PSS
215
Weed
Ecology
Fall
Semester 2007
PSS 215 Weed Ecology focuses on
those plants that are usually considered undesirable to man within the
context of agricultural, urban landscape and natural settings. In
this course, students will study
the biology and ecology of major weed groups and learn the
theoretical and practical aspects of integrated weed management.
All
weed control strategies will be examined including
cultural practices (such as crop rotation, residue management and cover
crops), mechanical control (tillage and cultivation), biological
control
(herbivores, insects, fungi), and chemical control (natural
allelopathic
compounds and synthetic herbicides). The course will involve a
combination
of lectures, reading assignments, "hands-on" activities, site visits to
farms, urban landscapes and natural areas, problem solving exercises,
quizzes and exams.
Instructor:
Sid
Bosworth, Plant and Soil Science Dept., 207 Hills
Phone: 656-0478 email: sid.bosworth@uvm.edu
Location
and Time
| Lecture: |
W,F
from 10:10am - 11:00am , 234 Hills Building |
| Recitation: |
Monday
from 10:10am - 11:00am, 234 Hills Building |
Lab
Section:
|
Fridays from 1:25pm to 4:25pm, 17 Hills Building |
Prerequisites:
PSS 161 or permission of instructor
Course
Topics
The course outline will be posted just
prior to the fall semester. The following topics will be covered
in PSS 215:
- Introduction to weeds and weed management
- Impact of weeds in agriculture and
natural
areas
- The evolution and origins of weeds
- Weed seed dispersal, survival,
dormancy and
germination
- Weed biology and applications to
ecological
weed management
- Weed identification (seedling and mature
stages)
- Mechanical management of weeds
(tillage and
cultivation)
- Interactions of crop cultural
practices and
weed management
- Biological control of weeds
- Allelochemical control of weeds
- Herbicide mode of action,
resistance,
fate
and regulation
- Designing agricultural and
landscape systems to
ecologically
manage weeds
Field
Activities (Lab)
The major objectives of the field
activities
are to provide some "hands on" activities involving weed
identification/biology
and to visit various types of farms in order to observe their
management
of weeds in their cropping system. A variety of production and
managed
systems (dairy/field crop, vegetable, fruit, landscapes, roadways, and
natural areas) will be visited. Students should always come
prepared for
inclement
weather (old shoes, work clothes, raincoat).
Reading
Materials and Text:
Much of the reading material for this
course will be in downloadable format (pdf) that will be posted on the
course website. "Weeds of the Northeastern US and Canada"
is an excellent
identification and information resource on the major weed species of
our
region and will be available at
the UVM bookstore.
Independent
Projects
There will be two projects during the
course of the semester. A handout will be given the first day of
class for each assignment providing instructions, due dates and grading
procedures. Projects include the following:
- Weed Collection
- Evaluating and designing an
ecological
weed
management plan (of a farm, landscape or natural ecosystem as chosen by
the student)
Grading
and Points
Will be posted at the beginning of the
semester
This site is maintained by Sid Bosworth. (sid.bosworth@uvm.edu)
