SMART Academy - Online Course
"Irrigation and Fertilization - Become an Expert"
Irrigation and fertilization are the two most important practices in crop production.
Participating in this course will give you the tools and expertise needed to master irrigation and fertilization. Improve your agricultural practices to achieve better yields and effectiveness. A certificate of completion will be awarded upon completion of the course.
The course is designed for farmers, agronomists, students and anyone with passion for agriculture.
The course is comprised of 10 topics.
Purchase the course at $500
Course Topics
-
How to design an ideal fertilizer program
-
Irrigation water quality
-
How to master fertigation
-
How to balance nutrient solutions
-
How to interpret soil test results
-
Soil salinity and how to manage it
-
Exercise - design a complete fertilizer program (Including interpretation of soil test results and fertigation)
-
Nutrient management in soilless culture
-
Irrigation scheduling - principles, irrigation in soils
-
Irrigation scheduling in soilless culture
Take the next step and take the course now!
Purchase the course at $500
Detailed Syllabus
Topic 1: How to design an ideal fertilizer program
What factors impact the design of a fertilizer program:
Nutrient response curves.
Yield potential
Law of minimum
Soil analysis
Nutrient requirements
Common units of expression
Water quality
Tissue analysis
Economic considerations
Application methods
Topic 2: Irrigation water quality
We will discuss the following:
Parameters defining the quality of the irrigation water
Salinity and its effects
Specific toxicities
Sodium and its effects
Classification of water quality
Water pH and alkalinity
Topic 3: How to master fertigation
Fertigation methods
Preparation of stock solutions – solubility, compatibility, common ion effect
Fertilizer injectors
Injection ratios
Topic 4: How to balance nutrient solutions
The Equivalent
Cation-anion balance
What does a “balanced nutrient solution” mean?
Nutrient ratios
Ammonium/Nitrate ratio
Topic 5: How to interpret soil test results
Absorption of nutrients
Salinity vs. fertility
Extraction methods
Interpreting the results
Approaches for balancing soils
Topic 6: Soil salinity and how to manage it
The effects of salinity
Sodium effects
The relation between salinity and sodicity
Causes of soil salinity
How to measure soil salinity
Strategies to prevent salinity buildup
Reclaiming saline soils
Topic 7: Exercise
We will do a practical exercise that includes designing a
complete fertilizer program, interpreting soil test results
and designing a fertigation schedule.
Topic 8: Nutrient management in soilless culture
Types of growing substrates
Open and closed systems
Nutrient concentration in the nutrient solution
Nutrient management methods
The pH of the nutrient solution
Carbonate equilibrium
Topic 9: Irrigation scheduling
Water requirements of crops
Evapotranspiration
Discuss on methods of irrigation scheduling
The soil water
Topic 10: Irrigation scheduling in soilless culture
Parameters that affect the irrigation scheduling
Physical properties of growing media
Water retention curves
Air/water ratios in growing media
Determining the water requirements of the plant
Methods to determine the irrigation frequency
Discussion on different approaches of irrigation regimes
Take the next step and take the course now!
Purchase the course at $500
