Agronomy (AGRO)

Description: Molecular and cellular approach to the study of plant pathological principles.

Description: Principles of plant disease epidemiology and disease control through cultural, biological, chemical and host plant resistance strategies.

Description: Reading and critiquing, writing, and presenting scientific information. Use research data to compose a manuscript in standard scientific format, and prepare and present a poster to a general audience. Ethical issues in research and writing.

Description: Introduce soil's role in the ecosystem and soil science research methods with emphasis on identifying, describing, and measuring soil properties in the field and then discussing how those properties and their variability may affect plant, animal, insect, and/or microbial communities.

Description: Principles of plant physiology which underlie the relationship between plants and their physical, chemical and biotic environments. An introduction to the ecological niche, limiting factors and adaptation. An overview of the seed germination and ecology, plant and soil water relations, nutrients, plant energy budgets, photosynthesis, carbon balance and plant-animal interactions. An introduction to various field equipment used in ecophysiological studies.

Description: Quantitative study of water relations in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Basic physical processes, which describe the movement of water in the soil and the atmosphere, and the physiological processes, which describe water movement inside of the plant. Stomata physiology and the effects of internal water deficits on photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen metabolism, cell division and cell enlargement. Results from integrative models used to study the relative importance of environmental versus physiological factors for several plant-environment systems.

Description: Physical factors that create the biological environment. Radiation and energy balances of earth's surfaces, terrestrial and marine. Temperature, humidity, and wind regimes near the surface. Control of the physical environment through irrigation, windbreaks, frost protection, manipulation of light, and radiation. Applications to air pollution research. Instruments for measuring environmental conditions and remote sensing of the environment.

Description: The application of fundamental genetics principles in inheritance, gene mapping and DNA analysis to decision making by plant breeders with the goal of improving disease resistance in crop cultivars. Learning is structured by the genetics discovery story told in published research articles and the thinking process of plant breeders who will use these discoveries in their work.

Description: The application of basic science and technology by plant genetic engineering experts with the goal of teaming with plant breeders to improve disease resistance in crop cultivars. Learning is structured by the genetics discovery story told in published research articles and the thinking process of genetic engineers and plant breeders who will use these discoveries in their work.

Description: Molecular genetic basis of biological function in higher plants. Genome organization, gene structure and function, regulation of gene expression, recombinant DNA, and genetic engineering principles. Material taken primarily from current literature.

Description: Basic steps required to produce genetically engineered crops, genetic engineering procedures used to develop current crops and innovations that will lead to future products, genetic engineering process and predicting how changes in different steps of the process influence the final crop, and application of genetic engineering technology to plan the development of new genetically engineered crops.

Description: Application of classical and molecular genetic principles to the explanation of variation observed in plant families and populations. Interpretation of information gathered from whole plant trait observation and from molecular analysis. Relationships between crops and weeds. Examples from genetic studies on both crop and weed species are the basis of course.

Description: Fundamental terminology associated with turfgrass and landscape weed management. Weed identification and the cultural practices and herbicide strategies to limit weed invasion and persistence.

Description: Pathogens, epidemiology, and control of diseases specific to turfgrass.

Description: The goals for plant improvement, the theories plant breeders apply to make genetic improvement and the tools and methods that can be used to develop a plant breeding pipeline.

Description: Types and causes of phenotype instability due to impacts of envrionmental factors. Topics include adaptation, impacts of G x E on selection and testing, selection of evaluation environments. Statistical concepts to describe/model ineractions, breeding for reliability across unpredictable environments, precision phenotyping, selection for specific stresses, use of QTL's for abiotic and biotic stress stability.

Description: Introduction to the biology of plant pathogenic organisms; pathogen-plant interactions; environmental influences; cultural, resistance, and chemical strategies for plant disease management.

Description: A Web-based course. Biochemical underpinnings of agricultural production and processing systems. Agricultural biotechnology; bioenergetics; kinetics and enzyme regulation; interaction of biomolecules with light, photosynthesis and the balance between anabolism and catabolism in microbes, plants and animals.

Description: Introduction to the basic methods and practical applications of remote sensing to map, monitor and assess agricultural and natural resources and other environmental changes

Description: Introduction to applied computational methods to analyze biological data, efficiently manipulate large data sets, and automate workflows. Learn strategies for assembling and analyzing data generated by modern high throughput sequencing platforms.

Description: Investigate biotechnology and its application in solving problems and connect biotechnology to basic science concepts in biology and chemistry. Integrate individually-designed biotechnology lessons into learning standards.

Description: Principles and application of (IWM). Noxious and invasive weed species. Crops and weed control. Plant population shifts. Use of herbicides and the biologically effective dose. Critical period of weed control and weed threshold. Herbicide tolerant crops.

Description: Graduate level course in problem solving for various plant management situations through understanding the role of and interaction between soil, water, pests, genetics, and more. Through reading assignments and discussion activities, this course will focus on thinking about the interplay of various aspects of production systems as well as how external factors (e.g. wet spring, new insect pest) can affect various system components and management decisions.

Description: Macro and micro nutrient elements and their function in the growth and development of plants. Role of single elements. Interaction and/or balances between elements and nutrient deficiency and/or toxicity symptoms as they affect the physiology of the whole plant. Relationship between crop nutrition and production and/or environmental considerations (e.g. yield, drought, temperature, pests).

Description: Explore the management, environmental, economic, and social considerations of cover crops across a diversity of agricultural production systems and regions. Grow cover crops, measure benefits and tradeoffs, and apply knowledge to make management and policy recommendations.

Description: Identification, biology and ecology of weedy and invasive plants. Principles of invasive plant management by preventative, cultural, biological, mechanical and chemical means using an adaptive management framework. Herbicide terminology and classification, plant-herbicide and soil-herbicide interactions, equipment calibration and dosage calculations.

Description: Critical evaluation of turfgrass settings to create economical and environmentally friendly management systems for professionally managed turf areas.

Description: Prepare scientifically accurate, high quality illustrations and graphics for the teaching, presentation, and publication of scientific information. Drawing techniques, drafting, copyright, and publication and presentation of scientific art work.

Description: Application of plant biotechnology to answer biological questions. Development of writing and thinking skills with a working knowledge of plant biology and biotechnology. Learning in a lab focused setting to solidify skills used in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and computational biology.

Description: Overview of the technical and sociocultural dimensions of global food insecurity.

Description: Presents a broad view of the various challenges to plant health including abiotic and biotic disease, insects, and weeds. Learn a systematic approach to the diagnosis of plant disorders through hands-on exercises and case studies with application to agronomic and specialty crops and gain experience in presenting their findings to various audiences.

Description: Basic concepts of soil variability, its underlying causes. The impact spatial variability has on soil management, primarily for crop production. Geographic and geo-statistical concepts. Use of spatial information for more profitable crop production.

Description: The biology of plants grown for food, fiber, fuel and fun. Connect applied plant science to basic science concepts in biology and chemistry. Integrate individually-designed plant science lessons into learning standards.

Description: An introduction to current and emerging molecular biology technology and methods being used in crop breeding and their practical utilization in breeding programs.

Description: Biochemical metabolism unique to plants. Relationships of topics previously acquired in general biochemistry to biochemical processes unique to plants. Biochemical mechanisms behind physiological processes discussed in plant or crop physiology.

Description: Integration of principles of ecology, plant and animal sciences, crop protection, and rural landscape planning and management for sustainable agriculture. Includes natural and cultivated ecosystems, population and community ecology, nutrient cycling, pest management, hydrologic cycles, cropping and grazing systems, landscape ecology, biodiversity, and socioeconomic evaluation of systems.

Description: Analysis of production, economics, environmental impacts, and social integration aspects of farms and farming systems

Description: Identification and comparison of grain quality characteristics desired by livestock feeders, human food processors and industrial users, and methods used to measure these characteristics.

Description: Genetic development, production practices, and grain handling and storage procedures to deliver quality grain to livestock feeders, human food processors and industrial uses.

Description: History of organic farming and horticultural systems, organic certification, nutrient and pest management in organic systems, planning organic enterprises including production and marketing, resilience of organic systems in ecological, economic, and social terms; future issues and potentials of organic food systems.

Description: Characteristics of Great Plains ecosystems, interrelationships of ecological factors and processes, and their application in the management of grasslands. Interactions of fire, vegetation, grazing animals and wildlife.

Description: Principles of crop physiology and developmental morphology in relation to function, growth, development, and survival of perennial forage, range, and turf plants. The relationship of physiology and morphological development on plant use and management.

Description: Wildland plants that are important to grassland and shrubland ecosystem management and production. Distribution, utilization, classification, identification (including identification by vegetative parts), uses by Native Americans, and recognition of grasses, forbs, shrubs, exotic and wetland plants.

Description: Ecological principles and their application to invasive species. Discussion of population level characteristics and community and ecosystem level effects of a wide variety of taxa including invasive microbial, fungal, plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate examples. Current global consequences and governmental policies/programs designed to limit the spread of invasives.

Description: Measurement and monitoring of the important vegetation and environmental factors used to develop management guidelines in grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. Emphasis on using ecosystem monitoring protocols for assessment of wildlife habitat, fuels management for wild-land fire, livestock production, and watershed function. Requires field sampling and travel to local field sites.

Description: Analyzing the plant and animal resources and economic aspects of pasturage. Management of pasture and range for continued high production emphasized.

Description: The chemical characteristics of forage components. The interactions with ruminant physiology and digestion that influence forage feeding value. The laboratory procedures used to evaluate forages for grazing livestock.

Description: Ecological effects of fire on grassland ecosystems. Insight into the history of fires, the people who use them and why, the parts of a fire, how fires behave in relation to fuel and weather, and the conducting and safety of prescribed burns

Description: Vegetation sampling theory and plot selection. Quantitative measures used in vegetation analysis, root growth, and utilization. Similarity index, health, and trend for grassland monitoring and assessment. Use of basic statistics and the microcomputer to analyze data sets comparing methods for determination of biomass, basal cover, frequency, and density.

Description: Management of physical/biological settings and processes along with human activities on water and watersheds considering preventative and restorative strategies in a natural resource range-land setting.

Description: Impact of climate and extreme climatic events on society and societal responses to those events. Global in scope and interdisciplinary.

Description: Study of plants that have ecological and/or agricultural importance in the Great Plains. Plant identification, grassland ecosystems and plants forage value, palatability, and utilization by both domestic livestock and wildlife. Cultural and historical uses of grassland.

Description: This course discusses the ecological principles of domesticated livestock grazing and their application to manage grazing lands. Theoretical and applied models of plant/animals interactions will be presented. Grazing systems and their management of ecosystem services will be presented as balance between production and conservation outcomes.

Description: Learn state-of-the-art, scale-appropriate methods for growing and marketing specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers in field and high-tunnel production systems. Test innovative products and systems of your own design to gain a competitive advantage in local markets.

Description: Chemical and mineralogical properties of soil components. Inorganic colloidal fraction. Structures of soil minerals as a means of understanding properties, such as ion exchange and equilibria; release and supply of nutrient and toxic materials; and soil acidity and alkalinity. Forms and functions of organic matter in soil.

Description: Survey of measurement techniques and principles used in characterizing the physical properties of soils. Includes analysis of experimental design and sources of experimental error. Techniques include: particle size analysis, soil water content, pore size analysis, field sampling techniques, soil strength, and saturated hydraulic conductivity.

Description: Soil from a microbe's perspective-growth, activity and survival strategies; principles governing methods to study microorganisms and biochemical processes in soil; mechanisms controlling organic matter cycling and stabilization with reference to C, N, S, and P; microbial interactions with plants and animals; and agronomic and environmental applications of soil microorganisms.

Description: Principles of soil physics. Movement of water, air, heat, and solutes in soils. Water retention and movement, including infiltration and field water regime. Movement of chemicals in soils.

Description: History, breeding and production of cannabis for medicinal marijuana and hemp for fiber use when grown using a growth room, greenhouse, high tunnel and/or field. Clarification between scientific evidence and casual information.

Description: Discussion and practical application of principles and practices of measuring meteorological and related variables near the earth's surface including temperature, humidity, precipitation, pressure, radiation and wind. Performance characteristics of sensors and modern data collection methods are discussed and evaluated.

Description: Emphasis on applied soil physics. Discussion of theoretical principles followed by field and laboratory exercises and applications. Fluxes of water, solutes, air, and heat through the soil. Emphasis on water infiltration, water retention, other soil hydraulic properties. Components of soil water balance. Management of soil water.

Description: Holistic approach to the selection and analysis of planning strategies for protecting water quality from nonpoint sources of contamination. Introduction to the use of methods of analyzing the impact of strategies on whole systems and subsystems; for selecting strategies; and for evaluating present strategies.

Description: Development, structure, and function of tissues and organs of the higher plants. Relationships of structure to physiology and ecology of plants.

Description: Modified root zones and their applications in the turfgrass and landscape management industry. Correct applications and construction techniques.

Description: Seminar on current water resources research and issues in Nebraska and the region.

Description: The process of starting your own enterprise. Competitive environment, risk management, finance for business startups, funding, and business plan writing.

Description: Development converts rural landscapes into housing, roads, malls, parks, and commercial uses. This process fragments landscapes and changes ecosystem functions, drives up land prices, and pushes agriculture into more marginal areas.This multi-disciplinary, experiential course guides students in learning about the urbanization process, the impacts on landscapes, people, and the community, and the choices that are available to informed citizens.

Description: Design, develop and complete a project that requires synthesis of the course topics covered in the primary area of emphasis.

Description: Design, develop and complete a project that requires synthesis of the course topics covered in the primary area of emphasis.

Description: Concept of resilience, especially ecological resilience, and resilience theory. Both theoretical and applied aspects of ecological resilience, and the development of resilience theory. Prominent issues in resilience science and applications to practical problems in natural resource management.

Description: Understanding and use of crop simulation models and ability to build crop models. Studying principles and quantitative descriptions of crop production ecology. Offered fall semester of odd-numbered calendar years.

Description: Focus student learning on principles related to mendelian, population, and molecular genetics of plants including allelisms, nonallelic gene interaction, linkage and recombination, mode of inheritance, mutation, epigenetics, DNA-based makers and mapping techniques, inheritance of qualitative and quantitative traits, and plant transformation.

Description: Structure of populations, forces affecting gene frequency and frequency of genotypes, continuous variation, population values and means, genotypic and environmental variances and covariances.

Description: Theoretical concepts involved in planning breeding programs for the improvement of measurable morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits that are under polygenic control in crop plants of various types.

Description: Offered even-numbered calendar years. Analytic procedures and research methods used in evaluating biochemical components and nutritive value of forages. An evaluation of the impact of forage quality on forage breeding and animal performance.

Description: Virus molecular biology; virosphere; virus-vector relationships; plant resistance to virus infection economic impact and control of plant diseases by viruses.

Description: Understand carbon and nitrogen cycling in the soil ecosystem including feedbacks and implications for soil management, environment, and climate.

Description: Various topics in horticulture, agronomy or related subjects. Emphasis on techniques.

Description: Expected of all Agronomy and Horticulture graduate students. Presentation of thesis/dissertation or non-thesis topics in agronomy, horticulture or related subjects. Agronomy and Horticulture PhD students should enroll in this course twice.