ABOUT THE COURSE:

The objectives of this course are to provide students with a more a robust knowledge base about food and fiber production techniques, the biological principles involved, and ground-truthing of sustainable production techniques.  Topics covered will include field experimentation and interpretation, crop physiology principles in row crop production, and specific crop/environmental interactions affecting yield and quality of fiber and grain crops.

In this course, students will learn about the following:

•     Field research project development, setup, and analysis

•     Growth and development of soybean, small grains, peanut, cotton, and corn

•     Fertilizer sources and inputs

•     Environmental interactions and effect on crop physiology

All students will be required to complete a series of homework assignments, a team poster project, and four examinations.  Graduate students will be required to read “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson and provide an opinion paper on the accuracy of her predications from the 1960s.

LECTURE:

3 credits

PREREQUISITE: 

A basic college level, undergraduate crop or plant science class is required unless waived by the instructor.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: 

No required text.

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