AGRN 176
PRINCIPLES OF CROP SCIENCE
Fall 2012
I. General Information
AGRN 176 (Principles of Crop Science) is a 3 credit hour course, focusing on the basic principles
underlying production of agronomic crop plants; identification of crop plants, seeds, and important pests.
Lecture:
Laboratory:
MW 8:00-8:50 a.m., Knoblauch 152
041 - T 10:00-11:50 a.m., Knoblauch 226 or AFL – Agronomy Unit
042 - T 1:00-2:50 p.m., Knoblauch 226 or AFL – Agronomy Unit
043 - T 3:00-4:50 p.m., Knoblauch 226 or AFL – Agronomy Unit
Instructor:
Dr. Mark Bernards
227 Knoblauch Hall
Tele: 309-298-1569
Email: ml-bernards@wiu.edu
Office Hours:
M 1:00-1:50 p.m.; W 11:00-11:50 a.m, F 8:00-9:50 a.m. or by appointment
Required Texts:
Sheaffer, C.C. and K.M. Moncada. 2012. Introduction to Agronomy – Food, Crops and Environment.
Second ed. Delmar Cengage Learning, Clifton Park, New York.
Other readings will be made available through Western Online, the Internet, or Course Reserve at the
Malpass Library.
II. University Policies and Expectations (Fine print up front)
Student rights and responsibilities: A complete description is available at
www.wiu.edu/provost/students.
Academic Integrity (http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php): Western Illinois University, like all
communities, functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust.
. . It is the student's responsibility to be informed and to abide by all University regulations and policies
on Academic Integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty (fabrication,
falsification, complicity in academic dishonesty, etc) constitute a serious violation of University conduct
regulations. . . Any student, faculty member, or staff person who has witnessed an apparent act of student
academic dishonesty, or has information that reasonably leads to the conclusion that such an act has
occurred or has been attempted, has an ethical responsibility for reporting said act(s).
The policy for AGRN 176: Any confirmed act of academic dishonesty (especially plagiarism or cheating)
will result in an “F” for the course.
Non-Discrimination (http://www.wiu.edu/policies/affirmact.php): Western Illinois University is
committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment for its students,
faculty, and staff that is free from discrimination based on sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender
identity and gender expression, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Disabilities: In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an
accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s) you must obtain
documentation of the need for an accommodation through Disability Resource Center (DRC) and provide
it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's
attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students
who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the
instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability
Resource Center (DRC) at 298-2512 for additional services.”
Education Majors: The changes within the state certification requirements go into effect immediately
for all of those students who graduate in the spring 2012 and after. You are required to receive a grade of
a "C" or better in this course. With the new university +/- grading system, receiving a "C-" or below will
require you to retake this course or find a substitute course to meet School of Agriculture graduation
requirements.
III. Course Expectations and Policies
1. Live the Golden Rule. Treat others with respect and courtesy in your conversation and actions. Turn
off and put away all electronic devices during the class period. Class is not the time to read the
newspaper or magazines.
2. Show up. Attendance and punctuality is expected. Notify the instructor in advance if you have any
reason to miss a class period. A minimum of 24 h notice (email or phone) is required if there is any
cause to miss an exam. If you do miss a class period, do not ask the instructor “Did I miss anything
important?” It is your responsibility to make arrangements to get the information you missed and to
make up any missed assignments.
3. Participate. Be prepared for class discussions by completing readings, taking notes, asking questions,
and working effectively with other students on lab and lecture activities.
4. Study. You should plan to spend a minimum of 3 hours outside of lecture/lab each week to
adequately learn the material.
5. Complete assignments. Assignments not turned in on the assigned date will have 10% of the total
potential points deducted for each day after the due date. The instructor will generally return exams
and assignments within 1 week.
6. The use of tobacco is prohibited in Knoblauch Hall, nor is it allowed during laboratory sessions at the
AFL.
Two dismissals due to disruptive or unprofessional behavior will result in a permanent disbarment
from the course and a final grade of “F” will be assigned.
IV. Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course you should be able to:
a. Provide examples of how important field crops were domesticated and how they are currently
used to benefit humanity
b. Identify plant organs and describe the purpose of those organs
c. Describe how environmental factors affect plant growth and development
d. Give examples of how plants respond to environmental stresses or the impact caused by other
organisms
e. Explain photosynthesis and respiration
f. Explain the importance of water and nutrients to plant growth and function
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
Describe different ways how plants reproduce
Demonstrate how plant breeding and genetic modification is used to improve crop productivity
Outline the life cycle of perennial, biennial, and annual plant species
Give examples of common cropping systems and practices
Define integrated pest management and be able to identify common weed, insect and diseases
that impact crop production and common control methods
l. Demonstrate an ability to define a hypothesis and design an experiment to test the hypothesis
m. Describe how different cropping practices (tillage, planting, pest management, crop rotation,
harvest, storage, etc.) affect productivity and profitability
n. Show proficiency in calculating seeding rates, yields, fertilizer rates, pesticide rates, etc.
V. Grading
Probable Grade components
Lab participation
Lab quizzes
Lecture participation/assignments
Lecture quizzes
Final exam
Grading Scale
Percentage
93.0-100
90.0-92.9
87.0-89.9
83.0-86.9
80.0-82.9
77.0-79.9
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
Portion
15%
15%
10%
42%
18%
Percentage
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
63.0-66.9
60.0-62.9
<59.9
Grade
C
CD+
D
DF
VI. Learning Assessment
Laboratory participation: There will be an assignment/activity each laboratory period that will help you
better understand the material. You will often be expected to work in small groups
Laboratory Quizzes: There will be a quiz at the beginning of each laboratory period over material covered
in the previous lab assignment(s).
Lecture Participation/Assignments: Students will be expected to ask/answer questions during lectures.
There will be some in class activities and homework assignments to help you better learn the material.
Lecture Quizzes: A 20-25 minute quiz will be given in the latter half of a lecture period every other
week. The purpose of frequent quizzes is to help you keep current with the material.
Final Exam: The final exam will assess your understanding of all the material covered in both the
lectures and the laboratory activities. It will be comprehensive.
VII. Acknowledgements – I appreciate the assistance of Dr. Gordon Roskamp, Dr. Karen Renner, Dr.
Donald Lee, and Dr. Stephen Mason for the use of materials they developed for similar courses and their
willingness to share them with me.
VIII. Probable Course Calendar
Date
Lecture Topics
Aug 20
Classifying and Naming Plants
Aug 22
Crop Domestication and Food
Aug 27
Aug 29
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 10
Sept 12
Sept 17
Plant Anatomy and Morphology
Corn 1, Growth and Development,
Quiz
Labor Day, no class
Corn 2, Chemistry of Food
Soybean 1
Soybean 2, N fixation, Quiz
Wheat and Alfalfa
Sept 19
Sept 24
Plant cells, Photosynthesis and Resp.
Photosynthesis and Respiration
Sept 26
Oct 1
Scientific method, Quiz
Water, Light, Temperature, and Plant
Hormones
Climate and weather
Agroecosystems
WIU Ag Career Fair
Diseases, Quiz
Insects
Weeds
Integrated Pest Management
Harvest and Storage, Quiz
Seed Anatomy, Composition and Seed
Laws
Genetics and Propagation
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Soil Composition and Biology , Quiz
Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrients
Cropping Systems, Organic Ag
471-500
174-175
379-394
199-218
218-227
301-324
324-336
339-365,
503-530
Oct 3
Oct 8
Oct 10
Oct 15
Oct 17
Oct 22
Oct 24
Oct 29
Oct 31
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 12
Nov 14
Nov 19,
21
Nov 26
Nov 28
Dec 3
Dec 5
Dec 10
Reading
(Pages)
83-100,
195-197
1-11, 103130
157-176
191-195,
534-541
Date
Lab topic (Location)
Aug 21
Classifying and Naming Plants
(AFL)
Aug 28
Plant Anatomy and Structure (AFL)
Sept 4
Corn Growth Stages (AFL)
Sept 11
Soybean Growth Stages (AFL)
Sept 18
Seeding Rates and Plant Populations
(AFL)
Sept 25
Estimating Corn and Soybean Yield
(AFL)
Suppl.
183-195
Oct 2
Hypothesis Testing, Scientific
Method and Research (AFL)
229-264
267-299
Oct 9
Variety Selection (AFL)
Oct 16
Diseases and Insects (AFL)
Oct 23
Weeds and Pesticide Application
(AFL)
Oct 30
Seeds and Planting (AFL)
Nov 6
Flowers and Reproduction (226 KH)
Nov 13
Soils and Fertilizers (TBA)
Nov 27
Plants Under Stress (226 KH)
Dec 4
Precision Ag (TBA)
133-155
580-586
186-188
Ch 19
Ch 20
177-183
179-183
439-456
456-462
397-436
462-469
Thanksgiving Break
Tillage
History of Agriculture, Quiz
Farming Today
Feeding the World
FINAL EXAM, 8:00 -9:50 a.m.,
Knoblauch 152
369-379
11-32
35-65
67-81