Plnt3007 Plant Nutrition

Plnt3007

PLNT3007 PLANT NUTRITION 

Faculty of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Science

Date of this Course Profile:            January, 2003 

Changes since the previous version - Version 1.0

Units value:  2

Introduction
The growth and productivity of crops, forestry plantings, pastures and livestock is frequently limited by deficiencies or toxic excesses of various mineral elements, and in some cases the success or failure of an agricultural enterprise will depend on the extent to which it has been possible to remove these limitations.  Hence it is important for agricultural, horticultural, and land resource science graduates to be able to make a positive identification of such problems when they occur, and on the basis of their understanding of the soil and plant factors involved, to devise corrective measures that are both technically sound and economically viable.  In this course, considerable emphasis will be placed on methods of diagnosing nutritional disorders of plants, since accurate diagnosis is an essential prerequisite to the development of efficient and practical solutions to nutritional problems.

Class contact hours 2L, 5P
PLNT3007 has both theory and practical components. There are two lectures and one 5-hour practical per week.

Staff
The course coordinator and sole lecturer in this course is Associate Professor David Edwards, who is located in the Hartley Teakle Building Room 330.  He may also be contacted by telephone (3365 2058) or by email (david.edwards@uq.edu.au).  Janette Mercer (Room 225, Hartley Teakle Building) will provide technical support, particularly for the practical classes.

Purpose of the course
The aim of this course is to introduce agricultural science and science students to the principles of plant nutrition and to provide ‘hands-on’ training in the diagnosis of nutritional disorders of higher plants.

Course goals
On completing this course students will:

·         Possess a strong basic understanding of the principles of plant nutrition

·         Possess an appreciation of the key role that plant nutrition has played in agricultural development and continued production in Australia

·         Have confidence in their ability to solve nutritional problems of field-grown plants

Graduate attributes developed 

Assumed background
Students are expected to have knowledge of the subject material covered in LAND2003 The Soil Environment.  LAND 3005 Soil-Plant Relationship is also recommended as an excellent course that can be taken concurrently with or prior to PLNT3007. 

Teaching and learning modes
Students are expected to attend lectures (2 hours per week) and take notes that will supplement the lecture notes provided at each lecture.  The lecturer welcomes short questions during lecture time.  He will be available for consultation out of lecture times. 

Attendance
Attendance at practicals (5 hours per week) and completion of the practical assignments is a compulsory course requirement.  You must read the relevant section of the practical manual before each practical. 

Resources available and required
We will provide the Course Profile, Lecture Notes and a Practical Manual.  All equipment for the practicals will also be provided. You will need lined paper and writing instruments for taking additional notes in lectures and a practical notebook and writing instruments for use in practical classes. 

You must wear covered shoes (i.e. no thongs or sandals) during all practical classes.  A laboratory coat should be worn during those practicals in which you use strong acids to digest plant materials.  Additional safety equipment will be supplied as needed.

Assessment program  

Assessment criteria
Your final marks will be graded according to the following scale. 

If you have not submitted any assessable work, you will receive an X. If you have work still to be submitted and/or assessed AND you have arranged with the Course Coordinator to submit the work late, you will receive an INC (incomplete result).  

Theory 
Assessed during the end-of-semester examination period by a 2 hours paper worth 40% of the total mark.  The exam will comprise 1 compulsory short answer question and 3 essay type questions ( you will have 5 from which to select 3).  The examination may include topics addressed during the practical sessions as well as during the lectures. 

If you are unable to sit an exam for a medical or other adverse reason, you may apply for a Special Examination through the Student Centre.  Results of Special Examinations are graded from 1 to 7 in the usual way. 

If you fail a major examination (usually with a Grade of 2), you may be offered a Supplementary Examination.  Results from Supplementary Examinations cannot receive a Grade higher than 4.

Practical
This will be assessed on the basis of written reports on the 7 experiments that will be conducted during the course; see the Practical Manual for details of the marks allocated and the submission dates.

Assessment criteria will include data presentation (Tables, Figures, Plates), interpretation and discussion of the data obtained and use of the literature in the presentation of the 7 reports.  Students are advised to use the Australian Journal of Agricultural Research (or the Australian Journal of Soil Research) as a model for their presentation of data.

Mid-Semester Test
This is a 50 minute test in which the focus is on what has been learnt during the practical sessions.  It will include a number of simple chemical calculations to which all students were introduced in the practicals and which, in some instances, were consolidated upon in the Exercises.

Assessment policies
Late submission and granting extensions: Provided prior arrangements have been made with me or a doctor’s certificate is produced, I am happy to accept late submissions without penalty up until the time that marked work is returned to students. Otherwise, I operate a 5% reduction on marks available per day until the assignment is received.

Resubmission: Since assignment requirements are clear and simple, and I am prepared to discuss assignments in detail in the practical classes, I will not consider re-submission of assignments after they have been marked.

Plagiarism: The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: ‘Plagiarism is the action or practice of taking and using as one’s own the thoughts or writings of another, without acknowledgment’. Students should be aware that the University will not hesitate to use the procedures available under the University of Queensland Statute No. 4 (Student Discipline and Misconduct) 1999 to investigate suspected misconduct involving plagiarism. For further information about plagiarism, see the Handbook of University Policies and Procedures Section 3.40.12 which is accessible from the University Home Page.

One way of avoiding plagiarism is to ensure that everything you quote or cite is correctly referenced. In this course, it will be adequate to list the full details of the sources of information used in assignments in a list of References at the end of each assignment.

Feedback on assessment items
You will be provided with feedback on your assignments. Where a common error occurs (e.g. incorrect spelling of the element phosphorus), this may be discussed in a practical class.  It is your responsibility to incorporate feedback into your learning, make use of the assessment criteria given, be aware of the rules, policies and other documents related to assessment and to provide staff with feedback on their assessment procedures. 

Student support
Important information about examinations and support services available to students can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/nravs/ and the Student Support Services site at http://www.ss.uq.edu.au/

Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements in the course/program is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Support Services.

Lecture and Practical Class schedule
(Subject to change in case of illness or unavailability) 

General Information regarding content of the Program                                                       

Quantitative Effects of Nutrient Supply on Plant Growth

The Concept of Limiting Factors
Nutritional Aspects of Soil Fertility Investigations
Definition of Fertility Problems                                                                        

Diagnosis of Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses                                                                     

Simple Observation and Use of Local Knowledge
Soil Analysis and Soil Tests
Leaf Symptoms (cf.  Experiment l)
Leaf Painting and Injection Methods (cf.  Experiment 3)
Other Physiological Methods
Plant Analysis and Tissue Testing (cf.  Experiments 4, 5)                                     

Use of Sand Culture and Solution Culture Techniques                                                            

Sand Culture Methods
Solution Culture Methods (cf. Experiments 1, 6)
Resin Culture                                                                                               

Exclusion of Unwanted Elements in Plant Nutrient Experiments                                          

Water
Nutrient Salts
Other Sources of Contamination

Experiments

Experiment l: Production of Deficiency Symptoms Using the Still Culture Technique      

Preparation of Pots
Preparation of Stock Solutions
Preparation of Nutrient Solutions
Routine Operations
Harvesting
Chemical Analysis                                                                                         

Experiment 2: Diagnosis of Nutritional Disorders: Transfer of Plants to Incomplete Nutrient Solutions 

            

Experiment 3: Diagnosis of Nutritional Disorders: Leaf Painting                                           

Principles of Leaf Painting

Experiment 4: Diagnosis of Nutritional Disorders: Tissue Tests                                            

Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium

Experiment 5: Diagnosis of Nutritional Disorders: Plant Analysis                                         

Notes on digestion recoveries
Determination of Nitrogen, Sulphur by combustion analysis
CNS Analyser operating procedures (CNS, Room 311)
CNS Sampler protocol
Analysis of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Iron,    Chromium, Nickel, Aluminium, Lead, and Sodium
Normal working ranges for A.A.S.
Digestion procedure
Dilution of digest
Calibration of A.A.S.(Room 306)
Analysis of Boron in Plant Material (ICPAES, Room 312)
Analysis of Phosphorus in Plant Material (ICPAES, Room 312)
Analysis of Molybdenum in Plant Material (ICPAES, Room 312)
 

Experiment 6: Depletion in non-flowing nutrient solutions                                                    

Experiment 7: Diagnosis of an "unknown" nutrient disorder                                                 

 

Recommended texts and references

Marschner, H. 1995. ‘Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants’, 2^nd edn. Academic Press: London.

Reuter, D.J. and Robinson, J.B. (eds) 1997. ‘Plant Analysis: an Interpretation Manual’, 2^nd edn. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

Epstein, E. 1972. ‘Mineral Nutrition of Plants: Principles and Perspectives’.  John Wiley & Sons: New York.

Useful References

Solution Culture Techniques

Asher, C.J. and Edwards, D.G.  (1983)  ‘Modern solution culture methods’.  In A. Lauchlin and R.L. Bieleski (eds) Encyclopaedia of Plant Physiology New Series, Vol. 15a Inorganic Plant Nutrition pp 94 - 119, Springer -Verlag, Berlin.

Hewitt, E.J.  (l966)  ‘Sand and Water Culture Methods Used in the Study of Plant Nutrition’.  C'wealth Bur.Hort.  and Plantation Crops Tech.  Comm.  No.22 (2nd Ed.).

Diagnostic information

(a)      Publications dealing with a wide range of species

Weir, R. and Cresswell, G.  Plant Nutrient Disorders in Crops

                   Volume 1 – ‘Temperate and subtropical fruit and nut crops’, pp. 96 (1993)

          Volume 2 – ‘Tropical fruit and nut crops’, pp. 112 (1995)

          Volume 3 – ‘Vegetable crops’, pp. 96, (1993)

          Volume 4 – ‘Pastures and field crops’, pp. 126, (1994)

          Volume 5 – ‘Ornamental plants’, (1997) 

Reuter, D.J. and Robinson , J.B.(1986) Plant Analysis - An interpretation manual, Inkata Press, pp. 218. (A revised and greatly expanded version is due to be published in 1997).

(b)      Publications dealing in detail with individual species 

Horticultural species

Asher, C.J. and Lee, M.T.  (l975).  Diagnosis and Correction of Nutritional Disorders in Ginger (Zingiber officinale).  Dept. Agric., Univ. Qld., pp. 28.

Smith, G.S., Asher, C.J. and Clark, C.J.(1987).  Kiwifruit Nutrition: diagnosis of nutritional disorders. (Revised 2nd edition).  Agpress communications, Wellington, N.Z., pp. 61.

O'Sullivan, J.N., Asher, C.J. and Blamey, F.P.C.  (1995) Nutritional disorders of sweet potato.  ACIAR Working Paper No.45, pp. 75.

O'Sullivan, J.N., Asher, C.J. and Blamey, F.P.C.  (1996).  Nutritional disorders of taro. ACIAR Working Paper No 47, pp. 82.

Field crops

Asher, C.J., Edwards, D.G., and Howeler, R.H. (1980) Nutritional Disorders   rantz).  Dept. Agric., Univ. Qld.

Blamey, F.P.C., Edwards, D.G. and Asher, C.J.  (l987) Nutritional Disorders of Sunflower..  Dept. Agric., Univ. Qld., pp. 72.

Grundon, N.J., Edwards, D.G., Takkar, P.N., Asher, C.J.  and Clark, R.B.  (l987) Nutritional Disorders of Grain Sorghum..  ACIAR Monograph, No. 2, pp. 99.

CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures.  Technical Paper Series

No 22 "Foliar symptoms of mineral disorders in Kenaf (Hibiscus inus)"
No 23 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)"
No 24 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in mung bean (Vigna radiata)"

Tanaka, A. and Yoshida, S.(l970).  Nutritional Disorders of the Rice Plant in Asia.  (I.R.R.I.). 

Pasture plants

CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures.  Technical Paper Series

       No 9 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in Panicum maximum var trichoglume cv. Petrie."

No 10 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in Desmodium intortum"

No 11 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in Phaseolus atropurpureus."

          No 13 "Foliar symptoms of nutrient disorders in Chloris gayana."

          No 14 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Paspalum dilatatum."

          No 16 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Cenchrus ciliaris."

          No 17 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Lotononis bainesii."

          No 18 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Glycine wightii."

          No 19 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Stylosanthes humilis."

          No 21 "Foliar of nutrient disorders in Leucaena leucocephala."

 Forestry species

Dell, B., Malajczuk, N. and Grove, T.S.  (1995) Nutrient disorders in plantation Eucalypts. ACIAR Monograph No 31,pp.104.