Faculty of Agronomy has a laboratory with over a thousand rocks and minerals

Rocks and minerals are extremely important to us. Rocks originate most part of the soils, as minerals stemming from rocks are the main source of nutrients for plants. Therefore, knowing the origin, components, types and potential uses of soils is one of the objectives of the Agronomy course, which has a lab equipped with rocks and minerals for practical classes.

Students in the third period studied the subject of Pedology and Agrogeology, which is dedicated to studying soil, rock and mineral formation. Whit about two decades of being structured, the lab has, today, over one thousand samples of rocks so that futures agronomists might learn, in the practical classes, about the physio-chemical features of the available samples.

The lab also has mineral samples that are used for the production of cellphone and computer chips and several other relevant items to all of us. Apart from these, there are other minerals that offer a great agronomical contribution, being considered true fertilizers. Among them we may mention calcite, made mostly of limestones used as acid corrosives in the soil. There are also samples that are used in the making of fertilizers.

Other samples are of scientific interest, like the ones that have a significant relevance to oil and geographical studies, apart from many other minerals such as hematite, galena and clays and feldspars, used in industry. The last two of which are used in making ceramic.

Professor Dr. Rose Luiza Moraes Tavares teaches the subject and assesses that the practical classes contribute a lot in the formation of professionals, mainly because they allow for the study of the agronomical contribution of each sample, something that is very useful for those who are studying Agronomy.