Course Learning Outcome
On the completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Broadly characterize the soil types and their associated productivity potentials and
limitations;
2. Determine appropriate management options for sustained and enhanced soil fertility and
productivity;
3. Know the importance of Agroforestry in the maintenance and enhancement of soil
fertility and systems’ productivity and sustainability including its influences on nutrient
cycling, Mycorrhizal and biological N-fixation, material flows between the systems’
components, and edaphic and environmental amelioration; and
Course contents
Morphological, physical, chemical and biological properties of tropical soils (e.g. humid, sub-humid, semi-arid and arid soils) and their management; Effects of Agroforestry management on soil fertility maintenance (e.g. physical, chemical and biological properties including mycorrhizae effects, soil water and soil temperature relations), soil fertility improvement (e.g. nitrogen fixation, atmospheric inputs and fertilization), materials flows (e.g. organic matter, nutrients cycling and leaching), soil water/plant relations and water use; The energy concepts of soil water, movement of water in the soil systems, mechanics of soil water uptake by plants, soil plant atmosphere continuum, water requirements
Required Readings
1. C.R. Elevitch and K.M. Wilkinson (2000).Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands:
Multipurpose Trees for Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Practical Guide to Dryland
Farming I, Introduction to Soil and Water Conservation Practices II, Contour Farming
With Living Barriers Order III, Integrated Farm Management IV, Planting Tree Crops
Order V, Soil Fertility and Management. Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa,
Hawaii Series,
Recommended Readings
1. A. Young (1997). Agroforestry for Soil Management (Second Edition). CAB
International, New York, New York and ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya