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Basics of Agriculture

Course developers

Prior knowledge

Biol1001, Botany

LauZ2046, Agricultural Resources

Course abstract

Teaching practice under the guidance of the teaching staff takes place at LLU MPS “Vecauce”.
In Field Cultivation, students learn the methods of accounting for sowing and soil weeds; recognizes weed species in field conditions, ascertains their developmental stages and forms; assess the impact of the quality of tillage on crop germination and development; determine the particle size distribution of the soil. In Crop Production, the yield of summer crops is determined and the development stage for winter crops, summer crops and potatoes is assessed. In Horticulture, the basics of growing and caring for different fruit and berry plants are learned. Animal Husbandry evaluates different types of fodder preparation technologies, dairy cow husbandry and animal welfare. In the Mechanization of Agriculture section, students get acquainted with the machinery and technologies used in cattle and pig farms, the machinery used in crop production and its offer on the Latvian market. During the Botany practice, life forms of vascular plants and their diversity, natural grasslands and vascular species of man-made ecosystems are introduced.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge and understanding of the applied knowledge of the acquired study courses in practice.
Skills and their assessment.
1. Is able to recognize the most common weeds. Able to determine soil granulometric composition (Protocol 1).
2. Is able to determine the stages of crop development and possible yields (Protocol 1).
3. Is able to evaluate fruit planting, knows the rationing of fruit yield (Protocol 1).
4. Knows fodder preparation technologies for dairy cows. Able to assess the welfare of animal housing and dairy cows (Protocol 1).
5. Is able to evaluate the equipment and latest technologies used in cattle and pig farms. Knows the equipment used in crop production and its offer in the Latvian market (2 tests – 1. mechanization of crop production; 2. mechanization of animal husbandry).

6. Knows the life forms of vascular plants and their diversity, knows the vascular plants of natural grasslands and man-made ecosystems (individual plant herbarium preparation).

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Field Cultivation (1 day). Recognition of weeds in field conditions, clarification of their developmental stages and forms, classification after their restriction. Methods for accounting of sown and soil weeds. Influence of tillage quality on crop germination and development. Determination of soil reaction. Determination of soil granulometric composition.
2. Crop Production (1 day). Seedling structure of summer (wheat, barley, oats) and winter (wheat, rye, triticale) cereals - determination of development stages, evaluation of cereal root system. Determining the stage of agriculture and development for summer crops. Signs of difference of cereals. Development stage and possible yield of winter wheat (rye, triticale, barley). Determination of potato development stage.
3. Horticulture (1 day). Introduction to different fruit and berry growing methods. Justification for choosing the most suitable garden and production system. Evaluation and analysis of plant and plant condition. Fruit plantation care methods. Different species and age of fruit and berry plants yield rationing and / or crown care.
4. Animal Husbandry (1 day). Introduction to different types of fodder preparation technologies (hay, silage, concentrates, etc.), fodder ingredients used in the preparation of compound fodder and fodder rations for dairy cows. Ways of keeping dairy cows and animal welfare assessment.
5. Mechanization of Agriculture (2 days).
Day 1. Animal farming mechanization. Visit to dairy cow farms. Introduction to technologies and equipment (cow milking, milk pre-processing, fodder preparation and distribution), insight into dairy farming management. Manure management solutions and used equipment.
Day 2. Mechanization of plant growing. Visit to companies of agricultural machinery distributors (offer of machinery used in crop production, including products of various companies). Getting acquainted with the maintenance and repair base organization and technical support in these companies. Learn about the tillage technology and applicable machines. Get acquainted with spray grain and fine seed sowing machines, precision sowing machines, potato and plant planting technologies and machines used. Culmiferous plant harvesting machines. Equipment for hay, haylage, silage preparation. Mowers, rakes, press wrapping machines, choppers, pick-up balers. Grain production technologies and technical means, grain harvesting technologies and harvesters, grain primary processing technologies, grain drying and cleaning.
6. Botany (3 days).
Day 1. Life forms of vascular plants and their diversity (visit to the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia).
Day 2. Vascular plants of grasslands and man-made ecosystems.

Day 3. Practice defense - submission of individual herbarium and internship protocols.

Requirements for awarding credit points

The study course consists of 6 parts, each of which must meet the described requirements and all the work to be performed must be credited with the assessment 'passed'.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

During the internship, at the end of each day, students prepare reports on the completion of internship tasks. At the end of the internship week, during the discussion, students provide an assessment and substantiate their opinion about what they have seen in the internship companies.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Type of examination - test. All internship topics must be worked on and credited.
The test consists of an internship report, which consists of a protocol of each internship day and a presentation. The coordinating teacher faculty shall issue a final assessment.

Compulsory reading

1. Augļkopība (2015). L. Ikases red. Dobeles novads: LV Augļkopības institūts. 544 lpp.
2. Augsnes diagnostika un apraksts: Lauku darbu metodika (2007). Sast. A. Kārkliņš. Jelgava: LLU. 120 lpp.
3. Degola L., Trūpa A., Aplociņa E. (2016). Lopbarības ķīmiskās analīzes un sagremojamība. SIA Dardedze hologrāfija. 52 lpp.
4. Dembovskis A., Drudze I., Gailīte M., Lepse L. u.c. (2007) Dārzeņkopība. Lauka dārzeņu audzēšana. Rokasgrāmata Pūres Dārzkopības izmēģinājumu stacija. 284 lpp.
5. Kārkliņš A., Kreišmane Dz. (2020). Studiju darba izpilde un noformējums: metodiskie norādījumi Lauksaimniecības fakultātes studentiem. 6. papild. un pārstr. izdevums. Jelgava: LLU.
69 lpp.
6. Kroģere R. (1984.) Zemkopības praktikums. Rīga: Zvaigzne.
120 lpp.
7. Lapiņš D., Kažotnieks J. (2001). Laukkopība. Ozolnieki: LLKC.
247 lpp.
8. Moderna piena ražošanas ferma: tehnoloģija, tehnika, apsaimniekošana (2012). J. Priekuļa red. Jelgava: LLU. 240 lpp.

9. Augkopība (2004). A. Ružas red. Jelgava: LLU. 374 lpp.

Further reading

1. Grīslis Z., Garkāvijs F., Sprūžs J. (1991). Lopkopība. Rīga: Zvaigzne. 366 lpp.

2. Kviklys D., Gelvonauskiene D., Karkleliene R., Juškevičiene D., Dambrauskiene E., Uselis N., Lanauskas J., Ikase L., Lepse L., Kaufmane E., Feldmane D., Dēķena Dz., Zeipiņa S. (2019). Vēsturiskie dārzi. Šķirņu katalogs. Babtai: Lietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centras filialas Sodininkystės ir daržininkystės institutas. 175 p.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Agro Tops. Rīga: Aģentūra Agro apgāds. ISSN 1407-5164
2. Interneta resursi: www.vaad.gov.lv; www.lad.gov.lv; www.zm.gov.lv; www.pvd.gov.lv
3. Latvijas Lopkopis. LLKC.
4. Saimnieks LV. Rīga: TEE BIO, 2004. ISSN 1691-1598

5. Profesionālā dārzkopība. APP “Dārzkopības institūts”, pieejams tiešsaistē: http://fruittechcentre.eu/lv/profesionala-darzkopiba

Notes

The course is compulsory for students of all specialties of the professional bachelor study program "Agriculture" of the Faculty of Agriculture.