LPLK10367U Tropical Crop Production

Volume 2019/2020
Education

MSc Programme in Environment and Development
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Sustainable Development in Agriculture (Agris Mundus)

Content

The course focuses on capacity development in tropical crop production. The students will be exposed to the major crop science elements that are instrumental to a sustainable crop production, optimizing the use of agrobiodiversity and land management practices. Main disciplines are:

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

ii. Tropical Crops
An overview of major tropical crops, their intrinsic properties and their cultivation with special emphasis on small-holder conditions. Cultivation and rotation of crops under unimodal and bimodal rainy seasons.

iii. Cropping systems
Studies of small holder cropping systems under various agro-ecological conditions in the dry and humid tropics.

Learning Outcome

Provide students, having a BSc-level background in agricultural sciences or equivalent, with a comprehensive understanding of the properties of selected tropical crop species and their management in tropical rainfed and irrigated agro-ecosystems. Focus is on climate related production constraints, that is abiotic and biotic stresses, and human endeavor to optimize crop production in small-scale farming, within the context of poverty alleviation and sustainable crop production.

When students have completed the course they should have attained:
Knowledge
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of tropical crop production
- Understand the characteristics of major tropical crops
- Demonstrate overview of tropical cropping 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.

Literature

Papers uploaded on Absalon

Tropical Crop Production I - Selected papers

Tropical Crop Production II – Manual for practical and theoretical exercises

Basic courses in crop science, plant physiology and statistics

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
The course combines lectures and theoretical and practical exercises. Lectures will outline the background and support the exercises.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 4
  • Guidance
  • 10
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Preparation
  • 68
  • Theory exercises
  • 70
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 25 min
During the course the student are participating in group work in which they write a group report (approximate 10 pages). The students are individual examined in the content of the group report and are further examined in the rest of course curriculum. Examination in the report weight 35 % and examination in curriculum weight 65 %. No preparation time before the oral examination.
Exam registration requirements

Theoretical and practical exercise report submission

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Re-exam

As the ordinary exam.

If the student has not participated in the group report, an assignment is given three weeks before the exam. The student has to hand in an individual report based on the assignment (approximate 5 pages). At the oral examination the students will then be examined in the report and in the rest of the curriculum. Examination in the rapport weight 35 % and examination in curriculum weight 65 %.

Criteria for exam assesment

see learning outcome