Module Information

Module Identifier
RD22220
Module Title
Agronomy and Crop Improvement
Academic Year
2019/2020
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Grassland planning assignment  (2000 words)  35%
Semester Assessment Crop protection plan  (2000 words)  25%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   40%
Supplementary Assessment Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module.  60%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module.  40%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Explain the mechanisms behind the major biotic constraints to crop productivity in the UK.

2. Describe the agronomic requirements of a range of non-cereal arable and forage crops.

3. Describe and critically analyse crop production systems.

4. Identify and evaluate appropriate crop protection strategies.

5. Describe plant breeding programmes and strategies and evaluate their past and future value to crop production systems.

Brief description

The module describes the basic agronomy of a range of selected UK arable and combinable break crops including potatoes, sugar beet, oilseed rape and field beans. Agronomic characteristics include rotation, soil type, sowing and plant establishment, nutrition, crop protection, harvesting and post-harvest storage. Contrasting systems approaches to crop and grassland production will be discussed and their effectiveness evaluated. Biotic constraints on production will focus on the impact of diseases, weeds and pests in arable crops, including mechanism and magnitude of yield losses, crop resistance, chemical and biological control, integrated crop management. Finally, the objectives and achievements of arable crop, grass and legume breeding will be reviewed. These lectures will include discussion of the variety development, registration, multiplication and certification procedures and the likely impact of advances in biotechnology on future crop production and management.

Content

Systems approaches to arable, grass and forage crops
- Crop rotation and rotation planning
- Integrated crop management

For grassland and forages
- Management systems ? production and environmental protection
- Grazing management
- Forage conservation
- Forage crops

For crop plants incl. oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and field beans :
- Market requirements
- Varietal characteristics and end use
- Rotation, soil preparation and seed establishment
- Nutrition
- Plant protection ? weed, disease and pest control
- Harvesting and post-harvest treatment and storage

Crop protection
- Disease development and epidemiology
- Disease management strategies
- Pests and pest damage
- Pest management strategies
- Weed biology and competition
- Weed control
- Integrated crop protection

Plant breeding

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Students will write coursework in contrasting styles and formats.
Improving own Learning and Performance
Information Technology
Personal Development and Career planning
Problem solving Students will draw up a crop protection programme for a given set of conditions
Research skills Students will research material beyond the scope of the lecture material for both components of coursework
Subject Specific Skills
Team work

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5