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Course Descriptions

Department of Horticultural Sciences

M. A. Arnold*, M. L. Binzel, D. H. Byrne, R. I. Cabrera, L. Cisneros-Zevallos, B. G. Cobb, S. D. Cotner, K. M. Crosby, F. J. Dainello, F. T. Davies, Jr., T. D. Davis (Head), E. W. Hellman, K. D. Hirschi, J. L. Jifon, J. L. Johnson, S. R. King, P. E. Klein, H. Koiwa, D. J. Leskovar, R. D. Lineberger, L. Lombardini, W. A. Mackay, G. R. McEachern, J. C. Miller, Jr., B. S. Patil, H. B. Pemberton, L. M. Pike, D. W. Reed, T. W. Starman, J. B. Storey, A. B. Wagner, Y. T. Wang, D. F. Welsh, D. C. Wilkerson, J. M. Zajicek

* Graduate Coordinator

Horticulture

Advanced work in horticulture may be conducted with areas of specialization in fruit production, nut production, vegetable production, ornamental horticulture and nursery crops, and fruit, nut and vegetable processing. Supporting work may be required in several of the related fields such as chemistry, botany, plant pathology, plant physiology, entomology, soils, genetics, nutrition and agricultural engineering. The specific objective of the individual student will guide his or her committee in the choice of courses from the departments mentioned above and others in special cases.

Programs of study leading to the Master of Agriculture, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are available.

Horticulture (HORT)

601. Nutrition of Horticultural Plants. (3-3). Credit 4.

Principles of nutrition related to management practices of fruit, nut, ornamental and vegetable plants; practice in leaf nutrient analysis by atomic absorption and plasma emission spectrophotometry and autoanalyzer; development of skills in hydroponic nutrition research. Prerequisite: MEPS 313 or approval of instructor.*

604. Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops. (3-0). Credit 3.

Chemical, biological and environmental factors in growth and differentiation and their application to ornamental, fruit and vegetable crops; growth kinetics; source-sink relations; fruit development; seed development and germination; juvenility; apical dominance; growth retardants; pruning; photoperiodism; flowering; sex expression; and senescence. Prerequisites: MEPS 313 or approval of instructor.

605. Internet Applications for Horticulture. (2-2). Credit 3.

Internet applications for horticulture presents the theory and practice of computer networks and networking so that the information and educational content (not the hardware) is the key; the focus is on the World Wide Web and creating Web materials for teaching, research and extension applications. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

608. Plants for Landscape Design. (3-2). Credit 4.

Identification and use of indigenous and introduced plants in landscape designs; plants for special uses in commercial and residential developments; emphasis on ornamental attributes, identification, cultural requirements, limitations and adaptability in urban and suburban environments for important taxa; discussion of current issues, research, and trends in selection, marketing, and utilization of plants for landscape design. Prerequisite: HORT 201 or HORT 308 or BOTN 101, or approval of instructor, not open to students with previous credit for HORT 306.*

616. Asexual Plant Reproduction. (2-2). Credit 3.

Basic scientific principles underlying highly technical practices involved in reproduction of herbaceous and woody ornamental, fruit and vegetable plants by asexual methods; current developments and techniques in anatomical, morphological, environmental, physiological and chemical factors and their application to commercial asexual plant propagation practices. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.*

630. Post-Harvest Biology, Physiology and Genetics of Plants. (3-0). Credit 3.

Overview of biological, physiological and genetic mechanisms which impart phenotypes associated with quality and value of plant products; current emphasis in areas of ripening, senescence, fruit and flower development, and relevant applications of biotechnology will be focus of course. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Cross-listed with MEPS 630.

640. Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Human Health. (3-0). Credit 3.

Current scientific knowledge about the role of phytochemicals in their diet; increase the knowledge and awareness of successful, cost effective, public and private integrated approaches to reduce the health and economic burden of chronic diseases; provide instructional curricular resources media for dissemination through conventional and distance education technology. Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor.

644. Food Quality. (3-0). Credit 3.

Physical, chemical and biological properties of foods; fundamental attributes of flavor, color, odor and texture; esthetic, ethnic and nutritional requirements; role of additives; regulatory standards and quality control regimes; current techniques in food investigations.*

681. Seminar. (1-0). Credit 1.

Student and staff participation in review of literature and reporting on current developments in research on production and processing of horticultural crops. Required of all graduate students in horticulture and floriculture.

684. Professional Internship. Credit 1 to 4.

Program planned to provide professional training in student’s particular field of interest. Faculty and employer will supervise the activity. Work-study planned as a part of the Master of Agriculture degree program in fruit, ornamentals or vegetable production, processing and handling or landscape or garden design and maintenance. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

685. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4 each semester.

Individual problems of research or scholarly activity not pertaining to thesis or dissertation, or selected instruction not covered by other courses. Final documentation of directed study is required. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

689. Special Topics in... Credit 1 to 4.

Selected topics in an identified area of horticulture. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of department head.

690. Theory of Research. (1-0). Credit 1.

Design of research experiments in various fields of horticulture and floriculture and evaluation of results with the aid of examples taken from the current scientific literature. May be repeated for credit.

691. Research. Credit 1 or more each semester.

Research in horticultural problems for thesis or dissertation.

693. Professional Study. Credit 1 to 9.

Approved professional paper undertaken as the requirement for the Master of Agriculture. May be taken more than once, but not to exceed 3 hours of credit towards a degree. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross-listed with FLOR 693.

* Field trips required for which departmental fee may be assessed to cover costs.