FBA 606: Soil and Water Management in Agroforestry

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