Introduction to agricultural engineering; definitions and scope of agricultural engineering. The importance of agricultural engineering, its relation to the agricultural industry and to the engineering profession. Aims and problems of farm mechanization. Computer aided design.

Workshop safety measures, Introduction to workshop hand and powered tools emphasizing safety measures to be taken during operation. Workshop materials, various gauges and measuring devices. Tolerance of products. Bench work; marking out, scribing, punching, cutting, drilling, riveting, tapping, dieing, etc. General description of the function and capabilities of grinding machines. Practice in grinding tools and drills. Function and capabilities of drilling machines, lathe machines, milling machines and shaping machines. Jigs, fixtures, practice in the use of the machines. Theory and practice of forming metals together, soldering, brazing, welding. Computer aided manufacturing.

Overview of agricultural mechanization and agricultural mechanization policy, tillage systems in tropical agriculture, women and mechanization, the challenges of food security; Food process engineering and national development; Energy in agriculture. Agricultural engineering and the environment; plant-soil-water systems, irrigation and drainage systems, environmental impact of tillage activities. Agricultural technology transfer, rural industrialization, entrepreneurship and competitiveness; exploiting information and communication technologies in agro-business

Statistical concepts, probability and distribution functions, normal distribution. Tests of hypotheses and significance testing of means, independent and paired/correlated samples studies, confidence interval. Completely randomised design (one-way ANOVA), Completely randomised block design (two-way ANOVA). Factorial experimental design.

Introduction. Soil constituents, origin, occurrence and composition. Clay mineralogy. Particle size analysis. Engineering classification of soils. Plasticity of fine-grained soils and determination of soil index properties. Phase relationships. Compaction of soils. Water in soils. Soil water pressure (effective stress). Rudiments of permeability and seepage. Mechanical properties (shear strength and loading capability of soils) and stress-strain characteristics of soil.

Gaseous mixtures, combustion and availability Internal combustion engines, compressors. Other methods of energy conversion, e.g. Fuel cells, Thermoelectric generators. Effect of combustion on environment. Application to tractors and equipment.

Psychrometric, heating and cooling of moist air, dehumidification of most air by sorbent materials. Principles of heat and mass transfer. Power and refrigeration cycle. Principles and practice of refrigeration and air conditioning

The use of electricity as a power source for lighting, comfort in living, farm production and processing. Design and on-farm use of electric equipment and systems. Planning the farmstead distribution system:- Demand load for farm buildings, Central metering and distribution, Capacity of main service. Selecting feeder conductors. Electric central and circuit protection. Electric motors: Motor rating and selection, measurement of motor characteristics. Stand-by power units: Purpose and importance, stand - by generator type, selection, maintenance and operation. The peculiar nature of farm electrification. The Nigerian rural environment.

Types of surveys, classes of surveys, Instruments and care, measurement of distances - pacing, stadia, taping, electronic and photographic methods. Levelling - elevations. Earth’s curvature and atmospheric refraction. The engineer’s telescope, bubble tube, dumpy level, land level, level rods, automatic level, Field notes. Errors and corrections. Angles and directions - bearings and azimuths, magnetic compass and earth’s magnetic field. Changes in declination, aerial surveying, topographic maps, introduction to photogrammetry. Remote Sensing and GIS.

Selection, operation, sharpening, care and uses of shop tools and equipment. Wood working, concrete and masonry, iron working, black-smithing, welding, cutting and brazing. Glazing and sheet metal work. Repair and maintenance of tractors and farm machinery. Building of equipment adaptable to farm shop construction. Fabrication, maintenance and repair of farm field processing machines.

Soil and water conservation. Farm structures and environmental control. Pollution of water, air and land. Disposal, treatment and conversion of agric. and bio-waste. Post harvest Engineering and storage. Farm machinery and mechanisation. Environmental impact assessment of agric. processes and operations.

Introduction. Engine power systems. Fuel combustion systems Lubrication systems. Cooling systems. Electrical systems Power transmission. Application and control of engine power. Equipment for land clearing. Tillage operations. Planting. Cultivation. Fertilizer application.

Properties of agricultural materials (physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical etc. Moisture equilibration. Air movement. Drying theory - thin layer and deep bed drying. Design of drying systems. Storage principles and practice. Principles and applications of the rheology of foods. Group project.

Introduction. Farm machinery: tractors (working systems, operation and maintenance), tillage operations and implements- primary and secondary tillage. Farm systems- operations and management. Post-harvest implements. Marketing strategies.

Fundamentals of fluid flow. Water pressure and Pressure forces. Hydraulics of flow in closed conduits, flow in open channels (including transitions and controls of hydraulic jumps). Water measurements. Hydraulic structures, pumps and hydraulic model studies.

Scope of hydrology, hydrologic cycle. Weather elements including precipitation, humidity, temperature and winds. Analysis of hydrologic data including statistical inferences. Infiltration and evapo-transpiration. Streamflow, runoff and hydrographic measurement and analysis, routing in channels and reservoirs. Groundwater analysis.

Philosophy of design. Components of design.. Agricultural Machines: Types and functional requirements. Engineering materials. Stress and deflection analysis. Theories of failure. Design against failure. Detachable fasteners. Power screws. Shafting design. Element of food processing machines. Computer Aided Design (CAD). Design project

Introduction – characteristics of technical writing, common deficiencies in writing. Standard report formats – layout, mechanical accuracy, usage of abbreviations, numbers, punctuations and capitalisation. Types of reports. The main elements of a report – prefatory section, main body and appendix. Report outlines. Literature referencing – reviewing, citing, listing. Tabular, graphic and pictorial aids in report writing – classification of graphic aids, preparation, placement and discussion. Formal communication – business letter and memorandum.

Introduction to surveying- types of surveys, classes of surveys, instruments and care. Measurement of distances- errors and corrections, land  area measurements. Levelling- tripod level, hand level and clinometers. Angles, bearings and coordinates. Global positioning system and electronic distance measurement

Introduction to Agricultural Structures. Selection of materials in relation to use – steel, wood, concrete and masonry. Types of structural frames. Estimating loads; stress analysis. Introduction to structural design - philosophy of design, elastic and plastic design concepts. Reinforced concrete design. Design for axial loadings. Design of beams. Types of Foundation, Design of simple foundation, slab, connections, and joints. Computer concept for improved analysis and design. Design project. Introduction to AutoCad.

Waste management methods: Disposal methods – Land disposal (Landfill), Thermal disposal (Incineration). Recycling methods – Physico-chemical reprocessing, Biological reprocessing – composting and anaerobic digestion. Energy recovery – waste-to-energy. Avoidance and reduction methods – waste minimization. Waste handling and transport. Waste management concepts. Group project.

Types of farm machinery and their field management requirements. Mechanisation (benefits and criticisms). Machine performance, costs of use of agricultural machinery. Farm cultural operations: tillage, planting, cultivation, fertilizer and insecticide application, harvesting. Safe operation of agricultural machinery. Selection of suitable machinery to suit the performance requirements of various agricultural operations. Impact of tillage on environment.

The agricultural tractor: types, the P.T.O. drive, the Hooks joint, hitch analysis, the effect of hitched implement on the tractor, implement penetration theory. Constructional features, force analysis and design considerations of various agricultural machinery used for tillage. Spraying and dusting, harvesting, etc. Impact of farm operations on the environment. Group project.

Mechanical power transmission: gear drives, belt drives, chain drives, ropes and hoists, springs, bearings. Welding, Brakes, Clutches and Couplings. Vibrations. Design of machines for unit operation in food processing including concentration and dehydration. Introductory Computer Aided Design (CAD).  Food policy. Design Project.

Particle characteristics, size reduction separation, cleaning and sorting of agricultural produce. Maceration as applied to agricultural materials. Methods and equipment for the handling of small and large lots of agricultural products. Selection and application of agricultural produce handling equipment such as elevators, cranes, fork lifts, trucks, carts, etc. Agricultural industry layout. Environmental issues in food processing and handling. Group project.

Farmstead planning and layout: Family housing, Livestock housing, Structures for farm products and food storage etc. Environmental control and structural requirements of crops and livestock. Techniques and methods in collection, analysis, and presentation of environmental data Numerical methods in environmental analysis and designs. Types of environmental hazards and their control. Determination of gas and odour emission in livestock, farm houses and agro-processing industry and their control.

Environmental requirements for man, plants and animals and their control. Solar heat load, Temperature and humidity as they affect heat stress in farm buildings. Design of Environmental systems for plant and animal production. Determination and design for the environmental needs in farm building. Ventilation and refrigeration. Solar heat load. Humidity and temperature control. Insulation and ventilation for environmental control. Introduction to processes in water and waste water management.