Course description

This course provides a broad understanding of soil forming factors, soil characteristics, climate, nutrient supply and crop production, biology of crop plants, crop establishment and protection, harvest management, farming systems and crop rotations.

Instructors
Dr. Tee Boon Goh, Department of Soil Science, Room 311 Ellis Building, Phone: 474-6046, e-mail: gohtb@ms.umanitoba.ca
Gary Martens, Department of Plant Science, Room 109 Agriculture Building, Phone: 474-6097, email: gary_martens@umanitoba.ca

Office hours
Dr. Tee Boon Goh - Monday, Wednesday & Friday 2:30pm to 4:00pm by appointment.
Gary Martens - Monday - Friday 8:30am to 4:30 by appointment preferred

Lectures
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:30pm-2:20pm, Room 172 Agriculture Building
Lecture notes will be available for each class.
Certain texts and other crop production literature will be on reserve in the Agriculture Library for reference or supplement to the course.

Laboratory Assistants

Soils labs: Luca Coppi, Rm 301 Ellis Building, umcoppi@cc.umanitoba.ca, availability 2:30-4:30 PM Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

Plant labs: Mihiri Manimel Wadu, Rm 376 Ellis Building, ummanime@cc.umanitoba.ca , availability 10:00AM to 12 NOON

Laboratories

Tuesday (B01) 8:30am-9:45am, Room 318 Ellis Bldg. (soils) / Room 138 Agriculture Bldg. (crops)
Thursday (B02) 11:30am-12:45pm, Room 318 Ellis Bldg. (soils) / Room 138 Agriculture Bldg. (crops)
Thursday (B03) 10:00am-11:15am, Room 318 Ellis Bldg. (sopils)/ Room 134 Agriculture Bldg. (crops)

Lab attendance is mandatory and attendance will be recorded for each lab session, with one-half bonus mark added only for full attendance, or subtracted for absence.
Laboratories begin second week of classes September 27.
Laboratory manual is required and is available in the University Book Store.

 Grade Distribution
Lecture quizzes (5) 30% grade based on best 4 of 5 quizzes (7.5% each)
Laboratory soils and crops) 30%
. in lab work sheets 2 marks per lab (8 labs x 2 marks = 16 marks)
. Final lab exam (date and location to be announced) 14 marks
. written component
Final lecture exam (soils and crops) 40% Note: All components of the course are required and must be completed if a grade is to be assigned

Laboratory attendance (9 labs)
. attendance is mandatory (incomplete if more than 2 labs are missed)
. 0.5% (bonus marks) added for each lab attended in full
. 0.5% subtracted for each lab not attended in full

Final course grades
Grades shall be recommended by the instructor in reference to the approved grade scales on the basis of each student's performance. The mark will be translated into a letter grade according to the following:

Academic dishonesty
Academic dishonesty, as described in the section on General Academic Regulations and Policy of the University General Calendar, will lead to serious academic penalty.

Description of lectures (tentative) G = Goh, M = Martens

DATE: Fall 2010 LECTURE TOPIC (INSTRUCTOR) QUIZZES

September 20 Introduction (G, M)
September 22 Soil Quality and Agricultural Production (G)
September 24 Soil Textural Classes (G)
September 27 Soil pH and Nutrient Availability (G)
September 29 Macro - and Micro-Nutrients (G)
October 1 Nutrient Deficiencies (G) Quiz #1
October 4 Nutrient Toxicities (G)
October 6 Diagnosing Nutrient Disorders (G)
October 8 Soil Structure and Recognizing Soil Structure Problems (G)
October 11No classes: Thanksgiving holiday
October 13 Saline Soils (G) Quiz #2
October 15 Agriculture Origin and Evolution (M)
October 18 Plant Biology:Transport, Transpiration, Photosynthesis, Respiration (M)
October 20 GPS, GIS, Agri-Maps Viewer, GoogleEarth (M)
October 22 Agronomy: Crop Yield Increases (M)
October 25 Crop Yield Limitations (M) Quiz #3
October 27 Tillage Systems (M)
October 29 Seeding Practices (M)
November 1 Crop Rotations (M)
November 3 Crop Rotations (M) Quiz #4
November 5 Pedigreed Seed Production (M)
November 8 Crop Protection (M)
November 10 Crop Protection (M)
November 12 Harvest Management (M)
November 15 Harvest Management (M)Quiz #5
November 17 Risk Management and Case Study (M)
November 19 Sodic Soils (G)
November 22 Calculating Fertilizer Requirements (G)
November 24 Soil Testing (G)
November 26 Soil Sampling and Nitrogen in Soils (G)
November 29 Nitrogen in Soils (G)
December 1 Soils at Risk for disease and Erosion (G)

Description of laboratories

DATE: Fall 2010

Lab 1 September 28,30 Soil Texture 318 Ellis
Lab 2 October 5, 7 Soil Capability 318 Ellis
Lab 3 October12, 14 Lime Content and Other Properties 318 Ellis
Lab 4 October 19, 21 Plant ID 138 Agriculture
Lab 5 October 26, 28 Seed Structure and Germination 138 Agriculture
Lab 6 November 2, 4 Soil Water 318 Ellis
Lab 7, 8 November 16, 18 Emergence, Growth and Development 138 Agriculture
Lab 9 November 23,25 Flowers and Inflorescences 138 Agriculture

Final Lab exam November _25 at 6PM__