AGRO/HORT 100G -- Introduction to Plant Science Fall 2003/ MWF 12:30-1:20 GT 337   Instructor: Carol Potenza, PhD cpotenza@nmsu.edu  Office Hours: Monday: 1:30-12:20, Tues. 8:30-9:30; Skeen Hall N333 Textbooks: Introductory Plant Biology, K. Stern 9th Ed. 2003 Introduction to Horticulture and Agronomy: Lab Manual, K. Lombard, A. Wagner, J. Mexal, R. Mostafavi (available in Ag Communications office GTH173) –Dr Chris Cramer will be overseeing the lab. Lab will start the first week of class. Supplemental information is provided in the class. Course Objective: To teach students the scientific method as it is applied in the discipline of plant science. At the end of the course students will have learned the basic chemical, physical and biological principles that govern plant growth in different environments and be able to design experiments to test hypotheses based on these principles. Catalog Description: Lecture and laboratory. Introductory course presenting the physical, biological, and chemical principles underlying plant growth and development in managed ecosystems. In the laboratory portion of the class, students perform experiments demonstrating the principles covered in lecture. The course uses economic plants and agriculturally relevant ecosystems to demonstrate basic principles. Appropriate for non-science majors. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Comprehensive final exam 250 Grading: The final grade for this course will be based on 1000 points. Students should note that only ~40% of the grade is based on tests, 30% of the grade is based a paper, an oral presentation and homework, and 30% of the grade is based on lab reports and lab attendance, reflecting the importance of the laboratory portion of this course. Attendance at lab is mandatory.   Quizzes (7)—25 pts each 175 Comprehensive final exam 250 Homework problem sets (5) 125 Essay assignment 100 Oral presentation in debate 50 Laboratory reports 300 Total 1000   You will be expected to keep track of your points and grade throughout the semester. You can email me for periodic updates and point comparisons.   Quizzes will take up the last 20-25 minutes of class time and can cover anything presented in lecture or in the assigned text chapters and will not include the lecture presented on quiz days. Students may make up missed quizzes if taken before the next scheduled class period. Homework is worth 25 points per assignment. You are encouraged to study and work with others, but not copy others’ answers. Homework with identical answers will get zero points for those questions. Late homework will be accepted but will suffer a penalty (Loss of a whole grade per day late, starting 10 minutes after start of class on the due date). Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A >900 points; B 800-899 points; C 700-799 points; D 600-699 points; F < 600 points. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Essay TopicGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture: Writing assignments: There are several different types of writing assignments in this class: an essay; short essay questions in homework problem sets and final exam, and lab reports. The essay assignment is really a two-part assignment, a written presentation worth 100 points and an oral presentation of the written report and a defense of the conclusions of the essay worth 50 points. You MUST submit a written report to participate in the oral debate.   Essay assignmentPlease give an educated overview and select one of the crops (a-d) to research historically and as a genetically modified crop in production now. Include pros/cons and conclude with your specific opinion on GMOs as a separate final paragraph. Essay TopicGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture: (choose one of the listed crops to research) corn/maize rice soybeans papaya   You will select which of the crops you wish to research and sign-up on September 5th. The written portion of the assignment is due Friday November 14, 2003. There are to be at least 8 well-cited references from 1996-2003. These may include up to four web references. The document is to be typed and at least 4 pages double-spaced and no more than 10 pages. The oral presentations will be on November 19, on November 21 and on November 23. I will select which students present on which days. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Grading Policies: Any missed assignments/quizzes/papers will receive zero points without a valid excuse given BEFORE you miss the assignment. I will make rare exceptions for specific hardships as long as you have validated notes or letters from doctors/faculty advisors etc. Valid/invalid excuses will be determined at the discretion of the instructors or your lab T.A.   Academic misconduct/Plagiarism: Please read the NMSU Student Handbook, especially the sections pertaining to academic misconduct, as they will strictly apply in this course. Additional comments about plagiarism: Plagiarism includes copying sentences or paragraphs from a scientific paper/references/fellow students when writing a report. This means that students must use their own words. Any information gathered from an outside source must be referenced and stated in your own words. Reports will be checked for acts of plagiarism. A single plagiarized sentence will result in a zero for that assignment. The instructors will strongly enforce these rules.   Students with Disabilities: If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to the office for Services for Students with Disabilities, located at Garcia Annex (646-6840). Appropriate accommodations may then be provided for you. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency, or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the director of Disable Student Programs. If you have general questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), call 646-3333. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

AGRO/HORT 100G Lecture scheduleFall 2003   AGRO/HORT 100G Lecture scheduleFall 2003 NOTE: The information in this syllabus is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Students will be notified of any changes in the syllabus during the semester. Date Topic/Reading Assignment Aug 18 Introduction/Chapt. 1   Aug 20 History of Agriculture/suppl Oct 15 Plant Classification/16 Aug 22 Chemical Nature of Life/2 Oct 17 Meiosis/12 Aug 25 Oct 20 Meiosis/12--Genetics/13 Aug 27 Cells/3 Oct 22 Genetics/13 Aug 29 Oct 24 Plant Breeding/5 Sept 1 Holiday (Labor Day) Oct 27 Evolution/15 (problem set 4 due; quiz 5) Sept 3 Tissues/4 (problem set 1 due) Oct 29 Genetic Engineering/14 Sept 5 Roots/5 (quiz 1) Essay Sign-up Oct 31 Sept 8 Stems/6 Nov 3 Biological Pests/suppl Sept 10 Leaves/7 Nov 5 Biological Pests/Pest Control/suppl Sept 12 Flowers/8 Nov 7 Pest Control/suppl Sept 15 Fruits and seeds/8 (problem set 2 due) Nov 10 Water Management/suppl Sept 17 Water in plants/9 (quiz 2) Nov 12 Water Management/suppl (quiz 6) Sept 19 Water in plants/9 Nov 14 Mineral Nutrition and Fertilizer/suppl (essay due) Sept 22 Soils/5 and suppl Nov 17 Medicinal Plants/suppl (problem set 5 due) Sept 24 Nov 19 Student Presentations #1 Sept 26 Plant Physiology/10 Nov 21 Student Presentations #2 Sept 29 Plant Physiology/10 (quiz 3) Nov 24 Student Presentations #3 Oct 1 Nov 26-28 Thanksgiving Oct 3 Dec 1 NM crop production/suppl Oct 6 Dec 3 Oct 8 Growth/11 (problem set 3 due) Dec 5 Global Hunger/suppl (quiz 7) Oct 10 Asexual Propagation/14 (quiz 4) Oct 13-14 Fall Break Dec 8 (1:00 to 3:00) FINAL EXAM Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies  

I WANT YOU… To think about plants as a career. (We did and look how happy we are…) Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

What Is Plant Biology ? Chapter 1 Copyright © McGraw-Hill Companies Permission Required for Reproduction or Display Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Human and Animal Dependence on Plants Botany as a Science Outline Human and Animal Dependence on Plants Botany as a Science Scientific Method Diversification of Plant Study Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

How Important are plants to life as we know it? Plant life constitutes over 98% of the total biomass on earth (Biomass in the total dry weight of living organisms) *Plants/ “green” organisms have the EXCLUSIVE ability to produce oxygen *Plants remove large amounts of carbon dioxide given off by all living organisms Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

For example… A Lower-Emission Leonardo DiCaprio. By Tom Cunneff. Leonardo DiCaprio is now "carbon neutral." Working with an environmental group called Future Forests, the eco-friendly actor is helping offset global carbon emissions (which exacerbate the greenhouse effect) by sponsoring the planting of 1,000 trees. Actually, according to Future Forests, it only takes 15 trees to "neutralize" DiCaprio, whose carbon dioxide emissions are about half of an average American's since he drives an electric car. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Human and Animal Dependence on Plants Plants are the source of multiple products of human society: Food Perfumes Dyes Beverages Lumber Paper Clothing Copyright © McGraw-Hill Companies Permission Required for Reproduction or Display Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

At first, interest in plants was practical. Botany As A Science At first, interest in plants was practical. Centered around the production of food, fibers, fuel, and medicine. Eventually, an intellectual interest arose. Science involves the observation, recording, organization, and classification of information. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Hypothesis - Tentative, unproven explanation of an observation. Scientific Method Hypothesis - Tentative, unproven explanation of an observation. Experiment - Test to determine if a hypothesis is correct. Variables - Aspects of the experiment that can be changed or held constant. Control - All variables held constant. Data - Results from the experiment. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Hypothesis: Natural Herb induces Weight Loss BioShape is a unique blend of the highest quality, vegetable source, crystalline amino acids, plus a research-backed blend of natural ingredients to help you lose weight! Only $122.95 for a 40 day supply!! Experimental Design BioShape! ControlPlacebo Same Diet, Same Exercise What Else? Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

ControlPlacebo BioShape! Before… After Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Principle - Useful generalization derived from experimental data. Scientific Method Principle - Useful generalization derived from experimental data. Theory - Grouping of related principles. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Diversification of Plant Study Plant Anatomy Chiefly concerned with internal structure of plants. Plant Physiology Concerned with plant function. Plant Taxonomy Plant Systematics - System of classification and naming. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Diversification of Plant Study Plant Geography Study of plant distributions. Plant Ecology Study of interaction between plants and their environments. Plant Morphology Study of the form and structure of plants. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Diversification of Plant Study Genetics Science of Heredity Enormous potential for further development of better agricultural, medicinal, and other useful plants. Cell Biology Science of cell structure and function. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Diversification of Plant Study Economic Botany and Ethnobotany Examines practical uses of plants and plant products. Still vast amounts of botanical information yet to be discovered. Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Human and Animal Dependence on Plants Botany as a Science Review Human and Animal Dependence on Plants Botany as a Science Scientific Method Diversification of Plant Study Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Companies Permission Required for Reproduction or Display Stern - Introductory Plant Biology: 9th Ed. - All Rights Reserved - McGraw Hill Companies