Alumni Distinguished Professor of Crop Science
Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs
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COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES | |||
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| INSTRUCTOR | Bob Patterson Alumni Distinguished Professor of Crop Science Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs | CROP SCIENCE | ||
| OFFICE | 2214 Williams Hall | OFFICE HOURS | Wed 2:30-5:00 p.m.; Th 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | |
| PHONE | (919) 513-3423 | FAX | (919) 515-7959 | |
| bob_patterson@ncsu.edu | ||||
| CS 411 - CROP ECOLOGY | |
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| LOCATION: 2104 Williams | CREDIT HOURS: 3 |
| LECTURE DAYS: T TH | SEMESTERS: FALL |
| LECTURE TIME: 8:05 - 9:20 AM | |
| PRE-REQUISITES: BO 321 | |
| RESTRICTIONS: None | |
The following text will be used extensively this semester (heavily enough to have your own copy), and should be available in the campus book store:
Crop Responses to Environment. 2001.Anthony E.Hall. CRC Press ISBN 0849310288
The following text also will be used throughout the semester, particularly in support of the lectures dealing with cropping systems. Several copies of this book have been placed on reserve in Hill Library for your use when reference is made to the relevant material during lecture.
Crop Ecology. Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems. 1998. R.S. Loomis & D.J. Connor (eds.) Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-38776-0 (pbk)
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 USP office (102 Sullivan Hall). If your GPA is <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 on some aspect of crop ecology. A formal presentation of your 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 ecology and crop-stress relations.
I plan to prepare a list of e-mail addresses of all students registered for CS 411. Since this is such an easy way for you and I to communicate, periodically I will be sending you e-mail messages when I feel this will be helpful to our achieving course objectives. Please develop 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 the mail of others, or send your own insights or questions to which I (or your classmates) may respond. Discussion of key crop-stress relations issues is an integral part of our objective for CS 411. Our use of e-mail hopefully will foster the kind of discussion I envision being helpful. If we can extend discussion of crop-stress relations issues outside the classroom, then all of us will benefit more fully from the CS 411 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 program. In addition to the course syllabus, I plan to put a portion of my lecture notes and 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 browser. The CS 411 homepage address is http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/cals/course/cs411.
"When I tug at a single thing in nature, I find it attached to the rest of the world"
John Muir (1899)
The production practices and environmental processes crops utilize for growth and maintenance of quality-principally, the cropping systems employed and the efficient use of light, water, nutrients, and space-is the focus of this course. Cropping systems, comprised of the crops and the management practices used in their production, will be examined from the standpoint of their dependence upon, and impact on, the total growth environment. Plant disorders resulting from biotic, physical, and pesticide stress will be evaluated, and impact on distribution of current assimilate (partitioning) to the various plant tissues will be assessed. Utilization of the crop's environment for achieving yield stability in an economically and environmentally sound context will be proposed as an achievable goal. Strategies for sound stewardship of all production inputs, with the aim of merging actual and genetically attainable yield and quality, will be identified. The five fundamental objectives of this course are to: 1) identify those environmental factors which are most likely to be limiting crop productivity and quality under presently recommended management practices, 2) evaluate cropping systems which permit these factors to be utilized economically and sensibly under a range of field and management conditions, 3) understand how the crop growing in a particular environment integrates the mix of factors which determines actual yield in relation to genetic potential, 4) examine how the production processes and cropping systems presently employed impact on environmental integrity, and 5) propose crop management strategies which are minimally invasive to our environment, and which also provide our growers competitive access to national and international markets.
Writing, speaking, and listening are powerful ways of understanding ourselves and 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 each of you to engage in one writing and one speaking experience in CS 411 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 two 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 resulting from our attempts to grow crops efficiently, and with proper consideration for environmental integrity.
During the Fall 2001 semester, each student enrolled in CS 411 is required to prepare a term paper on a subject of interest to you. The grade received on this paper will constitute 10% of your course grade. The paper is due in my office no later than Friday, November 16 (so I can evaluate them and provide you with feedback before semester's end.).
You and I together will select a suitable topic, and you should begin research and writing as soon as possible, but no later than Friday, September 7. You should plan to visit me as soon as your schedule permits so that we can select a topic. Please schedule a meeting in my office through my secretary (Janet Roe, 515-5328). At our office meeting, suggestions concerning sources of material (specialists, books, journal articles, extension literature, etc) will be made. No later than Friday, September 21, I would like to see an outline of your paper and a listing of all resources used at that time. If you wish, I will read the rough draft of your paper and offer suggestions for improvement.
Your paper should be a synthesis of research reports (and personal communications) dealing with an aspect of crop response to an environmental situation. 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 environmental factor in relation to crop production, 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, although your paper need not be this long. I would appreciate your paper being typed and double-spaced (so I can make written comments on your paper easier). The writing style used in Agronomy Journal, Crop Science, or Journal of Environmental Quality is required.
Your paper should include the following categories.
Finally, answer the question regarding 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 term paper subject the topic "Fertility Needs of Irrigated Corn 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 "Rate 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 crop". A properly stated null hypothesis would be that "there is no correlation between N rate and depth to clay insofar as optimum economic yield for Upper Coastal Plain-grown corn 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.
During the second week of class (August 27) I will describe the plan we will follow regarding your oral presentation (10% of course grade). You will be asked to prepare an 8-minute talk on your term paper. All presentations will be scheduled during the last two weeks of the semester. Be prepared to commit to a date on the sign-up sheet, which will be circulated during this lecture. Comments concerning content of your presentation and the essentials of a good talk-voice, physical manner, speech structure, development, language, speech value, effectiveness, and use of visuals - will be made.
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.
| TESTING | % | TIMES |
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| Quizzes (5) | 20 | All Thursdays: Aug 30; Sept 13; Oct 11; Nov 15; Nov 29 |
| Hour Exams (2) | 30 | Th, Sept. 27;Tu, Oct 23 |
| Term Paper (1) | 10 | See term paper guidelines for details |
| Oral Presentation (1) | 10 | See oral presentation guidelines for details |
| Class Participation | 10 | Overall effort in course Including contributions to the interactive learning exercises (small group discussions) |
| Final Exam | 20 | Thursday, December 13, 8:00-11:00 a.m. Final exam is comprehensive. (Friday, December 7 is the last day of classes, and Wednesday, December 19 is Fall Graduation). |
Final letter grades in the course will be based on the tests and other work described above. Test grades will be adjusted if necessary so that the class average is a middle C (75%). Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
| Numerical Grade* | Letter Grade | Grade Points |
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| 93.34-100 | A+ | 4.33 |
| 90.00-93.33 | A | 4.00 |
| 86.67-89.99 | A- | 3.67 |
| 83.34-86.66 | B+ | 3.33 |
| 80.00-83.33 | B | 3.00 |
| 76.67-79.99 | B- | 2.67 |
| 73.34-76.66 | C+ | 2.33 |
| 70.00-73.33 | C | 2.00 |
| 66.67-69.99 | C- | 1.67 |
| 63.34-66.66 | D+ | 1.33 |
| 60.00-63.33 | D | 1.00 |
| 56.67-59.99 | D- | 0.67 |
| 0-56.66 | F | 0.00 |
*Our grading scale has been adjusted to eliminate the 0.33 grade point penalty imposed by the university +/- grading scale.
Regular attendance at all lectures, laboratory sessions, and examinations is expected of all students. 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 more 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 excuse. To underscore the importance and value 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 a valid excuse, 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.
Note the 10% of you grade relating to "overall course participation". A good portion of what you will carry from the course will come from participation in class discussions and from listening carefully to what I emphasize during lecture. Reading the text assignments are extremely important, but alone is not adequate to meet course goals. Part of this 10% also will be determined from the small group interactive learning sessions we will hold periodically.
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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| POB 7620 Williams Hall NCSU, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695 |
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(919)515-2647 MAIN OFFICE (919)515-7959 FAX contact_cropsci@ncsu.edu |