| Department of Agriculture and Ecology
60 % Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology 20 % Department of Agriculture and Ecology 20 % | |||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | MSc Core course for MSc Agriculture - Crop Production and Environment | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Continuous Assessment written examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Assessment of individually submitted deliverables (2) and a case-study report. Weight: 2 deliverables 25% each, case study report 50%. 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | A mixture of fact based learning in class, organized in themes (lectures, exercises and deliverables), and problem based learning on a case-study (excursions, discussions, seminars with student presentations and report writing). | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 3 Week Structure: B | ||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 250031 Plant Infection and Disease Management 250048 Weed Science 250056 Insects in Agricultural and Horticultural Crops 250004 Applied Plant Nutrition 250045 Water and Soil in Plant Production Students are strongly recommended to have 2500xx Farming Systems: Production and Sustainability and preferably at least 2 of the other above prerequisite courses (or similar knowledge), in order to achieve course competence goals. | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||
| This course aims at qualifying MSc students within agriculture, plant production and environment to work with the complex challenges of real-life crop production. Students will be given tools to analyse key elements in plant production and their interdependence, but will also be required to synthesise their own knowledge from courses in underlying disciplines, in order to suggest solutions to the often open-ended problems within plant production. The course will be divided into four major themes, three of which are given as structured, fact-based teaching consecutively in the course and one problem-based case which the student will work with in parallel throughout the course. Key elements in cropping systems: The course will start with an overview and discussion of the key elements in plant production and their interdependence in the actual context (crops, cultivars, crop rotation, tillage systems, fertilization, management of pests, diseases and weeds, irrigation, technologies). Quantitative and qualitative aspects of crop yield for both food, feed, fibre and fuel production will be introduced. The environmental aspects of plant production, including current national and EU-regulations, will be discussed, as will the potential for using modern technology to increase crop production efficiency and sustainability. Critical analyses of Decision Support Systems (DSS) in crop production: IT and Decision Support Systems (DSS) used e.g. for prediction and modeling have become central tools in management and advisory regarding crop production. In the second theme, students will be introduced to and work with various DSS and models in plant production. Students will be required to evaluate and classify various DSS, reflect about farmers' and other stakeholders decision making, and discuss the barriers for knowledge transfer from science to management and vice-versa (deliverable 1). Cropping systems comparisons - Organic, IPM, no-till, precision farming, conventional : The third theme of the course will deal with contemporary trends in plant production such as precision agriculture, integrated production systems and sustainable farming. This theme will be organised around a number of colloquia and one or two excursions, where different production systems are compared, e.g. organic vs. conventional, no-till vs. conventional tillage, precision farming vs. conventional etc. and good agricultural practice (GAP) is discussed. Students will be required to present papers and write a short essay (deliverable 2). Case-study: During the work with DSS (theme 2) students will also be introduced to some real-life crop production cases (various farms) and the actors involved (e.g., the farmer, his advisor, suppliers and buyers of the product). With the help of the DSS the students will first analyse the case systematically, with respect to e.g. productivity, profitability and environmental impact. Then based on interactions with various stakeholders, the students work out adequate and timely advice on particular crop management problems. The case-study is assessed based on a report. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching in the course will be based on a combination of fact based learning, structured by the teachers as a mixture of lectures and exercises, and problem based learning, where students will work with a real-life crop production case and the stakeholders involved (e.g., a farmer, a R-and-D group, The Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, The Danish Plant Directorate). The problem based learning part requires students to work independently to solve problems rather than receiving direct instructions on what to do from the teacher or the stakeholders. | |||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| The objective of the course is to enable students to work with, analyse and give recommendation about complex, real-life problems within crop production systems. Knowledge: - Demonstrate overview of components of farming and cropping systems and their interactions. - Describe the complexity of biological, chemical and physical factors affecting crop production. - Critically reflect on the environmental impacts of crop production and their mitigation. - Demonstrate overview of the similarities and differences between various plant production systems (organic, integrated, conventional) and implementation of new technologies (e.g. no-till, precision farming). - Critically reflect about model-based interventions in management of plant production. Skills: - Analyse crop production systematically, with respect to productivity, profitability and environmental impact. - Apply up-to-date DSS tools and for strategic planning and management of crop production, including crop rotation, fertilisation, plant protection and postharvest management. Competences: - Provide adequate and timely advice on applied crop management and environmental impacts, promoting good agricultural practice (GAP). - Reflect about farmers' and other stakeholders decision making, interactions with DSS and the common gap between theory and practice. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||
| Literature will be made available on Campusnet at least 2 weeks prior to course start. Various DSS software will be made available. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Lars Stoumann Jensen, lsj@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 35333470 Jesper Rasmussen, jer@life.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Environment, Resources and Technology, Phone: 35333456 Hans Jørgen Lyngs Jørgensen, hjo@life.ku.dk, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology/Plant Pathology Section, Phone: 35332323 Peter Esbjerg, pe@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Section of Zoology, Phone: 35332686 | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||
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