UC Soil Fertility Short Course is set for Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 at the Buehler Alumni & Visitor Center, UC Davis. The short course will focus on the practical aspects of soil fertility management in an era of escalating fertilizer costs and increasing government regulation of nutrient inputs for environmental water quality protection.

The topics covered will include getting the maximum value from soil testing, interpretation of laboratory soil test results, comparing fertilizer sources, developing crop nutrient management plans, and fertilizer management and environmental protection. Although the focus will be on nutrient management in annual cropping systems, much of the material presented will be relevant to perennial crops as well.

The course will not directly address organic fertility management issues, but organic growers may still benefit from attending; the majority of day will be spent covering basic soil fertility concepts, which are equally applicable to organic and conventional production. The content will be geared toward commercial scale production, and will assume a general knowledge of soil science; this course is not appropriate for home gardeners.

The program is intended for growers, CCAs, PCAs, government agency personnel, and others involved in fertility management planning. The registration fee is $125, which includes lunch, refreshments and study materials. CCA and PCA continuing education credits will be requested.

Course instructors are UC Cooperative Extension Specialists Tim Hartz (vegetable crops) and Stu Pettygrove (soils).