AGRI 103 - Applied Plant Science and Production

4 Credit: (3 lecture, 2 lab, 0 clinical) 5 Contact Hours:

1. Define plant science. 
2. Discuss current crop and commercial plant 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 crop plant anatomy and physiology. 

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 pollination, fertilization and flowering processes. 

Goal 3:  Describe requirements for producing the major crops and commercial plants. 

1. Describe production of major food plants: corn, soybean, wheat, drybeans, sugarbeets, etc. 
2. Describe requirements for producing other plants that are sold commercially (i.e. horticulture, landscape plants, etc.) 
3. Compare various management practices used in crop and plant production. 
4. Visit local crop productions and/or commercial plant sites (depending on instructor preference or available resources). 

Goal 4:  Describe the requirements for growing plants. 

1. Define soil types. 
2. Describe soil biology. 
3. Describe macro and micronutrient requirements of plants. 
4. Describe water requirements of plants. 
5. Describe light requirements of plants. 
6. Discuss how temperature can affect plant growth. 
7. Identify common crop diseases and pests. 
8. Explain how diseases and pests are controlled in crops and commercial plants production. 
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. 

1. Describe sustainable agriculture at the local, national and global levels. 
2. Explain methods to improve crop production including crop rotation and types of tillage. 
3. Describe the role of plant breeding and genetics 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, greenhouse or production site to investigate crop production and management. 

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. Analyze management techniques to best use resources for sustainable production of plants. 
6. Review 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. 

1. Identify 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. Interpret data presented in different formats (text, table, graph, etc.). 
5. Draw valid conclusions from data examples (i.e crop production).