PEBO 316 Fundamentals of Soil Microbiology

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of soils as unique habitats for microorganisms. Students will be introduced to the following topics: influence of physicochemical properties of soils on microbial activities. They will be taught methods of studying soil microbial population. Students will be exposed to the interrelationships between soil organisms and plant-microbe interactions especially the rhizosphere, mycorrhizae and nitrogen fixation organisms and their ecological and economic importance. Students will be taken through the significance of microorganisms in the transformation of soil carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus, use of soil microbial activities as indicators of soil environmental quality and health.