This course covers the classification, identification and control of weeds that economically affect agriculture in the Columbia Basin and surrounding areas.
Quarters Offered
Spring
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge or skills:
- Identify when a plant is a weed or not a weed depending on where it is growing.
- Identify the costs of controlling weeds, to a dollar per acre basis.
- Describe the competition factors of weeds to crops when given the type and size of weed, to include nutrients, water, and available space requirements.
- Identify weeds by applying plant anatomy and morphology.
- Categorize plants into their proper taxonomic family based on external morphology.
- Identify crop plants and weeds, which are members of the same taxonomic family.
- Classify weeds by life cycle into categories of winter annual, summer annual, biennial and perennial when provided with an identification list.
- Define the means of spread or dispersal of a given weed.
- Classify means by which weeds spread into sexual or asexual.
- Select an herbicide based on the mode of action.
Institutional Outcomes
IO3 Human Relations/Workplace Skills: Students will be able to demonstrate teamwork and/or workplace specific skills related to human relations
Course Content Outline
- Introduction to Weed Science
- Plant Morphology/Taxonomy
- Classification, Identification and Spread of Weeds
- Methods of Weed Control
- Principles of Herbicide Usage and Selectivity
- Modes of action
- Herbicide Application
- Application Technology
- Herbicide Resistance
Department Guidelines
Students will do a culminating weeds collection project.
Weeds covered in the identification portion of this course should be a concern in the state of Washington and the agriculture industry.
Utilize the BBCC irrigation site when possible.