COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
	INSTRUCTOR	Bob Patterson Alumni Distinguished Professor of Crop Science Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs	CROP SCIENCE COURSES CS 213 SYLLABUS
	OFFICE	2214 Williams Hall	OFFICE HOURS	Mon, Wed, Fri 1:30-5:30pm; Tu, Th 9:30-5:30pm
	PHONE	(919) 513-3423	FAX	(919) 515-7959
	E-MAIL	bob_patterson@ncsu.edu

TEXTBOOK(S)

Reading assignments (for lecture and lab, as indicated on syllabus pages 11, 12, and 13) are from the following sources, which are available in the campus book store.

Plants, Genes, & Agriculture. 1994. Maarten J. Chrispeels and David E. Sadava. Jones and Bartlett, Publ. ISBN 0-86720-871-6. About $60

Crop Science-- A Laboratory Manual. 1988. By G. S. Drallmeier, R. H. Teyker, & K. J. Moore. Vocational Agricultural Service, U. of Illinois, Urbana 61801. ISBN 0-9620569-0-1 About $27

Lectures also will be supplemented by materials derived from a variety of sources, including the books listed below. Copies of the following references, which represent a rather thorough compilation of our understanding of crop adaptation and production, may be checked out from the instructor's library through his secretary, Ms. Janet Roe. 

1. Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. 1995. M.A. Altieri. Cambridge. ISBN 0-8133-1717-7.
2. Crop Evolution, Adaptation, and Yield. 1993. L.T. Evans. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-22571 
3. Crop Production. Evolution, History, and Technology. 1995. C. Wayne Smith. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-07972-3.
4. The Ecology and Management of Grazing Systems. 1996. J. Hodgson & A.W. Illius (ed.) CAB INTERNATIONAL. ISBN 0-85199-107-6
5. Fundamentals of Plant Science. 1988. R.M. Klein and D.T. Klein. Harper and Row. ISBN 0-06-043707-3.
6. Genes, Crops, and the Environment. 1993. J. Holden, J. Peacock, and T. Williams. Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-43737-7 (pbk).
7. Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Field Crops. 1997. N.K. Fageria. Marcel Dekker, Inc. ISBN 0-8247-0089-9
8. Glossary of Crop Science Terms. 1992. Robert F. Barnes and James B. Beard (eds). Crop Science Society of America. ISBN 0-89118-535-6.
9. The Green World. An Introduction to Plants and People. 1987. Richard M. Klein. Harper and Row, Publishers. ISBN 0-06-043713-8.
10. The Literature of Crop Science. 1995. Wallace C. Olsen (ed.). Cornell University Press.
11. Plant Growth and Development. 1994. D.E. Fosket. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-262430-0.
12. Plant Science. 1987. John A. Barden, R. Gordon Halfacre, and David J. Parrish. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 0-07-003669-1.
13. Plant Science. An Introduction to World Crops. 1981. Jules Janick, Robert W. Schery, Frank W. Woods, and Vernon W. Ruttan. W.H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-1261-X.
14. Plants in Agriculture. 1994. J.C. Forbes and R.D. Watson. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-427916 (pbk) 
15. Principles of Field Crop Production. 1994. Jim Pratley. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-424-00200-0.
16. Principles of Seed Science and Technology. 1985. L.O. Copeland and M.B. McDonald. Second ed. Burgess. ISBN 0-8087-4849-1 
17. Rationality and Ethics in Agriculture. 1995. Hugh Lehman. University of Idaho Press. Moscow. ISBN 0-89301-179-7 (pbk).
18. Terrestrial Ecosystems. 1991. J.D. Aber and J.M. Melillo. Saunders. ISBN 0-03-047443-4.
19. Turfgrass Management. A.J. Turgeon. 1985. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-8359-7883-4.
20. Understanding Crop Production. 1981. Neal C. Stoskopf. Reston Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 0-8359-8028-6.
21. Vision of American Agriculture. 1997. William Lockeretz (ed.) Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-2044-8.
22. Weed Ecology--Implications for Management. 1997. S. Radosevich, J. Holt, and C. Ghersa. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-11606-8.
23. Introductory Plant Biology. 2000. K. R. Stern. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-012205-9-On reserve in Hill Library 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Examination of the adaptation, growth, development, and management systems employed for producing and maintaining the major field and turf crops grown throughout the world. Approaches taken to produce these crops economically, and in keeping with prudent stewardship of the entire ecosystem, will be analyzed. The connections between Crop Science and related disciplines that enable global needs for food, feed, fiber, and specialty crops to be met will be explored. Strategies will be evaluated that should enable our producers to maintain strong crop management enterprises fully competitive in local, national, and global markets, while simultaneously preserving the integrity of the crop's growing environment. Cultural practices leading to long-term and economically viable crop yield and quality, including those impacting on soil quality, weed, insect, and disease behavior will be emphasized. Both traditional approaches and the newer molecular biology techniques associated with crop improvement will be discussed.

Honors Option

We plan to offer the faculty-initiated Honors Option (FIHO) again this semester. Arrangements have been made with the University Scholars Program (USP) for successful completion of this FIHO course to be allowed as partial fulfillment of USP requirements. The goal of the FIHO program is to encourage students to engage in rigorous and challenging work under the guidance of and through interaction with appropriate faculty. To this end, we are offering Honors credit (including course designation with an "H" on your transcript) to any student who completes the FIHO requirements for this course. Prior to the end of the first week of classes you should complete a "Student Application for FIHO" form, available in the University Scholars Program office (4130 Talley Student Center, or 102 Sullivan Hall). If your GPA is less than 3.0, you may still participate with my permission.

The major additional requirement that must be completed by students who register for the FIHO is preparation of a quality grant proposal to a competitive granting agency, in which you propose to conduct quality research on some aspect of either crop adaptation and production or turfgrass management. The specific theme you choose, and the research approach you propose, are entirely your choice. An informal presentation of the proposal to the class, including response to questions, will be made near semester's end. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to add a potentially significant dimension to your understanding of crop adaptation and production.

Enrichment experiences in your discipline

During your time on campus you will have numerous opportunities, both in the Crop Science Department and others, for enrichment experiences in your chosen discipline beyond the boundaries of your formal coursework-departmental seminars, internships, workshops, training sessions, field days, honors research projects, part-time work in extension and research programs, club activities in your major, and periodic symposia on themes relevant to your chosen field. Please become aware of these opportunities, and be involved to the extent your schedule permits. The time spent in these activities will be well invested, and could very well help you make a wise career choice.

E-mail and Web

We plan to prepare a list of e-mail addresses of all students registered for CS 213. Since this is such an easy and productive way for you and I to communicate, I will periodically be sending you e-mail messages when I feel it is helpful to our achieving course objectives. Please get in the habit of checking your e-mail on a regular (i.e., daily) basis.

Once you become accustomed to using e-mail, you may respond to a teacher or classmate, or send your own insights or questions to which I (or your classmates) may respond. Discussion and overall communication are an integral part of our course goals. Our use of e-mail will foster the kind of discussion I envision being helpful as we explore the various topics mentioned above in the Course Description. By extending our discussion of crop adaptation and production issues outside the classroom, all of us will benefit most fully from the CS 213 experience. You may be assured that course credit will be given for e-mail discussion. As the semester unfolds, I will be suggesting ways in which all of us can benefit by use of this mail distribution system.

In addition to the course syllabus, I plan to put selected portions of my lecture notes and current thinking about certain issues on the Web. Since you have been assigned a Unity computer account, you have access to the Web through browsers such as Mosaic, Netscape, Internet Explorer, or Lynx. For example, in the Williams Hall computer lab (Room 1400) you can access our homepage using the Netscape browsers. The CS 213 homepage address is http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/cals/course/cs213/index.html

COURSE OBJECTIVES/GOALS

"We will be free only so long as we are a nation of agrarians."
--Jefferson (1776)

"Whenever you touch agriculture, you touch the foundations of society."
--Liberty Hyde Bailey (1917)

"He who has bread may have many problems. He who lacks it has only one."
--Old Byzantine Proverb (ca. 980)

"When I tug at a single thing in nature, I find it attached to the rest of the world"
--John Muir (1899)

LECTURE SCHEDULE

TERM PAPER AND ORAL PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS - RATIONALE

Writing, speaking, and listening carefully are powerful ways of understanding ourselves and interacting with the world in which we live. It is through writing, speaking, and listening that our disciplines and professions define the knowledge and methodologies that characterize them. I would like for you to engage in writing and speaking experiences this semester because these communication skills and arts are central to learning, listening, and engaging in a productive professional and social life in your community.

Please consider these exercises as another opportunity to generate, critique, and refine your and your classmate's ideas. By developing the critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening abilities necessary for participating effectively in our discipline, you will soon begin to create strategies for addressing problems associated with our attempts to grow crops efficiently, and with proper consideration for environmental integrity.

TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

You are required to write a paper on an agronomic subject of personal interest to you. The grade received on this paper will constitute 10% of your lecture course grade. The final version of your paper is due no later than the beginning of lecture on Friday, November 16(date of exam 3). Note topic suggestions on pp. 9-10 of the syllabus. These are just suggested topics-your choice is yours to make.

After having selected a suitable topic, you should begin research and writing immediately. You should plan to visit me as soon as your schedule permits so that we can discuss your topic and plans. Please schedule a meeting in my office (during office hours) through my secretary (Janet Roe, 515-3666) no later than Friday, September 7. At this meeting, suggestions concerning sources of material (specialists, books, journal articles, extension literature, etc) will be made. I want to read your rough draft and offer suggestions for improvement. To this end, I would like to see your latest draft, including a listing of all resources, no later than Friday, October 5.

Your paper should be a synthesis of research and extension reports (and personal communications) dealing with an aspect of crop adaptation and production in a particular environmental setting. You are free to consider a crop's environment in its broadest context, including weather, airborne materials, the soil, and decisions made by growers. If you are from a farm, or know that you will soon be engaged in work involving a specific kind of crop management, you may want to research a specific problem that either has been or soon will become of special interest to you. Your grade will be based on the thoroughness with which you research your chosen subject, the accuracy, clarity, and conciseness with which you write, the insight you use in summarizing the important points gleaned from your various sources, and your ability to write in a scholarly and grammatically correct manner. Although length is not a primary factor in determining your grade, your paper should cover the subject fully. As a rough guide, eight to ten typewritten and double-spaced pages should be adequate, including references, tables, and figures. I would appreciate your paper being typed and double-spaced (so I can make written comments easier). The writing style used in Agronomy Journal, Crop Science, Journal of Production Agriculture, Journal of Crop Production, or Journal of Environmental Quality is required.

Your paper should include the following categories. 

1. Title - Concise and informative (capture the essence of your findings).
2. Introduction - Include a justification for reporting on your chosen subject. Why is the topic so important to crop production, both in agronomic and economic terms? Also, state clearly goals and objectives of your investigation, including a hypothesis (postulate). 
3. Review of Literature - Evaluate the strengths and limitations of literature and personal communications with specialists relating to your subject. Summarize important findings with graphs and figures if this helps you explain the thrust of critical data. All references used should be identified in the narrative according to the format of Agronomy Journal. Footnotes frequently are appropriate, and should be single-spaced and follow Agronomy Journal format. Present a balanced evaluation of the pertinent literature, identifying weaknesses as well as strengths of methods used and interpretation of data.
4. Research Proposal - Select an aspect of your subject that is not entirely "clear-cut", an aspect that is open to question. Develop a hypothesis (or postulate) about this subject, state objectives of a research program you could manage if you were a project leader in the Crop Science Department. Describe how you would test your hypothesis, the methods you would use to design appropriate experiments, and the data you would obtain (be sure to defend your choice of data to be collected--data acquisition can be very costly--each measurement must be justified). Also, predict the likely results to be forthcoming. Finally, describe how the results of your proposed study could be used to shed additional light on the unclear aspects of your literature search that led to your choice of research proposal.

An example of a suitable research proposal is as follows:

Suppose you chose as your subject the topic "Fertility Needs of Irrigated Corn (or Fescue) Growing in the Upper Coastal Plains of North Carolina". Let's assume that the best data available on this subject are not clear-cut on the question of rate of N fertilization in relation to depth to clay (and soil organic matter content) for those soils for which soil moisture adjustment by irrigation is feasible (i.e., adequate water source and irrigation equipment available). Your postulate might be "Level of nitrogen fertilization for optimum economic yield is closely correlated with depth to clay (or organic matter content) and effective rooting depth and width during the period of N uptake by the corn (or fescue) crop". A properly stated null hypothesis would be that there is no correlation between N level and depth to clay insofar as optimum economic productivity for Upper Coastal Plain-grown corn (or fescue) is concerned". Your challenge then would be to design and predict the outcome of an experiment that would either prove or disprove your null hypothesis.

Also, any assumptions you feel the need to make should be stated clearly, and the limits of your proposed research defined (i.e., do you intend to test your postulate over a range of environments, including soils, or do you want to restrict your investigation to one specific environment?). You must explain the logic for any assumptions and boundaries you place on your investigation. 5. Conclusion - Briefly summarize the significance of the material you have presented in your paper--both literature review and research proposal--and make a statement regarding implications for improved crop management in North Carolina or elsewhere.

ORAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

The plan we will follow regarding your oral presentation (10% of course grade) will be discussed early in the semester. You are asked to prepare a five-minute talk on the paper you are writing. All presentation dates will be scheduled during the week of November 26 (next-to-last week of semester). Be prepared to commit to a date on the sign-up sheet that will be circulated soon during lecture. Comments concerning content of your speech and the essentials of a good presentation--voice, physical manner, speech structure, development, language, speech value, effectiveness, and use of visuals--will be made during lecture.

Suggestion Box

Please feel free to place comments (may be anonymous if you wish) regarding how our time together can be more useful to you (i.e., how I can strengthen the course) in the "brownish tan" metal suggestion box at the back of the room. You may be assured that I will check this box at the end of each lecture, and that I will take your suggestions quite seriously.

George Bernard Shaw once said that "The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished." How true…

Please let me know your preferred learning styles, and the approaches you prefer to see taken to ensure that effective teaching and learning are occurring each lecture and lab. Your lab instructor and I sincerely appreciate your taking this opportunity seriously.

ORAL PRESENTATION/TERM PAPER TOPICS FOR CONSIDERATION

These are just examples - you do not need to choose a topic from this list (i.e., you are not restricted to choices from this list). Please choose a theme that really appeals to you-one in which you can look forward to investing enough time to prepare a quality presentation and paper. 

1. Fertilizing irrigated corn for maximum yield 
2. Fertilization of a crop with animal waste 
3. Blending corn varieties to reduce water/temperature stress
4. Influence of planting date, seeding rate, between-and within-row spacing for maximum economic seed yield 
5. Temperature and/or water stress affects reproductive development 
6. Animal waste application to cropland 
7. El Nino and la Nina and crop productivity 
8. Are pesticides driving pest tolerance?
9. Effect of weather stress on insect/disease/weed behavior 
10. Allelopathic value of residue management 
11. Biological vs. chemical pesticides 
12. Soil fertility requirements for a minimum tillage cropping system
13. Effect of soil compaction on stand and yield (also symptoms, causes, and remedies)
14. Transgenic germplasm as the engine for novel cropping systems
15. Barren corn - causes and cures 
16. Use of nitrogen-fixing legumes in cereal grain production 
17. Precision farming (GIS/GPS) as a tool for reducing costs 
18. Value of fertigation (or herbigation, insectigation)
19. Role of nitrification inhibitors in soil fertilization
20. Influence of environment on effectiveness of hormonal insect control 
21. Weather, season, and grass tetany 
22. Role of environment in associative nitrogen fixation (?N-fixing corn?) 
23. CO2 and water use efficiency (or, "greenhouse effect" on crop performance)
24. Genetic modification of crops for drought (heat) tolerance 
25. Municipal waste prospects (and problems) as farm fertilizer 
26. Seed blending for higher yields 
27. Biological control of nematodes and other pests 
28. Pesticide residue and succeeding crops
29. Interaction effects of pesticide combinations - influences of weather
30. Role of weather in aflatoxin development
31. Strip - (or inter-cropping) as a mechanism for pest control 
32. Farming without synthetically-derived chemicals
33. Fertilizer placement: How much and how close to the seed?
34. Environmental conditions and timing of soil test 
35. No-till-Advantages and limitations 
36. Use of plants and crop residues as a mechanism of weed control (allelopathy)
37. Proper fertilization as a means of minimizing drought stress 
38. Conservation tillage-strengths and limitations
39. Nutritional and soil physical condition-value of rotating grass and legume crops
40. Benefits of winter legume cover crops for corn production
41. Control of weeds that are tough competition for water, light and nutrients (such as Johnsongrass in corn, cocklebur in soybean, bermuda grass in peanuts, and wild oats in small grain). 
42. Weed control techniques for corn, soybeans, cotton, or wheat in dry or wet seasons 
43. To what extent can/should plant population substitute for chemicals in weed control?
44. Soil conditions, which influence the behavior of organic chelates, which take iron and other nutrients from the soil and increase plant availability of these nutrients 
45. Soil and crop management conditions which influence soybean cyst nematode activity 
46. Role of weather in effectiveness of plant growth regulators or pesticides 
47. Wheat tillering-How to maximize?
48. Crop residue management for soil temperature, moisture, or pest control 
49. Soil and crop management conditions, which influence soil compaction, and what can be done to reduce the problem 
50. Are transgenic genotypes more/less sensitive to environmental stress? CS 213 -Lecture Syllabus Fall 2001

GRADING

Grading Scale... Based on your grand total of points earned.

ACTIVITY	POINTS
Lecture	750
Quizzes	100
Exams	300
Term Paper	100
Oral Presentation	100
Literature Review Reports	50
Final Exam	100
Lab	250
Total	1000

Letter Grade	Points Required	% of 1000 points
A+	980	98
A	920-979	92
A-	900-919	90
B+	880-899	88
B	820-879	82
B-	800-819	80
C+	780-799	78
C	720-779	72
C-	700-719	70
D+	680-699	68
D	620-679	62
D-	600-619	60
F	599 or fewer

Use this section to keep a record of your lecture performance:

Activity	Score
Quiz 1	____/ 10
Quiz 2	____/ 10
Quiz 3	____/ 10
Quiz 4	____/ 10
Quiz 5	____/ 10
Quiz 6	____/ 10
Quiz 7	____/ 10
Quiz 8	____/ 10
Quiz 9	____/ 10
Quiz 10	____/ 10
Exam 1	____/100
Exam 2	____/100
Exam 3	____/100
Term Paper	____/ 100
Oral Presentation	____/ 100
Literature Review Reports	____/ 50
Final Exam	____/ 100
Lab	____/ 750
Total	____/1000

ABSENCES

Testing (Make-up tests are allowed only when a university-approved reason is provided).

Regular attendance at all lectures, laboratory sessions, and tests is expected. You should inform the instructor if you anticipate being absent for a valid reason. Excuses for emergency absences (due to illness, injury, or death in the family) should be reported to the instructor as soon as possible, but no later than one week after return to class. Exams may be taken early if a valid reason for the absence is presented. Make-up tests will only be allowed if there is a legitimate medical reason.

To underscore the importance of your presence in class (at all times except when you have a University-approved reason for being absent), we must deduct one letter grade if you miss four or five lectures without valid reasons, two letter grades if you miss six or seven lectures without valid reasons, and three letter grades if you have eight or nine unexcused absences. Accumulating 10 unexcused absences will result in failure of the course.

A good portion of what you will carry from the course will derive from participation in class discussions and from listening carefully to what I emphasize during lecture. Reading the text assignments and regular attendance are extremely important, but alone are not adequate to meet course goals.

Policy on incomplete grades and penalty for late assignments: The penalty for a test or other assignment being completed later than the assigned date is loss of a full letter grade (i.e., 10 points) on that test or assignment for each regularly scheduled period (lecture or lab) that passes before the test or assignment is completed and turned in to the instructor.

Following university policy, a grade of incomplete can be given only in the event of a serious disruption in your studies that is beyond your control, and that results in your missing one or more graded activities in this course.

LAB SCHEDULE

*As a rule, there will be a short (maximum of 10 minutes) quiz at the beginning of each lab, and this quiz will focus on the content of the previous week's lab.

**You will be subdivided into subgroups (3-4 students per group) for the purpose of preparing a group report on one lab conducted during the semester. Each subgroup will be assigned a different lab by your instructor. Allocate the work equally among the members of your subgroup. Each member of your team should speak during the presentation of your report during the last lab period (Dec 4). Part of your Subgroup Report grade will be based on the grade each of you assigns to each member of your subgroup (i.e., each of you will score all team members, including yourself, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest level of performance).

If you must miss a lab for a university-approved reason, we shall make an effort to help you study the missed material, within the existing time and other resource constraints. Each lab missed for a non-approved reason will result in a loss of 10 points from your final lab grade. Review sessions for both lab mid-term and lab final will be scheduled.

Note well----It is very important that you be present at the beginning of each lab, and especially for the field trips. We will need to load the vans and leave the parking lot (always behind Williams Hall, between the old and new wings) promptly at the beginning of each lab

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

DISABILITY SERVICES FOR STUDENTS (DSS)

STATEMENT ON LABORATORY SAFETY

STATEMENT ON PASS THROUGH CHARGES

STUDENT CONDUCT

The Crop Science Department at North Carolina State University is committed to providing all students with an educational experience and background that will serve as a platform for success in future professional and personal endeavors. A learning environment that fosters professionalism is central to accomplishing these objectives. For this reason, activities such asdrinking, eating, sleeping, tobacco chewing, smoking, or reading of non-class materials or any other activities that are disruptive to the classroom or laboratory learning environment will not be tolerated. You can be asked to leave class if these rules are violated. In addition, it is important to recognize that the equipment and classroom facilities used in our teaching endeavors are the property of the tax payers of North Carolina and as such, and will be treated with respect.

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