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CHAPTER 1 - Soils, soil formation and plant nutrients

Section I - Soils: Soils, major components of soils, properties of soils, physical, chemical and biological, nitrogen cycle, assignments [Download, 92 kb PDF]

Section II - Weathering of rocks and soil formation: Rock weathering - physical and chemical, soil forming factors, soil profile and different horizons, assignments [Download, 56 kb PDF]

Section III - Soils of Sri Lanka and their fertility characteristics: Soils of Sri Lanka, their characteristics, soil map, assignments [Download, 61 kb PDF]

Section IV - Plant nutrients: Plant nutrients, essential nutrients, deficiency of an element, toxicity, nutrient deficiency symptoms of crops, fate of nutrient elements in the soil, chemical fertilizers, organic manures, fertilizer use efficiency, assignments [Download, 251 kb PDF]

CHAPTER 2 - Balanced fertilizer use, soil testing, economics of fertilizer use [Download,  133 kb PDF]

Section I - Importance of balanced fertilizer use: Balanced fertilizer use, effect of unbalanced fertilization, effects of imbalanced use of chemical fertilizer on environment, Liebig's law of minimum 

Section II - Soil testing: Soil sampling, laboratory analysis, plant analysis, fertilizer recommendations, assignments 

Section III - Economics of fertilizer use: Effects of fertilizer on yield, maximum yield and maximum economic yield, fertilizer application, cost of production and net profit, relation between economic yield and level of management, economics of nutrient use. 

CHAPTER 3 - Integrated use of organic manures and chemical fertilizers and principles  [Download, 66 kb PDF]

Integrated plant nutrient system, definition, objectives, farmer practices of IPNS, chemical fertilizers, organic manures, organic farming versus IPNS, managing nutrient balance in IPNS, socio-economic side of IPNS, IPNS and environment, IPNS and FUE, IPNS practices for crops and cropping systems, assignments 

CHAPTER 4 - IPNS for Rice, Vegetables, OFC, Fruit Crops, Root and Tuber Crops

Section I - IPNS for rice: Introduction, nutrient removal in rice, present situation of fertilizer use in rice cultivation, proven IPNS practices in rice production for the LCDZ, LCIZ, rice growing environments, associated problems in rice growing soils, cropping systems, recommended fertilizer practices, farmer practices in agro-ecological zones, assignments [Download, 215 kb PDF]

Section II - IPNS for vegetables: Introduction, vegetable growing eco-systems, nutrient management in vegetable production, farmer practices, vegetable based cropping systems, recommended practices, general farmer practices in agro-ecological zones, assignments [Download, 109 kb PDF]

Section III - IPNS for chilli, onion & maize: Introduction, nutrient removal, growing environment, farmer practices, DOA recommendation, recommended organic materials usage, IPNS recommendations, assignments [Download, 122 kb PDF,]

Section IV - IPNS practices for fruit crops (banana, papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, citrus, rambutan, mango) Introduction to fruit crops, nature and characteristics, current practices, DOA recommendations, suggested IPNS practices, assignments [Download, 201 kb PDF,]

Section V - IPNS practices for tuber crops (potato, sweet potato, innala, manioc, kiriala, diascorea yam, ginger and elephant yam) Introduction to root crops, nutrient removal, cropping systems, current practices, recommended practices, assignments [Download, 126 kb PDF]

Appendices [Download, 261 kb PDF]

1.   Deficiency and toxicity symptoms caused by different nutrient in rice plant
1a. Deficiency symptoms caused by different nutrients in maize
2.   Fertilizer standards based on Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI)
3.  Available plant species as green manure in the LCDZ and LCIZ
4.  Different types of livestock populations in the country by districts.
5.  Organic materials and their nutrient composition
6.  Agro-ecological regions of Sri Lanka
7.  Nutrient removal by vegetables total and edible portion at harvest
8.  Method of compost making