PLSC 422 - GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT (3 cr.) Department of Plant Sciences Spring Semester, 2006 I. GENERAL INFORMATION A. Instructor: Dr. Chiwon W. Lee Office: Room 266F, Loftsgard Hall Phone: 701-231-8062 (office), 701-239-4935 (home) E-mail: <chiwon.lee@ndsu.edu> B. Lectures: Class hours: 12:30-1:20 p.m. Tues, Thur Place: Room 102 Loftsgard Hall C. Labs: Class hours: 2:00-3:50 p.m. Thur Place: Horticulture Greenhouse D. Prerequisite or co-requisite: PLSC 368: Plant Propagation E. Internet home page: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/chlee/plsc422/ II. OBJECTIVES A. 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 environmental 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 and managing horticultural crops under the controlled environment conditions. B. Goals Upon completion of this class, the student will have a working knowledge of: 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 including lighting, heating and cooling, e) cultural information including fertilization, carbon dioxide enrichment, growing media, irrigation, growth regulators, pest control and post-harvest storage, f) greenhouse business management including cost accounting, production scheduling, labor management, marketing, and local and federal regulations.
III. TEXTBOOKS 1. Nelson, Paul V. 2003. Greenhouse Operation and Management (6th Edition). Reston Publishing Co., Reston, VA. 692 pp. (Required). nd 2. Dole, J.M. and H.F. Wilkins. 2004. Floriculture: Principles and Species (2 Edition). Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 1021 pp. (Optional). th 3. Ball, Vic (ed.). 1997. Ball Red Book (16 Edition). Ball Publishing Co., Batavia, IL. 802 pp. (Optional). 4. Hanan, J. J. 1997. Greenhouses. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 672 pp. (Optional). nd 5. Boodley, J. W. 1996. The Commercial Greenhouse (2 Edition). Delmar Publishers, Albany, NY. 612 pp. (Optional). IV. 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 e. Greenhouse cooling and ventilation f. Lights and lighting g. 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 V. 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 who are interested in the subject matter. To enroll in this class, the student should have completed or be concurrently enrolled in PLSC 368-Plant Propagation. 2
VI. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS 1. Lectures Lectures will be given with overheads, slide presentations, videotapes, and demonstration. 2. Reading and Lecture Materials 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. 3. Note Taking and 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. VII. 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. VIII. LABORATORY 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. IX. 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 20. Each group will present the completed project during the last part of the semester. The reports (preferably in pdf files) will be placed on the internet (http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/chlee/plsc422/project/). X. 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. 3
XI. EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING Points Grading Scale Midterm Exam 100 A 90-100% 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 XII. ADDITIONAL READING MATERIALS Various reading and reference materials will be placed on a bookshelf in the Plant Sciences Learning 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. XIII. 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 via Internet (http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/chlee/plsc422/pretest.htm). Those who participate in both the pre- and post-tests will receive 10 extra points toward their final grades. XIV. 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. XV. 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 231-8062, home 239-4935, cell phone 701-361-9411). 4
PLSC 422-Greenhouse Production and Management Spring Semester, 2006 Lecture Schedule Date Lecture Topic Reading Assignment Jan 10 Tue General introduction Chapt 1 Jan 12 Thu Greenhouse structure and construction Chapt 2 Jan 17 Tue Greenhouse structure and construction Chapt 2 Jan 19 Thu Greenhouse structure and construction Chapt 2 Jan 24 Tue Business management Chapt 17, 18 Jan 26 Thu Business management Chapt 17, 18 Jan 31 Tue Business management Chapt 17, 18 Feb 2 Thu Greenhouse heating Chapt 3 Feb 7 Tue Greenhouse heating Chapt 3 Feb 9 Thu Greenhouse heating Chapt 3 Feb 14 Tue Greenhouse cooling and ventilation Chapt 4, 5 - Feb 16 Thu Greenhouse cooling and ventilation Chapt 4, 5 Feb 21 Tue Growing media Chapt 6, 7 Feb 23 Thu Growing media Chapt 6, 7 Feb 28 Tue Irrigation Chapt 8 Mar 2 Thu Midterm Exam - Mar 7 Tue Fertilization Chapt 9 Mar 9 Thu Fertilization Chapt 9 Mar 14 Tue Spring break (no class) - Mar 16 Thu Spring break (no class) - Mar 21 Tue Carbon dioxide enrichment Chapt 11 Mar 23 Thu Light control Chapt 12 Mar 28 Tue Light control Chapt 12 Mar 30 Thu Chemical growth regulation Chapt 13 Apr 4 Tue Chemical growth regulation Chapt 13 Apr 6 Thu Field trip (all day) - Apr 11 Tue Insect and disease control Chapt 14, 15 Apr 13 Thu Insect and disease control Chapt 14, 15 Apr 18 Tue Hydroponics Chapt 10 Apr 20 Thu Post-production handling Chapt 16 Apr 25 Tue Floriculture marketing Chapt 17 Apr 27 Thu Trends in greenhouse industry - May 2 Tue Miscellaneous topics - May 4 Thu Summary and discussion May 10 Wed Final Exam (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) - The lecture schedules are subject to change. 5
PLSC 422-Greenhouse Production and Management Spring Semester, 2006 Lab Schedule (2:00-3:50 p.m. Thursday) No Date Lab Exercise Location 1 Jan 12 Greenhouse tour and introduction Hort Greenhouse (Control systems, general information) 2 Jan 19 Greenhouse design and structure Hort Greenhouse (Plant chrysanthemums) 3 Jan 26 Greenhouse benches, containers Hort Greenhouse (Plant tulips, hyacinths) 4 Feb 2 Commercial greenhouse operation Hort Greenhouse (Guest lecture) 5 Feb 9 Greenhouse covers, light measurements Hort Greenhouse (Geraniums, begonias ) 6 Feb 16 Greenhouse heating calculations Hort Greenhouse (Roses, other cutflowers ) 7 Feb 23 Tour of local greenhouses (Meet at Hort Greenhouse) (Shotwell, Kroshus, Baker Greenhouses) 8 Mar 2 Greenhouse cooling calculations Hort Greenhouse (Bedding plants) 9 Mar 9 Hydroponic cultures Hort Greenhouse (Lettuce, tomato, herbs) 10 Mar 16 Spring Break -- (No class) 11 Mar 23 Tour of local greenhouses (Meet at Hort Greenhouse) (Cheyenne Gardens, others) 12 Mar 30 Growing media characterization Hort Greenhouse (All crops) 13 Apr 6 Tour of regional greenhouses Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes (All day field trip) 14 Apr 13 Fertilizer calculations Hort Greenhouse (Bedding plant transplanting) 15 Apr 20 Soil testing, ph, salinity measurements Hort Greenhouse (Misc. crops) 16 Apr 27 Disease and insect control Hort Greenhouse (Misc. crops) 17 May 4 Free lab Hort Greenhouse (Terminate lab projects and reports) This lab schedule is subject to change. 6