This course introduces students to the foundational concepts and practices in agronomy, with a focus on sustainable crop production. It begins by defining agriculture and agronomy, exploring their meaning, scope, and historical development in Tanzania. The course highlights the importance of agriculture to the Tanzanian economy and introduces the country's agro-climatic zones.
Students will learn about tillage and tilth, including objectives, ideal seedbed characteristics, and the impact of tillage on soil properties such as structure, texture, and bulk density. Different types of tillage—preparatory, after cultivation, and puddling—are covered, along with factors influencing tillage operations.
The course also covers sowing techniques and crop establishment, emphasizing the role of planting geometry, plant population, and optimum plant density in maximizing crop yield. Soil fertility management is addressed through the study of fertilizers, their formulations, and application methods.
Students will explore weed science, focusing on weed-crop competition and principles of weed management. Basic irrigation concepts for yield optimization are introduced.
The section on cropping systems examines definitions and principles of crop rotation, sole cropping, mixed cropping, relay cropping, multistoried cropping, and cropping sequences. Harvesting and post-harvest handling techniques are studied for key crops including rice, maize, groundnut, and pulses.
Finally, the course includes principles and practices relevant to crop production in arid and semi-arid regions, preparing students for agronomic challenges across diverse environments.
- Teacher: Ms. Luciana Raphael Chappa
- Teacher: Yoel Hhayuma
- Teacher: Zuwena Ngoya