PLSCI 5350

Sustainable Orchard Management

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

The science of tree-fruit production with an emphasis on the agroecology and physiology of regionally important species. Topics include: site selection; orchard design; clonal rootstock and variety selection; nursery production and grafting, tree pruning and training; flowering and pollination; crop load management; water, nutrient, and soil management; fruit ripening, maturity, and storage; marketing and profitability; integrated pest management; orchard mechanization; and sustainable production practices. Students will synthesize and apply knowledge from a broad range of life sciences within the context of perennial crop agroecosystems. Orchard field trips and lab sessions will provide practical, hands-on experience. This course is designed for students interested in commercial tree-fruit production and/or pomology research, hobby fruit growers, and professional IPM consultants.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2024SP, 2023SP

Learning Outcomes

• Make critical decisions required for profitable orchard management.
• Find and evaluate essential information resources about tree-fruit orchards.
• Integrate key ecological, physiological, environmental, and economic issues in sustainable orchard systems.
• Select the optimal systems for orchard management.
• Successfully plant, prune, and train fruit trees.
• Harvest, store, and market fruit efficiently.
• Synthesize course material into IPM and Commodity Report fact sheets that address sustainable orchard management.
• Produce a 15-20 page term paper based on a review and interpretation of current literature.
• Apply knowledge of fruit physiology to mentor undergraduate colleagues by reviewing and providing a critical assessment of undergraduate term paper drafts.

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