Download - New Zealand Society of Soil Science

to suggest a change to this anomaly and this was agreed to by the Faculty of Science. It remained as a
12 point paper but lectures increased to 4 hours per week with one
4-hour laboratory. It was still examined in two 3-hour examinations but with changed prescriptions
reflecting its upgraded status.
SOIL 201A Geology, mineralogy and geomorphology as related to soil formation. Soil-forming
factors and processes. Chemical and physical properties of soils. Soil surveys and soil survey
interpretation. Soil classification.
SOIL 201B Soil conditions, physical, chemical and biological that influence plant growth. Nutrient
cycling. Diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and their correction by the use of fertilisers.
Influence of forests and forest management on soil properties.
4. 1993-2002 SOIL 202 Soil Properties and Processes
SOIL 203 Soil Fertility
During the 1980’s at the University of Canterbury, a change was occurring from large 12 point papers
to smaller 6 point units in the BSc. This gave students greater flexibility in developing their degrees
and was also associated with a gradual change to semesterisation of teaching. By about 1990, SOIL
201 was one of about two remaining 12 point papers. Consequently, it was decided to seek a split into
two 6 point papers to be taught respectively in the first and second halves of the year (the University
was at this stage unwilling to use the word “semesters”).
This proposal was accepted and the resulting papers were SOIL 202 and SOIL 203. Effectively, things
remained pretty much as they had been for SOIL 201 (eg lecture and laboratory hours remained as
they had been for SOIL 201) with SOIL 202 being taught and examined in the first half of the year and
SOIL 203 being taught and examined in the second half.
The opportunity was taken to upgrade the prescriptions of the two papers as follows:
SOIL 202 Soil Properties and Processes Soil forming factors and processes. Soil-landform
relationships and soil surveys. Mineralogical, physical and chemical properties of New Zealand soils.
SOIL 203 Soil Fertility Chemical, physical and biological properties that influence plant growth.
Nutrient deficiencies and fertiliser use.
5. 2003 SOIL 202 discontinued
Over several years, New Zealand forestry had undergone a marked change in emphasis from
establishing and growing trees to their harvesting and utilisation. Discussion within the School of
Forestry led to a change in the BForSc degree structure with the consequent effect that, from 1999,
only one of the two soils paper (SOIL 202) was compulsory though SOIL 203 was still included in
the degree schedule but as an optional paper. Inevitably this led to a drop in student numbers in SOIL
203 from 1999 onwards as some BForSc students understandably opted for other papers, in commerce
particularly.
By 2002 numbers in SOIL 203 had dropped to 12 which was too low to be viable. In addition the
BForSc schedule was changed again, removing SOIL 203 as an optional alternative from 2003. All of
this meant that only one soils paper was going to be viable. Peter Almond who had been the main
lecturer in SOIL 202 since 1991 wanted to be relieved of that teaching while John Adams who was the
main lecturer in SOIL 203 was happy to continue with that paper. Consequently, SOIL 202 was
discontinued as from 2003 and SOIL 203 became the only soil science paper offered, replacing SOIL
202 as the compulsory soils paper for the BForSc degree.
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