ECTS
ECTS Course Catalogue

Course details
Course code: ROSS10044o12
Semester: 2012/2013 winter
Name: Soil Management and fertilization of horticultural plants
Major: Horticulture
Study Type: first cycle
Course type: compulsory
Study Semester: 3
ECTS points: 7
Hours (Lectures / Tutorials / Other): 45 / 75 / 0
Lecturer: Prof. dr hab. Andrzej Komosa (wykłady), dr inż. Piotr Chodura (ćwiczenia), prof. dr hab. Lesław Zimn
Language of instruction: Polish


Learning outcomes: Student receives ability to assess quality of individual agricultural measures performing and student is able to plan the whole tillage for individual groups of plants. Students master the principles of controlled fertilization of vegetables, ornamentals, pomology and seed plants basing on analyses of soils, substrates and plants. Students also learn the methods of chemical analyses, they get acquainted with the assortment and properties of mineral and organic fertilizers. They learn the basic chemical, physiological and biological factors which are responsible for the fertility of soils and substrates. Students master the conventional and soilless culture of horticultural plant growing in greenhouses and plastic tunnels.

Competences: After passing the course student is able to take a job in horticulture Students are able to elaborate and apply fertilization in conventional cultivation of horticultural plants (vegetable, ornamentals, pomology, seed and nursery) as well as plants grown under covers with use of organic and inert substrates and also in hydroponics culture. They become acquainted with the growing methods permitting to obtain yields not contaminated with nitrates, nitrites and heavy metals and friendly to environment.

Prerequisites: Agrotechnological principles of agriculture (soil science, agricultural engineering, agrometeorology) Soil Science, Microbiology, Soil Cultivation, Plant Physiology

Course content: The aims of tillage. Agricultural properties of soil. Structure of soil. Spade test. Cultivating measures. Soil diseases. Preparation of seed bed. Getting rid of stones. Tillage without plough and direct sowing. Ecological and productive results of simplifications in tillage. Tillage for varying groups of vegetable. Antierosion tillage. Specificity of tillage under varying soil conditions. Planning of tillage for sodded areas and for vegetable crop rotations and orchards Lectures. Scientific progress in agricultural chemistry and plant nutrition, specificity of horticultural plant fertilization. Physical, chemical and biological properties of horticultural soils and substrates. Sorption, pH – reaction and oxidoreductive potential of soils and substrates and its importance in plant nutrition and fertilization. Soilless culture, fertigation and closed fertilization systems and plants grown under covers. Forms and transformation of macro and microelements in soils and substrates, effect on the quality of horticultural plants. Chemical composition, rates and terms of basic organic fertilizers application (manure, sludge, liquid manure, bird dung, composts, green fertilizers, straw). Practical exercises: Characteristics and properties of mineral fertilizers. Methods of organic matter mineralization. N-total determination in soils and plants by Kjeldahl method, interpretation of results. Methods of determinationof liming needs and cidification of soils and substrates, neutralization curve. Determination of nitrogen available form in soils N-min. according to Fotyma, phosphorus and potassium by Egner-Riehm and magnesium by Schachtschabel methods. Interpretation of results, elaboration of fertilizer recommendations. Determination of available forms of macroelements, salinity and pH in substrates by universal method. Elaboration of fertilization recommendations on the basis of the results of soil and substrate analyses in cultures under covers. Controlled fertilization of vegetable, ornamentals, seed, pomology and nursery plants basing on the analyses of substrates and plants. Working out the fertilization recommendations for vegetable and ornamental plants grown in inert media with the drip fertigation system. Plant nutrition in hydroponics cultures.

Recommended literature: 1. Jabłoński B. Uprawa roli. W: Uprawa roli i nawożenie roślin ogrodniczych. Red. J. R. Starck. PWRiL, Warszawa 1984. 2. Krężel R., Parylak D., Zimny L.: Zagadnienia uprawy roli i roślin. AR Wrocław 1999. 3. Świętochowski B. i in.: Ogólna uprawa roli i roślin. PWRiL, Warszawa 1996. Lityński T., Jurkowska H. – Żyzność gleby i odżywianie się roślin. PWN, Warszawa, 1982, Nurzyński J. – Nawożenie roślin ogrodniczych.. Plantpress, sp. z o.o., Kraków 2003, Praca zbiorowa pod redakcją J.R. Starcka – Uprawa roli i nawożenie roślin ogrodniczych. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1984, Praca zbiorowa pod redakcją Boratyńskiego K. – Nawozy organiczne. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1977, Fotyma M., Mercik S. – Chemia rolna. PWN. Warszawa, 1985, Scripts: Breś W., Golcz A., Komosa A., Kozik E., Tyksiński W. – Nawożenie roślin ogrodniczych, Wydawnictwo AR Poznań, 2003. Supplemental literature: Sady W. – Nawożenie warzyw polowych. Plantpress Sp. z o.o. Kraków, 2000, Praca zbiorowa pod redakcją R. Czuby – Nawożenie. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1986, Mengel K., Kirkby E.A. – Podstawy żywienia roślin. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1983, Fotyma M., Mercik S., Faber A. – Chemiczne podstawy żyzności gleb. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1987, Boratyński K., Czuba R., Goralski J. – Chemia rolnicza. PWRiL, Warszawa, 1988, Praca zbiorowa pod redakcją R. Czuby – Nawożenie mineralne roślin uprawnych. Police, 1996, Czuba R., Mazur T. – Wpływ nawożenia na jakość plonów. PWN, Warszawa, 1988.

Assessment methods: exam after 4-th semester

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