AgronomyD.B. Mengel, HeadM.D. Ransom, Assistant Head—Teaching P.D. Ohlenbusch, Extension State Leader R.L. Vanderlip, Graduate Program Coordinator
Professors Buchholz, Devlin, Fjell, Gordon, Ham, Hargrove, Kilgore, Kirkham, Kluitenberg, Lamond, Liang, Maddux, Mengel, Ohlenbusch, Owensby, Paulsen, Pierzynski, Peterson, Posler, Ransom, Regehr, Rice, Schapaugh, Shroyer, Skidmore, Stone, Thien, Vanderlip, and Welch; Associate Professors Al-Khatib, Claassen, Duncan, Eberle, Ehler, Fick, A. Fritz, J. Fritz, Hagen, Heer, Janssen, Leikam, Martin, Staggenborg, Thompson, and Tuinstra; Assistant Professors Brown-Guedira, Dille, McVay, St. Amand, Schmidt, Stockton, and Wagner; Research Assistant Professors Kulako and Rife; Instructors Cunningham and Minihan; Agronomist Schaffer; Associate Agronomist Mannschreck and Roozeboom; Emeriti: Professors Barnett, Bidwell, Bieberly, Bohannon, Hobbs, Jacobs, Mader, Russ, Swallow, Wassom, Whitney, and Withee; Associate Professors Overley and Walter; Assistant Professors Lundquist and Moore.
E-mail: agronomy@ksu.edu
Agronomy
Agronomy includes crop, soil, weed, range, and environmental sciences. Students in agronomy have diverse interests, including crop production and physiology; crop breeding; soil management, fertility, and conservation; soil and water quality; physical and chemical properties of soils; forages; and range management.
Requirements*
Agronomy minor
To earn an undergraduate minor in agronomy, students are required to complete 16 or 17 credit hours consisting of the following courses:
Agronomy courses
AGRON 305. Soils. (4) I, II. Fundamental chemical, physical, and biological properties of soils; their formation, fertility, and management. Three hours lec. and two hours lab a week. Pr.: CHM 210.
AGRON 315. Properties of Soil. (1) I, II. Soil development and classification and the nature of soil physical properties. Three hours lec. and two hours lab a week for first five weeks of the semester. Not open to agriculture majors.
AGRON 320. Seed Technology. (3) II. An introductory course to prepare students for the anticipated expansion of the seed industry resulting from the impact of biotechnology and identity preservation. Basic concepts of seed quality, purity, vigor testing, and quality assurance will be emphasized. Two hours lec. and two hours lab a week.
AGRON 330. Weed Management. (3) I, II. For those interested in crop production, crop protection, and agricultural education. Considers the origin of weeds, their relations to crops, and control systems emphasizing cultural practices and herbicides. Includes weed identification. Two hours lec. and two hours lab a week.
AGRON 340. Grain Grading. (2) I, II. Procedures for grading grains, emphasizing soybeans, corn, wheat, and sorghum. Identification and evaluation of kernel damage and other conditions determining grades of these grains. Four hours lab a week.
AGRON 350. Plant and Seed Identification. (2) II. Identification of crops and weeds by seed and vegetative characteristics. Analysis of seed samples for impurities. Four hours lab a week.
AGRON 360. Crop Growth and Development. (3) I. Comparative growth and development of warm- and cool-season monocot and dicot crops. Environmental influences on growth and development processes and management techniques to minimize stresses. Three lec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 305.
AGRON 375. Soil Fertility. (3) I. Detailed information on the plant nutrition, soil fertility, and fertilizer management of the essential macro- and micronutrients. The influence of numerous soil biological, physical, and chemical properties on plant nutrient availability to crops will be emphasized. Three hours rec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 305.
AGRON 385. Soil Fertility Laboratory. (2) I. Detailed information on (1) the chemical methods utilized in routine soil testing and plant analysis, (2) field soil sampling techniques, (3) fertilizer recommendations, and (4) fertilizer response functions. Soil chemistry and computer laboratory exercises are designed to reinforce the theoretical principles presented in lectures. One hour lec. and two hours lab a week. Pr.: AGRON 375 or conc. enrollment.
AGRON 400. Undergraduate Topics in Agronomy. (1-3) I, II, S. Special topics in agronomy not completely treated in other courses. Pr.: Consent of instructor.
AGRON 405. Internship in Agronomy. (1-3) I. Intern programs in various areas of agronomy. One hour credit for each four weeks of supervised and evaluated work experience with cooperating employers. A maximum of 3 hours may be applied to a B.S. in agronomy. May be repeated once for elective credit if second internship is different from the first. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 305.
AGRON 415. Soils Judging. (1) I. Techniques employed in writing descriptions of soil morphology and in classifying soils for intercollegiate soils judging. Six hours lab a week for the first half of the semester. Pr.: AGRON 305. May be repeated to a maximum of 2 hours.
AGRON 420. Field Course in Weed Science. (1) II. A laboratory and field course pertaining to weed identification, sprayer calibration, herbicide action, and herbicide performance. Pr.: AGRON 330 or equiv.
AGRON 450. Crops Team. (2) I. Grain grading, seed and plant identification, and seed analysis. Studies lead to participation in intercollegiate crops contest. Four hours lab per week.
AGRON 455. Computer Applications in Agronomy. (3) I, II. Application of computer technology to plant and soil science. Emphasis on use of current software in managing data and knowledge useful to crop production. Three hours lec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 305.
AGRON 501. Range Management. (3) I. Fundamental ecological principles of production, conservation, and use of grasslands. Application of these fundamental principles to range management. Three hours rec. a week.
AGRON 515. Soil Genesis and Classification. (3) II. Study of the factors and processes of soil formation, classification of soils according to soil taxonomy, and use of soil survey information. Required field trips. Two hours rec. and three hours lab a week. Pr.: GEOL 100 and AGRON 305 or consent of instructor.
AGRON 520. Grain Production. (3) I, II. An upper-level course for those interested in grain production in the Central Plains. Pest control, limiting factors, and planting factors will be considered in view of climactic conditions and crop plant growth habit. From this, a crop production strategy will be developed for each crop. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 375.
AGRON 550. Forage Management and Utilization. (3) II. Production and utilization of forage crops. Development of forage programs for livestock production, including pasture and stored forages. Three hours rec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and junior standing.
AGRON 551. Forage Management and Utilization Laboratory. (1) II. Identification of forage species, techniques for estimating forage quality, forage physiology, and field trips. One two-hour lab a week. Pr.: Completion of or conc. enrollment in AGRON 550.
AGRON 560. Field Identification of Range and Pasture Plants. (1) I, in odd years. Identification of range pasture plants through exposure to them in their natural environment. Pr.: AGRON 220 or BIOL 210 or consent of instructor.
AGRON 599. Agronomy—The Profession. (1) II. An overview of opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges for the professional agronomist. Discussion of current topics and important issues in crops and soils, range management, and soil and water resources.
Undergraduate and graduate credit
AGRON 605. Soil and Environmental Chemistry. (3) II. A study of inorganic and organic chemistry of soils with a detailed examination of the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases. Includes discussions of mineral solubility, electrochemical and adsorption phenomena, acidity, salinity, and fertility. Emphasis is placed on the biogeochemical cycling of plant nutrients and important soil contaminants. Three hours rec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 375 or AGRON 305 and CHM 230.
AGRON 610. Biotechnology. (3) II, in odd years. The use of biotechnology and molecular genetic approaches in plant and animal sciences. Emphasis is on the use of molecular techniques for plant and animal improvement. Three hours lectures per week. Pr.: ASI 500. Cross-referenced as PLPTH 610.
AGRON 615. Soil Problems. (Var.) I, II, S. Studies may be chosen in: chemistry, physics, conservation, fertility, genesis, morphology, or classification.
AGRON 630. Principles of Crop Improvement. (3) II. Basic plant breeding techniques used to genetically improve crops for use by man and procedures to increase, distribute, and maintain breeding stocks and varieties. Two lec. and one two-hour lab a week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and ASI 500.
AGRON 635. Soil Conservation and Management. (3) I. Principles, mechanics, and prediction of water and wind erosion. Influence of soil erosion on soil productivity and environmental quality. Conservation management technologies for erosion control and sustaining soil productivity. Legislation and land-use planning for soil conservation. Course requires microcomputer skills. Two hours rec. and 1 three-hour lab a week. Pr.: AGRON 305.
AGRON 645. Soil Microbiology. (4) I. The nature and function of soil microorganisms in the soil ecosystem. The role of soil microbial activity to soil organic matter, mineral transformations, plant nutrition, and environmental quality. Three hours rec. and two hours lab a week. Pr.: AGRON 305 or BIOL 455.
AGRON 655. Site Specific Agriculture. (3) II. Introduction to spatial analysis and management of agricultural and environmental resources using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. Emphasis on collecting, displaying, and analyzing spatial or georeferenced soil, crop, or other land surface data. Two hours lecture, two hours lab, and one hour by appointment per week. Pr.: AGRON 220 and 305 and GEOG 508.
AGRON 660. Range Research Techniques. (3) I, in even years. Discussion of quantitative and qualitative procedures used to study vegetation. Includes application, advantages, and disadvantages of these methods. Use of statistical techniques for sampling, analysis, and presentation of data. Two hours rec. and one three-hour lab a week. Pr.: AGRON 501 and STAT 320.
AGRON 670. Range Management Problems. (Var.) I, II, S.
AGRON 681. Range Ecology. (3) II, in even years. Application of ecological principles to range ecosystem management. Study of plant-soil-animal interactions with rangelands, and discussion of plant succession, environmental influences, and ecological concepts. Two hours rec. a week and one lab credit consisting of field trips to representative range areas. Pr.: AGRON 501 and BIOL 529.
AGRON 716. Herbicide Interactions. (3) II, in even years. A study of systems and physiological processes in plants and soils as they affect herbicide fate and activity and are affected by herbicides. Research methodology and literature will also be discussed and evaluated. Pr.: AGRON 330 and BIOL 500 or equiv.
AGRON 720. Weed Ecology. (3) II, in odd years. A study of weed ecology topics including weed/crop interference, weed growth and development, herbicide resistance, biological control, and ecological approaches to weed management. Three lec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 330.
AGRON 746. Physical Properties of Soils. (3) II. The properties of soils as affected by their physical environment, including water content, water potential, temperature, aeration, flocculation-dispersion, and soil compaction. Three hours rec. a week. Pr.: AGRON 305.
AGRON 762. Range Grasses. (2) I, in even years. Field and laboratory study of range and pasture plants, with special emphasis on grasses and their distinguishing characteristics. One hour rec. and two hours lab a week. Pr.: BIOL 198 or 210.
AGRON 770. Plant Genetics. (3) I. Concepts and application of basic genetic principles in higher plants. Probability, linkage, chromosome aberrations, aneuploidy analysis, gene transfer in wide crosses, tissue culture and crop improvement, and genetics of disease resistance. Three hours rec. a week. Pr.: ASI 500.
AGRON 780. Orientation to Field Crop Breeding. (1) S, in odd years. A field-oriented course emphasizing the practical aspects of plant breeding and improvement of agronomic and horticultural crops. Operation, funding, and organization of the plant breeding program at Kansas State University and commercial breeding companies. Field tours included.
AGRON 790. Range Management Planning. (3) II, in odd years. Inventory and analysis of rangeland resources and development of detailed management plan. Emphasizes range management principles and practices useful in maximizing production from rangelands. Two hours rec. a week and one lab credit including field trips to ranch operations. Pr.: AGRON 501.
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