Tropical Plant Production and Agricultural Systems Modelling

Lectures

Winter term


M.SIA.P22.Mp: Management of tropical plant production systems
Prof. Dr. Rötter, Dr. Abdulai, Dr. Habib Ur Rahman (6 ECTS)

Contents: Presentation of the most important crops with respect to botany, morphology, origin, climatic and ecological requirements, crop production, harvest procedure, significance in local farming systems, utilisation as food, feed, raw materials and as bioenergy source. Discussion of specific cropping systems in the tropics and subtropics and specific management systems for the sustainable improvement of productivity.


M.SIA.P29.Mp: Impact of climate extremes on plant production systems around the globe
Prof. Dr. Rötter, Mareike Köster (6 ECTS)

Contents: The module provides an introduction and overview on climate research, climate extremes, impact assessment, adaption and mitigation strategies and state of the art methodologies to quantify them. This entails climate variability, theory on climate extreme events, major climate extremes and their damage potential, likely shifts under future climate: illustrated by in-depth cases studies from major plant production systems for different temporal and spatial scales.


M.Agr.0182: Blended E-course: Crop Modelling for Risk Management
Prof. Dr. Rötter, Dr. Habib Ur Rahman, Mareike Köster, Dr. Appiah (6 ECTS)

Contents: Using the agricultural production system simulator (APSIM) students will be introduced to the concepts (potential, water-limited and nitrogen-limited production) and application options of agro-ecosystem modelling. In the first part of the lecture students will learn along guided exercises to set up different simulations (single season cropping, rotation, intercropping, climate change effects etc.). In the second part selected case studies are presented, which address typical agronomy questions (fertilizer management, closing yield gap, identifying suitable crop rotations).



B.Agr.0319: Scientific Writing and Professional Presentation in Crop Sciences
(6 ECTS)
Multiple lecturers

Contents: The module serves as a targeted preparation for the bachelor thesis. The students should be able to create a thesis independently and to present scientific content in a suitable form.


Summer term

B.Agr.0320.Mp: Introduction to tropical and international agriculture
Prof. Dr. Schlecht, Dr. Rößler, Dr. Abdulai, Prof. Dr. Rötter (6 ECTS)

Contents: The module provides a basic overview on the biophysical and socioeconomic conditions in the low-income countries and emerging economies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The opportunities and limitations of plant production, livestock farming and product marketing in these areas are illustrated based on selected examples, reaching from subsistence farming to modern commercialised enterprises. By self-study the students get a broader overview on the topics taught in the lectures, based on selected publications from international research centres (z.B. CGIAR, FAO, Worldbank).


M.SIA.P10.Mp: Tropical agro-ecosystem functions
Prof. Dr. Rötter, Dr. Abdulai (6 ECTS)

Contents: Introduction to and overview of agronomy-based land use systems in the tropics and subtropics taking into account ecological points of view. Analysis of the sustainability of plant production under special consideration of the physical, chemical and biological soil quality as well as the efficient water use in the seasonal tropics.


M.SIA.P16M.Mp: Crop Modelling for Risk Management
Prof. Dr. Rötter, Dr. Habib Ur Rahman (6 ECTS)

Contents: Using the agricultural production system simulator (APSIM) students will be introduced to the concepts (potential, water-limited and nitrogen-limited production) and application options of agro-ecosystem modelling. In the first part of the lecture students will learn along guided exercises to set up different simulations (single season cropping, rotation, intercropping, climate change effects etc.). In the second part selected case studies are presented, which address typical agronomy questions (fertilizer management, closing yield gap, identifying suitable crop rotations).


M.SIA.P19M.Mp: Experimental Techniques in Tropical Agronomy
Dr. Habib Ur Rahman, Dr. Abdulai (6 ECTS)

Contents: Basics of and practical exercises on vegetative and generative multiplication techniques in the greenhouse of the department, introduction to statistical experimental design and analyses of greenhouse experiments, theory and practise of ecophsyiological measurements of water status as well as gas change/photosynthesis rates of tropical crop plants.


M.Agr.0001.Mp: Exercises: Linking Models and Experimentation (bi-lingual)
Prof. Dr. Siebert, Dr. Meinen, Dr. Jung, Dr. Ejaz , Prof. Dr. Rötter, Dr. Habib Ur Rahman (6 ECTS)

Contents: Determining phenological development stages, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic light curves, radiation interception by the canopy, leaf gas exchange, organ and canopy temperature, soil physical properties, soil moisture, soil temperature, Nmin, weather station measurements (air temperature and humidity, precipitation, wind, irradiation) above-ground biomass, yield and yield components; introduction to operational crop growth modelling, parameterization, calibrationand validation of the crop models.