Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Lesson 1, Intro, Population
Instructor:
Dr. Stephen L. Love
Aberdeen R & E Center
1693 S 2700 W
Aberdeen, ID 83210
Phone: 397-4181 Fax: 397-4311
Email: slove@uidaho.edu
Far Side
Calvin & Hobbes
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Objectives
Appreciate importance of vegetable industry
Improve knowledge of vegetable crop systems
history
classification
culture and production
handling and marketing
Think critically of crop requirements
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Text Book:
World Vegetables: Principles,
Production, and Nutritive Values
2nd Edition.
Vincent E. Rubatzky
Mas Yamaguchi
1997 or 2007, Chapman and Hall
ISBN: 0-412-11221-3 (1997)
ISBN: 0-834-21867-6 (2007)
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Veg Crops web site:
Course syllabus (keep it handy)
Supplemental reading assignments
Course lecture notes
Lecture PowerPoint files
Site address: http://courses.cals.uidaho.edu/plsc451/
This course will not use UI BbLearn
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Other Reading:
Other textbook chapters
Crop production guides
Handling and marketing information
Posted on the Veg Crops web site at least 1 week
prior to discussion.
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Exams:
1 hour, 15 minute exam period
Combination of:
True/False
Multiple choice
Critical essay
Final exam partly comprehensive
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Term Paper/Presentation:
Pick a minor vegetable crop
Complete and turn in a report outline
Complete a written term paper
(6-10 pages, dbl spaced plus references)
Complete a presentation (10 minutes)
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Term Paper/Presentation:
Grade Breakdown:
Outline – 2 points
Completed paper – 9 points
Presentation – 9 points
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Term Paper/Presentation Content:
Taxonomy
Use and importance
Propagation
Production and Pest Control
Post-harvest handling
Marketing
Recipes (optional)
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Term Paper/Presentation:
Examples of minor vegetables: (see text)
Amaranth
Amaranthus tricolor
Asparagus
Asparagus officianalis
Cardoon
Cynara cardunculus
Chervil
Anthriscus cerefolium
Choyote
Sechium edule
Cowpea
Vigna sinensis
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Examples of minor vegetables:
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Gherkin
Cucumis anguira
Ground cherryPhysalis pubescens
Jackfruit
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Martynia
Proboscidea lousiana
Okra
Hibiscus esculentus
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Examples of minor of vegetables:
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa
Peanut
Arachis hypogaea
Plantain
Musa paradisiaca
Rhubarb
Rheum rhaponticum
Rutabaga
Brassica campestris
Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Examples of minor vegetables:
Seakale
Cramb maritima
Sorrel
Rumex acetosa
Swiss chard Beta vulgaris var. cicla
Taro
Colocasia esculenta
Watercress Rorippa nasturtium
Other minor succulent or spice crops
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Group Project:
Work in groups of 4 (3-5) people
Choose a major vegetable crop (from approved list)
Contrast 3 production systems
Traditional
Organic
Subsistence
Meet at least 4 times (keep a log of activities)
Present written and oral report of findings
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Approved list of Group Project crops:
White potato
Solanum tuberosum
Sweet potatoes
Ipomoea batatas
Sweet corn
Zea mays
Onions
Allium cepa
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea
Tomato
Lycopersicon lycopersicum
Pepper
Capsicum annuum
Melon (cantaloupe)
Cucumis melo
Carrot
Daucus carota
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Reading Assignments/Log:
Reading assignments completed before each lecture
Keep a reading log (electronic or handwritten):
Record date
Write 2-3 paragraphs summarizing information
Write statement of one newly discovered concept
Submit reading log at the end of the semester
*2 randomly chosen people will read logs each week
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Grading Rubric:
2 interim exams (15 points each)
Final exam (20 points)
Term paper/presentation (20 points)
Group activity(15 points)
Reading log (15 points)
Common grading (90+ A, 80-90 B, etc)
PLSC551 scoring adjusted for graduate project
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Exam 1 – Sept 19
Term paper topic due – Sept 26
Term paper outline due – Oct 10
Exam 2 – Oct 22
Group project report due – Oct 31
Written term papers due – Nov 14
Presentations – Nov 28, Dec 3, 5
Final Exam – Dec 11 (UI), Dec 14 (WSU)
No class Sep 3, Nov 19, 21 (Arrangements for WSU Nov 12)
Vegetable Crops –PLSC 451/551
Graduate Course Credit (PLSC551)
Additional Project
Visit an operating greenhouse facility
Complete a report on the crops produced,
production practices, marketing strategies, etc.
Grading will be adjusted: interim exams 12 points,
final exam 17 points, term paper 17 points,
graduate project 20 points, group activity 11
points, and reading log 11 points.
Keep your syllabus
handy.
Vegetable Crops - definition
Webster’s definition of vegetable
“A herbaceous plant cultivated for food, the
edible part or parts of such plants”
Vegetable Crops - definition
Are Not:
Cereal crops
Sugar crops
Pulse crops
Woody fruit crops
Are:
Almost everything else
90+ economically important crops of
various types and species
Vegetable Crops – other features
Generally cultured as annuals
Mostly propagated from seed
Many are insect pollinated
Highly variable in climate and environment
Most require intensive management
Production acreage is usually small
All are very important in the human diet
Vegetable Crops – PlSc 451/551

WHY are we studying vegetable
crops?
Nutrition
Diet diversification
Food security

Because they are critical to betterment of the
human condition
Questions for Discussion

What is projected for
human population in
the future?
 How
will we feed all of
these people?
Human Population Growth
Thomas Malthus’, An Essay on the
Principle of Population:
Geometric expansion of people
1x – 2x – 4x – 8x – 16x etc…
Linear increase in food supply
1 – 2 - 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7…

Human Population

Feeding the hungry masses
North Korea (2 million deaths)
Many areas of Africa
Afghanistan
One person in seven is
chronically underfed
Human Population Growth - Factors




Dependable food production,
transportation
Rising incomes
Improved housing and hygiene
Medical advances
Life expectancy in 1900: 47 years
in 1998: 75 years
http://www.un.org/
Human Population Growth
Page 7, Fig 1.7, Chrispeels and Sadava. Plant, Genes
and Crop Biotechnology. 2nd Ed.
Human Population Growth
Page 2, Fig 1.2, Chrispeels and Sadava. Plant, Genes
and Crop Biotechnology. 2nd Ed.
Human Population Growth
In the last half of the previous century:
Page 4, Fig 1.4, Chrispeels and Sadava. Plant, Genes
and Crop Biotechnology. 2nd Ed.
Human Population Growth
Page 5, Fig 1.6, Chrispeels and Sadava. Plant, Genes
and Crop Biotechnology. 2nd Ed.
Human Population Growth
UN Population Division predicts:



Fertility will continue to decline to
replacement in 2050
Life expectancy will continue to
improve (HIV?)
Overall population will level off at
10.5 billion people by 2150.
Greatest growth – greatest need – in areas of the
world where subsistence farming is practiced
Human Population Growth
Migration:
The U.S. receives over 1 million
immigrants a year
Europe migrants from North Africa and
Middle East
From southern and eastern Europe to the
western European nations
Human Population Growth
Migration: within countries
common
In developing nations in 1850,
11% of the population lived in
the cities
Currently, 84% of the population
lives in urban areas
Human Population Growth
How do we increase food supply to
match increasing populations?
Increase amount of land in production.
Increase the productivity of land
already in use.
Sustainability issues (Earth Summit II)
Human Population Growth
Importance to a class in Vegetable Crops?
Caloric needs versus Nutritional needs
There is a shortage of food materials
(fruits and veggies, tubers, root crops, nuts),
which are the most important plant foods to
supply humans with many of their nutritional
needs:
minerals, vitamins, proteins, starches,
fats, and sugars.
Human Population Growth
“If the global community continues to work
together to find ways to increase agricultural
productivity and income sustainability, it will be able
to meet the challenges of a growing world population
while providing better, healthier life for all the world's
citizens. Better agriculture unleashes economic
growth, raises incomes and leads to smaller families.”
Lisa Rao – Calypso Log