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Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture - SAPL

Director: Professor Cameron Faustman
Office: 211, W.B. Young Building

Link to Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture website for additional infromation.

Courses in the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture are not open to baccalaureate students.

Plant Science (SAPL)

100. Orientation to Plant Science and Landscape Architecture

(10) First semester. One credit. One class period. Taught jointly with PLSC 1000. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). Musgrave

An introduction to programs, careers, and research in plant science and landscape architecture.

110. Turfgrass Management

(24) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Taught concurrently with TURF 1100. Guillard

An overview of turfgrass adaptation, selection, and management. Topics include turfgrass growth, physiology, soil interactions, weeds and diseases morphology and identification establishment, and maintenance. Cultural system practices for lawns, golf courses, athletic fields and other turf areas.

120. Introduction to Plant Science

(03) First semester. Four credits. Three class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period.

A general course designed to give students a broad view of the field of horticulture as well as a working knowledge of the fundamentals of plant growth.

210. Golf Course Management

(83) Second semester. Three credits. Three class periods. Taught jointly with TURF 3100. Rackliffe.

Discussion of the specialized field of golf course management. Topics: cultural techniques including soil aeration, topdressing, mowing, and thatch removal; grass or species selection, fertilization, irrigation, personnel, golf course pest management and equipment and inventory management. Field trips required. 

230. Principles of Turfgrass Irrigation Systems

(19) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory. Taught jointly with TURF 3300. Rackliffe

Turfgrass irrigation systems, principles of hydraulics, irrigation components, design, installation and repair.  Students will design irrigation systems for various turf areas.  Field trips and fieldwork will be required.

240. Professional Development for Turfgrass Industries

(20) Second semester. Two credits. Two hour class periods. Taught jointly with TURF 3400. Not open for credit to graduate students. Rackliffe

Topics include human resource information, communication skills, turfgrass pesticide laws and compliance, labor laws and compliance, bid specifications, resume writing, interviewing, golf course management structures, business ethics, and benefits of professional association membership. Guest lecturers include industry professionals and representatives.

300. Introduction to Soil Science

(22) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory exercise or field trip. Henderson

Physical and chemical properties of soils; nature and use of fertilizer and lime materials; management of soils for crop production including soil testing, tillage and fertilization practices, and conservation practices.

352. Urban and Sports Turf Soils

(52) Second semester. Three credits. Prerequisites: SAPL 300. Taught jointly with SOIL 3520.

Physical and engineering properties of soils and root zone mixes utilized for landscapes, horticulture production, golf course putting greens and athletic fields. Areas of emphasis will include: preparation and evaluation of project specifications, root zone constituent selection, design and installation of drainage systems, evaluating soils and root zone mixes prior to construction by conducting and assessing laboratory performance testing, examining construction techniques and maintaining quality control during construction.

410. Woody Plants I: Common Trees, Shrubs and Vines

First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour outdoor laboratory. Taught jointly with HORT 3410.  Prerequisite SAPL 120. Brand

Taxonomy, identification, ornamental characteristics, cultural requirements and landscape use of deciduous and evergreen woody plants most often utilized in landscapes of the northeastern United States and similar environs.

420. Woody Plants II: Uncommon Trees, Shrubs and Vines

(16) Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour outdoor laboratory. Prerequisite: SAPL 410. Taught jointly with HORT 3420Brand

Taxonomy, identification, ornamental characteristics, cultural requirements and landscape use of uncommon, unusual and rare deciduous and evergreen woody plants utilized in landscapes of the northeastern United States and similar environs.

430. Herbaceous Ornamental Plants

(31) Second semester. Three credits. Taught jointly with HORT 2430Kuzovkina

Identification, nomenclature and culture of over 160 Herbaceous perennials, biennials, annuals and bulbous plants. Live plants and visual presentation are used to highlight plant characteristics and morphology. Lectures include discussions of organic growing, composting, plant morphology, trough and container gardens, and underground storage structure. Field trips to retail and wholesale businesses are a part of this class.

482. Horticulture Production Practicum - Nursery

(74) Second semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: SAPL 660. Consent of instructor. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).

Students will be responsible for planning, producing, and marketing a nursery crop. Students may use private facilities or the Ratcliffe Hicks C.R. Burr Teaching Nursery.

520. Floral Art

(30) Either semester. Two credits. One class period and one 2-hour studio period. Taught concurrently with HORT 2520.

The study of flower arrangement as an art form with emphasis on historical background, artistic principles, color harmony, and care of perishable media. Individual expression is encouraged in the creation of floral composition.

530. Advanced Floral Design

(35) Second semester. Two credits. One class period and one 2-hour studio period. Prerequisite SAPL 520. Taught concurrently with HORT 3530.

In-depth study of post-harvest requirements for specialized floral crops. Exposure to novel floral materials and abstract, tribute, high-style, and wedding designs. Retail price structuring, wire services, and mass-production concepts.

540. Horticultural Retailing

(71) First semester. Three credits. Taught concurrently with HORT 3540Bonelli

A discussion of the principles of retailing as applied to the sale of horticultural crops. Emphasis is given to planning, customer preference, competition, merchandising, pricing and inventory as they apply to landscaping, flower shop and garden center management.

550. Evaluating and Staging Horticultural Materials

(59) First semester. One credit. Hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor. This course may be repeated once for credit. Brand

Organization and staging of horticultural exhibits and contests suitable for fairs, garden clubs, and community projects.

620. Vegetable Production

(17) First semester. Four credits. Three class periods and one 2-hour field laboratory period. Field trips required. Taught jointly with HORT 3620. Berkowitz

Fundamentals of soil management and crop plant husbandry as applied to commercial vegetable production and home gardening. Horticultural principles of crop growth. Focus is on sustainable practices. Field laboratory will consist of field trips (some outside designated laboratory time) during the early part of the semester to organic and conventional farms to observe production and marketing practices.

640. Plant Propagation

(62) Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Taught jointly with HORT 3640. Brand

The study of methods used to reproduce agricultural and horticultural crops. Discussion will emphasize sexual and asexual propagation techniques. Field trips are required.

660. Nursery Maintenance

(60) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. 

A consideration of the culture, care and maintenance of shade trees and nursery stock. Laboratory periods will be devoted to planting, pruning and maintenance of shade trees and nursery material. At least one field trip will be required.

670. Greenhouse Operations

(25) First semester. Four credits. Three class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Field trips required. Prerequisite: SAPL 120. Taught jointly with HORT 3670. Elliott

Introduction to greenhouse systems with emphasis on structures, environmental control, root media, irrigation and fertilization, and pest control, in relation to requirements for plant growth and crop production.  Laboratories provide experience in crop production.

675. Greenhouse Crop Production I

(26) Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Field trips required.  Prerequisite: SAPL 670. Taught jointly with HORT 3675. Elliott

Environmental and cultural requirements and scheduling of major greenhouse crops, exclusive of edible produce. Emphasis on cut flowers and flowering potted plants and bedding and garden plants produced for spring and early summer markets.  Laboratories provide experience in crop production.

682. Horticulture Production Practicum  - Vegetables

(75) Second semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: SAPL 620. Consent of instructor. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).

Students will be responsible for planning, producing, and marketing a vegetable crop on a commercial scale. Requires the availability of private production facilities.

720. Golf Course Design

(84) First semester. Two credits. Two class periods. Taught jointly with TURF 3720. Guillard

Introduction to golf course design theory, planning, and layout. Putting green and tee construction methods. Turfgrass species and cultivar selection for the golf course. Expertise and experience of departmental faculty and staff, independent and commercial consultants and designers, and golf course superintendents will be utilized. Field trips required. 

750. Landscape Plant Maintenance

(45) Second semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SAPL 120 and 300. Taught jointly with HORT 2750. Elliott

Planting, establishment and maintenance of woody and herbaceous plants in built and managed environments. Plant structural and functional requirements. Preserving and protecting established plants. Soil conditions and modification. Influence of climate and modification of microclimate. Plant selection. Pruning, mulching, water and irrigation, nutrition and fertilization, plant health care and other horticultural practices.

760. Landscape and Planting Design

(69) Second semester. Four credits. Two class periods and two 2-hour laboratory periods. Prerequisite: SAPL 410 and 430, which may be taken concurrently.

The principles and techniques of landscaping the home grounds to include site analysis, drawing techniques, selections of materials, and selecting plants to fit the design.

800. Turfgrass Pests and Control

(23) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory. Taught jointly with TURF 3800. Rackliffe

Turfgrass weed, insect, disease and vertebrate identification and control. Emphasis on biological controls and IPM. Field trips required.

810. Plant Pest Control

(41) First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. 

A practical survey of practices used for insect, disease and weed pests of turf, flowers, shrubs, trees and food crops. Consideration will be given to quarantine, mechanical, biological and chemical means of control. Field trips may be required.

840. Integrated Pest Management

(42) Second semester. Three credits. Three class periods. Prerequisite: SAPL 800 or 810. Legrand

An overview of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, from development to implementation, with horticultural crops.

850. Pesticide Safety and Management

(86) Second semester. Two credits. Two class periods. Taught jointly with HORT 3575.

Pesticide application equipment, pesticide safety and toxicity, equipment calibration, pesticide poisoning, first aid and crop worker protection standards. Managing the use of pesticides to increase safety to applicators and the environment as well as increasing pest management effectiveness utilizing principles of IPM.

991. Internship

(87) Either semester or summer. One to 6 credits. Hours by arrangement. Open to qualified students with consent of advisor and Department Head. This course may be repeated provided that the sum total of credits does not exceed six. 

Students will work with professionals in an area of their interest. Written reports, daily logs, and/or evaluations by professional supervisors may be required.

995. Special Topics

(98) Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Total credits allowed toward graduation requirements are restricted as outlined in Ratcliffe Hicks Section.

999. Independent Study

(99) Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. Consent of instructor required. Course may be repeated for credit. Total credits allowed toward graduation requirements are restricted as outlined in Ratcliffe Hicks Section.

      
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