Physiology of Agricultural Crops

Catalog description

Study of the relation of plants to their environment and the physiology of crop plant growth. AGRO 410 Physiology of Agricultural Crops (4) AGRO 410 is a course in plant physiology that presents fundamental aspects of plant metabolism and demonstrates how they are affected by environmental conditions such as light, water availability, temperature, and mineral nutrition. It describes how plants use photosynthesis to accumulate and partition biomass and how this contributes to crop productivity. The roles of abiotic stress such as drought and temperature extremes on crop productivity also are discussed. The course objectives are to 1] learn how plants "work" at the molecular, cellular, whole plant and population levels; 2] develop critical thinking skills by planning and conducting experiments related to the course topics and reviewing journal articles; and 3] develop and enhance communication skills through a variety of writing assignments. This course is appropriate for upper level undergraduates or beginning graduate students with interest in plant and agricultural science disciplines including, horticulture, agroecology, plant pathology, ecology, meteorology and entomology; and meshes with courses in these areas. Students will be evaluated by examinations/quizzes, writing assignments and class participation. The course is offered annually and the optimal enrollment is 20 students.