The Agronomy Department at Iowa State University is developing a Master of Science in Agronomy program with courses delivered via the web and CDs. The program is targeted at people who have Bachelor of Science degrees in some agriculturally related area and are unable to participate in a regular master's program because of time or location constraints. One of the major areas of this program is crop and soil interaction with climate. Development continues on creating an applied climate course with effects on crop growth and development and crop marketing.
The emphasis of the course is interactive use and application of climate data. Climate trends are reviewed with their comparative yield effects displayed for corn and soybean yields throughout the century. El Nino influences in the Midwest are included based on work of Carlson, Todey, and Taylor (1996). Special emphasis is given to the extreme variation in yields apparent in the last 20 years due to climatic extremes. Severe droughts and excessively wet conditions have alternated throughout this period creating severe difficulties for crop producers despite rapid crop production advances. Extended range forecasts are discussed, providing users with possible planning and marketing strategies. Extensive use is made of cooperative climate station data across the state from 1900 to the present in all areas of the course. This data is compiled and provided on line to provide crop producers with average and extreme growing season data.
Small-scale and large-scale weather/climate and crop interactions are discussed. Crop development is discussed using Growing Degree Days, a method of using daily maximum and minimum temperature measurements to assess seasonal crop progress. The possible disease carrying aspects of dew are discussed. Possible long-term effects of climate change and ozone reduction on crops are included. Also included in the course is a general background of synoptic meteorology and energy balances.
Lessons include automated reponses to questions, video clips, animations, and student-computer interactive simulations. Group discussions are required via email and chat rooms. Assessment is done via email questions and tests conducted in the department.
Carlson, R.E., D.P. Todey, and S.E. Taylor, 1996: Iowa Corn Yield and Weather in Relationship to Extremes in the Southern Oscillation.J. Prod. Agric. 9:347-352.