ACHEM 4121: Plant Nutrition, Pesticide and Environmental Chemistry (T)

Department of Agricultural Chemistry

   

Course Code: ACHEM 4121

Course Title: Plant Nutrition, Pesticide and Environmental Chemistry

Credit: 3

Contact Hours: 48

Level: 4

Semester: 1

 

Rationale:

This course is intended to impart knowledge on chemistry and management of plant nutrients, pesticides and other agrochemicals for sustainable crop production towards food safety.

 

Course Learning Outcomes (CLO):

  1. Explain uptake mechanisms and utilization of plant nutrients.
  2. Describe chemistry of pesticides with their mode of action.
  3. State working principles of major analytical instruments and select suitable analytical techniques for chemical analyses.
  4. Describe the sources, transport, effects, fates and management of pollutants in the environment.
  5. Illustrate the ways and risks of agrochemicals and food adulteration; justify the quality control and safety regulations for food products.

 

Mapping CLO with PLO

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Summary of Course Content  

Course Content

Aligned CLO

No. of Lectures
Plant nutrition: Ion uptake mechanisms of individual cells and roots; physiological role, nutrient supply, compartmentation, plant growth and composition of nutrient elements; relationship between plant nutrition, product quality and pest prevalence; diagnosis of deficiency and toxicity of nutrients; rhizosphere chemistry in relation to plant nutrition; nutritional perspective of plant’s adaptation to adverse chemical conditions; modern techniques of plant culture; nutrient management for vertical and protective agriculture; plant probiotics for nutrient acquisition.

1

10

Pesticide chemistry: Concept and classification of pesticides; preparation, properties, toxicity, mode of action, uses and safety of commonly used pesticides  - botanical pesticides, organophosphorus, organocarbamate, synthetic pyrethroid, neonicotinoid, phenylpyrazole insecticides, synthetic fungicides, herbicides, acaricides and new generation pesticides; compatibility of pesticides with agrochemicals, environmental fate of pesticides in soil, plant and aquatic systems; adverse effects of pesticides and their remediation; pesticide ordinance and rules.

2

10

Instrumental methods of analysis: Principle, instrumentation and application of colorimetry and spectrophotometry, flame emission and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), mass spectrometry and chromatography.

3

8

Environmental chemistry: Concepts and components of environmental chemistry; toxicological chemistry; metabolism and biochemical effects of toxicants on biota; environmental fate of inorganic and organic contaminants; adverse effects of contaminants on soil, plant and aquatic ecosystems; greenhouse effect; green chemistry for sustainable development; hazardous wastes and its minimization.

4

10

Agrochemicals and food safety: Types, application, benefits, effects and health risks of agrochemicals; sources, causes, techniques and present situation of food adulteration in Bangladesh; food additives and preservatives; health hazard, food safety laws and regulations; food standards and management of food adulteration; residual effect of pesticides, antibiotics, toxic metals and hormones on food chain.

5

10

Total Lectures

48

 

Teaching Strategy

  • Lecture
  • Multimedia presentation
  • Video demonstration
  • Field trip

Assessment Strategy

  • Short question
  • MCQ
  • Essay type questions
  • Assignment

Books Recommended

Chopra, L.S., Kanwar, J.S. and Rakshit, A. 2014. Analytical Agricultural Chemistry. Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana, New Delhi. India.

Fageria, N.K.; Baligar, V.C. and Jones, C.A. 2010. Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Field Crops. 3rd edn., Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York.

Knechtges, P.L.  2011. Food Safety: Theory and Practice, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, USA.

Manahan, S.E. 2017. Environmental Chemistry. 10th edn. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

Marschner, P. 2012. Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. 3rd edn., Academic Press, London, UK.

Mendham, J.; Denney, R.C.; Barnes, J.D.; Thomas, M. and Sivasankar, B. 2009. Vogel’s Textbook of Quantitative Chemical Analysis. 6th edn., Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India.

Motarjemi, Y. and Lelieveld, H. (eds.) 2018. Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry, Elsevier Science, New York, USA.

Ramulu, U.S.S. 1985. Chemistry of Insecticides and Fungicides. Oxford and IBH Pub., New Delhi, India.

Sarkar, B. (ed.) 2002. Heavy Metals in the Environment. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, USA.

Skoog, D.A.; West, D.M., Holler, F.J. and Crouch, S.R. 2014. Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry. 9thedn., Cengage Learning, USA.

Turner, J.A. (ed.) 2018. The Pesticide Manual. 18th edn., British Crop Protection Council, Hampshire, UK.

Waisel, Y., Eshel, A. and Kafkafi, U. (eds.). 2009. Plant Roots: The Hidden Half. 3rd edn., Marcel Dekker Inc. New York

Weil, R.R. and Brady, N.C. 2002. The Nature and Properties of Soils. 15th edn., Pearson Education, Inc., USA.

Wheeler, W.B. (ed.). 2002. Pesticides in Agriculture and the Environment. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, USA.