Crop management and quality of horticultural products
Course description
This course is aimed at you who are a student in Horticultural Engineering-cultivation and gives you an overview of the value chain of horticultural products. Through lectures, laboratory work, and seminars, you will gain valuable knowledge about cultivation, plant breeding, quality, and post-harvest – all seen from a sustainability perspective!
Gardening in more or less developed forms has existed for a long time in our country, while commercial horticulture in the proper sense has emerged over the past centuries. An increasing population has led to increased cultivation, based on new cultivation techniques, new varieties, new storage methods, as well as an increased need for quality control. In this course, you will learn about crop planning and management in greenhouse and in open fields, how our crops have been domesticated and bred, how seed quality affects production, what ripening and storage mean for quality, as well as where losses occur and what can be done with by-products.
Through lectures, seminars, and laboratory sessions, you will learn which factors affect the quality of the product. The course includes cultivating basil in greenhouse, and the idea is that you will learn how water, nutrients, and substrate can influence growth and development. In this cultivation exercise, you will also practice using basic statistical tools, and it concludes with you presenting your results both in writing and orally. This is a broad course that provides you with fundamental knowledge so that, as a qualified horticultural engineer, you can help strengthen the Swedish horticultural industry.
Entry Requirements
• Mathematics 2a or 2b or 2c
• Science Studies 2
• Social Studies 1b or 1a1
Or:
• Mathematics level 2a or level 2b or level 2c
• Science Studies level 2
• Social Studies level 1b or level 1a1
Course facts
TD0010, Crop management and quality of horticultural products, 15.0 Hp
Print syllabus
Syllabus
Finalized by: PN-LT Programnämnden för utbildning inom landskap och trädgård , 2021-10-27
Valid from : Autumn semester 2026 (2026-08-31)
Level
First cycle (G1N)
Main field of study
Horticultural Science, Biology
Biology Area
Other biology courses
Grading Scale
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.
Course language
Swedish
Entry Requirements
• Mathematics 2a or 2b or 2c
• Science Studies 2
• Social Studies 1b or 1a1
Or:
• Mathematics level 2a or level 2b or level 2c
• Science Studies level 2
• Social Studies level 1b or level 1a1
Objectives
The course aims for providing knowledge and skills about genetics, crop management, postharvest treatment and end uses of horticultural products from a sustainability perspective.
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
- describe historical and modern plant breeding methods and the purpose of plant breeding, as well as the importance of horticultural plants from a modern and historical perspectives, including cultivation and end uses
- describe how a rational and sustainable cultivation system is planned and driven in a certain type of environment
- describe different aspects of quality of horticultural products, different factors affecting quality, and how quality is sustained postharvest
- to apply basic concept and methods of statistics
- train oral and written communication.
Content
The course includes:
- knowledge of domestication of plants, genetics of horticultural plants combined with the surrounding environment and plant breeding methods
- basic knowledge of seeds, seed germination and seed quality
- development of horticulture from a historical point of view
- planning and driving cultures of important annual and perennial plants for a defined purpose, from choosing a cultivar and a starting a culture until harvest and postharvest. Horticultural crop plants for professional field and greenhouse production are included.
- the influence of genetics and crop management on the quality of horticultural plants and sustainability
- basic knowledge of reasons for practice of postharvest treatments and storing of horticultural products
- orientation about limitations of using horticultural products related to food production and toxicology
- laboratory practicals, including a culture related briefly to the influence of water, nutrition, subtrate and temperature on plant growth and development
- application of statistics on plant material.
The course included lectures, project work individually and in group, seminars, laboratory practicals, exercises and study visits. Scheduled practicals, supervision, seminars and study visits are obligatory.
Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course
Passed written exam, approved participation in compulsory components and passed presentation of the project work, practicals and seminars are required.
Responsible Department/Equivalent
Department of Plant Breeding
Supplementary information
Included in program
- Syllabus for Horticultural Management – Gardening and Horticultural Production (BSc)
Module set
| Title | Credits | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Written examination | 8.0 | 0302 |
| Statistics and practice in cultivation techniques | 4.0 | 0303 |
| Seminars and other practical classes | 3.0 | 0304 |
The Course Replaces
BI1065, BI1139, BI1234, BI1263