LPLK10367 Tropical Crop Production

Details
Responsible DepartmentDepartment of Agriculture and Ecology

Earliest Possible YearMSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year
DurationOne block
 
Credits7.5 (ECTS)
 
Level of CourseMSc
 
ExaminationFinal Examination

written examination


Written Exam in Lecturehall

All aids allowed

Description of Examination: 4 hour written

7-point scale, internal examiner

Dates of Exam:
09 November 2011
 
Requirement for Attending ExamTheoretical and practical excercise report submission
 
Organisation of TeachingCombination of lectures and theoretical and practical exercises
 
Block PlacementBlock 1
Week Structure: C
 
Language of InstructionEnglish
 
Optional PrerequisitesBasic courses in crop science, plant physiology and statistics
 
RestrictionsNone
 
Course Content
The course focuses on capacity development in tropical crop production. The students will be exposed to the three major crop science elements that are instrumental to optimal crop production 1) Plant breeding and crop varieties, 2) fertilizer (organic/unorganic) and 3) crop protection. This trinity will be an integrated part of the three interrelated phases:

i. Agronomic disciplines with reference to tropical conditions.
Tropical crop physiology; crop genetic resources, agrobiodiversity and breeding; timing of management operations, weed control; configuration (spacing and inter cropping) and soil fertility management.

ii. Tropical Crops
An overview of major tropical food, feed and industrial crops, their intrinsic properties and their cultivation with special emphasize on small holder conditions. Cultivation and rotations of crops under unimodal and bimodal rainy seasons

iii. Farming systems
Quantitative study of small holder farming systems under various agro-ecological conditions in the dry and humid tropics.
 
Teaching and learning Methods
The course combines lectures and theoretical and practical exercises. Lectures will outline the background and support the exercises.
 
Learning Outcome
Provide students, having a BSc-level background in agricultural sciences or equivalent, with a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic properties of selected tropical crop species and their management in tropical rainfed and irrigated agro-ecosystems. Focus is on bio-physical related production constraints and human endeavour to optimize crop production in small-scale farming systems, within the context of poverty alleviation and sustainable crop production.

When students have completed the course they should be able to:

Knowledge
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of tropical crop production
- Understand the characteristics of major tropical crops
- Demonstrate overview of tropical farming systems in relation to agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions.

Skills
- Analyse and synthesize diverse types of information on tropical crop production
-Design cropping calendars for selected major crops species
- Develop tropical crop production plans in relation to given agro-ecological and socioeconomic conditions
- Design, implement and analyze research projects in a tropical crop production environment


Competences
- Assess and formulate agronomic components of development support programmes
- Advise extension and research institutions in tropical countries
- Do statistical and graphical analysis of field experiments.



 
Course Literature
Azam-Ali, S.N. and G.R. Squire (2002): Principles of Tropical Agronomy
Rowland, J.R.J. (1993): Dryland farming in Africa

Additional teaching materials selected by the teachers.

 
Course Coordinator
Sven-Erik Jacobsen, seja@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Crop Science, Phone: 353-33388
Jørgen Lindskrog Christiansen, jlc@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Crop Science, Phone: 353-33452
Jens Carl Streibig, jcs@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Crop Science, Phone: 353-33457
Andreas de Neergaard, adn@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 353-33499
Thilde Bech Bruun, thbb@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 353-33412
 
Study Board
Study Committee NSN
 
Work Load
lectures30
theoretical exercises70
preparation68
examination4
supervision10
practicals24

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