AGRO0002-1

Duration

18h Th, 4h Pr, 2h AUTR

Number of credits

	Bachelor in bioengineering	2 crédits
	Master in agroecology (120 ECTS)	2 crédits
	Master in agroecology (120 ECTS) (Joint-degree programme with Paris Saclay and AgroParisTech)	2 crédits

Lecturer

Caroline De Clerck, Patrick du Jardin, Benjamin Dumont

Coordinator

Patrick du Jardin

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Introduction, relevance of fertilization for sustainable agriculture
Principles and laws of crop fertilization
Nitrogen: status in the plant, uptake by the plant, importance for crops, sources of fertilizers, practices and techniques for an efficient nitrogen nutrition
Phosphorus: status in the plant, uptake by the plant, importance for crops, sources of fertilizers, practices and techniques for an efficient phosphorus nutrition
Potassium: status in the plant, uptake by the plant, importance for crops, sources of fertilizers, practices and techniques for an efficient potassium nutrition
Secondary elements (Mg, Ca, S) and microelements (essential for plants - Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, B, Mo - and not essential for plants - Si, Co, I -): natural and avaible forms for the plant, sources of fertilizers, importance to plants and crops, essentiality and toxicity to animals.
Basic mineral amendments and maintenance of soil pH: pH and saturation of soil colloids, causes of soil acidification and phytotechnical solutions, the importance of fertilizers in acidification, effects and practices of liming
Organic matter of the soil: nature, cycle and storage in soil under microbial influence; evaluation of the organic state of the soil and its evolution, farm manure, composting and biomethanation, supplies in N and its environmental aspects
Rationale for fertilization and decision support: balance sheet method, Azofert, practical fertilization tips
Nutrient utilization efficiency (Nitrogen case): measurement, improvement by slow-release or controlled release fertilizers, stabilized fertilizers, microbial and non-microbial biostimulants, sustainable nitrogen management program in the farm (PGDA3)
Compound fertilizers: obtention and application

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

situate the major issues of fertilization for sustainable development;
locate and quantify the needs and requirements of the plants for the different nutrients;
identify available forms of nutrients and their use by plants;
identify the environmental sources and the fertilizers supplying the different nutrients.
Reasoning fertilizers inputs: forms and quantities applied, application program according to agronomic and environmental objectives
Understand the diversity of fertilizing products, their respective roles and their complementarity in the management of soil fertility and agrosystem productivity: fertilizers and soil improvers, organic and mineral fertilizers, biofertilizers and biostimulants

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Plant Physiology Course BIOL2044-A-a
Soil Science Course GEOP0009-A-a

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, applications and field visit

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

100% face-to-face

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

patrick.dujardin@uliege.be

benjamin.dumont@uliege.be

caroline.declerck@uliege.be

Fertilization and crop nutrition