Restructured and Revised

Syllabi of Post-graduate Programmes

Vol. 2

Physical Sciences
– Agricultural Meteorology
– Agronomy
– Soil Science
– Agricultural Physics
– Organic Farming

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 Restructured and Revised Syllabi of Post-graduate Programmes Vol. 2

Course Title with Credit Load

Ph.D. in Soil Science

Course Code Course Title Credit Hours

Soil 601 Recent trends in soil physics 2+0

Soil 602 Modern concept in soil fertility 2+0
Soil 603* Physical chemistry of soil 2+0
Soil 604* Soil genesis and micromorphology 2+0
Soil 605 Bio-chemistry of soil organic matter 2+0
Soil 606 Soil resource management 3+0
Soil 607 Modelling of soil plant system 2+0
Soil 608 Clay Mineralogy 2+1
Soil 609 Recent trends in soil microbial biodiversity 2+1
Soil 691 Doctoral seminar 1+0
Soil 692 Doctoral seminar 1+0
Soil 699 Doctoral Research -75

*Indicates Core Courses which are Compulsory for PhD Programme

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Course Contents
Ph.D. in Soil Science

I. Course Title : Recent Trends in Soil Physics

II. Course Code : Soil 601
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To provide knowledge of modern concept sin soil physics.
V. Theory
Unit I
Soil-water interactions, soil water potential, free energy and thermodynamic basis
of potential concept, chemical potential of soil water and entropy of the system,
soil-plant-atmospheric continuum (SPAC).
Unit II
Fundamentals of fluid flow, Poiseuilles law, Laplace’s equation, Darcy’s law in
saturated and unsaturated flows; development of differential equations in saturated
and unsaturated waterflow, capillary conductivity and diffusivity; limitations of
Darcy’s law; numerical solution for one dimensional waterflow.
Unit III
Theories of horizontal and vertical infiltration under different boundary conditions.
Unit IV
Movement of salts in soils, models formiscible-immiscible displacement, diffusion,
mass flow and dispersion of solutes and their solutions through differential
equations; break-through curves.
Unit V
Soil air and aeration, mass flow and diffusion processes; thermal properties of soil,
heat transfer in soils, differential equation of heatflow, measurement of thermal
conductivity of soil; Soil, Plant, Water relations- Plant uptake of soil moisture,
Water balance and energy balance in the field; irrigation and water use efficiency.
Unit VI
Soil crust and clod formation; structural management of puddled rice soils; soil
conditioning-concept, soils conditioners-types, characteristics, working principles,
significance in agriculture.
Unit VII
Solar and terrestrial radiation measurement, dissipation and distribution in soil-
crop systems; prediction of evapotranspiration using aerodynamic and canopy
temperature-based models; canopy temperature and leaf diffusion resistance in
relation to plant water deficit; evaluation of soil and plant water status using infra-
red thermometer.

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VI. Teaching methods/activities

Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil physical properties and processes in relation
to plant growth.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Baver LD, Gardner WH and Gardner WR. 1972. Soil Physics. John Wiley & Sons.
• Hanks and Ascheroft. 1980. Applied Soil Physics. Springer Verlag.
• Hillel D. 1980. Applications of Soil Physics. Academic Press.
• Hillel D. 1980. Environmental Soil Physics. Academic Press.
• Indian Society of Soil Science 2002. Fundamentals of Soil Science. ISSS, New Delhi.
• Kirkham D and Powers WL. 1972. Advanced Soil Physics. Wiley Interscience.
• Lal R and Shukla MK. 2004. Principles of Soil Physics. Marcel Dekker.
• Oswal MC. 1994. Soil Physics. Oxford & IBH.

I. Course Title : Modern Concept in Soil Fertility

II. Course Code : Soil 602
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To provide knowledge of modern concepts of soil fertility and nutrient use in crop
production.
V. Theory
Unit I
Nutrient availability-concept and relationships, modern concepts of nutrient s
availability; soil colloids and nutrient availability; soil amendments and availability
maintenance of nutrients, soil solution and plant growth; nutrient response functions
and availability indices.
Unit II
Nutrient movement in soils; nutrient absorption by plants; mechanistic approach
to nutrient supply and uptake by plants; models for transformation and movement
of major micronutrients in soils.
Unit III
Chemical equilibria (including solid-solution equilbria) involving nutrientions in
soils, particularly in submerged soils; Kinetic studies of nutrients in soils.
Unit IV
Modern concepts of fertilizer evaluation, nutrient use efficiency and nutrient
budgeting.
Unit V
Modernconcepts in fertilizer application; soil fertility evaluation techniques; role of
soil tests in fertilizer use recommendations; site-specific nutrient management for
precision agriculture.
Unit VI
Monitoring physical, chemical and biological changes in soils; permanent manurial

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trials and long-term fertilizer experiments; soil productivity under long-term

intensive cropping; direct, residual and cumulative effect of fertilizer use.
Unit VII
Carbon– a nutrient central to soil fertility; carbon cycle in nature, stocks, pools and
fluxes; greenhouse effect and climate change; carbon sequestration vis-à-vis
sustenance of soil quality and crop productivity.
VI. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil fertility and fertilizers in relation to plant
growth and development.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Barber SA. 1995. Soil Nutrient Bioavailability. John Wiley & Sons.
• Barker V Allen and Pilbeam David J. 2007. Handbook of Plant Nutrition. CRC / Taylor &
Francis.
• Brady NC and Weil RR. 2002. The Nature and Properties of Soils. 13th Ed. Pearson Educ.
• Cooke GW. 1979. The Control of Soil Fertility. Crossby Lockwood & Sons.
• Epstein E. 1987. Mineral Nutrition of Plants - Principles and Perspectives. International
Potash Institute, Switzerland.
• Kabata- Pendias Alina 2001. Trace Elements in Soils and Plants. CRC / Taylor & Francis.
• Kannaiyan S, Kumar K and Govindarajan K. 2004. Biofertilizers Technology. Scientific Publ.
• Mortvedt JJ, Shuman LM, Cox FR and Welch RM. (Eds.). 1991. Micronutrients in Agriculture.
2nd Ed. Soil Science Society of America, Madison.
• Prasad R and Power JF. 1997. Soil Fertility Management for Sustainable Agriculture. CRC
Press.
• Stevenson FJ and Cole MA. 1999. Cycles of Soil: Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur,
Micronutrients. John Wiley & Sons.
• Stevenson FJ. (Ed.). 1982. Nitrogen in Agricultural Soils. Soil Science Society of America,
Madison.
• Tisdale SL, Nelson WL, Beaton JD and Havlin JL. 1990. Soil Fertility and Fertilizers. 5th
Ed. Macmillan Publ.
• Wild A. (Ed.). 1988. Russell’s Soil Conditions and Plant Growth. 11th Ed. Longman.

I. Course Title : Physical Chemistry of Soil

II. Course Code : Soil 603
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To impart knowledge about modern concepts of physical chemistry of soils and
clays, with emphasis on understanding the processes involved with practical
significance.
V. Theory
Unit I
Colloidal chemistry of in organic and organic components of soils–their formation,
clay organic interaction.
Unit II
Predictive approaches for cation exchange equilibria- thermodynamics, empirical

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and diffuse double layer theory (DDL)- relationships among different selectivity
coefficients; structure and properties of diffuse double layer.
Unit III
Thermodynamics of nutrient transformations in soils; Climate change effects on
minerology and surface properties of variable charge; cationic and anionic exchange
and their models, molecular interaction.
Unit IV
Adsorption/desorption isotherms-Langmuir adsorption isotherm, Freundlich
adsorption isotherm, normalized exchange isotherm, BET equation; selective and
non-selective adsorption of ions on in organic surfaces and organic surfaces of soil
materials (citation of utility in agricultural system).
Unit V
Common solubility equilibria-carbonates, ironoxide and hydroxides, aluminum
silicate, aluminum phosphate; electrochemical properties of clays (citation of
examples from agricultural use).
VI. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil chemical behaviour on research for solving
field problems.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Bear RE. 1964. Chemistry of the Soil. Oxford & IBH.
• Bolt GH and Bruggenwert MGM. 1978. Soil Chemistry. Elsevier.
• Fried M and Broeshart H. 1967. Soil Plant System in Relation to Inorganic Nutrition.
Academic Press.
• Greenland DJ and Hayes MHB. 1981. Chemistry of Soil Processes. John Wiley & Sons.
• Greenland DJ and Hayes MHB. 1978. Chemistry of Soil Constituents. John Wiley & Sons.
• Jurinak JJ. 1978. Chemistry of Aquatic Systems. Department of Soil Science and
Biometeorology, Utah State University
• McBride MB. 1994. Environmental Chemistry of Soils. Oxford University Press.
• Sparks DL. 1999. Soil Physical Chemistry. 2nd Ed. CRC Press.
• Sposito G. 1981. The Thermodynamics of Soil Solutions. Oxford University Press.
• Sposito G. 1984. The Surface Chemistry of Soils. Oxford University Press.
• Sposito G. 1989. The Chemistry of Soils. Oxford University Press.
• Stevenson FJ. 1994. Humus Chemistry. 2nd Ed. John Wiley.
• van Olphan H. 1977. Introduction to Clay Colloid Chemistry. John Wiley & Sons.

I. Course Title : Soil Genesis and Micromorphology

II. Course Code : Soil 604
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To impart knowledge about the pedogenic processes in soils and to acquaint with
the micro-pedological study of soil profile.
V. Theory
Unit I
Pedogenic evolution of soils; soil composition and characterization.
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Unit II
Weathering and soil formation–factors and pedogenic processes; stability and
weathering sequences of minerals.
Unit III
Assessment of soil profile development by mineralogical and chemical analysis.
Unit IV
Micro-pedological features of soils–their structure, fabric analysis, role in genesis
and classification.
VI. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil micro pedology and soil taxonomy on research
for solving field problems.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Brady NC and Weil RR. 2002. The Nature and Properties of Soils. 13th Ed. Pearson Edu.
• Buol EW, Hole ED, MacCracken RJ & Southard RJ. 1997. Soil Genesis and Classification.
4th Ed. Panima Publ.
• Dixon JB and Weed SB. 1989. Minerals in Soil Environments. 2nd Ed. Soil Science Society
of America, Madison.
• Grim RE. 1968. Clay Mineralogy. McGraw Hill.
• Indian Society of Soil Science 2002. Fundamentals of Soil Science. ISSS, New Delhi.
• Sehgal J. 2002. Introductory Pedology: Concepts and Applications. New Delhi
• Sehgal J. 2002. Pedology - Concepts and Applications. Kalyani.
• USDA. 1999. Soil Taxonomy. Hand Book No. 436. 2nd Ed. USDA NRCS, Washington.
• Wade FA and Mattox RB. 1960. Elements of Crystallography and Mineralogy. Oxford &
IBH.

I. Course Title : Biochemistry of Soil Organic Matter

II. Course Code : Soil 605
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To impart knowledge related to chemistry and reactions of organic substances and
their significance in soils.
V. Theory
Unit I
Organic matter in soils and its maintenance Role of organic matter in soil
productivity; humus levels in soils; current thinking on the maintenance of organic
matter in the soils. Carbon retention and sequestration.
Unit II
Biochemistry of the humus formation; different pathways for humus synthesis in
soil; soil carbohydrates and lipids.
Unit III
Nutrient transformation–N, P, S; tracemetal interaction with humic substances,
significance of chelation reactions in soils.

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Unit IV
Reactive functional groups of humic substances, adsorption of organic compounds
by clay and role of organic substances in pedogenic soil aggregation processes; clay-
organic matter complexes.
Unit V
Humus-pesticide interactions in soil, mechanisms.
VI. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil biochemistry on research for solving field
problems.
VIII. Reading Materials
• Lynch JM, Willey JM. Soil Biotechnology.
• Paul EA and Clark FE. Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry
• Sherwood LM and Woolverton CJ. Prescott’s Microbiology.
• Subba Rao NS. Advances In Agricultural Microbiology

I. Course Title : Soil Resource Management

II. Course Code : Soil 606
III. Credit Hours : 3+0
IV. Aim of the course
To impart the students basic holistic knowledge on soil resource and latest
developments in its sustainable use.
Unit I
Relevance of soil management to sustainable agriculture; soil as a natural resource
for biomass production, filtering, buffering, transportation of solutes, genereserves,
and geogenic source of raw materials; soil as a source and sink of greenhouse
gases.
Unit II
Concept of sustainable land management (SLM); spatial variability of soils; soil
quality and food security; soil quality indices, conservation agriculture in relation
to soil quality; soil resilience and resistance.
Unit III
Types, factors and causes of land degradation and desertification; GLASOD
classification; application of GIS and remote sensing in monitoring, diagnosis and
mapping land degradation; history, distribution, identification and description of
soil erosion problems in India; forms of soil erosion; impact of soil erosion-on-site
and off-site effects; strategies for erosion control and conservation; soil conservation
in hilly, arid, semiarid, coastal and diaralands. Management of forest, peat and
muck soils.
Unit IV
Soil conservation planning; land capability classification; soil conservation in special
problem are as such as hilly, arid and semi-arid regions, waterlogged and wetlands;
land restoration and conservation techniques–erosion control, reclamation of salt
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affected soils; mine land reclamation, afforestation, organic products, soil fauna
and biodegradation.
Unit V
Watershed management-concept, objectives and approach; water harvesting and
recycling; flood control in watershed management; socio-economic aspects of watershed
management; case studies in respect to monitoring and evaluation of watersheds.
Unit VI
Agro-ecological regions of India; potentials and constraints of soils of different
regions; land evaluation and rationalizing land use, decision support system with
relation to land management; national and international soil policy considerations.
V. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VI. Learning outcome
Experience on the knowledge of soil resources on research for solving field problems.
VII. Suggested Reading
• Abrol IP and Dhruvanarayana VV. 1990. Technology for Wasteland Development. ICAR,
New Delhi.
• Andriesse JP. 1988. Nature and Management of Tropical Peat Soils, Soil Resources, FAO
Soils Bulletin 59, Management and Conservation Service, Land and Water Development
Division, FAO, Rome
• Blackwell, Dent D and Young A. 1981. Soil Survey and Land Evaluation. George Allen and
Unwin, London.
• Burrough A and McDonnell RK. 1998.Principles of Geographical Information System. Oxford
University Press.
• Dan Binkley D and Fisher R. 2012. Ecology and Management of Forest Soils,4th Edition,
Wiley.
• FAO. 1996. Land Quality Indicators and their Use in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural
Development. FAO Land and Water Bulletin.5. FAO, Rome.
• Faroq M and Siddique K. (Ed.). 2015. Conservation Agriculture, Springer Nature, Chennai,
India.
• FESL. 1993. An International Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management,
FAO World Soil Resources Report No. 73, Land Development Division, FAO, Rome.
• ISSS. 1994. Management of Land and Water Resources for Sustainable Agriculture and
Environment. Diamond Jubilee Symposium Publication, Indian Society of Soil Science, New
Delhi.
• Lal R, Blum WEH, Valentine C and Stewart BA. (Editors). 1988. Methods for Assessment of
Soil Degradation. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
• Mulders MA. 1987. Remote Sensing in Soil Science. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam.
• Sehgal J. 2014. A Text Book of Pedology Concepts and Application. Kalyani publishers, New
Delhi.
• SSSA 1996. Methods for Assessing Soil Quality. SSSA Publication Number 49, Madison,
Wisconsin, USA.

I. Course Title : Modelling of Soil Plant System

II. Course Code : Soil 607
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Aim of the course
To train the students in concepts, methodology, technology and use of systems
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simulation in soil and crop studies

V. Theory
Unit I
Introduction, terms and definitions; classification of models; Taylor series; numerical
methods of differentiation and integration.
Unit II
High level computer language: FORTRAN-its commands and usage; testing and
evaluation of model.
Unit III
Description of spatially homogeneous models; K transformation model; nitrogen
and phosphorus dynamics in soil.
Unit IV
Spatially heterogeneous models; equation of continuity; Simulation of water flow
through soil; Explicit and Explicit-Implicit method; simulation of solute movement
through soil with variable moisture flux by explicit-implicit method.
Unit V
Nutrient uptake model: Integration of nutrient movement in soil (mass flow and
diffusion) and uptake by plants (Michaelis-Menten kinetics); Nutrient uptake model:
Solubility and free ion activity model.
IV. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on soil modelling concept for forecasting productivity
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Datta SC. 2008. Theory and Principles of Simulation Modeling in Soil-Plant System. Capital
Publishing Company, New Delhi.
• Frame J and Thornley JHM. 1984. Mathematical Models in Agriculture—A Quantitative
approach to problems in agriculture and related science. Butterworth and Co. Ltd.
• Freud PJ and Minton PD. 1979. Regression Methods—A tool for data Analysis. Marcel Dekker
Inc., New York.
• Frissel MJ and Reinger P. 1974. Simulation of Accumulation and Leaching in Sils. Oxford
and IBM Pub. Co., New Delhi.
• Hanks J and Richie JT. (Eds.). 1991. Modeling Plant and Soil System. Agronomy Bulletin
No. 31, ASA, SSSA Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
• Lipschutz S and Poe A. 1978. Schaum’s Outline Series–Theory and Problems of programming
with Fortran. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Singapore.
• Penning de Vries FWT, Jansen DM, Ten Berge HFM and Baker A. 1989. Simulation of
ecophysiological processes of growth in several annual crops. PUDOC, Wageningen.
• Shaffer MJ, Ma L and Hansen S. 2001. Modeling Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics for Soil
Management. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton.

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I. Course Title : Clay Mineralogy

II. Course Code : Soil 608
III. Credit Hours : 2+1
IV. Theory
Unit I
Definition and concepts of clays and clay minerals, Fundamentals of
crystallography – unit cell, external characteristics of crystals, crystallographic
notations, crystal systems.
Unit II
Structures and classification of silicate minerals, basics of phyllosilicates, laws
governing structural characteristics of phyllosilicates, Goldschmitdt’s laws – Laws
I and Law II, Classification of Phyllosilicates.
Unit III
Kaolonite group of minerals, Dioctahedral kaolins and Trioctahedral kaolins.
Unit IV
Smectites; properties of smectites, Reference models of structure, principal types
based on Hofmann-Marshal-Hendricks (H-M-H) models, occurrence of smectites,
transformation and formation in soils.
Unit V
Micas: occurrence and origin in soils, polytypes of micas, structure and formation
of muscovites and illite.
Unit VI
Vermicullites: structure, occurrence in soils, formation, relation between vermiculites
and montmorillonite.
Unit VII
Chlorite: occurrence and structure of chlorites, “swelling chlorites”, formation of
chlorite.
Unit VIII
Non-crystalline clays (amorphous materials), subgroups and chemical composition,
morphology and structure, physico-chemical properties, influence of non-crystalline
clays on soil properties.
Unit IX
Interstratified clay minerals, occurrence and formation in soils, regularly
interstratified and partially random interstratified minerals.
Unit X
Genesis and transformation of clay minerals, Generalized conditions for formation
and persistence of common clay-size minerals in soils.
Unit XI
Surface chemistry of clay minerals, clay-organic complexes, nanoclay mineralogy.
Unit XII
Clay minerals in different soil orders, role of clay minerals in soil fertility
management.
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V. Practicals
• Separation of clay for mineralogical study
• X-ray diffraction analysis of clay
• Selective dissolution of clay minerals
• IR, DTA and SEM of clay minerals
• Identification and quantification of clay minerals
• Determination of surface charge of clay minerals
• Potentiometric titration of clay minerals.
VI. Teaching methods/activities
Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, oral presentation by students.
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on soil clays and utility in soil research.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Dixon JB and Weed SB (Co-editors). Minerals in Soil Environment.
• Gieseking JE (Ed). Soil Component, Vol. 2. Inorganic Components.
• Grim RE. Clay Mineralogy.
• Mukherjee SK and Biswas TD (Editors). Mineralogy of Soil Clays and Clay Minerals.
• Read HH. Rutley’s Elements of Mineralogy.
• Wilding LP and Smeck NE. 1983. Pedogenesis and Soil Taxonomy Part II – Soil Orders.

I. Course Title : Recent Trends in Soil Microbial Biodiversity

II. Course Code : Soil 609
III. Credit Hours : 2+1
IV. Theory
Unit I
Microbial evaluation and biodiversity, Microbial communities in ecosystems, New
insights in below ground diverse of plant performance.
Unit II
Qualitative ecology of microorganisms; Biomass and activities.
Unit III
Nitrogen fixing organisms, Trends in diversity of N fixing organisms. Molecular
approaches in characterising N fixing microorganisms.
Unit IV
Serology and molecular characterization, ecological aspects of bio determination,
soil waste and water management
Unit V
Biodegradability, testing and monitoring of the bioremediation of xerobiotic
pollutants and bacterial fertilizers.
V. Practicals
• Determination of soil microbes using classical techniques.
• Determination of soil microbial diversity using molecular techniques.
• Estimation of soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Estimation of key soil enzyme activities.
• Community level physiological profiling of microbial diversity.
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VI. Teaching methods/ activities

Classroom teaching with AV aids, group discussion, field visit
VII. Learning outcome
Experience on soil microbial diversity and planning for proper utilization.
VIII. Suggested Reading
• Lynch JM, Willey JM. Soil Biotechnology.
• Paul EA and Clark FE. Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry.
• Sherwood LM and Woolverton CJ. Prescott’s Microbiology.
• Subba Rao NS. Advances In Agricultural Microbiology.

I. Course Title : Research and Publication Ethics

II. Course Code : Soil 610
III. Credit Hours : 2+0
IV. Theory
Unit I
Introduction to philosophy: definition, nature and scope, concept, branches
Unit II
Ethics: definition, moral philosophy, nature of moral judgements and reactions
Unit III
Scientific conduct: Ethics with respect to science and research, intellectual honesty
and research integrity, Scientific misconducts- falsifications, fabrications and
plagiarism (FFP): Redundant publications: duplicate and overlapping publications,
salami slicing; selective reporting and misrepresentation of data
Unit IV
Publication ethics: Defination, introduction and importance. Best practices/standard
setting initiatives and guidelines: COPE, WAME, etc., conflicts of interest.
Publication misconduct: definition, concept, problems that lead to unethical
behaviour and vice versa, type, violation of publication ethics, authorship and
contributorship, Identification of publication misconduct, complaints and appeals,
predatory publishers and journals
Unit V
Open access publishing: open access publication and initiatives: SHERPA, RoMEO
online resource to check publisher copy right and self archiving policies; software
tool to identify predatory publications developed by SPPU, Journal finder/journal
suggestions tools, viz., JANE, Elsevier Journal Finder, Springer Journal Suggester
etc.
Unit VI
Publication misconduct: Group discussions- subject specific ethical issues, FFP,
authorship, conflicts of interest, complaints and appeals examples and fraud from
India and abroad. Software tools: Use of plagiarism software like Turnitin, Urkund
and other open source software tools
Unit VII
Database and Research metrics: Indexing data base, citation database, web of

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