AGRI 102 - Introduction to Crop Science

3 Credit: (2 lecture, 2 lab, 0 clinical) 4 Contact Hours:  [Math Level 3 ] 

Objectives:

1. Define crop science.
2. Discuss current crop production in Michigan, US and the world.
3. Locate statistical data about local, national and global food production.
4. Relate crop production to food production.
5. Discuss the role of technology in production agriculture.

Goal 2:  Describe plant anatomy and physiology of crop plants.

Objectives:

1. Identify the parts of a seed, stem and leaves.
2. Discuss the role of seeds, stems and leaves in edible plants.
3. Describe the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
4. Describe flowering, pollination and fertilization processes.

Goal 3:  Describe requirements for producing the major crops.

Objectives:

1. Describe corn production.
2. Describe soybean production.
3. Describe wheat production.
4. Describe dry bean production.
5. Describe sugarbeet production.
6. Describe other local crop production (instructor preference or available resources).

Goal 4:  Discuss the requirements for growing crops.

Objectives:

1. Define soil types.
2. Discuss the biology of soil.
3. Describe macro and micro nutrient requirements of crops.
4. Describe water requirements of crops.
5. Describe the light requirements of crops.
6. Discuss how temperature can affect crop growth.
7. Identify common crop diseases and pests.
8. Explain how diseases and pests are controlled in crops.
9. Identify common weeds.
10. Describe methods and types of weed control.

Goal 5:  Discuss current issues in crop production and methods to improve production.

Objectives:

1. Discuss sustainable agriculture at the local, national and global levels.
2. Explain crop rotation and types of tillage to improve crop production.
3. Describe plant breeding and genetics and their role in crop production and improvement.
4. Discuss the future of sustainable agriculture.
5. Evaluate various careers and career pathways in agriculture.

Goal 6:  Use various techniques in the laboratory to investigate crop production.

Objectives:

1. Analyze soils for nutrient content.
2. Measure yields of selected crops.
3. Calculate fertilizer requirements for selected crops.
4. Identify common seeds and plants of major crops.
5. Apply the scientific method to selected lab exercises.
6. Review and discuss relevant research data and/or current issues in crop production (as selected by instructor).

Goal 7: Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method as it relates to crop and soil science.

Objectives:

1. Define hypothesis and independent, dependent and control variables.
2. Describe the steps of the scientific process (method).
3. List characteristics of good scientific methodology and experimentation.
4. Identify variables, controls and constants in a given experiment or data set.
5. Interpret data presented in different formats (text, table, graph, etc.).
6. Draw valid conclusions from data.
7. Discuss applications of research to crop production.