208-275 Plant Production

208-211 Plant Communities in Action

Plant production appraises plant growth in relation to the environment with an emphasis on parameters that affect plant production from both a yield and quality aspect.

This subject includes:

• an appraisal of the crop production enterprises - the location, scale and nature of crop production enterprises and their contribution to the national economy; with emphasis on southern Australia;

• growth, development and yield in crop production - definitions and relations between growth and development attributes, yield and yield components, measurement of crop yields, biological and economical yield and harvest index (complemented by field exercises);

• environmental constraints limiting productivity - climate and growing season, water and nutrient availability;

• agronomic management to optimise production and product quality, including water and nutrient management, soil management and rotations;

• nutrient cycling; and assessment of crop requirements; and

• problems and prospects of both rain fed and irrigated crop production within farm systems, comparative cost-return analysis, marketing strategies.

Three-hour examination (50%), a practical test (10%) one assignment equivalent to 2500 words (20%) and a plant collection (20%).

• R S Loomis and D J Connor, Crop Ecology: Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems. CUP, 1992.