CROP*3310 Protein and Oilseed Crops

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The following description is for the course offering in Fall 2022 and is subject to change. It is provided for information only. The course outline distributed to the class at the beginning of the semester describes the course content and delivery, and defines the methods and criteria to be used in establishing the final grades for the course.

Management strategies and world production of the major temperate protein and oilseed crops are studied relative to their botanical and physiological characteristics and to available environmental resources. The utilization of protein and oilseed crops for human food, livestock feed and various industrial products are examined.

Pre-Requisite(s): AGR*2050 or AGR*2470

Instructors:

Mahbuba Siddiqua

Teaching Assistant:

Credit Weight:

0.50

Course Level:

  • Undergraduate

Academic Department (or campus):

Department of Plant Agriculture

Campus:

Guelph

Semester Offering:

  • Fall

Class Schedule and Location:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for class schedule and location.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. know the historical and botanical origins, physiological characteristics, and production and utilization practices for a range of major protein, oilseed and fiber crops (soybean, canola, mustard, field peas, edible beans, adzuki beans, lentils, chickpeas,  peanut, cotton, sunflower, flax, safflower, hemp seed and oil palm). The range of crops and where they are marketed lends itself to broadening the international exposure of students.

2. know in detail the production recommendations for major protein and oilseed crops, such as soybeans, edible beans and canola, in Canada.

3. prepare and present agronomic information in a format useful for growers. To this end, some students will research, prepare and present to the class, as a group project, a factsheet on a selected crop. The factsheet will include information on historical background of the crop, where it is adapted, information on agronomic recommendations, disease and insect pests, harvesting, storage, marketing and economics, including production costs and returns. The size of the class makes it necessary to have some students develop and write term papers.

4. express yourself better both in writing and orally. All group projects will be submitted to the instructor before circulation to the class, spelling and grammar will be corrected and discussed, as will awkward or confusing writing. PowerPoint presentations also will be reviewed before presentation with corrections in spelling, grammar, use of illustrations, format and clarity.

5. ask appropriate questions during or after presentations and provide appropriate answers to agronomic questions asked during and after the presentations.

6. be proficient in mathematical calculations related to crop production, including conversions from grain moisture at harvest to the standards at which various grains are marketed and sold, and conversions from metric to imperial systems.

7. understand the science involved in recommendations for planting, growing, harvesting and storing major protein and oilseed crops and in the functional properties and problems associated with the oils and proteins of specific crops, as it relates to human and animal nutrition.

8. utilize information from related disciplines such as soil science, plant physiology, plant pathology, entomology and chemistry and apply it to crop production.

9. be better prepared for careers in agronomy.

Lecture Content:

Topics to be covered in lectures include:

  • Introduction to protein and oilseed crops
  • Soybean history, varieties and management
  • Soybean budgets, cost of production, profit margins
  • Vegetable protein and its quality 
  • Spring canola in Western Canada
  • Spring canola production in Ontario
  • Vegetable oils, structure and quality
  • Diversity, genetics and breeding of flax
  • Navy & large seeded bean production, utilization and breeding
  • Oil Palm
  • Cotton
  • Hempseed & Adzuki Beans
  • Faba beans and Sunflowers
  • Sweet Lupins
  • Field Peas & Peanuts
  • Yellow Mustard & Camelina
  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas & Quinoa
  • Biofuels
  • A look into the future
Labs & Seminars:

Course Assignments and Tests:

Assignment or Test
 
 

Weekly Quizzes

35%

 

Term Assignment 

30%

  

Final Examination

35%

 

 

The grade for the Term Assignment (30%) will be distributed as follows:

  • initial draft content, grammar, spelling and clear expression - 15%
  • final content and group presentation - 5%
  • individual presentation - 10%

Final examination:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for exam schedule and location.

Course Resources:

Required Texts:

None.

Recommended Texts:

Sections of OMAFRA Publication 0811E. Agronomy Guide for Field Crops. Available online. (Textbook)

Lab Manual:

None.

Other Resources:

Detailed course notes and PowerPoint presentations will be provided on D2L Courselink.

Field Trips:

None Scheduled. We will collect soil samples from nearby students’ farms and use soil nutrient analyses results to develop crop plans for fertilizer recommendations. No charge.

Additional Costs:

Charges paid by the Department of Plant Agriculture for one bench in a Growth Room in the Crop Science Building so students can observe the development of the various crops to be studied.

Course Policies:

Grading Policy

In- semester quizzes are to be written in the first 10 minutes of Tuesday classes. For students who miss a regularly scheduled quiz with a documented good reason, there will be an opportunity to write a different quiz on the same material outside of class. See instructor for details. First submissions of term assignments in the form of Factsheets are due one week prior to the presentation dates shown in the class schedule.

Late Policy

If you choose to submit assignments to the Dropbox too late, the full allocated mark will be reduced by 5% per day after the deadline for the submission of the assignment to a limit of six days at which time access to the Dropbox folder will be closed. Late Homework Assignments will NOT be graded if they are submitted after the solutions have been posted to CourseLink.

Extensions will be considered for medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances. If you require an extension, discuss this with the instructor as soon as possible and well before the due date. Barring exceptional circumstances, extensions will not be granted once the due date has passed. These rules are not designed to be arbitrary, nor are they inflexible. They are designed to keep you organized, to ensure that all students have the same amount of time to work on assignments, and to help to return marked materials to you in the shortest possible time.

Course Policy on Group Work: 

Students are expected to all contribute to all their group’s assignments and presentations.

Course Policy regarding use of electronic devices and recording of lectures:

Electronic recording of classes is expressly forbidden without consent of the instructor.  When recordings are permitted they are solely for the use of the authorized student and may not be reproduced, or transmitted to others, without the express written consent of the instructor.

Other Course Information:

University Policies

Academic Consideration

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons, please advise the course instructor in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. See the academic calendar for information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration:

Academic Misconduct

The University of Guelph is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and it is the responsibility of all members of the University community, faculty, staff, and students  to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible to prevent academic offences from occurring.

University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor.

The Academic Misconduct Policy is detailed in the University Calenders:

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For more information, contact CSD at 519-824-4120 ext. 56208 or email sas@uoguelph.ca or visit the Student Accessibility Services website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csd/.

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