Tropical Crop Production

Course content

The course focuses on capacity development in tropical crop production. The students will be exposed to major crop science elements that are instrumental to a sustainable crop production, optimizing the use of agrobiodiversity and land management practices considering the socio-economic characteristics.

Main disciplines are:

i. Agronomy with reference to tropical conditions.
Tropical crop physiology; crop genetic resources, agrobiodiversity and breeding; crop management; crop protection; soil fertility and crop optimization strategies.

ii. Tropical Crops
An overview of major tropical crops, including underutilized crops and protein crops, their intrinsic properties and their cultivation with special emphasis on small-holder conditions. Cultivation of crops under unimodal and bimodal rainy seasons.

iii. Cropping systems
Studies of small holder cropping systems under various agro-ecological conditions in the dry and humid tropics. innovations to optimize sustainable production systems.

Education

MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Environment and Development

Learning outcome

Provide students, having a BSc-level background in agricultural, social sciences or sciences involved with development of the tropical region, with a comprehensive understanding of the properties of selected tropical environments, crop species and their management facing climate change. Focus is on climate related production constraints; that is abiotic and biotic stresses, and human endeavor to optimize crop production in small-scale farming, within the context of poverty alleviation and sustainable crop production.

When students have completed the course they should have attained:

Knowledge
- Manage key elements to characterize production systems in the tropics
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of tropical crop production
- Understand the characteristics of major tropical crops
- Demonstrate overview of tropical cropping systems in relation to agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions.
- Demonstrate knowledge on different strategies to optimize production systems in the tropics.

Skills
- Characterize production systems of tropical areas of the globe
- Analyze and synthesize diverse types of information on tropical crop production
-Design cropping calendars for selected major crops species
- Develop tropical crop production plans in relation to given agro-ecological and socioeconomic conditions
- Design, implement and analyze research projects in a tropical crop production environment

Competences
- Assess and formulate agronomic components of development support programmes
- Advice extension and research institutions in tropical countries
- Perform and interpret statistical information to analyze scenarios of crop production and innovation.
- Propose innovative optimization strategies.

The course combines lectures and theoretical and practical exercises. Lectures will outline the background and support the exercises.

Papers uploaded on Absalon

Tropical Crop Production I - Selected papers

Tropical Crop Production II – Manual for practical and theoretical exercises

Basic courses in biology, statistics, social sciences and sciences related to sustainable development

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.

Written
Oral
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 min
During the course the student are participating in group work in which they write a group report (approximate 10 pages). The students are individual examined in the content of the group report and are further examined in the rest of course curriculum. Examination in the report weight 35 % and examination in curriculum weight 65 %. No preparation time before the oral examination.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners.
Criteria for exam assessment

see learning outcome

Single subject courses (day)

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Preparation
  • 68
  • Theory exercises
  • 70
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Guidance
  • 10
  • Exam
  • 4
  • English
  • 206