3rd Year
Bangladesh; concept of soil as natural and anthropic systems.
Concepts of soil formation; soil horizons, Soil profiles and pedons; master and diagnostic horizons in
soil; Weathering: Geochemical and pedochemical weathering processes; Weathering and soil formation;
Detailed study of the factors of soil formation. Soil forming processes in Bangladesh. Soils in relation to
landscape; Soil scapes and catenary sequence.
Geographical distribution of major soils on the earth’s surface; Zonality concept of soils; Great groups of
soils; Soil Taxonomy: study of the orders and suborders of soil taxonomy in Bangladesh; Environmental
settings, genetic processes, properties and uses of soil orders. Nomenclature in soil taxonomy.
Books recommended:
Soil Genesis and Classification – S. W. Buol, R.J. Southard, R.C. Graham and P.A. McDaniel
Factors of Soil Formation – H. Jenny
Pedology – J.S. Joffe
Pedology – Concepts and applications – J. Sehgal
Soil Classification with Reference to the Soils of Bangladesh – M.S. Hussain
Soils of Bangladesh: their Genesis, Classification and Use Potential – M.M. Hassan
Soils of Bangladesh – M.R. Rahaman
The Geography of the Soils of Bangladesh – H. Brammer
inorganic colloids – properties and importance
Matter and Cycles of matter: Endogenic and exogenic cyles; pollution of the different spheres of the
environment.
Pollutants and contaminants; Chemical fate and transport of different organic and inorganic pollutants in
the atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Distribution and transformation of different pollutants in the
environmental segments. Adsorption –filtration properties of soil and other environmental components.
Humus – Chemical composition; classification and properties; Importance of organic matter on soil and
environmental properties and in relation to pollution.
Liquid phase –Dynamic equilibrium of soil solution with solid and gaseous phases of soil and
atmosphere. Factors affecting the composition and concentration of soil solution. Solubility and
movement of salts in lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere and factors affecting salt movement.
Importance of soil solution on soil development and plant growth.
Ion exchange reactions in soils; cation, anion and ligand exchange; origin of ion exchange properties;
Importance of ion exchange in environmental remediation.
Soil reaction- Active, exchange and potential acidities in soil. Soil acidification- sources of hydrogen ion
in soil and environment; Soil alkalization –sources of hydroxyl ion in soil and environment. Importance
of pH on soil properties and plant growth.
Chemistry of soil amendments: Buffer components of soil and water bodies and mechanism of buffering;
amelioration of acidity and alkalinity in soil and water ; liming materials –their reactions in soil;
determination of lime requirement and factors controlling the liming programme; Acid forming
materials- sulphur and sulphate containing materials, their reactions in environment and factors
controlling the acidification programme.
Organo-mineral associations – types and mechanisms of formation. Significance of organo-mineral
associations on soil properties and environment.
Water pollution and pollutants, Redox processes in aquatic environment; pE-pH diagram and relation; pE
and free energy.
The Nature and Properties of Soils – Brady and Weil
Principles of Soil Chemistry -Tan
Environmental Soil Science – Tan
A Text book of Soil Science – Daji
Chemistry of the Soil – Bear
Soil Conditions and Plant Growth – Russell
Soil Chemistry – Bohn
Soil and Water Chemistry – Michael E. Essington
Soil Fertility and Fertilizer – Samuel L. Tisdale, Werner L. Nelson and James D. Beaton
Environmental Chemistry – Stanley E. Manahan
Cycles of Soil – F.J. Stevensen
biological indicators of soil quality;
Current issues in land and vegetation management; land resources of Bangladesh; land degradation
causes and effects; Sustainable forest management; strategies for sustainable land management.
Overview of modern environmental quality; Legal aspects of environmental quality; Environmental
rights; Mechanisms and models of environmental regulation.
Basis of National environmental policy (NEP) and NEP act.
Water Quality and standards, Physical and chemical processes in surface water. Interaction between soil
processes and water quality, Water pollution and water pollutants, Surface and Ground Water
pollution, Monitoring of water quality and pollution, Principles and practices of water quality control,
Water purification processes.
The case of Air; defining air quality – the standard setting process, achieving air quality – controlling
mobile and stationary sources, global air quality – policies for ozone depletion and global warming.
The case of solid waste and toxic substances; managing hazardous solid waste and waste sites, managing
municipal solid waste, controlling toxic chemicals – production, use and disposal
Fundamentals of Environmental Studies – S.N. Tripathy and Sunakar Panda
Soil and Groundwater Pollution – Alexander J.B. Zehnder
Environmental Science and Technology – Stanley E. Manahan
Soils and Environmental Quality – Gary M. Pierzynski, J.Thomas Sims and George F. Vance
The Environment – Chris Park
development.
Plant growth and growth responses to factors affecting plant growth; mathematical models to express
fertilizer response; Nutrient interactions: antagonistic-synergistic activity; response of crops to
fertilizer application; various equations and curves; calculation of fertilizer needs of soil.
Methods of fertilizer application: reasons and rationale of various methods; fertilizer movement in soil;
fate of added nutrient in soil; residual effects of fertilizers; salt index; balanced fertilization; impact of
fertilizer application on soil quality and environment.
Diagnosis of fertilizer needs: different approaches to diagnosis; visual symptoms; soil and plant analysis,
biological methods and laboratory; greenhouse and field experimentation.
Plant nutrient elements: essentiality of nutrient elements; categories of nutrients; mechanisms of nutrient
uptake in plants; physiological roles of various plant nutrient elements
Fertilizer materials: sources and manufacture of major fertilizer materials; single, compound and mixed
fertilizer; fertilizer grades, and fertilizer ratios; fertilizer law; organic fertilizer and bio-fertilizers
Soil resilience, impact of inorganic fertilizer on environment; organic farming and modern farming.
Plant nutrients- forms and labile pool of plant nutrients in soil. Availability of plant nutrients. Nutrient
fixation mechanisms and factors controlling the non-biological fixation of N, P and K in soil. Sulphate
retention by soil. Nutrient buffering capacity of soil – mechanism and importance;
quantity-intensity relationship. Fractionation of N,P,K,S, and micronutrients.
Transformations of N, P, K, S and micronutrients in soil under varied conditions.
Nutrient status of Bangladesh soils; AEZ and fertilizer requirements; fertilizer application in a single crop
and in a crop sequence; crop modeling
Soil Fertility and Fertilizer – Samuel L. Tisdale, Werner L. Nelson and James D. Beaton
Plant Nutrition – Mengel and Kirkby
SES 305 Atmospheric Chemistry:
Description of the atmosphere: Composition of the atmosphere-composition of the air close to the
earth’s surface, variations with the heights, variation with latitude and season, and variation with time;
Mass of the atmosphere; Layers of the atmosphere.
Solar radiation and the global energy budget: Solar energy and principles of electromagnetic waves:
Radiation transfer from the sun to earth; Factors affecting incoming solar radiation on earth; Solar
radiation budget of the earth and atmosphere; Factors affecting variation of temperature on the earth’s
surface.
Atmospheric moisture budget: Atmospheric components of global hydrological cycle: Changes of state
of of water; Humidity and Condensation; Cloud types and Precipitation; Air stability and instability.
Air pressure and winds: Wind pressure; causes of variation of wind pressure (vertical and horizontal).
Forces acting upon the wind; Global wind belts; wind classification.
Global air circulation: Circulation in the vertical and horizontal planes; monsoon circulation; tropical
cyclones and El Nino- Southern oscillation (ENSO) Events.
Atmospheric chemistry related to atmospheric processes: Effects of atmospheric motions on
atmospheric chemistry; Half- life; residence time and renewal time of chemicals in the atmosphere;
chemical and photochemical reactions- interaction of solar and terrestrial radiation with atmospheric trace
gases.
Atmospheric aerosols: Air borne particulate matter aerosols, size, sources and concentration, chemical
composition, transformation and transport of aerosol particles; residence time and sink of aerosol
particles.
Anthropogenic effects on climate: global warming and sea level changes, effects of global warming on
the natural resources and socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh.
SES 306 Biochemistry & Microbiology of Soil and Environment:
Notion about the microorganisms and their role in soil and environmental quality. Problems related to
their in vitro studies. Microbial metabolism—catabolic and anabolic reactions. Structure of natural
products, occurrence and biochemical aspects of carbohydrates, proteins ,lipids, waxes, lignin and tannin.
Soil as a catalytic system – General principles of catalysis. Biotic and abiotic reactions – Hydrolysis,
oxidation-reduction, formation of free radicals, condensation and polymerization, phototransformation.
Catalysis in soil – Enzymes as catalysts in soil. Extracellular, intracellular, Constitutive and Inducible
enzymes. Factors influencing enzyme activities in soil and environment. Classification of soil enzymes
(by location and function). Methods of identifying soil enzymes. Humus-enzyme complexes, clayenzyme complexes.
Chemistry, existence, and properties in brief of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, starch, pectin, chitin,
gums, polyphenols and amino sugars and their bio-degradation in soil. Factors affecting their
decomposition in soil. Impact of C/N ratio on decomposition.
Microbial breakdown of protein, amino acids, nucleic acids in soil and environment and their impact on
environment.Fate and transport of ammonium and nitrate in soil and water. Ammonia volatilization,
denitrification and nitrate pollution and their impact on soil, water and environment as well as on the
economy of N-fertilization.
Biological oxidation, priming action, catabolic repression, fermentation and putrefaction, soil reducing
power, mineralization, humification and dehumification
Transformation reactions involving both natural and xenobiotic organic compounds in environment.
Microorganisms and environmental stress – various extreme environments; microbial communities and
their adaptions. Microbiology of fresh water, polluted water, brackish water and hot water environment.
Microorganisms and food chains; Microbiology of submerged soils, Arid regions and polar regions.
Aero-microbiology- origin, survival and distribution of microorganisms in air. Impact of aeromicrobiology on public health.
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF): microbiology and bio-chemistry of nitrogen fixation; nitrogen
fixation under different environmental conditions; preparation and use of inoculums; adaptation and
success of bio-fertilizers; impact of bio-fertilizer on agriculture; measurement of RNF.
Rhizosphere, Mycorrhiza; definition and classification of mycorrhiza; role of ecto-and endo-micorrhiza
in crop production. Azolla-Anabena symbiosis – its physiology and use in tropical agriculture.
Books recommended:
Introduction to Soil Microbiology – Martin Alexander
Cycles of Soil – F.J. Stevensonen
Nitrogen in Agricultural Soil – F.J. Stevensen
Soil Biochemistry No. 1 & 2 – A.D. McLaren and G.H. Peterson
Nature and Properties of Soil – N.C. Brady
Soil Microorganisms and Plant Growth – N.S. Subba Rao
SES 307 Soils of Bangladesh:
Environmental conditions and pedogenic factors in Bangladesh; Dominant soil forming processes in
Bangladesh;
Inundation land types; general conditions of soils in Bangladesh, Physiographic units in Bangladesh
Major soils of Bangladesh;
Seven soil tracts of Bangladesh-Major Features & their distribution.
General soil types of Bangladesh: their distribution and properties;
Problem soils of Bangladesh, Distribution of problem soils, their properties & Reclamation
Classification of the soils of Bangladesh on the basis of Soil Taxonomy and FAO- UNESCO Legend;
Agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh;
Lower level classification of Bangladesh soils – soil series and families.
Books recommended:
The Geography of the Soils of Bangladesh – H. Brammer
The Soils of Bangladesh- S.M. Imamul Huq and Jalal Uddin M Shoib (Springer)
Soil Classification with reference to the soils of Bangladesh-M. S. Hussain
Soils of Bangladesh: their Genesis, Classification and Use Potential-M.M. Hassan
SES 308 Environmental pollution and mitigation:
Concepts about contamination, pollution, pollutants, and contaminants, the nature and types of pollutants,
origin, distribution and transformation of pollutants in the different environmental segments.
Soil Environment: meaning of soil environment; environmental awareness; concept of environmental
pollution. Sources of soil pollution.
Definitions: PCBs, Organometallic compound, fossil fuels, radioactive materials and microbiological
pollutants, acclimation, bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, biomagnifications, biological half-life and
anthropogenic activity,
Sewage sludge, Industrial Wastes, Effluents, Hospital Wastes, and City wastes: their composition
(metal contents) and nutrient value; permissible limit values of heavy metals, effects on environment.
Heavy metals: sources and world production; contents of heavy metals in normal soil, water and plants;
permissible limits of heavy metals in soils, water and corps; biochemistry and impact of heavy metals on
soil ecology, crops and humans; LD50 values.
Pesticides and fungicides: definition, classification, uses and impact on soil and water ecosystem;
biodegradation of pesticides and fungicides; lethal doses health hazards.
Radioactivity: sources of natural and artificial radioactivity; hazards caused by radioactivity; transfer of
radioactivity into food chain; after effects of reactor accidents and nuclear weapon tests; permissible
limits of radioactivity in soil and foods; impact of radioactivity on human and animal management and
disposal of radioactive wastes.
Waste management: principles, collection, transportation, treatment, resources recovery and disposal of
various solid wastes; principles and practices of bioremediation of solid wastes. Atmospheric dry and wet
deposition and their impacts on environment.
Pollution control: Pollution control in tanning, textile dyeing, fertilizers, and food and beverage
industries in Bangladesh. The role of government and industries in pollution control: pollution prevention
plan, implementation of plan, laws, regulations, programs and strategies.
SES 309 Ecology:
Ecology: Definition, scope of ecology, principles of thermodynamics in relation to ecology, different
branches of ecology, brief description on fresh water, marine, estuarine, and radiation ecology.
Ecosystem: Definition, Structure, different components, function- metabolic processes, primary &
secondary production, energy flow, food chain, food web, energy exchange in ecosystem, ecosystem
modeling.
Community Dynamics: Succession, kinds of succession, succession process, stabilization.
Relationship Among organisms: Neutralism, competition, mutualism, commensalisms, ammensalism,
parasitism, disease, predation.
Ecological Interactions: Plant/microbe, animal/microbe, animal/animal, plant/animal &
microbe/microbe.
Biogeochemical Cycles: Carbon, nitrogen, sulfur & phosphorus cycles, greenhouse effects, and gas
exchange.
Biomass and biodiversity: Biomass, microbial biomass, biodiversity, factors responsible for
determination of biodiversity, levels of biodiversity, types of biodiversity, global biodiversity crisis,
losses and conservation of biodiversity.
Soil Biotechnology: Genetically modified plants and microbes.
Population Growth: Theories of population growth, population dynamics, fertility, mortality,theories of
demographic transitions, laws and model of migration. Factors affecting human population change, world
population growth pattern, urbanization, industrialization & their impact on population, population
growth pattern & resource of Bangladesh.
Remote Sensing: Tool for study & management of ecosystems.
Books recommended:
Soil Ecology – Ken Killham.
Ecology – Principles and Applications – J.L. Chapman and M.J. Reiss.
Fundamentals of Ecology – S K Agarwal
Biodiversity – Principles and Conservation – U. Kumar and M. Asija
Concepts of Genetics – W.S. Klug, M.R. Cummings, C.A. Spencer, and M.A. Palladino.
Sociology – Principles of Sociology with an Introduction to Social Thought – C N Shankar Rao
SES 310 Environmental Toxicology:
Environmental toxicology: Introduction, Principles and concepts, classification and sources of toxic
substances, dose-response relationship, relative toxicities, reversibility and sensitivity, Xenobiotics and
endogenous substances, toxicological chemistry, kinetic phase and dynamic phase, principles and
methods of studying toxins in an ecosystem.
Environmental changes and health: Changes in environmental and health effects, environmental
diseases, e.g. Cancer, birth defects, reproductive damage, respiratory diseases, and heavy metal induced
diseases.
Mutagenic pollutants: types of mutation, effects of mutation, induction of mutation.
Environmental cancer: causes of cancer, stages in the development of cancer, classification of
carcinogens, and metabolism of chemical carcinogens.
Uses, sources of exposure, metabolism, toxicity and biochemical effects of Environmental metals,
remediation of heavy metal toxicity, Pesticides and related materials (insecticides, herbicides, PCBs,
Dioxin etc.), volatile organic compounds, fluorides and air pollutants (inorganic gases and particulate
maters).
Damage process and action of toxicants: action on plants and mammalian organisms, mechanism of
actions of toxicants, factor affecting xenobiotic action.
Books recommended:
Advances in Environmental Sciences and Technology, Vol. 3: Environmental Biochemistry. N. Rajvaidya
and O.K. Markandey. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, India. 1998
Basic Biotechnology, Part I: Fundamentals and Principles. 2nd ed. C. Ratledge and B. Kristiansen.
Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry, S. E. Manahan. Lewis Publishers, 2000.
Environmental Toxicology: Impacts of Environmental Toxicants on living system. Ming-Ho-Yu. Lewis
Publisher, New York, 2001.
Ecotoxicology: Ecological Fundamentals, Chemical Exposure and Biological Effects. G. Schuurmann
and B. Markert. John Wiley & Sons Inc. And Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.