Course Project - CALS



Course Project

The lectures and the course are organized by pathogen group. This approach facilitates a discussion of the comparative biology of pathogens among groups. We will integrate what we are learning by addressing the disease problems of a single crop plant, tomato. Working individually, in small groups, and as a class, we will consider the biology of the pathogens as a guide in addressing a set of core questions (below). These questions are intended to set the stage for thinking and discussions about the material presented in the course.

1) What are the means by which representative pathogens and perhaps groups of pathogens can be controlled?

2) Are there (unique) life history traits or targets for each pathogen group that point to (new) ways of approaching disease control for each group? Are there any common or similar life history traits among pathogen groups that might serve as targets for disease control.

3) Design and describe a comprehensive management strategy to maximize the control of diseases caused by pathogens in all major groups. What are its strengths and weaknesses?

4) How might your proposed disease control strategies differ if the time for development and implementation was short (within three years) versus long (10 to 20 years).

5) How might your proposed disease control strategies differ if the crop were being grown in different environments. Consider strategies for crops grown in greenhouse, temperate, arid, or humid tropical environments.

The goals

The goals in the course project are twofold. The first goal is to integrate concepts introduced during class meetings and to highlight comparisons within and among the pathogen groups. This will be facilitated through discussions of the biology of the pathogens in relation to existing and potential disease control strategies. A second goal is to develop your skills in formulating ideas and conveying cogent arguments in oral presentations. These skills are a necessary part of scientific discourse and critical thinking in our discipline. We will facilitate this development through class discussion, working within groups, meetings with instructors, and class presentations.

The format

During the first week, we will discuss our approach to the class project and form small groups in which to work together for the semester. We will familiarize ourselves with the pathogens of tomato and consider their biology in relation to disease management strategies. Through class discussion, each of the groups will identify four pathogens and diseases for which they will work on developing disease control strategies and a management program; we will confer on the selections of pathogens and diseases and try to minimize duplication. Select one pathogen from each of the four major pathogen groups (fungi, oomycete, prokaryote, virus). Of necessity, groups will need to narrow their focus to a specific cropping environment, e.g. greenhouse, temperate, arid, or humid tropical conditions.

Your goal will be to devise appropriate and efficient management strategies based on what you know of the biology of the pathogens affecting tomato and to present your strategy to an audience of your classmates and instructors. You need not be constrained by current technologies; you could identify a strategy that presently is technology-limited and propose a course for the development of the needed technology. Keep in mind that our goal is not merely to develop a catalog of conventional disease control strategies, but to consider and propose possible alternative strategies that can be used in combination with and improve upon existing methods and justified based on pathogen biology. The following activities are scheduled for this course project:

Thursday January 26th afternoon discussion time

- initial discussion of the project, the focus crop, and forming of working groups.

Thursday February 2nd morning lecture time

- discussion of tomato diseases and strategies for their control.

February 7th morning lecture time

- guest lecture on tomato production and cultural practices.

February/March

- meetings of the working groups outside of class; one-on-one meeting of students with a faculty member to discuss the targeted diseases and control strategies AND how you plan to present your ideas (organization, visual aids, the use of overheads/a computer); students are responsible for arranging meetings.

Week of April 11th

- Separate group presentations will be scheduled for outside of class, and feedback from faculty will be offered on technical and other aspects of the presentation.

Thursday April 27th afternoon discussion time

- class meeting with group presentations followed by discussion.

- preparation and submission of written feedback on each students’ presentation.

Expectations

1) You will gather information on diseases of tomato and review available disease control recommendations for different examples of each of the groups of pathogens.

2) You will address the core questions described above and be prepared to discuss them in group and class meetings

3) You will select four pathogens/diseases, identify a defined cropping environment and be prepared to discuss control strategies in relation to the biology of the pathogens.

4) Considering the biology of the selected pathogens, you will design control strategies that target some aspect of each pathogens’ ability to infect a plant (including its ability to get to the infection court).

5) You will prepare two presentations, one preliminary presentation to the instructors and a final presentation for the whole class. These will be a coordinated group effort in which each student will present for 5 to 10 minutes. Your goal will be to communicate your ideas on managing four pathogens/diseases and explain why you think the proposed control strategies will be effective.

6) Each student will prepare written feedback on each fellow student’s class presentation.

For most of the above, you will be working in a small group and the presentation will be designed as a group, but each student is expected to participate fully and be conversant on all of the material presented by the group. Note that the in-class presentation times are relatively short (5 to 10 minutes per student). Effectively conveying ideas in a short time period requires very good organization and a realistic assessment of how long it takes to say what you plan to say. As such, practice runs will be essential.

Grading and Evaluations

The course project will count for 20% of the grade. The project is primarily an exercise in thinking, discussion, and presentation; there will not be any formal written component of the project outside of your review of fellow student presentations. You will be evaluated based on your participation in class discussions, the background reading and information gathering that you bring to the discussions, and your formal class presentation.

References

The class will compile a set of references materials, mostly from the primary literature, but also including webites. One key reference is the Compendium of tomato diseases, edited by J.B. Jones, et al. (1991). I have requested a copy be held on reserve at Mann Library.

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