AG3004 - Novel Crops and Products

Credit points:	03
Year:	2008
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:	School of Marine & Tropical Biology

This subject will broadly cover (a) the fundamental scientific and technical concepts that contribute to the domestication, culture and commercialisation of perennial plant crops and (b) analysis of existing and potential new crops and their integration into agriculture and the marketplace. Topics essential to these themes include plant genetic resources, crop reproductive systems, plant breeding, clonal propagation, germplasm deployment, plantation design, pest management, post-harvest physiology and marketing. The aim of the subject is to prepare students for working in expanding agricultural, horticultural and forestry industries associated with novel plant products.

Learning Outcomes

• An improved comprehension of the components for development of novel perennial crops in the tropics and capacity for understanding the interaction between them to improve commercial viability;
• A capacity to design a domestication/breeding and commercialisation strategy for perennial crops;
• Enhanced appreciation of the values and interaction between science, industry and marketplace in the field of agricultural science;
• Improved skills in field observation, data collection and scientific literacy.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments, and to reason and deploy evidence clearly and logically;
• The ability to reflect on and evaluate learning, and to learn independently in a self directed manner.

Prerequisites:	AG2005 or BZ2420 or by permission of HOS
Inadmissible Subject Combinations:	AG5004

Availabilities
Townsville, Internal, Study Period 2
Census Date 05-Sep-2008
Coordinator:	Dr Tony Page
Lecturers:	Professor Paul Gadek, Dr Tony Page, Dr Kamaljit Kaur.
Contact hours:	26 hours lectures 6 hours tutorials 6 hours practicals 24 hours fieldwork
Assessment:	end of semester exam (50%); practical and field-trip reports, essay and performance in tutorials (50%).
Cairns, Internal, Study Period 2
Census Date 05-Sep-2008
Coordinator:	Dr Tony Page
Lecturers:	Dr Tony Page, Dr Kamaljit Kaur.
Contact hours:	26 hours lectures 6 hours tutorials 6 hours practicals 24 hours fieldwork
Assessment:	end of semester exam (50%); practical and field-trip reports, essay and performance in tutorials (50%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.