AIM:

 To introduce to the students to:
      1. the principles, mechanics and effects of soil, water and
            nutrients losses due to erosion
      2.    the different methods of assessing these losses
      3.    the methods and practices available to control erosion
            and conserve soil, water and nutrients.

 ASSESSMENT:          Final exam:                 70%
                                   Projects:
                                   Tests & assignments:        30%
                                   Labs:

 SYLLABUS

 A.  THE SOIL EROSION SYSTEM

•  natural and accelerated erosion
•  agents of erosion
•  consequences of erosion

 B.  WATER EROSION

 1.   Principles of water erosion:

•  factors affecting water erosion: climate, soil, vegetation and topography
•  forms of water erosion: splash, interrill (sheet), rill, and gully
•  mechanics of water erosion: detachment and transport of soil particles by raindrops and overland flow, deposition.

•  definition, estimation and uses

 3.  Soil erodibility:

•  definition, factors, estimation, interaction with erosivity

 4.  Predicting soil loss:

•  modelling principles, model types, USLE, SLEMSA

 C. WIND EROSION

 1.  Principles and processes
 2.  Control methods: agronomic methods and shelterbelts

D.   SOIL (AND WATER AND NUTRIENT) CONSERVATION

1. Agronomic (or bionomic) methods:

•  principles
•  crop management: cover crops, rotations, mulching, cropping methods

 2.   Mechanical methods:

•  principles
•  contours, waterways, storm water drains,
•  terraces: types and design methods

 3.   Soil Management Methods
 

•  conservation tillage methods: mulch tillage, reduced tillage,
•  no-till tied ridging etc.

 4.   Gully erosion control

 5.   Erosion control on grazing lands

 E.   SOIL MANAGEMENT AND RECLAMATION

 1.   Diagnosis, characteristics, classification and reclamation of:
      saline, saline-sodic and sodic soils
 2.   Management of problem soils.

 F.   SOIL CONSERVATION PLANNING

 l.   Land evaluation, soil surveys and land classification
 2.   Planning stages: aims, measures, feasibility, implementation
 3.   Social, economic and political issues.

 Textbooks:

 Hudson N. (1981) Soil Consevation. Batsford
 Morgan R.P.C. (1986) Soil erosion and conservation. Longman.