Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College · Courses
AGECO
16 courses with the subject AGECO, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
AGECO 121Plant Stress: It's Not Easy Being Green3
This course is an introduction to plant biology with a strong emphasis on plant "stress" biology - how plants deal with the many hazards that they face, including diseases, insects, the weather, and animals. The course covers major aspects of plant biology and physiology, including photosynthesis, light perception, sense of touch, hormones, secondary metabolism, growth, development, and structure. The course also covers how plants obtain food and water, see their neighbors, communicate with each other, reproduce, compete with each other, consume insects, and even move around - all without muscles, eyes, or brains. The course relates all of these topics to plant stress coping mechanisms and to human needs and desires. Course activities include lectures, class e discussions, in-class written assignments, guest lectures, an outdoor walk to observe plants on campus, and movies. This General Education (GN) course is designed to be accessible to non-science majors. Bachelor of Arts: Natural Sciences General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Key Literacies
AGECO 122Atmospheric Environment: Growing in the Wind3
Atmospheric Environment: Growing in the Wind is for students who are interested in learning about the dynamic effects of weather on plants and animals. It is about how processes at the ground surface and in the air govern weather conditions on Earth. Growing in the Wind focuses on five major weather elements: energy, temperature, moisture, pressure and wind and how these factors influence ecosystems and habitation of our planet. Emphasis is also given to human impacts on weather and climate, and current environmental issues involving the atmosphere. The lectures are organized around the central theme that the unequal distribution of incoming solar energy (both spatially and temporally) produce temperature and pressure contrasts at the Earth's surface and in the atmosphere that in turn cause storms and control the weather and climate. Cross-listed with: METEO 122 General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Soc Resp and Ethic Reason
AGECO 134NSustainable Agriculture Science and Policy3
This inter-domain (GN/GS) general education course addresses the science, socio-economics, and politics of managing food and fiber production systems; and the sustainability implications of current practices and future options. The course will teach students about the soil, plant, animal, and ecological sciences; technologies, socio-economic implications, and policies of our agroecosystems in an integrated manner. We will examine agricultural scientific, agricultural policy, and economic opportunities to enhance the sustainability of agriculture for food and fiber production. Students will have many opportunities to examine and critically analyze scientific knowledge and policies during discussions, writing exercises, and role playing to develop analytical and communication skills. There are no prerequisites for this course. This course can link with other courses that address how research and efforts in agricultural sciences, ecology, policy, economics, philosophy, education, and communication influence sustainable management of natural resources for the present and the future. General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) General Education: Social and Behavioral Scien (GS) General Education - Integrative: Interdomain GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
AGECO 144Principles and Practices of Organic Agriculture3
An introduction to the science, principles and practices of organic agricultural systems for food production. This natural sciences general education (GN) 3 credit course will teach students about the science of agroecology, with a focus on organic agriculture. We will examine the science, history and development of organic agriculture and its principles and practices. Students will learn about the scientific basis and implementation of fundamental organic farming principles and practices including soil health, diversified cropping systems, organic pest management, and a system perspective. We will also discuss certified organic regulations and policies, organic farming business management and marketing. Learning activities include: i) reading and discussing agricultural scientific articles, ii) listening to guest speakers and videos iii) hands-on laboratory and greenhouse activities, iv) field trips and group projects. The only prerequisite for this course is a high school leve biology or ecology course. This course can link with other courses that address the agricultural sciences, food systems, environmental resource management and policy, land use management and design, and natural resources. General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
This course focuses on the fundamental ecological principles of population, community, and ecosystem ecology applicable to agroecosystems. Students will be taught about the history and consequences of modern industrial agricultural systems and the urgent need for more sustainable management practices. By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate how integrating the fields of ecology with agricultural sciences provides opportunities to develop and implement innovative strategies for sustainable agriculture. These include managing soil health and fertility, pathogen suppression and pest control, reduction of external inputs of chemicals in agroecosystems, and strategies for decreasing the negative effects of agricultural practices on the environment. Cross-listed with: PLANT 201 Undergraduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 3543
/Maximum of 18 Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction including field experiences, practica, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
AGECO 418Nutrient Management in Agricultural Systems3
AGECO 418 / ANSC 418 / SOILS 418 Nutrient Management in Agricultural Systems is a senior-level course that applies the fundamentals of animal, plant and soil sciences to the issues and solutions in the area where livestock production intersects with water and air quality. Modern regionalization and concentration of animal production systems comes with environmental implications due to a net influx of nutrients to , livestock farms. While some nutrients leave the farm in the form of animal products, 60 to 70% of the nutrients are excreted and applied to l nearby crop land. If not properly managed these nutrients represent a risk to environmental quality. Students in this cross-listed course gain both scientific and practical understanding of sound nutrient management principals and strategies. The course considers big picture concepts such as nutrient cycling as well as farm-level implementations such as Nutrient Management Planning. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: (BIOL 11 and BIOL 12) or BIOL 110 or BIOL 127 or BISC 3 Cross-listed with: ANSC 418, SOILS 418
The study of weeds and their management is a challenging and demanding task that requires diverse abilities. The term weed is an anthropocentric construct meaning it is a human colored definition. We will study the biology and ecology of weedy plants drawing on examples from a wide range of plant systems; those systems include agricultural fields (agronomic and horticultural crops) and forests. Of course our knowledge of the biology and ecology of weedy plant populations will then be used to underpin and assess control tactics and their integration. The discipline has a history of equating management with herbicidal control and in fact some 80% of the pesticides used in
AGECO 457Principles of Integrated Pest Management3
Integrated study of pest complexes and their management, emphasizing ecological principles drawing on examples from a range of agricultural, forestry and urban systems. This course is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth semester students and graduate students. AGECO 457 /
/Maximum of 18 Creative projects, including research and design, that are supervised on an individual basis and that fall outside the scope of formal courses.
