PLSC 422-GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT (3 cr.) Department of Plant Sciences Spring Semester, 2008

Transcription

1 PLSC 422-GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT (3 cr.) Department of Plant Sciences Spring Semester, 2008 A. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Instructor: Dr. Chiwon W. Lee Office: Room 266F, Loftsgard Hall Phone: (office), (home), (cell) 2. Lectures: Class hours: 12:30-1:20 p.m. Tues, Thur Place: Room 102 Loftsgard Hall 3. Labs: Class hours: 2:00-3:50 p.m. Thur Place: Horticulture Greenhouse 4. Prerequisite or co-requisite: PLSC 368-Plant Propagation 5. Internet home page: B. OBJECTIVES 1. Rationale Greenhouse production contributes a substantial portion of the floriculture industry ($13 billion) in the United States. Floricultural crops such as cut flowers, potted flowering plants, foliage plants, and bedding plants are commonly grown in American greenhouses. In Europe and Asia, a large portion of greenhouse spaces is used to produce vegetables, especially during the winter months. Intensive plant production in such controlled environment structures not only requires advanced technology and higher capital and labor input, but also allows the greatest profit per unit area. This course covers the principles and applications of greenhouse technology and offers practical experience in growing horticultural crops under the controlled environment conditions. 2. Goals Upon completion of this class, the student will have a working knowledge on: a. the history, current status, and trends of greenhouse industry, b. greenhouse construction including site selection, construction materials, covers, design loads, benches and space utilization, c. operation of greenhouse equipment and facility, d. controlling environmental factors that influence plant growth and development including lighting, heating and cooling, e. the cultural information including fertilization, carbon dioxide enrichment, growing media, irrigation, growth regulators, pest control and post-harvest storage, f. managing a greenhouse business, including cost accounting, production schedule, labor management, marketing, and local and federal regulations. C.. TEXTBOOKS 1. Textbook: Nelson, Paul V Greenhouse Operation and Management (6th Edition). Reston Publishing Co., Reston, VA. 692 pp. (required). 2. References:

2 a. Dole, J.M. and H.F. Wilkins Floriculture: Principles and Species (2 nd Edition). Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ pp. b. Ball, Vic (ed.) Ball Red Book (16 th Edition). Ball Publishing Co., Batavia, IL. 802 pp. c. Hanan, J. J Greenhouses. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 672 pp. d. Boodley, J. W The Commercial Greenhouse (2 nd Edition). Delmar Publishers, Albany, NY. 612 pp. D. COURSE CONTENT 1. Overview on Controlled Environment Agriculture a. Definition, concept, and history b. Characteristics of controlled environment plant production c. Current status and trends in greenhouse industry 2. Environmental Modifications a. Greenhouse structure and construction b. Greenhouse cover materials c. Bench construction and space utilization d. Greenhouse heating, cooling, and ventilation e. Lights and lighting f. Carbon dioxide enrichment 3. Greenhouse Production Technology a. Growing media b. Greenhouse irrigation methods c. Plant nutrients and fertilization d. Chemical growth regulation e. Insect and disease control f. Hydroponics and substrate cultures 4. Business and Marketing a. Labor and production management b. Production costs, price determination c. Accounting and record keeping d. Market channels for floricultural crops 5. Laboratory Exercises a. Production of selected floral and vegetable crops b. Handling of soil, water, and plant tissue analysis c. Fertilizer concentration calculations 6. Field Trips a. Tour of local greenhouses b. Tour of regional greenhouses E. WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE? This course is required for horticulture students in the production and business option. It is open to any horticulture or other majors interested in the subject matter. Students who have completed introductory horticulture courses and PLSC 368-plant propagation would benefit most from this class. F. HOMEWORK There will be five homework problems (each 20 points). All homework assignments require calculations. Turning in homework problems after the deadline will result in loss of points. G. LABORATORY 2

3 You are required to attend each lab session. If you must miss a lab, please inform the instructor prior to the lab period so that your lab exercise can be rescheduled. Some labs will be group exercises but your active participation is essential. There will be five lab reports to be submitted either the next lab period or at the end of the semester. H. READING AND NOTE TAKING You must read the assigned chapters prior to each lecture period. Outlines of some lecture materials will be given out for each class. Examination questions will be asked from both the reading and lecture materials. I. NOTEBOOK It is desirable to take good notes during each lecture period. Keep all handouts, notes, lab reports and other related materials in order. Your notebook must be turned in for review at the end of the semester. J. GROUP PROJECTS A topic of greenhouse production and management related problems will be selected by each group (3 students) and developed as a semester project. The completed project is due by April 24. Each group will present the completed project during the last part of the semester. K. CROP PRODUCTION AND MARKETING To obtain practical experience, student volunteer work is needed in growing, managing and marketing of selected floricultural crops. Cultural work includes: planting, watering, fertilizing, pinching and disbudding, plant height control, pest management, photoperiod control, cultivar selection and crop scheduling. Students will also practice marketing of some crops produced to get familiar with production cost estimation, crop quality, pricing, and consumer demand and satisfaction. L. FIELD TRIPS Two local greenhouse tours will be taken during the lab period. One regional greenhouse visit will be held from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. One all-day trip is planned to visit greenhouses in the Twin Cities area on a Saturday in mid-april. The exact date for this trip will be determined by class consensus. M. EXAMS AND GRADES Points Grading Scale Midterm Exam 100 A % Final Exam 100 B 80-89% Homework 100 C 70-79% Lab Reports 100 D 60-69% Group Project 100 F below 60% Total 500 N. ADDITIONAL READING MATERIALS Various reading and reference materials will be placed on a bookshelf in the Plant Sciences Learning 3

4 Resource Center in the basement of Loftsgard Hall. Although these materials should stay in the reading room, they can be checked out for overnight reading. O. COURSE OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT You are required to take a pre-test for the course material during the first week of class and complete the post-test during the last week of semester. These tests are administered online by Blackboard. Those who participate in both the pre- and post-tests will receive 10 extra points toward their final grades. P. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Any student with disabilities or other special needs, who needs special accommodations in this course, is invited to share these concerns or requests with the instructor as soon as possible. Q. OFFICE VISITS You are encouraged to visit the instructor=s office (Loftsgard 266F) to discuss class information, career planning, or any academic and personal concerns. The instructor can also be reached by telephone (office , home , cell phone ). 4

5 PLSC 422-Greenhouse Production and Management Spring Semester, 2008 Lecture Schedule Date Lecture Topic Reading Assignment Jan 8 Tue General introduction Chap 1 Jan 10 Thu Greenhouse structure and construction Chap 2 Jan 15 Tue Greenhouse structure and construction Chap 2 Jan 17 Thu Greenhouse structure and construction Chap 2 Jan 22 Tue Business management Chap 17, 18 Jan 24 Thu Business management Chap 17, 18 Jan 29 Tue Business management Chap 17, 18 Feb 31 Thu Greenhouse heating Chap 3 Feb 5 Tue Greenhouse heating Chap 3 Feb 7 Thu Greenhouse heating Chap 3 Feb 12 Tue Greenhouse cooling and ventilation Chap 4, 5 - Feb 14 Thu Greenhouse cooling and ventilation Chap 4, 5 Feb 19 Tue Growing media Chap 6, 7 Feb 21 Thu Growing media Chap 6, 7 Feb 26 Tue Irrigation Chap 8 Feb 28 Thu Midterm Exam - Mar 4 Tue Spring break (no class) - Mar 6 Thu Spring break (no class) - Mar 11 Tue Fertilization Chap 9 - Mar 13 Thu Fertilization Chap 9 Mar 18 Tue Carbon dioxide enrichment Chap 11 Mar 20 Thu Light control Chap 12 Mar 25 Tue Light control Chap 12 Mar 27 Thu Chemical growth regulation Chap 13 Apr 1 Tue Chemical growth regulation Chap 13 Apr 3 Thu Field trip (all day) - Apr 8 Tue Insect and disease control Chap 14, 15 Apr 10 Thu Insect and disease control Chap 14, 15 Apr 15 Tue Hydroponics Chap 10 Apr 17 Thu Post-production handling Chap 16 Apr 22 Tue Floriculture marketing Chap 17 Apr 24 Thu Trends in greenhouse industry - Apr 29 Tue Miscellaneous topics - May 1 Thu Review and discussion - May 5 Mon Final Exam (8:00-10:00 p.m.) - The lecture schedules are subject to change. 5

6 PLSC 422-Greenhouse Production and Management Spring Semester, 2008 Lab Schedule (2:00-3:50 p.m. Thursday) No Date Lab Exercise Location 1 Jan 10 Greenhouse tour and introduction Hort Greenhouse (Control systems, general information) 2 Jan 17 Greenhouse design and structure Hort Greenhouse (Plant bedding plant seeds) 3 Jan 24 Greenhouse benches, containers Hort Greenhouse (Easter lily, foliage plants) 4 Jan 31 Commercial greenhouse operation Hort Greenhouse (Guest lecture) 5 Feb 7 Greenhouse covers, light measurements Hort Greenhouse (Geraniums, begonias ) 6 Feb 14 Greenhouse heating calculations Hort Greenhouse (Roses, other cut flowers ) 7 Feb 21 Tour of local greenhouses (Meet at Hort Greenhouse) (Shotwell, Kroshus, Baker Greenhouses) 8 Feb 28 Greenhouse cooling calculations Hort Greenhouse (Transplant seedlings, Easter lily scheculing) 9 Mar 6 No Class - (Spring Break) 10 Mar 13 Hydroponic cultures Hort Greenhouse (Lettuce, tomato, herbs) 11 Mar 20 Tour of local greenhouses (Meet at Hort Greenhouse) (Cheyenne Gardens, others) 12 Mar 27 Growing media characterization Hort Greenhouse (Misc. crops) 13 Apr 3 Tour of regional greenhouses Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes (All day field trip) 14 Apr 10 Fertilizer calculations Hort Greenhouse (Bedding plant transplanting) 15 Apr 17 Soil testing, ph, salinity measurements Hort Greenhouse (Misc. crops) 16 Apr 24 Disease and insect control Hort Greenhouse (Misc. crops) 17 May 1 Free lab Hort Greenhouse (Terminate lab projects and reports) This lab schedule is subject to change. 6