Plant Production Control Science (Advanced Course)
| Numbering Code | G-AGR01 5AA16 LJ78 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture |
| Target Year | Target Student | ||
| Language | Japanese | Day/Period | Fri.3 |
| Instructor name | NAKAZAKI TETSUYA (Graduate School of Agriculture Professor) | ||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | Human beings have performed plant production control since they had begun a settled way of life in pre-agriculture stage. In this subject, the traditional techniques of plan production control in paddy field and burn field of early agriculture are reviewed and compared to the today's technology of agricultural production. Finally, future ways of plant production control are discussed. | ||
| Course Goals | Students will develop the ability to explore the directions for the development of new plant production control techniques for producing high-yield, high-quality crops while minimizing environmental impact. | ||
| Schedule and Contents |
1. Tree nuts An overview of various techniques of production control of tree nuts (e.g., acorns, Japanese horse chestnuts, chestnuts, etc.), which have been gathered and served as primary sources of starch in Japan since the Jomon period, will be provided based on archeological and ethnological evidence. In addition, the techniques of utilizing tree nuts as a food source and the historical transformation of such techniques will be described in relation to the history of plant domestication, from collection to semi-domestication to domestication. 2. Potatoes An overview of taro, a root vegetable considered to be one of the plants from which farming originated, will be provided. We will also focus on East and South Asian regions, where the plant is believed to have originated, and examine the development of production techniques used for the domestication of taro and how the practice and techniques of domestication became prevalent in the region. Traditional cultivation techniques in Japan and their ethnological functions will also be explained. 3. “Burned field (yakihata)” agriculture Primary crops of yakihata, or a traditional farming practice of burning fields, will be outlined. In addition, yakihata cultivation systems and the diversity of techniques used in various cultivation environments will be explained. Further, we will focus on examples of relatively well-accepted findings in order to examine the production techniques in detail and study the human activities that underlie the development of these techniques. 4. Rice cultivation The cultivation and propagation of rice, which was first domesticated in the Chang Jiang River basin, will be explained based on archeological and ethnological evidence in connection to the social context of the time. The spread of rice cultivation to Japan and rice farming during the early Yayoi period will be examined in conjunction with archeological evidence from ancient farm sites. 5. Modern farming The current state of year-round cultivation, which has been made possible by modern agricultural machinery and equipment, will be discussed. Additionally, leading farming techniques founded on modern technology, and their relationships to environmental, energy and food problems will be outlined. 6. Summary In view of what they have learned in this course, students will examine the goals, significance and assessment of today’s technological development related to plant production, and discuss a wide range of future goals of plant production techniques. 2-3 sessions will be spent on each of topics 1 to 5 above. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Evaluation will be based on class performance, reports, and examination. | ||
| Course Requirements | None. | ||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | To be instructed as needed. | ||
