Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

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The following descriptions are for the courses offered by the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. For a description of courses offered by other departments, see the MSU Schedule of Courses.


Undergraduate Level Courses

AT 291 - Turfgrass and Landscape Calculations
Fall, 2 credits. Basic math skills that are directly applicable to landscape and turfgrass management including volumetric, linear, fertilizer, pesticide, and flow calibration calculations. Instructor: Thom Nikolai

CSS 101 - Introduction to Crop Science
Fall, 3 credits. Principles of crop management, improvement, and fertilization. International and sustainable agriculture. Water quality issues. Instructor: Karen Renner

CSS 110 - Computer Applications in Agronomy
Fall, Spring, Summer, 2 credits. Open only to students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Not open to students with credit in CSE 101. Use of computers in agriculture. Basic computer operating systems. Management and use of storage media. Laboratory experience in word processing, spread sheets, data bases, programming languages, networking, and software related to agriculture. This course is available on-line via the MSU Virtual University (http://www.vu.msu.edu). Instructor: Dave Krauss

CSS 135 - Crop Scouting and Investigation
Spring of every year, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101. Crop production, pest scouting and other production problems, and field diagnoses. Interaction with agriculture clientele. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructors: Karen Renner and Kara Schut

CSS 151 - Seed and Grain Quality
Spring, 2 credits. Principles and practices of producing, conditioning, testing and marketing field crop seed. Grain grading and quality evaluation. Offered the first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Larry Copeland

CSS 171 - Turfgrass Operations Budgeting
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 066 and CSS 067. Institute of Agricultural Technology. Fundamental business skills and techniques for golf course and other turfgrass operations. Budgeting, financial analysis, and purchasing/materials management. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: David Remick

CSS 178 - Maintenance and Management of Turf Irrigation
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 067. Institute of Agricultural Technology. Design, installation, maintenance, and operation of golf course irrigation systems. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Thom Nikolai

CSS 181 - Pesticide and Fertilizer Application Technology
Spring, 3 credits. Effective and efficient application of pesticides and fertilizers to turf; pesticide handling, legal, and environment concerns. Calibration of equipment. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructors: David Gilstrap and Kara Schut

CSS 192 - Professional Development Seminar I
Spring, 1 credit. Open only to students in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Career development, critical issues analysis, resume writing, scientific presentations and public speaking in crop and soil sciences. Instructor: Taylor Johnston

CSS 201 - Forage Crops
Fall, 3 credits. Forage crop production, management, and utilization. Crop identification. Soil fertilization. Planting and harvesting of grasses and legumes. Instructor: Richard Leep

CSS 210 - Fundamentals of Soil Science
Fall, Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CEM 141. Agricultural and natural resource ecosystems: soil, vegetation and ground water components. Energy, water and nutrient cycles. Soil classification and mapping. Land management and use issues. Interdepartmental with Forestry. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Interdepartmental with Forestry. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Instructor: Jim Crum

CSS 211 - Turfgrass and the Environment
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232. Open only to students in the Institute of Agricultural Technology. Pesticide and nutrient fate, site assessment, fuel use, equipment washing systems and criteria for recognizing sensitive sites. Conservation and best management practices to maximize protection of natural resources. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Thom Nikolai

CSS 212 - Advanced Crop Production
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101. Systematic approach to production of field crops including: corn, soybeans, small grains, sugar beets and dry beans. Instructor: Kurt Thelen

CSS 220 - BioEnergy Crop Production
Spring of every year, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101. Agronomic, economic, and environmental impacts of bioenergy crop production. Integration of bioenergy crops into existing production systems. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Kurt Thelen

CSS 222 - New Horizons in Biotechnology
Fall, 2 credits. Perspectives on biotechnology for safer food production, environmental quality, and improved human health. Impacts of biotechnology on the national economy. Political and ethical ramifications of applied biotechnology. Interdepartmental with Entomology. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Interdepartmental with Entomology. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Instructor: Mariam Sticklen

CSS 232 - Introduction to Turfgrass Management
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210 or concurrently, CSS 110 or CSE 101. Turfgrass utilization, identification, establishment and management principles. Responses to various cultural practices. Instructor: Trey Rogers

CSS 242 - Athletic Field Maintenance
Fall, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232. Art and science of athletic field maintenance including root-zone modification, traffic wear management, field preparation techniques, wet weather strategies, safety concerns, legal issues, and crisis management. Field trips required. Instructor: David Gilstrap

CSS 262 - Turfgrass Management Seminar
Fall, 1 credit. Prerequisite: CSS 232 or concurrently. A student may earn a maximum of 2 credits in all enrollments for this course. Presentations by individuals involved in turfgrass and golf course management. Topics include golf course construction and operations, preparation for tournaments, and public relations. Instructor: Trey Rogers

CSS 264 - Golf Course Design
Fall, 2 credits. Concepts and theory of golf course design and construction including location, space, topography, clientele, and environmental concerns. Instructor: Judith Matthews

CSS 267 - Turfgrass Practices
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232. Turfgrass establishment, renovation, and construction principles. Maintenance of golf course turf. Agronomic and management principles applied to golf course maintenance. Instructor: Trey Rogers

CSS 269 - Turfgrass Strategies
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232. Issues in turfgrass management including employee relations, construction, and environmental problems. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructors: David Gilstrap and Trey Rogers

CSS 272 - Turfgrass Soil Management
Fall, 3 credits. Not open to students with credit in: CSS 044 or CSS 342. Impact of fertilization programs on turfgrasses and the environment. Irrigation, drainage, cultivation, topdressing, amendments and pH control of turfgrass soils. Instructor: Jim Crum

CSS 289 - Civilizations, Food Crops and the Environment
Fall, Spring, 3 credits. Role of the major food crops in the survival of civilizations and cultures from the past to the present, and the resulting environmental impacts. Interdepartmental with Agriculture and Natural Resources. Administered by Agriculture and Natural Resources. Instructor: Taylor Johnston

CSS 290 - Independent Study in Crop and Soil Sciences
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 3 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 6 credits in all enrollments for this course. Institute of Agricultural Technology. A student may earn a maximum of 6 credits in all enrollments for this course. Institute of Agricultural Technology. Planned learning experiences not part of regularly scheduled courses. Instructors: David Gilstrap and Trey Rogers

CSS 292 - Management of Turfgrass Weeds
Spring, 2 credits. Chemical, biological, and cultural methods of managing turfgrass weeds. Environmental considerations in weed management. Instructor: Ron Calhoun

CSS 302 - Principles of Weed Management
Fall of every year, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 or PLB 105 or BS 111 or HRT 203 or CSS 232. Cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical weed management principles and practices. Environmental considerations. Instructor: Jim Kells

CSS 330 - Soil Chemistry
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210 and CEM 143. Organic and inorganic soil processes including mineralogy, adsorption, and precipitation. Chemistry of soil organic matter and inorganic soil components. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Brian Teppen

CSS 340 - Applied Soil Physics
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210. Soil physical properties including solids, water, air, and heat. Transport processes in soil. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Alvin Smucker

CSS 350 - Introduction to Plant Genetics
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: BOT 105 or BS 111. Not open to freshmen or sophomores. Fundamentals of plant genetics with applications to agriculture and natural resources. Instructor: Karen Cichy

CSS 360 - Soil Biology
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210. Overview of organismal diversity and biological soil processes. Role of macroorganisms and microorganisms in soil processing, including nutrient cycling. Instructors: Phil Robertson and Sieglinde Snapp

CSS 362 - Management of Turfgrass Pests
Fall, 4 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232. Chemical, biological, and cultural methods of managing weeds, diseases, and insect pests of turfgrass. Environmental considerations in pest management. Interdepartmental with Botany and Plant Pathology, Entomology. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Instructor: Joseph Vargus

CSS 380 - Crop Physiology
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 and BOT 105 or BOT 301. Physiological and metabolic function of plants from a whole plant viewpoint. Environmental effects on crop growth, development, and yield.

CSS 382 - Turfgrass Physiology
Spring, 2 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 232, completion of the Tier I writing requirement. Not open to students with credit in: CSS 282, CSS 332, or CSS 068. Physiological principles of turfgrass growth and development. Water relations, light, temperature, respiration, photosynthesis, mineral nutrition, and hormone action. Impact of mowing, cultivation, and traffic on turfgrass growth. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Offered first ten weeks of semester. Instructor: Suzanne Lang

CSS 404 - Forest and Agricultural Ecology
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210 and BOT 105 or BS 110. Ecological interactions crucial to the sustainable management of crop and forest ecosystems. Plant resources, competition, community development and dynamics, biodiversity, primary productivity, nutrient cycling, ecosystem structure and function, and impacts of global environmental change. Interdepartmental with Forestry. Administered by Forestry.

CSS 404L - Forest and Agricultural Ecology Laboratory
Fall, 1 credit. Prerequisite: CSS 210 and BOT 105 or BS 110 and FOR 404 or concurrently. Field studies and data analysis of ecological processes central to the sustainable management of forest and agricultural resources. Field exercises cover primary production, community structure, soil resources, biodiversity, succession, nutrient cycling, critiques of primary literature. Two weekend field trips required. Interdepartmental with Forestry. Administered by Forestry.

CSS 409 - Forest Hydrology
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210 and MTH 116 or MTH 104 or LBS 117. Not open to freshmen or sophomores. Science and technology of the hydrologic cycle and water resources in forest, wildland, wetland, and rural watersheds. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Resource Development. Administered by Forestry.

CSS 425 - Microbial Ecology
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: MIC 301. Microbial population and community interactions. Microbial activities in natural systems, including associations with plants or animals. Interdepartmental with Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Administered by Microbiology.

CSS 426 - Biogeochemistry
Summer, 3 credits. Prerequisite: BS 110 or LBS 144 or LBS 148H or BS 111 or LBS 145 or LBS 149H and CEM 143 or CEM 251. Integration of the principles of ecology, microbiology, geochemistry, and environmental chemistry. Societal applications of research in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Interdepartmental with Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Geological Sciences, Zoology. Administered by Microbiology.

CSS 431 - Soil and Plant Res. for Sustained World Food and Fiber Production
Spring of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 and CSS 210. World food and fiber production capacities related to soil and climatic resources. Management and utilization of genetic resources for sustained production of human foods and animal feeds. Instructor: Russ Freed

CSS 440 - Soil Biophysics
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210. Not open to freshmen or sophomores. Plant growth properties and soil physical conditions which influence productivity. Principles and applications of soil texture, structure, mechanical impedance, aeration and water. Root responses to the environment. Instructor: Alvin Smucker

CSS 441 - Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Spring of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 350. Plant improvement by genetic manipulation. Genetic variability in plants. Traditional and biotechnological means of creating and disseminating recombinant genotypes and cultivars. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Instructor: Russ Freed

CSS 451 - Biotechnology Applications for Plant Breeding and Genetics
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 350 or ZOL 341. Principles, concepts, and techniques of agricultural plant biotechnology. Recombinant DNA technology, plant molecular biology, transformation, cell tissue, and organ culture in relation to plant improvement. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences. Instructor: David Douches

CSS 452 - Watershed Concepts
Fall, Spring, Summer, 3 credits. Prerequisite: RD 324 and ZOL 355. Watershed hydrology and management. The hydrologic cycle, water quality, aquatic ecosystems and social systems. Laws and institutions for managing water resources. Interdepartmental with Resource Development, Biosystems Engineering, Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife. Administered by Resource Development.

CSS 455 - Pollutants in the Soil Environment
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CEM 143 and completion of Tier I writing requirement. Open only to seniors or graduate students. Chemical and biological reactions of organic and inorganic pollutants in soils. Instructor: Steve Boyd

CSS 464 - Statistical Methods for Biologists I
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: STT 421. Biological random variables. Estimation of population parameters. Testing hypotheses. Linear correlation and regression (prediction). Analyses of counted and measured data to compare several biological groups (contingency tables and analysis of variance). Interdepartmental with Statistics and Probability, Animal Science. Administered by Statistics and Probability. Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko

CSS 465 - Statistical Methods for Biologists II
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: STT 464. Concepts of reducing experimental error: covariance, complete and incomplete block designs, latin squares, split plots, repeated-measures designs, regression applications, and response surface designs. Interdepartmental with Statistics and Probability, Animal Science. Administered by Statistics and Probability. Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko

CSS 470 - Soil Resources
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 210. Not open to freshmen or sophomores. Evaluation of the properties, genesis, and classification of soil resources to assist in making land-use decisions. Field trips required. Instructor: Delbert Mokma

CSS 477 - Pest Mgt I: Pesticides in Management Systems
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CEM 143 or CEM 251 and BOT 405 and CSS 402 and ENT 404 or ENT 470 or FW 328. Chemistry, efficient use, and environmental fate of pesticides. Legal and social aspects of pesticide use. Interdepartmental with Entomology, Fisheries and Wildlife, Horticulture. Administered by Entomology.

CSS 478 - Pest Mgt II: Biological Components of Management Systems
Spring of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: ENT 404 or ENT 470 or BOT 405 or CSS 402 or FW 328 and completion of Tier I writing requirement. Principles of host plant resistance and biological control and their relationship to the design of agroecosystems. Classification of insect biological control agents. Interdepartmental with Entomology, Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Horticulture. Administered by Entomology.

CSS 480 - Soil Fertility and Management
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101, CSS 330, CSS 340, CSS 360, and CSS 470. Comprehensive management of agricultural soils. Soil fertility, including liming and fertilizer materials and other nutrient sources. Site specific management. Environmental impacts including soil erosion, runoff, and organic matter mineralization. Instructor: Lee Jacobs

CSS 486 - Biotechnology in Agriculture: Applications and Ethical Issues
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: BOT 105 or BS 111 and CSS 350 or ZOL 341. Not open to freshmen or sophomores. Current and future roles of biotechnology in agriculture: scientific basis, applications. Environmental, social, and ethical concerns. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry, Philosophy. Administered by Horticulture.

CSS 488 - Agricultural Cropping Systems: Integration and Problem Solving
Spring, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 and CSS 210 and completion of the Tier I writing requirement. Open only to seniors in CANR. Integration and synthesis of agronomic and related concepts in agricultural cropping systems. Problem solving and application of information. Instructor: Karen Renner

CSS 490 - Independent Study
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 or CSS 210. A student may earn a maximum of 8 credits in all enrollments for this course. Approval of department; application required. Individual work on field, laboratory, or library research problem of special interest to the student.

CSS 491 - Special Topics
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 101 or CSS 210. A student may earn a maximum of 8 credits in all enrollments for this course. Topics from crop production, crop physiology, turfgrass management, organic soils, turfgrass soils, soil fertility, plant and soil relationships, genetics, biotechnology, environmental science, or sustainable agriculture.

CSS 492 - Professional Development Seminar II
Fall, 1 credit. Prerequisite: CSS 210 and CSS 342 or CSS 370 and completion of Tier I writing requirement. Open only to seniors in in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Synthesis, integration and application of agronomic principles to current issues in agronomy via discussion and oral and written communication. Instructor: Taylor Johnston

CSS 493 - Professional Internship in Crop and Soil Sciences
Fall, Spring, Summer, 3 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 6 credits in all enrollments for this course. Approval of department; application required. Supervised professional experiences in agencies and businesses related to Crop and Soil Sciences and Environmental Soil Sciences. Instructors: Jim Crum and Taylor Johnston

CSS 494 - International Agriculture Seminar
Spring of even years, 1 credit. Prerequisite: Completion of Tier I writing requirement. A student may earn a maximum of 3 credits in all enrollments for this course. Global food, soil and water resources issues. Instructor: Russ Freed

CSS 499 - Undergraduate Research
Fall, Spring, Summer, 3 credits. Approval of department; application required. Faculty supervised research in a selected area of crop and soil sciences or environmental soil science. CSS 499 application form is available here. Instructor: Alvin Smucker

Graduate Level Courses

CSS 802 - Weed Biology
Spring of even years, 2 credits. Weed biology, including weed seed production and dispersal and seed fate. Weed life history traits and ecophysiology, including invasive species. Data collection in weed ecology research. Instructor: Karen Renner

CSS 805 - Herbicide Action and Metabolism
Spring of even years, 2 credits. Properties and characteristics of herbicides. Processes involved in herbicide action, transport, and fate in plants and soils. Instructor: Donald Penner

CSS 819 - Advanced Plant Breeding
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 450 and STT 422. Genetic expectations resulting from breeding strategies with cross- and self-pollinated crop plants. Germplasm collections, mapping populations, and modifications of reproductive biology useful for crop improvement.

CSS 820 - Plant Reproductive Biology and Polyploidy
Spring, 1 credit. Genetic processes underlying variations in plant reproductive biology and polyploidy and the utilization of these characteristics in plant breeding.

CSS 821 - Crop Evolution
Spring of even years, 1 credit. Cultural and biological aspects of the evolution of domestic plants.

CSS 822 - Historical Geography of Crop Plants
Spring of even years, credits. Development and spread of the major crop species.

CSS 825 - Clay Mineralogy and Soils Genesis
Spring of even years, 4 credits. Open only to graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, or College of Natural Science. Mineral structures. X-ray diffraction, pedogenic processes, and mineral transformations and stability. Instructor: Brian Teppen

CSS 827 - Techniques in Cytogenetics
Fall of even years, 1 credit. Preparation of chromosomes from commercially important plants for cytogenetic analysis. Instructor: Joanne Whallon

CSS 829 - Advanced Microbial Ecology
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Functional roles of microorganisms, their population dynamics and interactions, and their mechanisms of evolutionary change in natural communities, laboratory experiments, and mathematical models.

CSS 832 - Environmental and Natural Resource Law
Fall, 3 credits. Prerequisite: RD 430. Origin and development of environmental law. Theories of power, jurisdiction, sovereignty, property interests, pollution, and other bases for legal controls of natural resources. Common law and constitutional limitations on governmental power.

CSS 836 - Plant Evolution and the Origin of Crop Species
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 350. Cultural and biological aspects of the evolution of domestic plants. Origin and diversity of cultivated plants.

CSS 837 - Confocal Microscopy
Fall, Spring, 2 credits. Approval of department; application required. Confocal imaging, theory and practice. Basic optics. Lasers. Light paths for transmission, florescence and reflection. Image quality, analysis and processing. Instructor: Joanne Whallon

CSS 840 - Soil Physics
Fall of odd years, 3 credits. Open only to graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, or College of Natural Science. Physical properties of soil including texture, structure, consistency, aeration, moisture content, and temperature. Quantitative measurement of plant growth. Agronomic and engineering practices. Instructor: Alvin Smucker

CSS 841 - Soil Microbiology
Spring of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: MIC 425. Ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of microorganisms indigenous to soil.

CSS 842 - Population Genetics, Genealogy and Genomics
Fall, 3 credits. Population genetic processes underlying patterns of molecular genetic variation. Genealogical approaches to the study of genomic diversity, phylogenetic reconstruction, and molecular ecology.

CSS 850 - Soil Chemistry
Spring, 3 credits. Open only to graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, or College of Natural Science. Ion activities, ionic exchange and equilibrium reactions. Soil pH, macro- and micronutrients, saline soils and availability of nutrients to plants. Instructor: Brian Teppen

CSS 853 - Plant Mineral Nutrition
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: PLP 301. Inorganic ion transport in plant cells and tissues. Physiological responses and adaptation to problem soils. Genetic diversity in nutrient uptake and use by plants. Physiological roles of elemental nutrients in crop growth. Instructors: Wayne Loescher and Sieglinde Snapp

CSS 863 - Mineral-Water Interactions
Spring of even years, 4 credits. Open only to graduate students in Crop and Soil Sciences or Geological Sciences or Geography. Mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of fluid-rock reactions in geologic, sedimentary and geochemical cycles. Rock and mineral weathering, soil formation, genesis and burial diagenesis of sediments and sedimentary rocks, and metamorphism.

CSS 865 - Organic Chemistry of Soils
Spring of even years, 2 credits. Chemistry of natural and anthropogenic organic substances in soils. Instructor: Steve Boyd

CSS 870 - Techniques of Analyzing Unbalanced Research Data
Spring, 4 credits. Prerequisite: STT 464. Open only to graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Not open to students with credit in: ANS 943. Linear model techniques to analyze biological research data characterized by missing and unequal number of observations in classes. Simultaneous consideration of multiple factors. Prediction of breeding values and estimation of population parameters from variance and covariance components.

CSS 890 - Independent Study
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 6 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 8 credits in all enrollments for this course. Open only to graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, or College of Natural Science. Individual study on field, laboratory, or library research.

CSS 891 - Current Topics in Ecology and Evolution
Summer, 1 credit. A student may earn a maximum of 8 credits in all enrollments for this course. Presentation and critical evaluation of theoretical and empirical developments by visiting scientists.

CSS 891B - Selected Topics in Plant Breeding and Genetics
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 2 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 6 credits in all enrollments for this course. Open only to graduate students in Plant Breeding and Genetics or Genetics. Approval of department. Selected topics in plant breeding.

CSS 892 - Plant Breeding and Genetics Seminar
Fall, Spring, Summer, 1 credit. A student may earn a maximum of 8 credits in all enrollments for this course. Experience in review, organization, oral presentation, and analysis of research.

CSS 893 - Selected Topics
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 3 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 6 credits in all enrollments for this course. Open only to graduate students in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, or College of Natural Science. Selected topics in crop and soil sciences of current interest and importance.

CSS 899 - Master's Thesis Research
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 12 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 99 credits in all enrollments for this course. Open only to master's students in Crop and Soil Sciences. Master's thesis research.

CSS 921 - Contemporary Statistical Models in Biology
Fall of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: STT 465 or approval of department. Working knowledge of SAS. Estimating functions. Growth models, generalized linear models, linear and non-linear mixed models. Field experiments with spatial trends. Longitudinal data. Modeling in the presence of spatial and temporal correlations. Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko

CSS 941 - Quantitative Genetics in Plant Breeding
Spring of even years, 3 credits. Prerequisite: CSS 450 and STT 422. Theoretical genetic basis of plant breeding with emphasis on traits exhibiting continuous variation. Classical and contemporary approaches to the study and manipulation of quantitative trait loci. Instructor: Dechun Wang

CSS 999 - Doctoral Dissertation Research
Fall, Spring, Summer, variable from 1 to 24 credits. A student may earn a maximum of 99 credits in all enrollments for this course. Open only to doctoral students in Crop and Soil Sciences. Doctoral dissertation research.







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