Agriculture and Agribusiness

Crop Production Principles and Agronomy

A crop yields what the most limiting factor allows, which means the fertiliser, the seed and the spray programme are all wasted if the plant population was wrong or the planting date missed the rain. This course works in that order of importance. Delegates work through crop growth stages and the periods at which yield is actually determined, since a stress at flowering costs far more than the same stress a month earlier. Land preparation and seedbed condition follow. Planting is covered in detail: date, plant population, row spacing and depth, and the establishment count that tells you whether the crop started well. Variety selection is addressed against season length, disease pressure and market requirement. Nutrition, water and weed competition are covered as the manageable limiting factors. Crop monitoring and scouting follow. Rotation and its effect on disease, weeds and soil are addressed. Harvest timing and losses are covered. The course closes on gross margin per hectare and on deciding what to change next season.