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Unit of Study ERTH3003 - Soil Ecology and Management (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    There will be a compulsory 2-day residential for Online students that will be held on, or depart from, the Lismore campus. For On-campus students, there will be compulsory practical classes during the term, and a 1-day field trip. Please refer to http://scu.edu.au/timetables for further information on timetables.

Unit description

This unit develops the knowledge and skills required for effective soil management, with a strong emphasis on soil ecology and soil management. Students will develop skills in defining and assessing soil health and fertility. They will learn to recognise and monitor both soil constraints and emergent properties. The key concepts of management of soil organic matter and water holding capacity in a range of agricultural contexts. Students will learn to develop strategies for effective agricultural soil management.

Unit content

Module 1: Land capability, classification, and mapping

Module 2: Describing soil health and fertility and identifying constraints

Module 3: Soil ecology and biology

Module 4: Soil organic matter

Module 5: Assessment and interpretation of soil chemical, physical and biological information

Module 6: Monitoring and managing soil health and fertility

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Lismore
Term2
Term2
Online
Term2
Term2

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

assess and discuss key principles of soil ecology integrating physics, chemistry and biological interactions

evaluate the temporal and spatial heterogeneity in soil systems

assess soil health and fertility and identify soil constraints

apply a range of management strategies to sustain and regenerate soils in team settings.

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
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Prescribed Resources/Equipment
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Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.