Department of Agricultural Sciences 0 % | |||||||||||||||||||
Earliest Possible Year | |||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 1 semester | ||||||||||||||||||
Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||||
Course Level | BSc | ||||||||||||||||||
Examination | evaluation of project report Aid allowed Description of Examination: pass/fail, internal examiner Description of Examination: | ||||||||||||||||||
Organisation of Teaching | week 48-51 and 2-6 in 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
Block Placement | outside schedule | ||||||||||||||||||
Teaching Language | English may be conducted in Danish/Swedish | ||||||||||||||||||
Optional Prerequisites | 120111 Introduction to Horticulture 120211 Plant Physiology and Chemistry 120311 Genetics, Botany and Breeding of Horticultural Plants 120411 Plant Protection in Horticulture 120611 tages sideløbende | ||||||||||||||||||
Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||||
The course aims at giving the students basic understanding of the external growth factors including climate (light, heat, water) and the growth media (soil and other growth substrates), which are determining growth, quantity and quality of horticultural plants. It gives an integrated understanding of interactions between growth factors and various horticultural plants including annual and perennial, economic and ornamental plants in greenhouse and outdoor in different global ecozones. | |||||||||||||||||||
Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||||
The external factors, i.e. climate (light, heat, water) and growth media (primarily soil) that determine and affect growth, quantity and quality of horticultural plants are the subject of the course. Individual growth factors and their effects on the plants as well as the interactions between environment and plant are examined in order to show how growth factors can be manipulated in various directions and how the plant can be affected by the growth factors. The following issues will be considered in the course: · Plant growth: Plant growth factors; micro and macro nutrients; nutrient uptake; growth, yield, quality, competition and tolerance; sustainable plant production. · Light: Quality and intensity of light; light and canopy photosynthesis; radiation energy; greenhouse effect. · Heat: Soil heat and temperature; micro and macro climate; various climates; acclimatisation; frost effects. · Air: CO2 effects; soil air composition; air exchange. · Water: The water cycle; soil water (content and availability); precipitation (distribution in time and space); water uptake by plants; water and nutrient transport in the rooting zone; hydrology; water balance and need; irrigation; drainage; aquaculture. · Growth media: Soil composition and formation; global soil types and soil classification; other growth media (peat, stone wool, vermiculite etc.). · Soil components: inorganic fraction (primary and secondary minerals, clay, silt, sand, gravel); organic fraction (carbon cycle, humus and humus formation, peat); texture and structure; soil organisms (earthworms, bacteria, fungi etc.); soil quality and pollution. · Soil and root zone processes: Ion exchange reactions (acidic and base cations, pH, acidification, liming, pH and nutrient availability, salinization, salt problems and tolerance, uptake of anions and cations by plants); weathering (mineral stability and free energy, weathering rate and acid neutralization); adsorption (phosphate bonding, phosphorus cycle, mychorrhiza, heavy metal sorption, pesticide sorption and mobility); redox processes (aerobic and anaerobic, Nernst equation, iron and manganese in soil, nitrogen cycle, sulphur cycle, soil microbiology). | |||||||||||||||||||
Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||||
Teaching and learning tools will include lectures, problem-solving exercises, laboratory exercises, excursions and project work. Lectures will be used to provide overview and coherence. Excursions to various kinds of rural and urban horticulture are used to show relations between theory and practice. Exercises on problem solving and laboratory exercises relating to plant growth will be used to support and improve the learning process. The project to be performed in groups of 4 students will include literature and practical/laboratory work on a larger practical horticultural problem in order to instruct the students in handling more complex forms of horticulture and to train them in group work and presentation (written, oral and other forms of presentation). Subject (Biology, Chemistry) | |||||||||||||||||||
Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||||
A course compedium on external growth factors in horticulture Borggaard, O.K. (2002): Horticultural Soil Chemistry | |||||||||||||||||||
Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||||
Ole Kragholm Borggaard, okb@life.ku.dk, Department of Natural Sciences/Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Phone: 35332419 | |||||||||||||||||||
Study Board | |||||||||||||||||||
Study Committee DSH | |||||||||||||||||||
KVL_Resources | |||||||||||||||||||
Department of Horticulture, SLU (50%) Department of Chemistry, KVL (27%) Department of Agricultural Sciences, KVL (23%) | |||||||||||||||||||
Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||||
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