Course Descriptionss
Undergraduate | Graduate
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 
.
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
- 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 odd years,
2 credits. Properties and characteristics of herbicides. Processes involved in herbicide action, transport, and fate in plants and soils.
Instructor: Donald Penner
- Spring of odd years,
2 credits. Properties and characteristics of herbicides. Processes involved in herbicide action, transport, and fate in plants and soils.
Instructor: Donald Penner
- CSS 814 - Advanced Statistics for Biologists
- Spring,
4 credits. Concepts of reducing experimental error for biological and agricultural research. Covariance, randomized block designs, latin squares, split plots, repeated-measures designs, regression applications, and response surface designs. Analyses using statistical software. Interdepartmental with Statistics and Probability, Animal Science. Administered by Statistics and Probability.
Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko
- Spring,
4 credits. Concepts of reducing experimental error for biological and agricultural research. Covariance, randomized block designs, latin squares, split plots, repeated-measures designs, regression applications, and response surface designs. Analyses using statistical software. Interdepartmental with Statistics and Probability, Animal Science. Administered by Statistics and Probability.
Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko
- CSS 819 - Advanced Plant Breeding
- Fall of even years, 3 credits. 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. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry. Administered by Horticulture.
- CSS 820 - Plant Reproductive Biology and Polyploidy
- Spring of odd years, 1 credit. Genetic processes underlying variations in plant reproductive biology and polyploidy and the utilization of these characteristics in plant breeding. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry, Plant Biology, Plant Pathology. Administered by Horticulture.
- CSS 821 - Crop Evolution
- Spring of odd years, 1 credit. Cultural and biological aspects of the evolution of domestic plants. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry, Plant Biology, Plant Pathology. Administered by Horticulture.
- CSS 822 - Historical Geography of Crop Plants
- Spring of odd years, 1 credit. Development and spread of the major crop species. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry, Plant Biology, Plant Pathology. Administered by Horticulture.
- 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
- 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. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Animal Science, Fisheries and Wildlife, Genetics, Horticulture. Administered by Forestry.
- 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
- 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 odd years,
3 credits. 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. Interdepartmental with Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences.
Instructors: Wayne Loescher and Sieglinde Snapp
- Fall of odd years,
3 credits. 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. Interdepartmental with Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences.
Instructors: Wayne Loescher
- CSS 856 - Plant Molecular and Omic Biology
- Spring, 3 credits. Recent advances in genetics and molecular biology of higher plants. Interdepartmental with Plant Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Administered by Plant Biology.
- CSS 865 - Organic Chemistry of Soils
- Spring of even years,
3 credits. Chemistry and biology of toxicants in soils as determinants of environmental fate.
Instructor: Steve Boyd
- Spring of even years,
3 credits. Chemistry and biology of toxicants in soils as determinants of environmental fate.
Instructor: Steve Boyd
- CSS 880 - Scientific Communication and Professional Development
- Spring, 1 credit. Interactive professional experiences including grant preproposal preparation and presentation, scientific presentations, mock position interviews, and resume preparation.
- 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 10 credits in all enrollments for this course. Presentation and critical evaluation of theoretical and empirical developments by visiting scientists. Interdepartmental with Zoology, Plant Biology. Administered by Zoology.
- 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. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry. Administered by Horticulture.
- 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. Interdepartmental with Horticulture, Forestry. Administered by Horticulture.
- CSS 892B - Ecological Food and Farming Systems Seminar
- Fall, Spring, 1 credit. Experiential learning, and multidisciplinary and applied research, in ecological food and farming systems. Interdepartmental with Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences.
- 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 - Geostatistics
- Fall of odd years,
3 credits. Spatial variability analysis. Variogram models. Kriging and cokriging. Field experiments with spatial trends. Longitudinal data. Modeling in the presence of spatial and temporal correlations.
Instructor: Sasha Kravchenko
- Fall of odd years,
3 credits. Spatial variability analysis. Variogram models. Kriging and cokriging. 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. Theoretical and genetic basis of statistical analysis of quantitative traits using genetic markers. Computational tools for the study of quantitative traits. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences.
Instructor: Dechun Wang
- Spring of even years,
3 credits. Theoretical and genetic basis of statistical analysis of quantitative traits using genetic markers. Computational tools for the study of quantitative traits. Interdepartmental with Forestry, Horticulture. Administered by Crop and Soil Sciences.
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.
