Crop Production and Management (AGRI20037)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Field crop production is a major component of Australia’s economy, and landholders manage their resources to balance environmental, economic and social demands. This subject discusses how these resources are managed to produce high quality crop products.
Topics include:
- An appraisal of the cropping enterprises in southern Australia - the location, scale and nature of cropping enterprises and their contribution to the national economy
- Growth, development and yield in crop production - definitions and relations between growth and development attributes, yield and yield components, measurement of crop yields, biological and economical yield and harvest index (complemented by field exercises)
- Environmental constraints limiting productivity - climate and growing season, water and nutrient availability
- Agronomic management to optimise production and product quality, including water and nutrient management, soil management and rotations
- Problems and prospects of both dryland and irrigated crop production within farm systems, comparative cost-return analysis, marketing strategies
Intended learning outcomes
The objectives of this subject are to extend the student's ability to:
- Identify the ecological principles underpinning crop production systems
- Understand how the processes of growth and development of plants interact with management operations in a crop production system
- Identify the role and place of selected crops in production systems
- Develop skills in predicting outcomes from particular management practices on economic and environmental benchmarks
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, the student should have developed the following generic skills:
- An ability to demonstrate a broad knowledge of fundamental scientific concepts across crop production systems
- An understanding of the structures of agriculture and related industries and the principal factors that determine location, environmental impact, sustainability, profitability and international trade competitiveness
- The capacity to apply scientific knowledge to the definition, analysis, and solution of agricultural and environmental problems
- A capacity for the exchange, acquisition and dissemination of scientific and industry information and for technology transfer
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
One of
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGRI10048 | Plant Production Systems | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| BIOL10010 | Foundational Biology: Life's Complexity | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| BIOL10011 | Biology: Life's Complexity | Not available in 2025 |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGRI20035 | Applied Crop Production and Horticulture | Semester 2 (On Campus - Dookie) |
12.5 |
Recommended background knowledge
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGRI20038 | Principles of Soil Science |
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Dookie)
|
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Practical report based on the field trips due approximately week 7
| Week 7 | 25% |
Practical report based on the field trips due approximately week 10
| Week 10 | 25% |
Examination
| During the examination period | 50% |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Jenny Downing Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 2 hours of lectures per week, 1 hour of tutorials per week and 24 hours of field work Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 28 July 2025 to 26 October 2025 Last self-enrol date 8 August 2025 Census date 1 September 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 26 September 2025 Assessment period ends 21 November 2025 Semester 2 contact information
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Informal specialisation Science Discipline subjects - new generation B-SCI - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025