Syllabus
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I.

    Course Description
   
 

This course is designed to provide the basis for an understanding of the soil-plant-atmosphere environment related to production of food, feed, fiber and fuel crops important not only in North Dakota, but also regionally, nationally, and globally.  The course will build upon the scientific basis for plant growth with emphasis on growth and development, nutrition, pest management (weeds, disease, and insects), and harvest procedures. The students are expected to develop a general appreciation of crop production and be able to integrate this knowledge into scouting, advising, consulting, and farming in modern agriculture today and in the future.


II.

    Objectives:

1. To learn to think critically about the concepts related to the production of crops in modern commercial agriculture.

2. To learn the fundamentals of how to prepare and develop a systems approach to the production of crops for food, feed, fiber, and fuel.

3. To encourage and enhance the ability to solve problems encountered under field conditions on the production and improvement of field crops.

III.

    Course Schedule:

The class will meet in traditional lecture and laboratory sessions with an intent to focus on ways to encourage personal interaction through collaborative learning techniques (see attached Educational Philosophy). The students are expected to be involved in developing the "Expected Outcomes" for the course.
IV.
  
     Evaluation:

 
1. Four Exams (200 points each) in Lecture -- 2 Feb., 2 March, 4 April, 4 May
2. Two ID Exams (235 points total) in Laboratory -- 3 April and 1 May
3. Quizzes (10) in lab each 40 points
4. Lab Reports (4) 20 points; (2) 30 points
5. Research paper (100 points) and seminar (100 points) by Collaborative Learning
6. Makeup exams will not be allowed unless there is a valid reason and the student makes arrangements before the exam with the instructor. 
 

V.

     Grading:
Letter grades will be assigned based on percentage of points earned during the semester in lecture and lab according to the following minimum percentages: 90% for A, 80% for  B, 70% for C, and 60% for D.

 

VI.

     Outline:

 

 Pages
 

A.

Introduction to Plant Agriculture

1. Crop production as an art
2. Crop production as a science
3. Crop plants in today’s world
4. Productivity now and in the future

1 - 5

B.  Where Crops Grow and Why

1. Factors in crop distribution
2. General crop areas in the United States
3. Impacts Crop

 6 - 12
C. Choice and Varietal Improvement

1. Reproduction process in plants
2. Mode of pollination
3. Description of flowers
4. Fertilization of egg cell by pollen
5. Time between pollination and fertilization
6. Seeds vs. fruits
7. Crop breeding objectives
8. Methods of crop breeding
9. Selecting quality seed

13 - 24
D. Soils Properties / Fertilization

1. Fundamentals of soil science.
2. Physical properties of soil.
3. Soil characteristics
4. Soil constituents
5. Available soil water calculator
6. Cation exchange capacity

 25 - 32
E. Soil Fertility

1. Essential elements
2. Fertility recommendations

33 - 38
F. Tillage System

1. Conventional
2. Conservation
3. Summer Fallow

39 - 43
G. Growth and Development

1. Important plant processes
2. Water and water use by crops
3. Temperature and growing degree days
4. Germination
5. Leaves
6. Stems
7. Roots

39 - 43




44 - 57
H. Seeding

1. Timing
2. Depth
3. Row spacing and population

58 - 65
I. Weed Control

1. What is a weed?
2. Methods of control

66 - 68
J. Crop Diseases and Insects

1. Terminology
2. Life Cycle
3. Environment for infection/colonization

 69 -74
K. Crop Rotation

1. Advantages of Rotation
2. Disadvantages of Rotation
3. Rotations for profit

75 - 88
L. Fruit/Seed Production

1. Induction of flowering
2. Pollination
3. Fertilization
4. Fruit growth
5. Photosynthate partitioning

 89 - 93
M. Harvest

1. Physiological maturity
2. Rate of moisture loss
3. Crop quality
4. Yield

94 - 97
N. Grain Drying / Storage

1. Storage conditions
2. Drying 		98 -104
   

PLSC 225 Spring 2007 Calendar for Lecture and Lab

Lecture

Topic and Discussion Leader

Date

Pages

Collaborative Learning - Johnson

1-09

Lab 1

Intro to Plant Agriculture- Johnson

1-10

Where Crops Grow and Why – Johnson

1-12

Crop Germination – Johnson

1-16

Lab 2

Crop Choice and Variety Impr. – Johnson

1-17

Crop Choice and Variety Impr. – Johnson

1-19

Tour ND State Seed Dept. – Hafdahl

1-23

Lab 3

Seed Quality and Classes – Johnson

1-24

Soybean Production – Johnson

1-26

Soil Testing and Evaluation - Cihacek

1-30

Lab 4

Mineral Nutrition of Crops – Johnson

1-31

Exam 1 Lectures – Johnson

2-02

Seeding Depth and Emergence - Johnson

2-06

Lab 5

Soil Properties – Johnson

2-07

Soil Fertility – Johnson

2-08

Physiological Maturity of Crops – Johnson

2-13

Lab 6

Growth and Development – Johnson

2-14

Growth and Development – Johnson

2-16

Plant Injury Response – Johnson

2-20

Lab 7

Alfalfa as a Cash Crop – Meyer

2-21

Dry Bean Production – Weinlaeder

2-23

Weed Identification – Johnson

2-27

Lab 8

Weed Control – Johnson

2-28

Exam 2 Lectures – Johnson

3-03

Go for Mold – Johnson

3-06

Lab 9

Photosynthesis– Johnson

3-07

Replanting Considerations - Johnson

3-09

Spring Break – no classes

3-12 to 3-16

Cereal Chemistry – Schwarz

3-20

Lab 10

Crop Insect Pests – Knodel

3-21

Corn Production - Johnson

3-23

Crop Pilot Plant - Wiesenborn

3-27

Lab 11

Canola Production – Johnson

3-28

Crop Rotation - Johnson

3-30

Weed ID Exam and Crop ID – Johnson

4-03

Lab 12

Exam 3 Lecture – Johnson

4-04

Holiday recess – no classes

4-06

Research Paper/Seminar Discussion – Johnson

4-10

Lab 13

Sunflower Production – Johnson

4-11

Genetically Modified Crops - Johnson

4-13

CLG Seminar – Johnson

4-17

Lab 14

Organic Crop Production – Johnson

4-18

Crop Oil Characteristics – Berti

4-20

CLG Seminar – Johnson

4-24

Lab 15

Biofuel Crops - Gilbertson

4-25

Site Specific Farming – Franzen

4-27

Crop ID Exam – Johnson

5-01

Lab 16

Value-Added Production – Radke

5-02

Exam 4 Lectures – Johnson

5-04

Guest Discussion Leaders for PLSC 225, Spring 2007

Date

Name

Organization

1-23

Mark Hafdahl

N.D. State Seed Dept., Fargo

1-30

Dr. Larry Cihacek

Soil Sciences Dept., NDSU

2-21

Dr. Dwain Meyer

Plant Sciences Dept., NDSU

2-23

Scott Weinlaeder

Plant Sciences Dept. NDSU

3-20

Dr. Paul Schwarz

Cereal Sciences Dept., NDSU

3-21

Dr. Jan Knodel

Entomology Dept., NDSU

3-27

Dr. Dennis Wiesenborn

Ag&BioSystem Eng. Dept., NDSU

4-27

Dr. Dave Franzen

Soil Sciences Dept., NDSU

5-02

Rudy Radke

NDSU Extension Service
 

Educational Philosophy for Collaborative Learning in PLSC 225
by
B. L. Johnson

"To teach, in all its forms, is the primary task of higher education"

First , knowledge is constructed, discovered, transformed and extended by students.
- Create the proper conditions for learning.
- The more you teach, the more you learn.

Second , students actively construct their own knowledge base.
- Learning is conceived of as something a learner does, not something done for or to the learner.

Third , faculty effort is aimed at developing students' competencies and talents.
- Associate effort with achievement and intelligence.
- To "value add" by developing potential and transforming students into more knowledgeable and committed individuals.

Fourth , education is a personal transaction among students and between faculty & students
- Learning is a social process that comes more from the heart than the head.
- Love of learning and love of each other are what inspire students to commit more and more of their energy to their studies.

Fifth , education takes place in a cooperative context, rather than competitive.
- Classmates and faculty are viewed as collaborators in an educational experience.
- It is assumed that students will acquire critical thinking skills and learning strategies such as self-monitoring and learning how-to-learn skills from group discussions.

Sixth , teaching is assumed to be a complex application of theory and research that requiresconsiderable training and refinement of skills and procedures.
 Becoming a good teacher takes at least one lifetime of continuous effort to improve.

  Taken from:
ACTIVE LEARNING: Cooperation in the College Classroom
Johnson, Johnson, and Smith
Interaction Book Co. 1991
Edina, MN 55435