SAPL Courses

School of Agriculture - Plant Science

SAPL 003. Introduction to Plant Science.
First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Gaxiola.

A general course designed to give students a broad view of the field of horticulture as well as a working knowledge of the fundamentals of plant growth.

SAPL 017. Vegetable Production.
First semester. Four credits. Three class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Staff.

A general course dealing with the fundamentals of vegetable gardening and production. Lectures cover modern methods of culture and their influence on food quality. Selected vegetable gardens are grown by students.

Turfgrass irrigation systems, principles of hydraulics, irrigation components, design, installation and repair. Students will design irrigation systems for various turf areas. Field trips and fieldwork will be required.

SAPL 020.  Professional Development for Turfgrass Industries. Second semester. Two credits. Two class lectures. Taught jointly with PLSC 220. Rackliffe.

SAPL 022. Soils and Fertilizers.
First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory exercise or field trip. Schulthess.

Physical and chemical properties of soils; nature and use of fertilizer and limed materials; management of soils for crop production including soil testing, tillage and fertilization practices, and conservation practices.

Turfgrass weed, insect, disease, and vertegrate identification and control. Emphasis on biological controls and IPM. Field trips required.

SAPL 024. Turfgrass Management.
First semester. Three credits, Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Taught concurrently with PLSC 124. Guillard.

An overview of turfgrass adaptation, selection, and management. Topics include morphology and identification, establishment, soil interactions, fertilization, liming, mowing, watering, and turfgrass pests - weeds, insects, diseases. Cultural system practices for lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and other turf areas.

SAPL 025. Greenhouse Operations.
First semester. Four credits. Three class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Field trips required. Elliott.

Introduction to greenhouse systems with emphasis on structures, environmental control, root media, irrigation and fertilization, and pest control, in relation to requirements for plant growth and crop production. Laboratories provide experience in crop production.

SAPL 026. Greenhouse Crop Production.
Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Taught jointly with PLSC 226. Prerequisite: SAPL 025. Elliott.

An introduction to major greenhouse crops, exclusive of edible produce. Cultural practices involved in growing cut flowers, flowering potted plants, foliage plants and bedding plants. Laboratories will give students practice in producing major crops. Field trips will be required.

SAPL 030. Floral Art.
Either semester. Two credits. One class period and one 2-hour studio period. Taught concurrently with PLSC 230. Pastormerlo.

The study of flower arrangement as an art form with emphasis on historical background, artistic principles, color harmony and care of perishable media. Individual expression is encouraged in the creation of floral composition.

SAPL 031. Herbaceous Ornamental Plants.

Second semester. Two credits. One class period and one 2-hour laboratory. Taught jointly with PLSC 231. Brand.

Identification, nomenclature and culture of over 160 herbaceous perennials, biennials, annuals and bulbous plants. Live plants and visual presentation are used to highlight plant characteristics and morphology. Lectures include discussions of organic growing, composting, plant morphology, trough and container gardens, and underground storage structure. Field trips to retail and wholesale businesses are a part of this class.

SAPL 035. Advanced Floral Design.
Second semester. Two credits One class period and one 2-hour studio period. Prerequisite SAPL 030. Not open to students in an undergraduate program. Taught conurrently with PLSC 235. Pastormerlo.

SAPL 041. Plant Pest Control.
First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Staff.

A practical survey of practices used for insect, disease and weed pests of turf, flowers, shrubs, trees and food crops. Consideration will be given to quarantine, mechanical, biological and chemical means of control. Field trips may be required.

SAPL 042. Integrated Pest Management.
Second semester. Three credits. Three class periods. Staff.

An overview of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, from development to implementation, with turf and horticultural crops.

SAPL 045. Landscape Plant Maintenance.
Second semester. Three credits. Three class periods. Taught concurrently with PLSC 245. Elliott.

Planting, establishment and maintenance of woody and herbaceous plants in built and managed environments.  Plant structural and functional requirements.  Preserving and protecting established plants.  Soil conditions and modification.  Influence of climate and modification of microclimate.   Plant selection.  Pruning, mulching, water and irrigation, nutrition and fertilization, plant health care and other horticultural practices.

SAPL 046. Fruit Production.
Second semester. Three credits. Staff.

A practical course in fruit production, including information for home fruit growing. Particular emphasis is directed toward the culture of apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and strawberries.

SAPL 047. Fruit Production - Laboratory.
Second semester. Two credits. Two 2-hour laboratory periods. Prerequisite: SAPL 46, which may be taken concurrently. Staff

A practical laboratory in the techniques and methods of fruit production and pruning of fruit crops. Emphasis is directed towards apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, grapes and raspberries. Field trips are required.

SAPL 059. Evaluating and Staging Horticultural Materials.
First semester. One credit. Hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor. This course may be repeated once for credit. Staff.

Organization and staging of horticultural exhibits and contests suitable for fairs, garden clubs, and community projects.

SAPL 060. Nursery Maintenance.
First semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Corbett.

A consideration of the culture, care and maintenance of shade trees and nursery stock. Laboratory periods will be devoted to planting, pruning and maintenance of shade trees and nursery material. At least one field trip will be required.

SAPL 062. Plant Propagation.
Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Field trips are required. Taught jointly with PLSC 238. Brand.

Fundamental principles of reproducing plants by seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, divisions, and tissue culture. Techniques of propagating plants to establish and maintain clones.

SAPL 064. Garden Flowers.
Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Staff.

The identification and culture of perennials, annuals and bulbous plants.

SAPL 066. Plant Materials, Evergreen Plants.
Second semester. Three credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period. Corbett.

Trees, shrubs and vines will be studied. Lectures will be devoted to the characteristics, ornamental value and selection of non-evergreen plants. Laboratory periods will be devoted to identification.

SAPL 067. Plant Materials, Non-Evergreen Plants.
First semester. Three credits. One class period and two 2-hour laboratory periods. Prerequisite: SAPL 66. Corbett.

Trees, shrubs and vines will be studied. Lectures will be devoted to the characteristics, ornamental value and selection of non-evergreen plants. Laboratory periods will be devoted to identification.

SAPL 069. Landscape and Planting Design.
Second semester. Four credits. Two class periods and two 2-hour laboratory periods. Prerequisite: SAPL 64, 66, and 67 or consent of instructor. Corbett.

The principles and techniques of landscaping the home grounds to include site analysis, drawing techniques, selections of materials, and selecting plants to fit the design.

SAPL 071. Horticultural Retailing.
First semester. Three credits. Taught concurrently with PLSC 244. Staff.

A discussion of the principles of retailing as applied to the sale of horticultural crops. Emphasis is given to planning, customer preference, competition, merchandising, pricing and inventory as they apply to landscaping, flower shop and garden center management.

SAPL 074. Horticulture Production Practicum-Nursery.
Second semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: SAPL 60. Consent of instructor. The grade for this course will be S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). Corbett.

Students will be responsible for planning, producing and marketing a nursery crop. Students may use private facilities or the Ratcliffe Hicks C.R. Burr Teaching Nursery.

SAPL 075. Horticulture Production Practicum-Vegetable.
Second semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: SAPL 17. Consent of instructor. The grade for this course will be S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). Staff.

Students will be responsible for planning, producing and marketing a vegetable crop on a commercial scale. Requires the availability private production facilities.

SAPL 083. Golf Course Management. Second semester. Three Credits. Three class periods. Taught jointly with PLSC 283. Rackliffe.

Cultural management techniques including soil aeration, topdressing, mowing, thatch removal, grass or species selection, fertilization, irrigation and management of personnel, pests, equipment and inventory. Field trips required.

Introduction to golf course design theory, planning, and layout. Putting green and tee construction methods. Turfgrass species and cultivar selection of the the golf course. Expertise and experience of departmental faculty and staff, independent and commercial consultants and designers, and golf course superintendents will be utilized. Field trips required.

SAPL 086. Pesticide Safety and Management.
Second semester. Two credits. Two class periods. Gauthier.

Pesticide applicatioin equipment, pesticide safety and toxicity, equipment calibration, pesticide poisoning, first aid and crop worker protection standards. Managing the use of pesticides to increase safety to applicators and the environment as well as increasing pest management effectiveness utilizing principles of IPM.

SAPL 087. Internship.
Either semester or summer. One to 6 credits. Hours by arrangement. Open to qualified students with consent of advisor and Department Head. This course may be repeated provided that the sum total of credits does not exceed six.

Students will work with professionals in an area of their interest. Written reports, daily logs, and/or evaluations by professional supervisors may be required.

SAPL 098. Athletic Field Construction and Drainage.
Second semester. Two Credits. Two class periods. Prerequisites: An introductory soils course plus an introductory turfgrass management course, Or 5 years experience in the field. Schulthess.

The course will cover the physical and engineering properties of soil including principles of water movement through soils, sports turf drainage systems, design criteria and drainage installation, assessing soil properties for their suitability and/or limitations to field construction, writing technical specifications for sports fields, examining construction techniques and maintaining quality control during field construction. Field surface properties will also be discussed. Some laboratory work will be required. Field trips will examine soil profiles in natural and degraded sites.

SAPL 099. Independent Study. 
Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. Consent of instructor required. Students are advised to read the Ratcliffe Hicks School regulation limiting the number of credits which may be applied toward the minimum graduation requirements. Staff.

An independent study project is mutually arranged between a student and an instructor.

SARE 050. Principles of Agricultural and Resourse Economics.
Either semester. Three Credits. Three class periods. Taught jointly with ARE 150.

An introduction to agricultural economics, the role of agriculture in today's United States economic system, and relationships that regulate the entire economic environment.

SARE 060. Agribusiness Management.
Either semester. Three Credits. Prerequisite SARE 050.

Covers concepts and techniques essential in managing an agribusiness firm. Topics include: finance, production planning, marketing, and personnel management.

SAAG 001. Introduction to Computer Use.
Either semester. Three Credits. Two class periods and one 2-hour laboratory period.

Use of computers for solving problems and accessing information. Includes word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software.

Last updated 16 August 2004