| Department of Agricultural Sciences | |||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||
| Duration | Outside schedule | ||
| Credits | 5 (ECTS) | ||
| Course Level | MSc NOVA Intensive master course | ||
| Examination | Final Examination written examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Based upon a grading of an assignment Weight: 100% pass/fail, internal examiner | ||
| Organisation of Teaching | two weeks full time, one Week at Hoejbakke and one week for finishing report | ||
| Block Placement | At hoejbakke | ||
| Teaching Language | English | ||
| Course Contents | |||
| The rationale behind the development of herbicides, their use and physical and chemical properties is the frame of references of the course. The importance of mode of action and site(s) of action of herbicides will be stressed and the linked to chemical properties, uptake translocation and metabolism in plants and target and non-target organisms. The principles of assessing herbicide selectivity and, be it in the research and development processes or in ecotoxicological contexts, will be an integral part of the course. The formulation of herbicides and use of adjuvants to enhance efficacy, either by the manufacture or by the end user. Various reference models to assess joint action of herbicide mixtures and the implication to their use and side effects. Aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology in relation to herbicide loads, intentional and not intentional discharge in the environment and also the ecotoxicological effects of herbicides on population and communities. Risk assessment of the herbicide use in relation to ecotoxicology and the national and international registration systems. The course also consists of an excursion. | |||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||
| Lectures will outline the theoretical background for the course and support the practical and theoretical exercises. The excursion will take place in the first part of the course, giving an introduction to a herbicide producing chemical company, a company involved in field tests and registration and an environmental research institution. The practical exercises will assess the topics: application, assessment of efficacy, herbicide uptake, mode of action, recovery and mixture toxicity. The test organisms are plants. The theoretical exercises will deal with proper analysis of spray applications and herbicide load, simple models to assess fate of herbicides in the environment, calculations of uptake and translocation of herbicides in plants, the use of Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR's), calculations and discussions of environmental impact of herbicides, risk assessment and legislation needs. | |||
| Learning Outcome | |||
| Herbicides are the largest group of pesticides used in crop production. The beneficial effects of herbicides and their load on the land are important issues of modern crop production. The course will make students capable of judiciously assess and validate the pro et con of the use of chemical weed control in agriculture, horticulture, forests and public land. Basic Sciences: Knowledge of chemical and physical properties of herbicides to understand their use in crops and effects on target and non-target organisms. After completing this course, the student is able to: Knowledge - explain the rationale behind herbicide development, mode and site of action and classification in relation to use, load and ecotoxicology. Skills - explain assessment of efficacy/toxicity - apply models to assess joint action of mixtures - transfer knowledge of application and in crop efficacy to non-target organisms in the terrestrial and aquatic environments - evaluate various theories and principles of herbicide action and make sound judgment of impact of herbicides on environments. Competencies - demonstrate awareness of various attitudes which will make them reflect over current use - discuss herbicide use in agriculture and society at large in relation to both benefits and side effects. | |||
| Course Litterature | |||
| Streibig, J.C. & Cedergreen N. 2008, Herbicide Compendium. Reviews and scientific papers | |||
| Course Coordinator | |||
| Jens Carl Streibig, jcs@life.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Crop Science, Phone: 35333457 | |||
| Attendance Fee | |||
| NOVA has paid 4,000 Euro | |||
| Study Board | |||
| Study Committee NSN | |||
| Course Scope | |||
| |||