Soils
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Program

 

The School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences (SPESS) offers baccalaureate degrees in Plant and Soil Systems (PSS) and Environmental Management Systems (EMS). Students have the option of completing concentrations in a number of different areas under these degree plans. At the graduate level, SPESS offers masters and doctoral level degrees in Agronomy.

 

Faculty

The soils faculty of LSU is both diverse and comprehensive, covering all major areas of soil science research and teaching. Faculty in the soils program at LSU include:

 

Area of Specialization

Faculty Member

Environmental Management Systems

Maud Walsh

Environmental Soil Chemistry

Jim Wang

Soil Chemistry

Lewis Gaston

Soil Classification, Land Use Issues

David Weindorf

Soil Conservation, Environmental Issues

Gary Barbee

Soil Fertility

Brenda Tubana

Soil Microbiology

Gary Breitenbeck

Soil Physics

Magdi Selim

  

Available soils coursework includes eight courses at the undergraduate level and eight additional courses at the graduate level. The soils faculty strongly encourages graduate studies and supports a number of MS and PhD level graduate students and research associates in dedicated areas of soils research.

 

The SPESS offers soil analysis and recommendations to the public through the Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Laboratory (STPAL). For more information, visit the STPAL website.

Please visit the links below for additional information about Soil Science at the School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences.

 

Geologic Collection

Research Facilities

Related Topics

 

104 Sturgis Hall - LSU · 137 J.C. Miller Hall - LSU · Baton Rouge, LA · 70803
Phone: (225) 578-2110 · Fax: (225) 578-1403

Publications: Dr. H. Magdi Selim
Publications for H. Magdi Selim, Professor of Soil Physics & Graduate Coordinator, Caldwell Endowed Professor of Soils

AGRO 4078 – Land Use and Management
Land use and management (LUM) concerns the comprehensive consideration of land use and planning. Concepts such as sustainable land management, best management practices, and ecological stewardship are emphasized throughout the course. Applications of these concepts are applied to watersheds, soils, major land resource areas, and urban-suburban interfaces with natural systems.

AGRO 4058 – Soil Morphology and Classification
Soil morphology and classification concerns the field description of soils and their taxonomic classification in much the same way plants and animals are classified. Students taking this course will learn about the storied history of soil survey, the construction of US Soil Taxonomy and its underlying principles. The course involves considerable fieldwork, where students actually describe soils under natural conditions.

Related Topics
Related Links to Best Management Practices and Best Management Practices (Weed Science Research and Extension.

Geologic Collection
geologic collection
The School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences houses an impressive collection of geologic specimens, soil monoliths, and historical soil surveys.
Research Facilities
Research Facilities
Major instrumentation available through our department includes inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), ion chromatograph, total organic carbon analyzer, gas chromatograph (GC), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer (GCMS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.
Intercollegiate Soils Judging
Intercollegiate Soils Judging
Past photos of intercollegiate soils judging; a contest sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. LSU competes in Region IV against schools such as Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech University, and others. Top teams in the fall regional contest are invited to the national contest in the spring. LSU will field a team this fall and compete annually.
Related Links for Soils
Various links to soil sites with information relation to technical resources, employment, technical resources, geographic information systems (GIS), and photographs.