The CNNAP course discusses the mechanistic relationships between nutrient speciation in fertilizer and nutrient uptake by plants using phosphorus as an example. The course involves theoretical aspects of nutrient cycling, laboratory work, data analysis and presentation, and the use of advanced methods in plant nutrition studies.

The course teaches knowledge and experimental techniques to study and evaluate pools and processes underlying nutrient fluxes in soil-plant systems. Theory and methods concern i) nitrogen dynamics in soil, ii) the use efficiency by crops of nitrogen added with fertilizers, iii) the fate of fertilizer nitrogen not taken up by the crop and iv) symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes.