About the Department
Department of Soil Science is functioning in the KL College of Agriculture from year 2020 and teaching undergraduate courses from 2020. Soil Science is a science and practice that looks at agriculture from an integrated, holistic perspective. In this department, its important to understand the physical, chemical, biological properties of the soil, genesis, and classification of soil; what nutrients (fertilizers) the crop needs and when and how to apply these nutrients; the ways that crops grow and develop.
The staff are actively involved in conducting teaching, on-farm activities, educational tours, which make the students be well versed with the subject. Since its existence, it has made outstanding contributions both of theoretical and practical value in many fields extending over the various aspects of soil science.
Extension Activities
The Department is actively involved in organizing training programmes, visits for identification of field problems and offering remedial measures. The department also counsel the visiting farmers in areas of soil sampling, fertilizer recommendations, soil fertility management, liming of acid soils, management of salt affected soils, etc.
Important facilities available in the department
The museum houses a diverse collection of rocks and minerals from various locations across Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, there is a comprehensive collection of soil samples, with a well-established soil and water testing laboratory available. The department boasts fully equipped laboratories specializing in Soil Physics, Soil Chemistry & Fertility, equipped with sophisticated instruments such as AAS, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, flame photometer, and KL Plus.
List of instruments
There are two well-equipped laboratories with sophisticated equipment including Kjeldahl Plus nitrogen analysers, flame photometers, spectrophotometers, digital pH and EC meters, muffle furnaces, and hot air ovens. These laboratories are utilized not only for teaching purposes but also for providing advisory services to farmers by analysing samples of soil and water.
List of Courses offered (As per ICAR- V Dean's Committee Recommendation)
| S. No | Course No | Title of the course | Credit Hours |
| 1 | SSAC 121 | Fundamentals of Soil science | 3(2+1) |
| 2 | SSAC 221 | Manures, Fertilizers and Soil Fertility Management | 3(2+1) |
| 3 | SSAC 321 | Problematic Soils and Their Management | 2(1+1) |
| 4 | ELCT 222 | Soil, Plant, Water and Seed Testing | 3(1+2) |
| Total | 11 (6+5) |
List of Courses offered (As per ICAR- VI Dean's Committee Recommendation)
| Course No. | Title of the course | Credits |
| SSAC121 | Fundamentals of Soil Science | 3 (2+1) |
| SSAC122 | Soil Fertility Management | 3 (2+1) |
| SSAC 221 | Problematic Soils and their management | 2 (1+1) |
| Elective Courses | ||
| ELCT 421 | Agrochemicals | 4 (3+1) |
| ELCT 432 | Bioformulation and Nano formulation | 4 (3+1) |
| Total | 16(11+5) | |
Practical session photographs
Demonstration on different methods of composting SSAC221. Manures, Fertilizers and Soil Fertility Management
Faculty
| S. No | Name | Highest Qualification | Designation | mail id |
| 1 | Dr. N. Prabhavathi | Ph.D. | Asst. Prof and HOD | nprabhavathi@kluniversity.in |
| 2 | Dr. D. Gopal | Ph.D. | Asst. Prof | dgopal@kluniversity.in |
| 3 | Ms. S. Tejaswini | M. Sc. (Ag.) | Asst. Prof | anjusadineni@kluniversity.in |