Soil chemistry and microbiology

The course introduces students to the main chemical processes occurring in soils. It covers fundamental principles of the properties of soil that affect plant growth and environmental quality.

Upon appropriate completion of the course, the student should be able to:

-describe the soil phases, identify the common minerals

-distinguish between ion exchange, adsorption, dissolution, and precipitation reactions

-have a comprehension of the soil and environmental biogeochemical processes important for soil development & nutrients source

-have basic knowledge about indigenous microbiota of soils of different types, including bacteria and microscopic fungi

-describe the role of soil microbiota in environmental element cycling and soil formation

-explain basic interactions between microorganisms & soil minerals, and plants

-distinguish between microorganisms inhabiting unpolluted and contaminated soils

-describe the most important soil microorganisms beneficial for plant growth

Lecture topics:

1. Soil mineralogy. Weathering processes in soils.

2. Phyllosilicates. Soil colloids.

3. Chemistry of soil organic matter.

4. Sorption in soils, ion exchange.

5. Soil acidity.

6. Microbiota of soils – preliminary characterization

7. The role of microorganisms in biogeochemical element cycling, soil formation and properties

8. Interactions between soil microorganisms, microorganisms and plants, and with soil minerals. Plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi

9. Soil microbial pathogens

10. Microbiology of contaminated soils

Lab topics:

1. Determination of carbon and humus contents in soils

2. Analyse of CEC

3. Isolation, frequency determination and preliminary characterization of autochthonous microorganisms from different soil samples.

1. Bleam W. 2016. Soil and Environmental Chemistry. Academic Press. ISBN: 978128041789.

2. Essington M.E. 2015 (2004). Soil and Water Chemistry: An Integrative Approach. CRC Press. ISBN: 9781466573154.

3. McBride M.B. 1994. Environmental Chemistry of Soils, Oxford University Press.

4. Randall J.S., Anderson S. 2005. Soils. Genesis and geomorphology. Cambridge University Press.

5. Sparks D. L. 2003. Environmental Soil Chemistry. Academic Press. ISBN: 978-0-12-656446-4

6. Sposito G. 2008 (1989). The Chemistry of Soils. Oxford University Press.

7. Strawn D.G., Bohn H. L., O'Connor G. A. 2015. Soil Chemistry. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-118-62923-9

8. Torsvik V., Ovreas L. 2002. Microbial diversity and function in soil: from genes to ecosystems. Curr. Opin. Microb. 5: 240-245.

9. Torsvik V., Sorheim R., Goksoyr J. 1996. Total bacterial diversity in soil and sediment communities – a review. J. Industr. Microbiol. Biotech. 17: 170-178.

10. Tilak K.V.B.R., Ranganayaki N., Pal K.K., De R., Saxena A.K., Shekhar Nautiyal C., Mittal S., Tripathi A.K., Hohri B.N. 2005. Diversity of plant growth and soil health supporting bacteria. Curr. Sci. 89: 136-150.

11. Fierer N., Bradford M.A., Jackson R.R. 2007. Toward an ecological classification of soil bacteria. Ecology 88: 1354-1364.

12. Dong, H. 2012. Clay-microbe interactions and implications for environmental mitigation. Elements. 8: 113-118.

13. Huang, P.M. 2004. Soil mineral - organic matter – micro-organism interaction: fundamentals and impacts. Adv Agron. 82: 391-472.

14. Southam G. 2012. Minerals as substrates for life: the prokaryotic view. Elements. 8: 101-106.

EPB2_W01, EPB2_W03, EPB2_W06, EPB2_W07, EPB2_W08

EPB2_U01, EPB2_U08,

EPB2_K02, EPB2_K04, EPB2_K05, EPB2_K06

703 test

711 essay/presentation

711 report