Thesis Offers

The department offers BSc and MSc theses on:

  • Sustainable intensification, with a focus on yield trends, yield gap analysis and nutrient use efficiency.
  • Soil fertility management through legume rotations and intercrops and locally available soil amendments.
  • Farming systems analysis, looking into integrated assessments of food security, agricultural sustainability and farm structural change.

The exact topic will be tailored to a specific farming system, crop or region of interest. Quantitative studies can be complemented with field visits, experimentation, or laboratory work contingent on ongoing projects and collaborations.

For more information, contact joao.silva@uni-hohenheim.de.

Courses during the Winter Term

4905-421 - Crop Production Systems

4905-421 - Crop Production Systems

  • Introduction: potentials and constraints of intensification in world food production, principles of plant production in the tropics.
  • Crops and Nutrition: importance of cereals and root crops for human nutrition, importance of minor crops and plant genetic resources for a sustainable development.
  • Cropping Systems: Crop rotation and mixed cropping; Interactions in multiple plant component systems.
  • Methods of quantifying plant growth.
  • Plant Growth and Resource Use: Eco-physiology of rice and cassava.
  • Plant Improvement: Plant adaptation mechanisms to stress.
  • Soil Fertility and Conservation Systems: Principles of soil fertility and degradation;

    • Legumes - source of food security and sustainability;
    • Nutrient management and environmental services;
    • Resource protection on sloping land.

  • Alternative Plant Production Systems: Fibers; Biofuel and industrial applications.
  • Crop Modelling: Concepts; Application in crop production.
  • Tools for evaluating integrated Systems: Integrated modelling approaches - LUCIA;

    • Case studies;
    • Group computer modelling exercises.

  • Interdisciplinary case studies: Students seminar.

4905-481 - World Crops and Pasture Management in the Tropics and Subtropics

4905-481 - World Crops and Pasture Management in the Tropics and Subtropics

Courses during the Summer Term

4905-431 - Integrated Agricultural Production Systems

4905-431 - Integrated Agricultural Production Systems

INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomic aspects of integrated agricultural production systems; Biological and technical aspects of integrated agricultural production systems; The role of legumes.

  • AGROSILVOCULTURAL SYSTEMS: Rationale, history, regional importance, and examples; Shrub and tree species for agrosilvocultural systems; Tree/crop interactions; Improved Fallows, Alley cropping; Homegardens; Modelling approaches in agroforestry (examples/practical (if possible)).
  • AGROPASTORAL SYSTEMS: Rationale, history, regional importance and examples; Ley-farming (case study); Animal/crop interactions; Crop residues quality and utilization; Forage plant/crop interactions; Forage species for agropastoral systems: grasses and legumes.
  • SILVOPASTORAL SYSTEMS: Rationale, history, regional importance, and examples; Animal/tree interactions; Forage quality of tree foliage; Forage plant/tree interactions; Forage species for silvopastoral systems.
  • BEE PRODUCTION IN THE TROPICS: Principles and local excursion (if possible)
  • RESOURCE USE: Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM); Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM); Methods to assess interactions and impact in integrated production systems.
  • PLANT PROTECTION IN IAPS. General principles, system interactions with pests and diseases. Examples: Push-Pull, biological control of Striga (parasitic weed).
  • SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS: Sociological methods related to development and adoption of integrated production systems production technology. Cost-benefit analysis and sustainable use of natural resources. Lectures, discussions. Student seminars; Powerpoint & PDF presentations, videos. Practical part: Hands on the Water, Nutrient, and Light Capture in Agroforestry Systems (WaNuLCAS) model (if possible)

 

 

4907-490 - Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics

4907-490 - Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics

The Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute for Tropical Agricultural Sciences organizes every 2 years excursions to the Tropics for advanced students interested in development oriented agricultural research in the Tropics and Subtropics. The excursion provides the students a guided on-site experience in a developing country and the opportunity to complement theoretical knowledge obtained during lectures with practical experience in the field. Destinations are chosen along natural and agro-ecosystems and agricultural production, livestock husbandry, and farming systems. Excursions are designed in close co-operation with partner networks in the target countries.

The students - gain a detailed and embracing insight into the natural resource endowment, the agricultural and food-sector and the related extension, research, and teaching systems on-site. - discuss and evaluate relevant issues with local research, government and non-governmental institutions, with farmers and extension officers - participate in preparatory seminars - prepare group presentations to selected topics related to the country of destination and its main agricultural activities - give individual oral presentations - write reports during and after the field trip - combine the different reports to a joint excursion report.