Agronomy

Agronomists are in short supply!

In this course, you'll build a solid foundation in the principles and practices underpinning broad acre crop production. You'll also study:

• Influences on crop growth
• Good crop husbandry practices
• Seed management
• Arable cereal and broadleaf crops
• Harvesting

You will also develop your ability to interpret and apply information practically,for farms and other agricultural applications. The course culminates in a Problem-Based Learning Project, to help cement your learning.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. INTRODUCTION TO AGRONOMIC PRACTICES
   • Introduction
   • Crop Types
   • Plant structure and Function
   • Transpiration rate
   • Selection Criteria for Plants
   • Understanding monoculture
   • Row Crops
   • Cover Crops
   • Crop Operations
   • Planter types
2. CULTURE - WHAT INFLUENCES CROP GROWTH
   • Soils
   • Problems with soils
   • Loss of soil problems
   • Erosion
   • Salinity
   • Soil sodicity
   • Soil acidity and alkalinity
   • Improving soils
   • Cultivation techniques
   • Plant nutrition
   • Nutrient deficiencies
   • Organic fertilisers
   • Soil life
   • Insect Pests
   • Diseases
3. CROP HUSBANDRY PRACTICES
   • Operations
   • Identifying weeds
   • Ways to control weeds
   • Spraying
   • Irrigation
   • Chemical crop protection
   • Preparing plant pathogens for microscopic observation
   • Culturing Pathogens
   • Natural pest and disease control
   • Physical controls
   • Organic sprays and dusts
4. SEED AND SEED MANAGEMENT
   • Seed storage
   • Types of seed storage
   • Seed vigour testing
   • Dormancy factors affecting germination
   • Germination treatments
   • Types of media
   • Media derived from rock or stone
   • Media derived from synthetic materials
   • Organic media
   • Diseases
   • Salinity build up
5. ARABLE CEREAL CROPS
   • Cereal crops
   • Zadock's Growth scale
   • Wheat
   • Barley
   • Oats
   • Triticale
   • Sorghum
   • Maize
   • Rice
   • Millet
   • Sugar cane
   • Ryegrass
   • Hay and Silage
   • Quality control
   • Storage and handling
   • Hydroponic fodder
6. ARABLE BROAD LEAF CROPS
   • Characteristics of broad leaf crops
   • Oil crops
   • Chickpeas
   • Narrow-leafed lupins
   • Canola
   • Faba/fava beans
   • Cover crops
   • Common legumes
7. HARVESTING
   • Crop preparation for harvest
   • Crop harvest equipment
   • Forage harvesting equipment
   • Cereal harvesting equipment
   • Root crop harvesting equipment
   • Grain storage
   • Contract harvesting
8. CROP MANAGEMENT - SPECIAL PROJECT
   • Crop management from planting to post harvest handling

Aims

• Describe the nature and scope of Agronomic Practices within your country and beyond.
• Discuss what is grown, where it is grown and the diversity.
• Identify factors that affect the success of a crop, including soil condition, weather and biological influences such as pests and diseases.
• Describe significant practices used by farmers in the growing of an agronomic crop.
• Explain how to achieve successful seed germination for different agronomic crops under different conditions in the field.
• Discuss and describe practices used to farm cereals for harvest and sale as cash crops.
• Discuss practices used to farm broad leaf crops, for harvest and sale as cash crops.
• Describe different harvesting equipment and techniques including post-harvest handling and treatments for a range of different crops.
• Develop a management plan for a crop from planting through to post harvest handling.

What You Will Do

• Go to your local department of primary industries (or equivalent), collect cropping guides on crops grown locally in your area. Ensure your information includes broadleaf, legume and grass (cereal crops). Collect fodder crop information also and find out what the main fodder crops are in your area.
• Obtain pictures of the seed and mid season crop and mature crop. Become familiar with agronomic terms and start a glossary, use library, text and internet searches to complete this task.
• Having looked at what crops are grown in your region, now look at the soil types. What type of soil is common to your region. What are the main features to these soils? That is, what colour is the soil, what texture is it, does it have a high sand or clay content, does the soil drain well, or waterlog? How did this soil form?
• Collect photos of the various planting, cultivating and harvesting equipment used in your country and write brief notes on when and where you would use which machine and for which crop. Do this for a maximum of 5 pieces of equipment.
• Collect samples of your own seed (for 4 different crops), from a local farmer or produce store. Perform your own germination test using the cotton wool method. Take photos on day two, and the final day. Record the number of seed germinating per day, and then the total number on the final day.
• Develop a management plan for a crop from planting through to post harvest handling.

Sample Course Notes - Tips for choosing a crop

 

The following tips will help in determining selection of a cover crop:

• Type of crop - Perennial crops are generally preferred over annuals. With annuals, large populations of nematodes often move into the soil after maturing, causing problems for the root system of any subsequent plantings.
• Effect on soil pH – Alkaline-tolerant plants such as sorghum and barley can be grown to reclaim alkaline (lime) soils. Growing a single crop of these plants may cause sufficient acidification to allow less lime-tolerant legumes to be grown, further acidifying the soil and allowing it to be used for livestock or a cash crop.
• Timing - The crop should be incorporated (tilled) before maturity (i.e. before flowers and seeds form).
• Water use - While cover crops, like any other crops, do use water, their root growth can lead to better penetration of water into the soil. Additionally, residual organic material left by the plants will lead to increased water conservation.

What is involved in planting a crop?

Planting is probably the most important agronomic operation in the life cycle of the crop.  Harvest is certainly an important consideration but without an established crop there will be nothing to harvest.  Before a crop can be planted, one needs to look at a number of criteria.  Firstly what are soil surface conditions like?

• Has the field been cultivated previously?
• Is there stubble present from the previous crop?
• What sort of soil are you planting into, is it heavy black clay or lighter sandy soil?
• What is the ideal planting depth for hte seed of the crop you intend to grow?
• Can the seed be deep sown, or does it have to be near the surface?
• What is the ideal plant population and row spacing?

Having researched this information, a decision then needs to be made on the type of planter required to do the job.

This course is useful for -