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Head of Department's Welcome

The soil forms the foundation of crop production and therefore agriculture as a whole. The soil is also a major component of the environment. Thus, the soil plays a vital role in the very existence of man.  

The Department of Soil Science trains students at the diploma, bachelor and post-graduate levels. Our courses cover the fundamentals of soil science, management of soils for crop production and for sustainable environment. Our research activities also cover soil management for food production and environmental protection. We emphasize the influences of the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere and the atmosphere on the pedosphere (soil) in the courses we teach and the research we conduct.

The courses taught in the Department at the undergraduate and the graduate levels fall under disciplines such as pedology, soil physics and conservation, soil microbiology and biochemistry, soil chemistry and fertility, environmental soil science, forensic soil science and environmental risk assessment. The research activities of the Department include, soil science, agronomy, soil degradation and remediation, ecological risk assessment, waste water treatment for crop production and environmental safety. The extension activities of the Department include mainly soil survey, land evaluation, soil feasibility studies for crop production and evaluation of fertilizers (inorganic and organic) and formulation of organic fertilizers and soil conditioners from organic wastes. Our extension activities are also useful to non-agricultural users of land such as sporting field operators.

We encourage students to enjoy the study of soil science and to major in the discipline because it has a lot to do with the survival of human beings on earth.