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Teaching GuideTerm Faculty of Science |
| Grao en Bioloxía |
 Subjects |
| Edaphology |
| Contents |
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| Identifying Data | 2019/20 | |||||||||||||
| Subject | Edaphology | Code | 610G02045 | |||||||||||
| Study programme |
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| Descriptors | Cycle | Period | Year | Type | Credits | |||||||||
| Graduate | 2nd four-month period |
Fourth | Optional | 6 | ||||||||||
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| Topic | Sub-topic |
| I PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS Lesson 1.- History of Soil Science. Lesson 2.- Soil descripton in field conditions. Laboratory techniques for soil studies. |
Origin and development of Soils Science. Main topics in Soil Science. Profile and horizons. Physical, Chemical and Bioñogical methods of soil analysis. |
| II SOIL COMPOSITION Lesson 3.- Soil mineral composition. Soil clays. Lesson 4.- Soil organic matter. |
Soil texture. Specific surface. Soil mineralogy. Soil clays. Structure and properties of most common soil clays. Oxyhydroxides. Soil organic compounds. Humus. Organo-mineral associations. Organic matter and ecosystems: biogeochemical cycles. |
| III SOIL PROPERTIES Lesson 5.- Soil physical properties and soil structure. Lesson 6.- Soil water retention and water dynamics. Lesson 7.- Soil temperature and aeration. Lesson 8.- Soil pH and cation exchange capacity. Lesson 9.- Soil biology. Lesson 10. Soil fertility |
Bulk density and solid density. Soil porosity. Pore-size distribution. Aggregate dynamics in soils. Structural stability. Soil moisture content and soil potential. Soil water measurement. Soil moisture characteristic curve. Soil water retention and soil water dynamics. Soil water and water requirements of vegetation. Soil thermal properties. Soil temperature management. Composition of the soil atmosphere. Soil and gases of greenhouse effect. Soil pH and soil acidity. Soil acidity effects. Acidity amendment. Exchange complex of soils. Cation exchange capacity. Soil organisms. Soil enzymatic activity. Nucleic acids in soil. Soil organism and soil properties as indicators of soil quality. Macronutrients and micronutrients. Nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium cycles. Calcium and magnesium. Iron, cupper, zinc, boron and molybdenum. Other oligoelements |
| IV FACTORS AND PROCESSES OF SOIL FORMATION Lesson 11.- Factors of soil formation. Lesson 12.- Processes of soil formation. |
Parent material. Climate. Topography. Times Vegetations and organisms. Anthropogenic factors. Soil profile differentiation. Clay accumulation. Podzolization. Salinization. Calcification. Hydromorphic processes. Ferralitic alteration. |
| V SOIL SYSTEMATICS AND CLASSIFICATION Lesson 13.- Soil Systematics. Lesson 14.- Introduction to Soil Taxonomy. Lesson 15.- World Reference Base for Soil Resources. Lesson 16.- Spanish and Galician Soils. |
Genesic and diagnostic horizons. Soil profile. Horizon nomenclature. Modern Soil Classifications. Soil Taxonomy. World Reference Base for Soil Resources. Characteristics for soil diagnosis. Moisture and temperature regimes. Oreders, suborders, great groups, subgroups, families, and series. Organic soil. Soil with anthropic influences. Soils conditioned by topography and by time. Soils conditioned by cold, temperate, steppe, arid or semiarid and tropical or subtropical climates. Soil under Atlantic climate. Soils under Mediterranean climate. Galician soils: parent material, climate, topography and vegetation effects. |
| VI APPLIED SOIL SCIENCE Lesson 17.- Applications of Soil Science. |
Soil cartography. Interactions soil-landscape. Soil functions and society. Soil and environment. Soil contamination. Recovery of contaminated soils. Soil Use and Management. |
| PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES Laboratory work Field studies |
Textural analysis Bulk density and solid density, Porosity. Aggregate stability Soil pH. Organic carbon and nitrogen Cation exchange capacity Soil extractable phosphorus Biological activity and dehydrogenase activity Case studies: Umbrisols, Cambisols, Fluvisols, and Gleysols |
| SUPERVISED PROJECTS | Soil erotion as a source of diffuse pollution Mechanisms and processes of water erosion under an Atlantic climate Effect of forest fires in soil degradation Mining and soil contamination Livestock farming and soil contamination Landfills and soil contamination Organic pollutants Physical-chemical indicators of soil quality Biological indicators of soil quality Vineyard soil in Galicia Excessive soil fertilisation with slurry Soil compactation risks Hydric balance in soils Heavy metals in soils |
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