CSA-10306 Cropping Systems and Knowledge of Crops

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Contents:

World-wide, a huge variety of crops is grown in different agro-ecosystems to provide man with food and other agricultural products. Different cultivation techniques applied by farmers lead to an even wider variety in cropping systems. This introductory course covers the morphology and the basic processes determining growth of crops and their products, the most important ecological relations in agro-ecosystems and effects of external factors on these relations, and the diversity in cropping systems. Students learn to use this knowledge for recognising the most important crop species and raw crop products, for understanding and quantifying how external factors and different cropping systems affect crop production and other processes in agro-ecosystems, and for analysing and understanding how very diverse factors affect the development and status-quo of important cropping systems. The course is suitable for students with only limited biological knowledge.

Learning outcomes:

After the course, students can:
- recognize the most important crop and grassland species and their products by using vegetative, generative and other characteristics, and have insight in their purpose, value for use and quality characteristics;
- describe important terms and parameters in the field of study, know the approximate value of the parameters, and work with them;
- describe which ecological processes play an important role in the functioning of agro-ecosystems, and which factors determine the diversity in cropping systems in different climate zones;
- indicate how radiation, water, temperature, soil and crop affect different ecological processes in agro-ecosystems at different integration levels;
- describe and quantify the functional relationships in agro-ecosystems, especially with regard to external factors and nutrient cycles.

Activities:

A practical treats applied taxonomy, spread of crops, biodiversity, generative and vegetative recognition of crops and the most important crops according to a taxonomical classification and a classification according to use. Students practice in recognition of these crops by means of living plant material, crop products and computer. In addition, some small experiments are carried out. Lectures treat food production and agriculture world-wide, principles of growth and development of different crop types, ecological relations in agro-ecosystems in different climates - especially interactions between soil, plant and atmosphere -, and factors determining the variety in cropping systems. Work sessions and computer practicals train students in quantifying effects of external factors on crop production and on changes in processes within different cropping systems
. Two excursions (Betuwe and Veluwe) help in gaining the required knowledge on cropping systems. In PO-groups, students analyse a cropping system of their choice.

Examination:

Written exam, plant recognition test, working books during the practical, report on one of the excursion topics, PO-report and -presentation.

Literature:

Study guide, PO-guide and lecture syllabus, practical handbook, two workbooks and two excursion guides.