CSP

The focus of this Course is to impart useful knowledge to students and to enhance their skill in soil water management via field and laboratory practicals. As a practical course, it meets the need of students in other fields, such and soil and water engineering and agro-meteorology. Topics to be covered include nature and forms of soil water, energy state of soil water (forces acting on soil water),principles of soil water erosion and control, soil water management for erosion control, irrigation of agricultural crops and the hydrologic cycle.

Origin, distribution, botany, taxonomy, ecology and methods of cultivation of the major tree and fruit crops – cocoa cola, coffee, latex producing plants, cashew, oil palm, coconut, mango, tea, citrus, pawpaw, pineapples. The cultivations, processing, preservations, marketing and utilization of each of the afore-mentioned crops.

This course is an exploratory course in crop pests and diseases management designed primarily for students in crop science and allied disciplines. It also meets the need of students in other fields of agriculture, as a course that provides theoretical and practical knowledge of tropical pests and diseases as well as strategies to control and manage them. The course focuses on Crop pests and diseases, their principles and methods of control; selectivity and selective use of pesticides; pesticide toxicology; pesticides and application technologies – their efficacies; cost/benefit relationships in respect of small and large scale farms; impact of pesticides on components of the agro-ecosystem other than the target species. The principles of Integrated Pest Management and biotechnology approach to pest management are also key components of the course. As a practical course, students are exposed to the use of farm equipment designed for pest control and group assignment are given to students both in the laboratory and on the field.

Processes of soil formation. Physical, chemical and biological weathering of rocks in soil formation. General and specific processes of soil formation. Factors of soil formation. Soil survey methods, definition of mapping units. Soil profile description – soil morphological studies. Soil classification systems: Soil taxonomy, FAO, Local system. Classification of Nigeria soils: Soil taxonomy, FAO, Nigerian vegetation in relation to soil types. Soil survey interpretations for potential uses of soils. Land evaluation: land capability and land suitability classification. Introduction to Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System. Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System in soil mapping. Field and computer based laboratory Exercises.

This course is an introductory course in crop/pest management designed primarily for students of year five in the Department of Crop, Soil and Pest Management. It also meets the need of students in other fields of study, as a course that provides fundamental knowledge of biotechnology in agriculture. The course generally deals with how advanced technology could be applied in solving problems of pests and crop management. It affords students opportunity to learn specific areas such as micro propagation and tissue culture techniques, production of pest resistant varieties as a tool for managing pest problems. General methods of crop yield improvement, nitrogen fixation and assessment of nutritional quality and chemical composition of crops are also covered. This course also considered important areas such as mutation, biofertilizers and molecular markers. Practical component of the course is focused on taking the students through the rudiments of disease free crop through tissue culturing and micro propagation.

This is an introductory course designed to expose the students to conventional methods employed in plant improvement. Basic tools of plant breeding and their modes of employment in improvement are discussed in this course. The course also introduces the student to application of biotechnological techniques for plant improvement.

This course was designed primarily for training of students in crop related disciplines. Farming has been revolutionized with the provision of high quality seed of improved variety along with modern power equipment, fertilizer inputs and better cultural management technique. Seeds were usually a bi-product of vegetable/grain production. The poorest of the good grain was reserved as seed. There came a need to develop a better organise seed technology. The theory and practical aspect of the course will impart into students skill for seed production, processing, drying, treatment, packaging and storage of seeds in the area of use and outside area of seeds in the area of use of production. The course also focus on evaluation, certification and marketing of seeds. Other topics to be covered include a review of seed viability, vigour, dormancy and deterioration, seed legislation, seed and law enforcement and seed programme in Nigeria; components of an effective seed industry.

The focus of this course is to impart knowledge on the types, nature, characteristics and attributes of farming systems of the (humid) tropics. At the end of the teaching and learning activities related to this course, the students will be able to aptly affirm that ”In traditional cropping system farmers through experience gained over several years and generation, the people had derived crop mixtures and rotation to suit specific ecological and social economic conditions with a view of attaining yield stability”.

Need for fertilizer in crop production. Fundamentals of the types and manufacture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. soil and fertilizer nitrogen, soil and fertilizer phosphorus, soil and fertilizer potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium. Sulphur and microelements in soil. The manufacture and properties of mixed fertilizers. Fundamentals of fertilizer application.. Types and preparation of organic fertilizers. Application of Geospatial Technology in soil fertility investigation. Liming. Guide in the use of Agricultural Lime. Numerical Exercises in the compounding of fertilizers.