Dr. Fouad Daayf

Fundamentals of Horticulture PLNT2510

Term I -September - December

Instructor	Goals	Objectives	Text
	Schedule	Tentative Lab Schedule	Dates to Remember
Evaluation	Important Remarks	Late Submissions	General Academic Regulations
Lab Outline	Lectures	Project

Instructor

	Office	Telephone	E-mail
Dr. F. DAAYF	225 Agriculture	204-474-6096	Daayff@ms.umanitoba.ca

The instructor is available for consultation any time except during class time .

Goals

1. To be able to appreciate and describe the diversity of activities in horticulture and demonstrate the importance of horticulture commodities to the economy

2. To understand the role of horticulture in improving the quality of life of consumers and the impact horticulture has on the environment

3. To develop an understanding of the principles of the production, marketing, and utilization of horticultural commodities

Objectives

1. Be able to describe the environmental and economic factors that need to be considered in the production of specific horticultural products on the Prairies and in other climatic regions of the world according to the following:

1.1 Temperature, soil and water requirements for economic production

1.2 Cost factors associated with production

1.3 Availability of markets

1.4 Distribution methods and problems

2. Be able to describe the positive and negative effects horticultural crop production and horticultural products have on the environment (soil, air, water)

3. Given a specific commodity, identify and discuss the possible alternatives for marketing that commodity

4. Be able to describe the mechanisms available and the recommended procedures for the propagation of specific horticultural crops

Text

No textbook is required for this course, other than the Lab. manual (Fundamentals of Horticulture 39.251 Laboratory Manual. Available at the University Bookstore). However, the following textbooks might be useful to students in this course

1. Janick, J. 1986. Horticultural Science 4th Edition, W.H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco.
(Available in the University Bookstore and on reserve*).

2. Vilaseca, C. 1999. Handbook of Agriculture. M. Dekker, New York, 768 p.Originally published in Spanish by Idea Books.
(reference -UML WR Newman Agriculture- S 496 H3613 1999)

Schedule

Three Lectures and one 3-hour Laboratory per week

Lectures Slot 3 - Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Room: 134 Agriculture

Laboratory Slot 27 - Thursday 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Room: 107 Animal Science

Tentative Laboratory Schedule

#	Date	Topic
01	September 16	Micropropagation
02	September 23	Nursery tour
03	September 30	Postharvest
04	October 7	Lab test 1 Vegetative propagation I
05	October 14	Vegetative propagation II
06	October 21	Morphological structure (vegetative and reproductive)
07	October 28	Lab test #2 Seeding and transplanting I
08	November 04	Seeding and transplanting II Shelterbelts (Computer lab)
09	November 18	Landscape design OR industry tour
10	November 25	Final test

Dates to Remember
Examinations, Tests, Assignments

#	Date	Topic
01	September 25	Project: Proposal/Outline
02	October 7	Lab test # 1
03	October 14	Lab assignment 2 due
04	October 21	Project: First draft
05	October TBA	Midterm Exam
06	October 28	Lab test # 2
07	November 04	Project: Final draft
08	November 18	Lab assignment 1 due
09	November 25	Lab test # 3

Evaluation

#	Topic	%
01	Mid-Term Test	20%
02	Final Exam	30%
03	Lab. Tests (3 @ 5%, 5%, and 10%)	20%
04	Lab. Assignments (2@7.5%)	15%
05	Project	10%
06	Quizzes and participation	5%
	TOTAL	100%

Important Remarks

- Students must receive a passing grade in the lab to pass the course.
- Lab Tests and Lab Assignments (100% of lab grade = 35% of course grade)
- Each lab test will consist of several questions specific to the material covered in the labs.
- Lab tests will be conducted at 2:30 p.m.
- Material studied in lab may be included on final examination.

Late Submissions

Assignments that are submitted after the stated deadline will be deducted 5 % a day of the grade up to the end of the first week and 25 % thereafter for each week the assignment is late.

Note:Student performance in the Midterm and two Lab Tests will be evaluated before the -date TBA- deadline for voluntary withdrawal without academic penalty. Students experiencing difficulty will be counselled accordingly.

General Academic Regulations

Please refer to the University of Manitoba General Calendar for regulations regarding plagiarism and cheating and examination impersonation.

Please note that assignments, reports, or exams which are illegible or poorly written may be subject to refusal or deduction of the final grade.

LECTURES

# Topic

1. Course Introduction

2. Characteristics of Horticultural crops

3. Importance of horticulture
a- Economics
b- Human nutrition & food safety
c- Environmental quality
d- Quality of life/aesthetics
e- Horticulture therapy

4. Horticulture production systems

5. Horticultural crop production and related areas of activity
a- Greenhouse crop production
b- Food crops
- Vegetable crops
- Fruit crops
c- Herbs/spices
d- Turf grass production
e- Ornamental/visual horticulture

6. Climate

7. Production requirements
a- Propagation/Reproduction of plants
b- Soil and water requirements

8. Impact on the environment
a- Soil resource
- effects of production on quality and soil losses
- management alternatives to maintain soil quality
b- Water resource
- water use and quality
- irrigation
- management alternatives to maintain water quality
c- Modification of the rural and urban environment
- shelterbelts
- microclimates
- human activities

9. Post-harvest
a- Perishability of horticultural commodities: Implications in production,
storage, and marketing
b- Preparation for storage
c- Post-harvest handling and storage
d- Post-harvest physiology
e- Food processing

10. Marketing
a- Strategies for different commodities
b- Requirements for packaging
c- Quality considerations
d- Value-added and the service industry
e- Producer commodity groups

PROJECT

Objectives:

1. To write an article on a horticultural topic.
2. To use the internet as a source of horticulture information, being careful to verify the validity of the information
3. To improve written communication skills.

The Article:

Write a two page, double spaced article on different aspects of horticulture.
The report must have a 'catchy' title, be written with proper sentence structure, grammar, and spelling, and must be written in a style that is both informative and interesting to the general public. It should also contain photographs or illustrations.

Collection of Information:

Surfin' the net will provide a wealth of information on a wide range of horticultural topics. The catch is to try to determine if the information you are gathering is in fact correct! As we all know, anyone can develop a webpage and post all sorts of information, whether it be right or wrong.

Information is to be obtained primarily from the internet with verification and supplementation of the information from textbooks, journals, etc. and from producers, extension personnel in government, or university staff.

Information must be referenced whether it be a website address, book, or individual using a uniform, commonly accepted method of literature citation.

The Process:

Proposal/Outline: The selected topic area and outline for article is to submitted by the first Wednesday of October

Final draft:

The article must be submitted to the instructor by Friday of the third week of November.

The Grade:

Your mark will constitute 10% of your final grade

The Topics:

Included below is a list of topics which may give you some ideas of possible subject areas (each topic will be limited to two people). This list is only to provide some ideas since you may choose any subject you wish as long as it is horticultural related. Ensure that the topic is not so broad that it is difficult to include an appropriate amount of detail:

Golf course industry Food safety

Hydroponics Nutraceuticals

Medicinals/herbs Food irradiation

Food safety Plant breeders rights

Horticulture in the north New horticultural crops/cultivars

Horticulture therapy Role of botanic gardens & arboreta

Phytoremediation

Horticultural history Dutch elm disease

Tropical horticulture Landscapes