BSc minor Concepts in Crop Production (WUCCP)

Crop production is essential to human and animal life. Food security, depletion of natural resources and the need for economically viable, sustainable and socially acceptable cropping and farming systems are topics that will become increasingly important in the light of human population growth.

Continue to an overview of this minor

Profile

Sound knowledge of crop physiology and ecology is essential for the development of appropriate plant production systems to assure reliable supplies of safe, high quality food, while taking aspects of biodiversity and nature conservation into account. The investments made in crop production need to be protected from losses due to biotic and abiotic stress.
The development of strategies to study and innovate crop production systems requires an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. In this BSc minor, students will become familiar with the methods, tools and techniques that are essential to develop systems thinking and a multidisciplinary approach.

This BSc minor is preparatory for the MSc Plant Sciences, specialisations 'Crop Science', 'Greenhouse Horticulture' and 'Natural Resource Management'.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this minor students are expected to be able to:

  • demonstrate insight in important interactions between plants and their physical environment that are essential for plant functioning, plant productivity and survival;
  • understand the meaning and importance of parameters and concepts in plant and crop growth; - explain the origins and meaning of water potential in plants and their environment, the soil-plant-air continuum, and the flux of water through plants and its control by stomata and atmospheric water vapour concentration;
  • explain the principles of plant development and flowering and the practical applications of these in production control;
  • understand and develop basic simulation models, and to discuss their outcome;
  • give an overview of the qualitative and quantitative methods for regional land use analysis;
  • give an overview and explain the role of models within land use design and planning.

Target Group

This minor is interesting for students of BAT, BBI, BBN, BSW, BIL, BES and for other BSc or Ba students in Biology and/or Environmental Sciences. Participants are expected to have first year bachelor level knowledge on plant biology and mathematics.

Assumed knowledge

Participants are expected to have first year bachelor level knowledge on plant biology and mathematics.

Overlapping courses or content with

BPW-B Plant Sciences – Major Plant Production and Ecology BBI-D Biology – Major Ecology and Biodiversity

Language

English

Semester

First semester (period 1, 2 and 3)

Programme or thematic

Programme minor