Management of (sub-) tropical landuse systems

Contents:
Topics (Prague):
- Land-use management: farm and family income in different farming systems (Verner)
- Soil conservation technologies for smallholder farming systems
- Conservation tillage systems (Havrland, Krepl)
- The potential use of waste-stream products to enhance soil productivity in tropical peri-urban and rural areas (Banout)
- Crop biodiversity in tropical agricultural systems (Polesny)
Topics (Kassel):
- Plant-animal interactions: diet selection & nutritional wisdom, impact of grazing on pastures (Schlecht)
- Post-harvest conservation techniques, irrigation techniques and mechanization (Hensel)
- Measurement of nutrient fluxes in different agro-ecosystems (Bürkert)
Objectives:
Familiarize students with the functioning and bio-physical limitations of (sub-)tropical landuse systems, show the need for interdisciplinary approaches to overcome these and provide insights into current research methods in landuse systems analysis
Literatur Miguel Altieri (1995). Agroecology, Westview Press, USA, 448p. Christopher Martius (2002). Managing Organic Matter in Tropical Soils: Scope and Limitations, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 248p. Barrie Axtell (2002). Drying Food for Profit, ITDG Publishers, Rugby, UK. Peter Van Soest (1994). Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Cornell University Press, London, UK. 528p. Frederick D. Provenza (1995). Post-ingestive feedback as an elementary determinant of food preference and intake in ruminants. Journal of Range Management, 48: 2-17.
Leistungsnachweis oral test, written test

Organic cropping systems under temperate and (sub)tropical conditions


Lehrform

Lecture 40h, Excursion 10h, Seminar 10h

Qualifikationsziel

Students are able to describe the principles and functions of agro-ecosystems, understand nutrient cycles and options for their improvement as an important basis of organic farming, evaluate systems of land use with a particular focus on organic modes of production and their role in agro-ecosystems, assess the role of livestock for nutrient cycling and with respect to the conservation of plant and animal biodiversity in (sub)tropical settings.
Literatur
  • Altieri, M. 1987: Agroecology: the scientific basis of alternative agriculture. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, USA
  • Willer, H. et al. 2008: The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008, IFOAM, Bonn, Germany
  • Kristiansen et al. 2006: Organic agriculture – global perspective, CSORO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia
  • Current scientific literature
Voraussetzungen

Zulassungsvoraussetzungen gemäß § 9 PO MSc Ökologische Landwirtschaft
Leistungsnachweis

Oral Examination (ca. 15 min) 70%, Presentation (ca. 20 min + ca. 10 S.) 30%
Lerninhalte
  • Visits of organic farms
  • History of organic farming, current develop-ments
  • development, evaluation and comparison of land use management systems under diverse natural, economic and sociocultural conditions
  • nutrient cycling in plant-animal systems
  • sitespecific contributions of legumes to N supply
  • P availability, P recycling and use of rock phos-phates
  • modes of P supply in farming systems
  • EC, Australian, Japanese and North American regulations for organic farming – problems and op-portunities.

H49 - Labormethoden zur Analyse von Boden- Pflanzen- und Dungproben

Die Studierenden erhalten eine solide Ausbildung in der Theorie sowie der Anwendung praktischer naturwissenschaftlicher Laborverfahren im Bereich der Analytik von Boden-, Pflanzen- und Dungproben auf Restfeuchte, organische Substanz, Makronährstoffe (N, P, K, ggf. Ca, Mg, S), Zellwandbestandteile (nach van Soest) und sekundären Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe (v.a. Phenole). Anhand von Fallbeispielen und Proben aus der aktuellen Forschungsarbeit der beiden Fachgebiete werden den Studierenden die Grundprinzipien für die Planung, Durchführung und Auswertung von Versuchsansätzen vermittelt. Die erworbenen Kenntnissen und Fähigkeiten ermöglichen es ihnen, sich experimentellen und praxisrelevanten Fragestellungen im Bereich des Nährstoffstransfers, ‑managements und ‑recyclings in Agrarökosystemen kompetent zu stellen (z.B. Fragen der Beprobung: wo, wann, wie oft, wie viele… Proben, der Auswahl des Analyseverfahrens, der Anzahl von Replikaten, der Frage der Akzeptanz/des Verwerfens von Laborergebnissen).