Management of soil water is critical to maintaining an optimum soil environment for plant growth, soil tillage and trafficability.

However, management of soil water requires and understanding of the way that water moves into soil; is held within the soil, and is removed by plant water uptake or drainage. This will depend on the soil physical characteristics as well as the weather.

Effective soil and water management are essential in order to optimise crop yields and yield quality and soil functionality for sustainable, profitable UK food production. This one-day course provides a concise technical overview of key factors pertinent to effective soil and water management as well as practical demonstrations of soil properties conducive to and constraining effective water management.

At a glance

  • Duration1 day
  • LocationCranfield campus
  • Cost£375

What you will learn

On completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the principles of infiltration of water into the soil and estimate infiltration rate according to soil texture. 
  • Understand the principles of water retention in the soil and estimate the available water capacity of different soils. 
  • Describe how water moves through the soil by drainage and root water uptake. 
  • Identify and evaluate soil management techniques to modify the soil water environment to achieve stated goals.

Partnerships

This course is provided via the Agrifood Training Partnership (AFTP).

Location and travel

Cranfield University is situated in Bedfordshire close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The University is located almost midway between the towns of Bedford and Milton Keynes and is conveniently situated between junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

London Luton, Stansted and Heathrow airports are 30, 90 and 90 minutes respectively by car, offering superb connections to and from just about anywhere in the world. 

For further location and travel details

Location address

Cranfield University
College Road
Cranfield
Bedford
MK43 0AL

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