Pedalogical and edaphological concepts - Definition of soil, rocks and minerals-Soil formation - Factors affecting soil formation processes –Weathering - Physical, chemical and biological weathering of soil
Soil texture and textural classes – Soil textural classification - Soil structure and classification – Gradation analysis- Soil consistency- Major types of soils in Tamil Nadu - Major soil types of India.
Properties of Soil – Physical physical properties of soil and their significance – Bulk density, particle density and porosity
Soil water - Soil water potentials – Soil moisture constants- Water movement -Infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, percolation, permeability and drainage – Soil pH, Soil EC – Soil Micro organisms - Beneficial and harmful effects.
Soil organic matter – C : N ratio, Carbon cycle – Nitrogen cycle – Humus formation - Soil fertility - Soil nutrients - significance of macro and micro nutrients – Soil testing – Water testing - Soil test and water test report
Reference Book:
1 Indian Society of Soil Science, Fundamentals of Soil Science, ISSS Publication, IARI, New Delhi, 2012. 2 Brady, N.C.,2002 The Nature and Properties of Soils (13th Edition) McMillan Co., New York. 3 Indian Publisher – Eurasia Publishing House (P) Ltd., Ramnagar, New Delhi 4 Daji A.J., (1970) A Text Book of Soil Science - Asia Publishing House, Madras.
Text Book:
1.T.D. Biswas and S.K. Mukherjee, Text Book of Soil Science, 2nd Edition, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001. 2 Dilip Kumar Das, Introductory Soil Science, 3rd Edition, Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana, 2013