Sustainability in the
Curriculum – A Case Study in
Horticulture
Amy N. Wright
Professor, Horticulture
awright@auburn.edu
HORT 3000 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF
HORTICULTURAL PLANTS
 Required for all undergraduate Horticulture students
 Basic Plant Physiology with applications to Horticulture
 Production
 Landscape
 Turf
 3 credit lecture course
 Canvas for posting notes, assignments, study guides,
and grades
 Optional text books
Course Objectives
 Gain knowledge of plant structures and their
development.
 Understand physiological processes of plant
development.
 Use physiological principles to predict and describe
plant behavior during production and in the landscape.
 Understand applications of plant physiological principles
for sustainable horticulture.
Texts
 Introduction to Plant Physiology, 3rd ed. 2004. William G.
Hopkins and Norman P.A. Huner.
 Principles of Ecology in Plant Production. 1998. Eds. T.R.
Sinclair and F.P. Gardner.
 The Ecology of Plants, 2nd ed. 2006. J. Gurevitch, S.
Scheiner, and G. Fox.
Lecture Topics
 Invasive Plant Biology
 Green Roof Plants
 Plant Stress
 Greywater Reuse, Phytoremediation, Flooding, Pollution, Drought
 Secondary Plant Metabolites
 Medicinal, human health
 LID Landscaping (Low Impact Development)
 Alabama Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 Native Plants
Survey Questions
 Something you hope to learn from this class:
 How would you define plant physiology?
 What do think sustainable horticulture involves?
Written Assignment
 Select a native horticultural plant. Give its scientific and common
name and state whether the plant is a monocot or a dicot, a
perennial or an annual, and if perennial, whether evergreen or
deciduous. Also discuss whether it prefers sun or shade, its growth
habit, its growth rate, and its hardiness zone.
 Describe your plant’s native habitat in terms of other vegetation
typically present, soil type, topography, and geographic
distribution. Discuss its uses (at least 2) in the landscape or
garden. Discuss one way your plant could be used to promote
sustainability in the landscape or garden. Discuss at least one
tolerance or susceptibility to an environmental stress for your plant.
Links
 Alabama Plant Atlas
 Alabama Smart Yards
 Alabama Invasive Plants Council
 Alabama's 10 Worst Invasive Weeds
 Alabama Invasive Plant list
 United States National Arboretum
 National Arboretum Invasive Plant List
 Low Impact Development
 Minor in Sustainability Studies at AU
 US Drought Monitor
Additional Course Dimensions
 Increased awareness of sustainability issues in the
landscape and in production
 Increased connectivity to natural environment
 Understanding physiology
 Plants as part of ecosystem
 Scale up from cell level to ecosystem level
 Illustrate ways to contribute personally to landscape
sustainability
Additional Course Dimensions
 Sense of pride in major
 Role Horticulture can play in sustainability efforts
 Value of Horticultural plants as a natural resource
 Shift focus from ornamental to ecosystem services
 Emphasis on biodiversity
Sustainability
 “Meeting human needs now and in the future in a fair, just, and equitable
way while protecting and maintaining healthy ecosystems in perpetuity.”
 AU Office of Sustainability
 Many diverse components; plants are just one (but important!) component
Sustainability in the
Curriculum – A Case Study in
Horticulture
Amy N. Wright
Professor, Horticulture
awright@auburn.edu