Faculty of Agriculture – University of Port Harcourt

DEPARTMENT OF CROP AND SOIL SCIENCE

Vision

The Department of Crop and Soil Science is one of the departments of the Faculty of Agriculture that is designed to give a broad based undergraduate training in Agriculture especially as it relates to the aspect of Crop and Soil Science.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the programme is to train students with broad-based skills and capacity to utilize scientific knowledge in developing practical solutions to the problems of agriculture and the related activities particularly in the Niger Delta environment.

Mission

Our mission is to contribute to national enlightenment and agricultural development, self-reliance and unity through the advancement and propagation of scientific knowledge and to utilize same for service to community and humanity.

Objectives

The objectives of the department are to produce graduates of agriculture that will be able to accomplish the following:

Engage in production and research that would provide relevant and appropriate solutions to the country’s agricultural and rural development problems as it relates to the elements of crop/soil and also to improve agricultural productivity in general;
Take up employment anywhere in Nigeria in any aspect of Crop and Soil Science and related areas;
To advance knowledge in Crop Production, Protection and Soil Management techniques in order to enhance their skills and expertise required for expertise and self-reliance and gainful employment;
To train students in improved crop production techniques which will enable them provide services to farmers;
To build capacity of the students to be able to conduct research in areas of fertility and Integrated Pest/Disease Management;
To establish linkages with national and international agricultural and other related institutions for Research and Development;
To enable the students to acquire knowledge through broad-based training to meet the Minimum Academic Standards (MAS) for Agriculture required by the National Universities Commission (NUC), thereby making our graduates competitive in various ventures;
Profitably put their skills into practice by establishing and operating their own farming enterprises; and
To harness all the above to specifically solve crop production problems of the peculiar ecology of the Niger Delta.

500 LEVEL (YEAR 5) COURSES

CROP PROTECTION OPTION

FIRST SEMESTER			SECOND SEMESTER
Course Code	Course Title	Unit	Course Code	Course Title	Unit
CPP 501.1	Weed Science	2	CPP 500.2	Seminar	1
CPP 502.1	Crop Pathology	2	CPP 506.2	Pesticides and their Application	2
CPP 503.1	Pest Ecology	2	CPP 507.2	Agricultural Entomology	2
CPP 504.1	Applied Nematology	2	CPP 508.2	Crop Disease Control	2
CPP 505.1	Integrated Pest Management	2	CPP 509.2	Pests of Stored Products	2
AGR 501.1	Experimental Techniques	2	CPS 516.2	Post – Harvest Physiology and Product Storage	2
AGR 502.1	Advances in Agriculture	2	SOS 511.2	Irrigation and Drainage	2
CPS 512.1	Farming Systems	2	CPP 599.2	Research Project
SOS 507.1	Soil and Plant Analysis	2
SOS 504.1	Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition	2
TOTAL		20			19

Total units = 39

CROP PRODUCTION OPTION

FIRST SEMESTER			SECOND SEMESTER
Course Code	Course Title	Unit	Course Code	Course Title	Unit
CPS 510.1	Forage and Fodder Crop Production	2	CPS 500.2	Seminar	2
CPS 512.1	Farming Systems	2	CPS 516.2	Post – Harvest Physiology and Product Storage	2
CPS 513.1	Plant Breeding and Seed Production	2	CPS 518.2	Agronomy of Neglected Plants	2
CPS 514.1	Floriculture and Land Scaping	2	CPP 506.2	Pesticides and their Application	2
CPS 515.1	Crop Physiology	3	CPS 517.2	Vegetable Crop Production	2
CPP 501.1	Weed Science	2	SOS 511.2	Irrigation and Drainage	2
AGR 501.1	Experimental Techniques	2	SOS 509.2	Fertilizers and their Uses	2
AGR 502.1	Advances in Agriculture	2	CPS 599.2	Research Project	6
SOS 504.1	Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition	2
SOS 507.1	Soil and Plant Analysis	2
TOTAL		20			19

Total units = 39

SOIL SCIENCE OPTION

FIRST SEMESTER			SECOND SEMESTER
Course Code	Course Title	Unit	Course Code	Course Title	Unit
SOS 501.1	Soil Chemistry II	2	SOS 500.2	Seminar	1
SOS 502.1	Soil Physics	2	SOS 508.2	Soil Classification	2
SOS 503.1	Soil water and Plant relations	2	SOS 509.2	Fertilizers and their uses	2
SOS 504.1	Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition	2	SOS 510.2	Remote sensing and GIS	2
SOS 505.1	Soil Microbiology	2	SOS 511.2	Irrigation and Drainage	2
SOS 506.1	Soil Survey and Land Scaping	2	SOS 512.2	Soil Conservation and Remediation	6
SOS 507.1	Soil and Plant Analysis	2	CPP 506.2	Pesticides and their application	2
AGR 501.1	Experimental Techniques	2	CPP 506.2	Research project	2
CPS 512.1	Farming systems	2
AGR 502.1	Advances in Agriculture	2
TOTAL		20			19

Total units =39

CUMULATIVE UNITS

Crop Protection Option 182

Crop Production Option 182

Soil Science Option 182

COURSE SYNOPSIS

CROP PROTECTION OPTION

YEAR FIVE (FIRST SEMESTER)

AGR 501.1 Experimentation Techniques (2 Units)

Experimental designs and field layout (CRD, RCBD, Other factorial experiments); their sources of variation and assumptions. Sampling techniques: plot sampling techniques, sampling units and sampling size; Experimental errors; types I and II; Data analysis; cropping systems experiments: Land Equivalent ratio; Analysis of variance (ANOVA) its assumptions. Data transformation (Log, Square root transformation, Arcsine; their assumptions). Analysis of missing data. Pair wise comparison (t-test). Parametric (LSD, DMRT, Studentized test, Scheffe’s test, Turkey’s test) and Non parametric (Kruskal Wallis, Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon-Signed rank-test); Regression and Correlation Analysis; conditions for use, assumptions and properties in linear regression, sources of variation in linear regression, interpretation and prediction of linear regression, interpretation and estimation of correlation co-efficient; Data handling and presentation-graphic, tables, etc.; Quantitative assessment of pesticidal efficacy – Toxicological statistics. Experimental method; Determination of the critical toxic effects (ED₅₀, LD₅₀, LC₅₀, KD₅₀, LT₅₀).

AGR 502.1: Advances in Agriculture (2 units)

Historical background, Principles (principles of health, fairness, ecology, care) and practice of organic agriculture; Organic crop production, pest and disease management, predator control for sustainable and organic livestock production. Organic forestry, climate change and carbon sequestration, pasture management. Enterprise budgets and production costs for organic production, organic marketing resources and green markets; Hydroponic Agriculture: Preparation of nutrient solutions, media and methods (water culture, sub irrigation, slop and drip). Benefits and constraints; Tissue Culture and Cloning Technology: Introduction, laboratory requirements, effects of hormone balance on explants growth and morphogenesis, callus formation and multiplication, establishment of suspension cultures and Anther culture. Applications and relevance to Agriculture. Criticisms and laws (Bioethics and Biopiracy). Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) (Health issues, influence on biodiversity, benefits and demerits); organic farm certification and export markets.

CPP 501.1 Weed Science (2 units)

Losses due to weeds; problems associated with weed infestation; methods of weed control – cultural, physical, biological, mechanical, chemical, etc., major weeds of cultivated plants and crops, pasture and gardens; aquatic weeds, physiology of weeds; crop-weed-fertilizer interrelationship; classification of herbicides; chemistry and selectivity, formulation, application, storage and mode of action. Herbicides and the environment, safety factors in the use of herbicides. Application equipment and techniques, practical methods of controlling weed in Nigeria. Practical: identification of major weeds of the area; visit to nearby farms; fields experiment on weed-crop-fertilizer inter-relationship and weed control.

CPP 502.1 Crop Pathology (2 units)

History of plant pathology; importance of plant pathology in agriculture, general characteristics and classification of plant pathogens – fungi, bacteria, virus and mycoplasmas. Life history of representative plant pathogenic fungi responsible for important plant diseases, events in disease development, transmission of plant pathogens, major crop diseases (caused by animate and inanimate agents), Host-parasite interaction, factors affecting epiphytotics; predisposition, variability, physiologic specialization, resistance and susceptibility, structural and biochemical defenses. Practical: microscopic studies of fungi and phytopathogenic bacteria, identification of major diseases of cultivated plants.

CPP 503.1 Insect Ecology (2 units)

Interdependence between economic entomology and insect ecology; expressing population changes, populations and generation curves, mortality and survivals, etc. Factors affecting population fluctuations, processes regulating abundance. Life tables, inference from life table; forecasting outbreaks. Practical: life table, mark-release-recapture as a technique for monitoring changes in population, etc.

CPP 504.1 Applied Nematology (2 units)

Host-plant relations, life cycle, pathogenicity and control of nematodes attacking tropical crops; plant disorders due to nematodes activities, extractions and identification of plant and soil nematodes. Practical: teasing plant materials in water; Baermann funnel techniques and sieving technique; isolating, killing and fixing specimens and preparing microscopic slides for study and future references.

CPP 505.1 Insect Pest Management (2 units)

Origin and nature of pest problems; life cycle and food habits of insects as basis for control measures. Insects and mites in the field and store; vectors of plants pathogens, crop ecosystem management and insects’ relationship to plant pathogen, weed and bird control. Control techniques including cultural, physical, legislative and microbial control; entomophagous insects and biological control. Integrated pest management- its concept, application and economic considerations. Practical. Detailed studies of feeding stage and food habits with particular reference to crop and storage pest, laboratory studies of selected pests and field collections.

CPS 512.1 Farming Systems (2 units)

Phases of agricultural development, salient characteristics of different farming systems, shifting and semi-shifting cultivation, development of continuous cropping, mono-cropping, inter-cropping, multiple-cropping, crop rotation, dry land farming, contour farming, alley farming, Fadama farming, transition from traditional to modern agricultural system to semi-intensive and intensive cropping system; components of farming system, mushroom farming, economics of crop production, modern agriculture and green revolution in developing countries.

Practical: field experiment in the University farm on different cropping system; field trip to various part of the country to study the different cropping systems.

CPP 500.2 Seminar (1 unit)

Each final year student is expected to deliver seminar on a chosen topic.

YEAR FIVE (SECOND SEMESTER)

CPP 599.2 Research Project (6 units)

Each final year student must undertake a research project under the supervision of a lecturer(s), propose a topic and present findings of the research work.

CPP 506.2 Pesticides and their application (2 units)

Classification, chemistry, formulation and selectivity of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc., their toxicity and mode of action; phytotoxicity, pest resurgence, pest resistance and environmental hazards, pesticides behaviour in soils; microbial pesticides. Pesticide application methods and equipment. Practical: experiments to demonstrate selectivity, toxicity, phytotoxicity and other properties of pesticides.

CPP 507.2 Agricultural Entomology (2 units)

Insects in relation to selected tropical crops; pest description and biology in relation to major cash crops, field, horticultural and tree crops in Nigeria; Practical: observation of insects attacking important crops in Nigeria, their life cycles; extent of damage; field trips to local farms to make observations.

CPP 508.2 Crop Disease Control (2 units)

General principles of crop disease control – physical, biological, cultural, chemical, mechanical, etc.; etiology; disease cycle; symptoms and control of important diseases of cereals (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat) grain legumes (groundnuts, cowpea, soybean, etc.), root and tubers (yam, cassava, cocoyam, etc.,) sugarcane, tree crops, horticultural crops. Practical: Collection and identification of diseased crops; application of fungicides and bactericides.

CPP 509.2 Pests of Stored Products 2 units.

Types of stored crops; Storage structures; Assessment of loss of stored crops. Biology, ecology and management of insect, mite and vertebrate pests (major families of pest beetles and moths; acarines; rodents, etc.) and disease organisms (fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes) affecting stored crops. Abiotic factors (temperature, humidity, light, moisture, etc.) which influence the storage environment. Practical: identification and classification of major insect, fungi, vertebrate pests of stored crops; use of selected pesticide in storage.

CROP PRODUCTION OPTION

YEAR FIVE (FIRST SEMESTER)

CPS 510.1 Forage and Fodder Crop Production (2 units)

Adaptation and botany of indigenous and introduced pastures and forage plants. Characteristics of grasses, legumes and shrubs. Establishment, propagation and seed production of pasture plants; the utilization and maintenance of permanent and temporary pastures. Forage conservation; Grazing systems. Practical: collection and identification of forage crops.

CPP 501.1 Weed Science (2 units)

AGR 501.1 Experimentation Techniques (2 Units)

AGR 502.1: Advances in Agriculture (2 units)

CPS 512.1 Farming Systems (2 units)

Practical: field experiment in the University farm on different cropping system; field trip to various part of the country to study the different cropping systems.

CPS 513.1 Plant Breeding and Seed Production (2 units)

Genetic significance of reproductive systems in cultivated plants. Sexual reproduction in crop plants, selection methods in breeding programmes. The role of plant breeding in disease and pest control in crops. Maintenance of breeding stocks. Nature and structures of seeds. Seed certification and release to the farmers. Certified seed multiplication and distribution to the farmers.

CPS 514.1 Floriculture and Landscaping (2 units)

Vegetable crop production, and other horticultural crops including nuts, spices, and medicinal plants; Principles and techniques of sexual and asexual propagation with special reference to indigenous/tropical ornamental plants. Importance and classification of tropical and sub-tropical annual flower plants, principles of floriculture and landscaping; landscaping of public parks and institutions; establishment and maintenance of hedges and lawns. Practical: practices in common propagation methods, cutting, budding, grafting; layering and inarching techniques; identification of common ornamental flowering plants, planning of flower gardens and their layout.

CPS 515.1 Crop Physiology and Production (2 units)

Water, light, temperature and gases as factors of environment, growth phases and rhythms in crop; assimilate partitioning in relation to yield determination, crop geometry, cultural manipulation; plant growth regulators in crop production; photoperiodism and vernalisation in crops and their effects on crop introduction and production. Ecophysiology, physiology of atmospheric nitrogen fixation and combined nitrogen; physiology of tuber formation and multiplication; plant-water relations; dormancy, mineral nutrition, physiology of herbicides; physiological aspects of pollution (Environmental impact assessment, EIA on crops) Practical: experiments on different growth phases of few selected crops, use of growth regulating chemicals at different stages of growth and their effects, experiments on photoperiodism, experiments on pollution.

YEAR FIVE SECOND SEMESTER

CPS 500.2 Seminar (1 unit)

Each final year student is expected to deliver seminar on a chosen topic.

CPS 516.2 Post-harvest Physiology and Product Storage (2 units)

Storage life of harvested fruits, seeds, vegetables and flowers; tropical environment in relation to maturity, ripening and senescence. Physical and chemical indices of quality in fruits, seeds, vegetables and other crop products. Storage of crop materials. Traditional methods of vegetable processing and storage. Fundamentals and principles of crop storage and transportation. Storage and shelf life problems, ideal atmosphere for storing fruits, seeds, vegetables, flowers and other crop products. Controlled environment for transit and long term storage; protective treatment, design and operation of equipments for storage and preservation. Practical: traditional and modern methods of processing and preservation of indigenous vegetables and fruits.

CPS 517.2 Vegetable Crop Production (2 units)

Definition, scope and importance. Production Practices (Outdoor and Protected Culture) including vegetable processing, marketing and distribution, sexual and asexual propagation Practical: Grow indigenous vegetables. Practice asexual propagation methods.

SOS 509.2Fertilizers and their uses (2 units)

Fertilizers and their management, Nutrient uptake, utilization and deficiency symptoms; fertilizer sources, properties and reactions; and fertilization practices. Fertilizer manufacture, sources, application methods, rates and timing. Handling and storage of fertilizers, crop growth and response to nutrients. Practical: formulation of compound fertilizer, application, pot/field experiment.

CPP 506.2 Pesticides and their application (2 units)

CPS 518.2 Agronomy of Neglected Crops (2 units)

Origin, distribution and importance of neglected crops (Ukazi, Uziza– West African black pepper, Water leaf, Oil bean, Dawadawa– Locust bean tree, Ukpo), etc.; Climatic and soil requirements, cultural operations, methods of propagation, harvesting, handling and storage of some major neglected crops of great potentials in Nigerian species, medicinal, food crops, plantation crops, etc.

CPS 599.2 Research Project (6 units)

Each final year student must undertake a research project under the supervision of a lecturer(s), propose a topic and present findings of the research work.

SOIL SCIENCE OPTION

YEAR FIVE (FIRST SEMESTER)

SOS 501.1 Soil Chemistry II (2 units)

Introduction to basic chemistry concepts, atoms and elements, compounds, molecules, and atomic bonds, ions, elements needed by plants, chemical reactions, adsorption and absorption, organic/ organic, soil colloids: definition, importance, soil solution, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation, factors influencing CEC, significance, anion exchange, pH,effect of pH on nutrient availability and uptake, soil acidity; distribution of acid soils, problems associated with acidity and liming. Reclamation of acidic/sodic soil.

SOS 502.1 Soil Physics (2 units)

Physical properties of soil, size groupings, surface relationship, specific surface of soil particle. Genesis of compound structure, effects of texture on soil structure, soil tilth and tillage, soil consistency, soil air and aeration, dynamic properties of soils, soil thermal properties, soil temperature, soil heat capacity, heat flow through soil. Determination of soil water content, properties of soil water, energy state of soil water, saturated and unsaturated flow, infiltration and infiltration equations, redistribution of soil water. Practical: Laboratory and field measurements of soil physical properties (infiltration, water retention curves, aggregate stability etc.).

SOS 503.1 Soil- Water- Plant relations (2 units)

Soil characteristics, soil water, soil salinity and its effect on plant growth, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon, phosphorus cycle. Hysteresis, capillary rise of soil water. Water movement in soils. Field capacity, the continuous chain for relationship between soil-water-plant-atmosphere. Soil colloids; their nature and practical significance to plant growth regulators. Soil stabilizers, macro and micronutrient elements and plant growth, Plant water consumption and wilting point.

SOS 504.1 Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (2 units)

Factors affecting plant growth – Edaphic, climatic, etc. Mathematical models of plant response to nutritional factors – Forms of plant nutrients in Soils – Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of nutrient status in Soils – Available forms and their evaluation using biological and chemical methods including isotope techniques. Plant nutrients definition, classification, role(s) in plant metabolism. Nutrient absorption-mechanisms and dynamics, competition and factors affecting them. Nutrient translocation in plants – pathways, mechanisms, regulations. – Factors affecting plant nutrition, Correcting nutritional disorders. Practical: Identification of various symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, identification of fertilizers and calculations.

AGR 501.1 Experimentation Techniques (2 Units)

SOS 505.1 Soil Microbiology (2 units)

Soil microbiological communities. Factors affecting microbial communities in soil; Collection and processing of microbial soil samples; Composting; Biofertilization – Rhizobial inoculation, mycorrhizal fungal inoculation; Biocontrol by soil bacteria and soil fungi. Genetic modification of microbial inocula; Microbial ecology of polluted soils; Soil ecological effects of genetically modified microbes; Degradation of xenobiotics; Bioremediation in contaminated soils; Environmental modification for bioremediation; Bioremediation efficacy testing; Microbial leaching of metals in soils; Management of the Nitrogen cycle in agriculture; Microbial decomposition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

SOS 506.1 Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (2 units)

Basic principles of soil classification; Soil profile study and description; soil survey methodology; soil forming minerals; Soil forming factors; assemblage of maps; use of aerial photographs, topographic maps, field survey versus grid survey; field mapping; soil morphological investigations. Land capability classifications for various purposes, land potential assessment. Practical: Laboratory determinations; soil correlation; soil survey, mapping and report writing, interpretive reports, land use planning/management

SOS 507.1 Soil and Plant Analysis (2 units)

Soil and plant sampling, sample preparation; theories and procedures for chemical analysis of soil and plant materials. Soil analysis (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon, calcium magnesium etc.), determination of soil pH. Plant analysis (basic plant nutrients). Interpretation of data. Maintenance and operations of major analytical instruments; flame photometer, colorimeter, spectrophotometer, amino acid analyzer, pH meters; conductivity bridge; gas systems for monitoring analytical procedures; features and functions of a soil testing laboratory.

AGR 502.1: Advances in Agriculture (2 units)

YEAR FIVE (Second semester)

SOS 500.2 Seminar (1unit)

Presentation of a seminar on an approved current topic in soil science.

SOS 599.2 Research Project (6 units)

Each final year student must undertake a research project under the supervision of a lecturer(s), propose a topic and present findings of the research work.

SOS 508.2 Soil Classification (2 units)

The study of soil genesis, classification, and geomorphology / evolution of soils, their organization into natural units and their distribution throughout the world. Physical, chemical, and morphological soil characteristics. Processes that influence the development of soils- biological, physical, and chemical, soil forming factors, distribution of the soils of the world. soil morphology, soil taxonomy, diagnostic epipedons and subsurface horizons, soil orders, suborders, great groups, subgroups, families, and series soil forming reactions, soil forming factors, major soils of the world: their genesis and distribution. Practical: Description of soil profile pit

SOS 509.2: Fertilizers and their Uses (2 units)

Fertilizers and their management, Nutrient uptake, utilization and deficiency symptoms; fertilizer sources, properties and reactions; and fertilization practices. Fertilizer manufacture, sources, application methods, rates and timing. Handling and storage of fertilizers, crop growth and response to nutrients. Practical: Formulation of compound fertilizer, application, pot/field experiment.

SOS 510.2 Remote Sensing and GIS (2 units)

Definition of remote sensing; History, evolution, and basic principles and vocabulary; Electromagnetic radiation and its interaction: foundation and principles of remote sensing. Remote sensing techniques, photogrametry; sensors (multispectral and hyperspectral); Electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurement of soil electrical conductivity (EC); Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); Thermal infrared imaging/thermography;Lidar (light detection and ranging) SAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar; Passive microwave radiometry; Passive gamma ray spectrometry; etc. Ground, aerial, and satellite/space platforms, Soil characterization (e.g., mineralogy, moisture, organic matter etc.) and mapping, Land use/Land cover; Precision Agriculture: Topographic mapping, Wetland restoration, Water quality; On-site waste disposal, Famine Early Warning Systems (FEWS). Post-harvest processing applications.

SOS 511.2 Irrigation and Drainage (2units)

Types of irrigation; costs and profitability of irrigation; application of irrigation to different crops. Soil-water-plant- atmosphere relationships; crop water requirements (meteorological approach and critical growth stages for water of different field crops) scheduling irrigation for major crops; time of irrigation; agronomic management of irrigated crops; crop rotations and sequence under irrigated conditions, evaporation losses of irrigation water, maintenance of irrigation equipments, drainage.

SOS 512.2 Soil Conservation and Remediation (2 units)

Meaning and significance of soil conservation, causes, agents, and types of soil erosion, factors influencing soil erosion, quantitative and qualitative estimation of soil loss, erosivity and erodibility, problems of soil erosion, erosion control techniques, restoration of eroded lands, wind erosion, soil degradation, remediation of degraded land, administrative and legislation measures to prevent land degradation, including oil spills. Bioremediation, phytoremediation, etc. Sources of salts in soil, saline soil, alkali soil, leaching factor, water balance and salt balance relationship, SAR, ESR, ESP, water quality criteria. Threshold concentration, chemical amendments. Practical: Field trips to regions with saline problems and oil pollution, analysis of water and soil samples, construction of runoff plots.

CPP 506.2 Pesticides and their Application (2 units)

Classification, chemistry, formulation and selectivity of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc., their toxicity and mode of action; phytotoxicity, pest resurgence, pest resistance and environmental hazards, pesticides behaviour in soils; microbial pesticides. Pesticide application methods and equipment. Practical: Experiments to demonstrate selectivity, toxicity, phytotoxicity and other properties of pesticides.

Department of Crop & Soil Science