Soil Science

Overview

Key facts

You select a topics for the research project from one of the following specialisation fields:

• soil genesis and classification;

• weathering and clay mineral synthesis;

• plant nutrition and fertilisation;

• irrigation and soil-plant-water management including salinity control and management;

• resource (soil, land and water evaluation and management systems such as, amongst others, erosion control); or

• rhizosphere and pedosphere organisms and interactions.

The project may consist of either soil science only or soil science integrated with a crop (plant), climate and/or terrain study. You will be guided towards project planning for problem solving by research within general guidelines and an overall picture of sustainable resource use through environmentally friendly, economical soil, water and plant management. You must be able to show that you have the ability to deal analytically and systematically with problems relating to the soil, plant, water and atmosphere continuum, and to identify possible solutions and formulate guidelines for the environmentally friendly management of natural resources.

What we offer

The Soil Science postgraduate at the Stellenbosch University research projects deal mainly with the application of soil science to production-related disciplines (viticulture, horticulture, agronomy and forestry) and environmental and ecological studies (soil health, soil carbon sequestration, water quality, impact of invasive and natural vegetation on soils, and environmental impact studies). Recently, we established a multidisciplinary research project investigating the use of biochar as a sandy soil improver and carbon sequestration agent.

We are also well-equipped for fundamental research on pedology (formation and classification of soils) and on land evaluation, and are the only university department in the Western Cape offering a full range of programmes in Soil Science, including irrigation and water management.