Course

Syllabus

Practical

Introduction to soil, plant, and water testing laboratory and laboratory safety; Collection, labelling, processing, and storage of representative soil samples; Determination of soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon, and available macronutrients (N, P, K); Estimation of selected secondary and micronutrients using standard laboratory procedures; Collection and analysis of irrigation water samples for pH, EC, SAR, RSC, and water quality parameters; Collection, processing, and preparation of plant samples for nutrient analysis; Interpretation of soil, plant, and irrigation water analytical reports and preparation of fertilizer and soil amendment recommendations; Preparation of Soil Health Cards and nutrient management plans; Familiarization with handheld GPS, mobile GPS applications, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS); Collection of field coordinates and farm boundary survey using GPS-enabled devices; Preparation of digital farm maps using GIS software; Generation of thematic maps including soil fertility, land use, irrigation layout, and crop distribution maps; Farm resource inventory and field documentation; Demonstration of precision agriculture tools for site-specific nutrient management; Field visit to Soil Testing Laboratory, Water Quality Testing Laboratory, and Precision Farming Centre for hands-on exposure to analytical instruments and farm mapping technologies.

Objectives

• To train students in the standard protocols for collecting, processing, and preparing soil, plant, and water samples for laboratory analysis.

• To develop hands-on technical skills in operating analytical instruments like pH meters, EC meters, spectrophotometers, and flame photometers.

• To enable students to interpret analytical data and generate customised fertilizer recommendations and water suitability reports.

• To equip students with modern digital skills in mobile-based and open-source GIS platforms for physical and digital farm boundary mapping.

Suggested readings

1. Brady, N.C. & Weil, R.R. (2017). The Nature and Properties of Soils (15^th ed.). Pearson Education.

2. Tandon, H.L.S. (2013). Methods of Analysis of Soils, Plants, Waters and Fertilizers. Fertiliser Development and Consultation Organisation (FDCO), New Delhi.

3. Jackson, M.L. (1973). Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi.

4. Page, A.L., Miller, R.H. & Keeney, D.R. (Eds.). (1982). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2: Chemical and Microbiological Properties (2^nd ed.). ASA and SSSA, Madison, Wisconsin.

5. Richards, L.A. (Ed.). (1954). Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 60.

6. Motsara, M.R. & Roy, R.N. (2008). Guide to Laboratory Establishment for Plant Nutrient Analysis. FAO Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin 19, Rome.

7. Tan, K.H. (2005). Soil Sampling, Preparation and Analysis (2^nd ed.). CRC Press.

8. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Soil Survey Manual. USDA Handbook 18.

9. Burrough, P.A. & McDonnell, R.A. (1998). Principles of Geographical Information Systems. Oxford University Press.

10. Chang, K.T. (2021). Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (9^th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

11. Lillesand, T.M., Kiefer, R.W. & Chipman, J.W. (2015). Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation (7^th ed.). Wiley.