Unit details
ENVT3060 Soil–Plant Interactions
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
(see Timetable) | Availability | Location | Mode |
|---|
| Semester 1 | UWA (Perth) | Face to face |
- Details for undergraduate courses
- Level 3 core unit in the Agricultural Science major sequence
- Level 3 complementary unit in the Botany major sequence
- The area of knowledge for this unit is Life and Health Sciences
- Category B broadening unit for students
- Level 3 elective
- Content
- This unit seeks to examine the soil as an environment for the growth of plants, and to develop a basic understanding of plant nutrition. The unit integrates knowledge of biological components of soil fertility with the physical and chemical components of soil. The role of soil biota in cycling nutrients for plants and in the development of a suitable environment for plant growth is emphasised. These aspects are considered in the context of soil management to maintain sustainable agricultural, horticultural and forest production, to restore disturbed natural ecosystems and to understand processes in managed and natural ecosystems.
- Outcomes
- Students are able to (1) understand nutrient cycling in the soil–microbe–plant continuum and soil–plant interactions governing resistance to abiotic stresses; (2) integrate concepts related to soil fertility and land use in sustainable land management; (3) record, analyse, critically assess, present and discuss experimental data; (4) write concise research reports describing the methods used and data acquired, relate them to published knowledge and place them in a broader environmental and social context; and (5) work individually and in groups to solve problems related to soil fertility and land use.
- Assessment
- Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) short tests covering the interactive web-based material (10 per cent); (2) a major report covering the group project (30 per cent); and (3) a final two-hour written examination (60 per cent). Further information is available in the unit outline.
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's pass degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 overall and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete their course.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Professor Zed Rengel
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites:
- EART2222 Geomorphology and Soils
or
ENVT2250 Ecology
or
ENVT2236 Soil Science
- Incompatibility:
- EART3336 Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, EART8336 Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition,
EART3360 Soil-Plant Interactions
- Contact hours
- lectures: 3 hours per week; practical work: 3 hours per week
- Unit Outline
- Semester 1_2019 [SEM-1_2019]
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Books and other material wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary reading', 'Recommended reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. Where texts are listed in the unit description above, an asterisk (*) indicates that the book is available in paperback.