention to global soils. A one-day field trip takes place early in the term.

SL SC 343.3
Soil Microbiology
2(3L-3P)
Prerequisite(s): AP MC 212 or MICRO 214.

Lectures and reading assignments stress microbial population dynamics and activity in soils. The role of soil microorganisms in nutrient cycling and their effects on plant growth are discussed. Introduction to contemporary research problems in soil microbiology. Lab work illustrates and complements the lectures.

SL SC 403.3
Environmental Soil Analysis
2(2L-3P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 313; or the instructor's permission.

Focuses on theoretical and practical aspects of soil analysis pertinent to current environmental issues. Principles of soil sampling in environmental analysis and principles of chemical analysis in soil and environmental science will be covered. The laboratory is designed for students to acquire practical skills in sampling and analysis of soils and in the interpretation of the data.

SL SC 412.3
Integration and Application of Soil Science
1(2L-3P)
Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units of 300-level soil science courses; or the instructor's permission.

Integrates soil science principles and applies these principles to agronomic and environmental problems. Focuses on the field techniques used in soil and land resource science. The specific techniques taught in the course will be applied to current agronomic and environmental issues.

SL SC 420.3
Environmental Fate and Transport of Toxic Substances
1/2(3L-3P)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credit units in a science-based program (e.g. B.Sc., BSA, BE) including MATH 110 and PHYS 111 or AGRIC 210 or the instructor's permission.

Lectures will address the fate and transport of toxic substances in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the geosphere. Emphasis will be on actual transport processes (e.g. convection, advection, diffusion), losses to the environment (e.g. sorption, dry deposition, rain-out) and degradation (e.g. photo-oxidation, radioactive decay, microbial transformation) over time. Modelling programs such as STELLA will be used to illustrate fundamentals of transport processes within and between ecosystems.

SL SC 460.3
Forest Soils
1(3L)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 332; or the instructor's permission.

Forest soils and forestry practices are discussed, with emphasis on boreal soils. Attention will be given to forest soil development, forest land capability and the effects of management practices (harvesting, fertilization, and site preparation) on soil properties. Interrelationships among natural occurrences (fire), nutrient and carbon cycling and environmental concerns will be examined. A three-day field trip takes place early in the term.

SL SC 470.3
Evaluation of Land Resources
1(3L-2P)
Prerequisite(s): SL SC 332; or the instructor's permission.

Provides students with a broad background in the principles and practice of land evaluation. Special emphasis will be given throughout the class on the use of soil resource survey information in land management. Specific evaluation systems for forestry agriculture and climate change applications will be examined. Geographic Information Systems will be discussed and students will use GIS to complete a major assignment.

SPECIAL TOPICS

SL SC 498.3

GRADUATE COURSES

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Department of Soil Science, College of Graduate Studies & Research

SL SC 802.3
Experimental Topics in Soil Science
1&2(2S-4P)

Allows tutorial, reading and research in a specific area of Soil Science other than the thesis project. The student working under faculty guidance will perform specific experiments and write their data in the format of published papers. Enrolment permitted with the approval of the Chair and the instructor concerned.

SL SC 803.3
Instrumental Techniques in Soil Research
1&2(2L-4P)

The theory and application of instrumental techniques to the study of soil and its constituents. Techniques in the following areas will be offered in alternate years: X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, atomic absorption, isotopic measurements, chromatography, differential thermal analysis, micropedology, soil moisture measurements, computer handling of data, continuous flow analysis, miscible displacement techniques.

SL SC 811.3
Physical Chemistry of Soil
2(3L)

The principles of the solution and surface chemistry of soil and the significance of these principles to understanding the physicochemical properties of soil, the availability of essential plant nutrients and the dynamics and equilibria of transformations of environmental pollutants. Emphasis will be on discussions of exchange, adsorption, solution-precipitation, oxidation-reduction, and chelation.

SL SC 812.3
Soil-Plant Interrelationships
1(3L)

Principles of nutrient and water movement in soils and absorption by plant roots. Examines root sampling and measurement techniques, root distributions and spatial pattern effects on nutrient absorption as well as importance of rhizosphere processes on nutrient release and uptake. Considers ways of expressing soil and plant factors and mechanisms quantitatively, and identifies parameters needed to mathematically describe soil-plant relationships. Simulation models for nutrient uptake and root growth will also be utilized.

SL SC 821.3
Soil Physics
2(3L)

The physical principles involved in the retention and movement of water, gases, heat, and chemical compounds within the soil.

SL SC 831.3
Soil Mineralogy
2(3L)

The structure, properties and origin of clay minerals occurring in soils and their relationship to other silicate minerals. Weathering and weathering sequences of importance to soil formation. The application of mineralogical and micromorphological techniques to the evaluation of pedogenic transformations.

SL SC 832.3
Soil Landscape Analysis
1(2L-3P)

Provides both practical training in the principles and techniques used to research soil landscapes and an examination of the theoretical basis for soil landscape analysis. A two to four-day field exercise is held early in the term, during which students become familiar with describing landscapes and appropriate sampling methods.

SL SC 841.3
Biochemistry of the Soil
1(3L)

A discussion of the organic fraction of the soil with emphasis on the carbon nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur components and the behaviour of pesticides in soil.

SL SC 842.3
Soil Microbiology
2(3L)

Lectures and reading on recent advances in soil microbiology. Discussions of transformations of plant nutrients and soil humic compounds by microorganisms in soil, microbial growth, and plant-microbe interactions.

SL SC 898.3
Special Topics
1&2(3S)

Provides for a program of reading and discussion under faculty guidance. Students will prepare a series of essays in an area of concentration different from that of their thesis. Enrolment permitted with the approval of the Chairman of the department and the instructor concerned.

SL SC 990
Seminar

Soil Science graduate students must register and attend annually for the duration of their program. Students are required to present one seminar a year to a maximum of two for a Master's student and three for a Ph.D. student. The student's final seminar should be on their thesis topic but seminars presented early in their program may be on any topic of general interest to the Soil Science community.

SL SC 992.6
Project

Students undertaking the project Master's degree (M.Agr.) must complete this course as part of the requirements for the degree.

SL SC 994
Research

Students writing a Master's thesis must register for this course.

SL SC 996
Research

Students writing a Ph.D. thesis must register for this course.