Agronomy

This subject focuses on understanding the main agronomic factors affecting Australian agriculture in the endeavour for efficient and sustainable farming systems. It builds on students’ knowledge of crop production with a particular emphasis placed on the management of and interaction between fertilisers, water, pests and weeds. The subject begins with a general introduction on the application of principles of agronomy for guiding the formulation of decisions made by producers, their interpretation and the impacts they may have. Students will interpret and analyse soil, crop and system information with a view to predicting fertiliser requirements and designing other management strategies for common agronomic scenarios and problems. Students will critically evaluate the impacts agronomic decisions have on the production and quality of crops and wider cropping systems.

• 1Demonstrate advanced knowledge of Australian agricultural systems, crop production and soil-plant interactions
• 2Critically evaluate the strengths, limits and practical realities of agronomic practices and decisions in the endeavour for efficient and sustainable farming systems
• 3Demonstrate understanding of the role of fertilisers and their management
• 4Interpret and analyse soil, crop and system information with a view to predicting fertiliser requirements and designing other management strategies for common agronomic scenarios and problems
• 5Understand the importance of experiment design, sample collection and analysis protocols of field studies for obtaining meaningful data to inform agronomic decisions
• 6Utilise agricultural decision support tool(s) and discuss the principles, benefits and limitations of their use