Overall objectives:

1 - Know how to identify the type of soil and select the operations for soil mobilization and preparation operation and to decide the suitable crops.
2 - Know how to analyse the soils and diagnose nutritents deficits to evaluate the needs of organic correctives and pH amendments.
3 - Know how to diagnose the fertilization needs and decide the ecological measures to be adopted in fertilizers application, with evaluation of its effects on soil fertility and health.
4 - Know how to identify and describe the source and type of erosion, calculate erosion damage and apply soil conservation methods and techniques
5 - Know the cultural operations associated with the installation, maintenance and use of forage crop or crops with different nutrientes needs.
6 - Reflect on the acquired knowledge related with the soil to valorize their application in agricultural practice
7 - Interpret, evaluate, decide and responsibly intervene in situations related to future professional activity
8 - Demonstrate initiative, autonomy and work habits

Syllabus:

1 - Basic notions of applied pedology.
1.1 - Soils in agriculture, stucture and proprieties.
1.2 - Soils types in the Madeira Region.
1.3 - Chemical composition of the soils.
2 - Essential mineral elements, its role in soil fertility and for plant nutrition.
2.1 - Role of microorganisms in the maintenance of soil fertility and plant nutrition balance.
2.2 - Soil chemical analysis. Delineation of soil correctives.
3 - Fertilization. Basic notions of organic and mineral fertilizers.
3.1 - Soil diagnose and fertilization recommendations.
4 - Recomended fertilizers, use of fertilizers in organic farming. Green fertilizers and biofertilizers.
5 - Soil management.
5.1 - Risks of soil erosion, pollution and environmental contamination. Diagnosis, prevention and conservation. Methodologies of soil conservation.
6 - Land use and sustainability.
6.1 - Agro-ecological techniques, crop rotation, intercropping, green manure and soil cover.
7 - Practical and applied activities related to soil management and conservation involving soil profile analysis, sampling, soil analysis, soil productivity, fertilization techniques.

Literature/Sources:

Costa, A.S.V. , 1988 , Elementos sobre Fertilidade do Solo e Fertilização , Edição do Direcção Geral de Planeamento e Agricultura
Costa, J. B. , 1973 , Caracterização e Constituição do Solo , Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
De Varennes, A. , 2003 , Produtividade dos Solos e Ambiente , Escolar Editora. Lisboa
Ferreira, J. , 2009 , As Bases da Agricultura Biológica: Tomo I: Produção Vegetal , EDIBIO, Edições, Lda
Indrio, F. , 1995 , Agricultura Biológica , Mem Martins: Publicações Europa América.
Mengel, K. E., Kirby, E. A. , 1987 , Principles of plant nutrition , International Potash Institute. Berna
Rodet, J.C. , 2004 , Agricultura Biológica, Uma Opção Inteligente , Lisboa: Luís F. Freitas
Santos, J. Q. , 1996 , Fertilização. Fundamentos da utilização de adubos e correctivos , Publicações Europa‐América. Lisboa

Assesssment methods and criteria:

Classification Type: Quantitativa (0-20)

Evaluation Methodology:
In accordance with the expected for the Professional Higher Technical Courses. The UC evaluation includes the performance of: a test with a weight of 20%, with a minimum classification of 10 values, not recoverable at the time of appeal; a test with a weight of 30% with a minimum classification of 10 values, recoverable at the time of recourse or improvement; a work with a weight of 20% with a minimum classification of 10 values, recoverable at the time of appeal or improvement, and a report with a weight of 10% with a minimum classification of 10 values, not recoverable at the time of appeal.