PSS 4340 places an emphasis on modern irrigation technologies
Bob Glodt instructs PSS 4340 students on cotton physiology
Krishna Jagadish, a nationally recognized crop physiologist and Texas Tech's new Thornton Distinguished Chair and Professor of Forage Science, is directing a revamped “Irrigation Management Seminar Series” in the Department of Plant & Soil Science. The seminar series is a part of the department's Undergraduate Agricultural Water Management Certificate.
The certificate program provides courses on efficient and profitable management of water for agricultural purposes, with emphasis on irrigation technologies. Equally available to degree-seeking undergraduates and nondegree-seeking working adults, officials note that all courses take place on campus and require enrolling at the university.
“This seminar series offers different segments of the agriculture service industry the opportunity to stress to students the importance of having an understanding of irrigation management,” said Rick Kellison, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC) Program Director. “It also offers the students a chance to understand industry needs and job availability.”
Jagadish also serves as program coordinator for TAWC. Funded by a grant from the Texas Water Development Board, TAWC operates as a partnership of producers, technology firms, universities and government agencies working to extend the life of the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest subterranean aquifer in the United States.
Glen Ritchie, professor of crop physiology and chair of the Department of Plant & Soil Science, noted that one advantage of the seminar series (PSS 4340) over many courses is the insights that students obtain from professionals in the irrigation industry from agronomists to engineers and beyond.
“Students have the chance to see today's technology and plant needs in action in the same way they will when they are professionals working in irrigation management,” Ritchie said.
Bob Glodt, owner and president of AgriSearch Consulting in Plainview, added the irrigation management seminar series meets a need for students with agriculture-related majors. “This class offers students the opportunity to hear and interact with those who work in the water management industry,” he said. “It provides students with a unique perspective and is extremely valuable to their educational experience as a whole.”
"Students have the chance to see today's technology and plant needs in action in the
same way they will when they are professionals"
Jagadish joined the Texas Tech faculty in March, after serving as a professor in Kansas State's Department of Agronomy. His research program broadly focuses on optimizing the crop-forage-livestock systems for Southern High Plains, to sustain economic benefits and enhance environmental sustainability. His doctorate is from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.