Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to: fully understand the development of crop production in Ireland and appreciate the factors that have influenced it in the past and may do in the future. Students should also be able to explain and demonstrate the relevance of the basic sciences in crop science including:
1. Describe and explain the importance of crops for world food production.
2. Identify and describe the basic principles of plant growth.
3. Evaluate the theoretical and practical aspects of agronomic principles
Indicative Module Content:
History of Agriculture: Crop Domestication
Feeding the World
Crop classification
Biology of plant reproductive systems.
Food versus fuel
Chemistry of food plants
Genetic improvement of crops
Biotechnology in Crops
Picking from the sun
Sustainable agriculture
Cropping systems
Soil
Biotic stress: Plant pathogens
Abiotic Stress
GMOs
Plant Resistance