Program Overview

Introduction to the Plant Sciences Program

The Plant Sciences Department at Cal Poly offers students an opportunity to learn by doing, with a broad spectrum of opportunities ranging from hands-on experiences in fields, groves, nurseries, and greenhouses to real-world application through internships and collaborations with industry partners.

Academic Programs

The department offers the Plant Sciences major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree, with three concentrations: Environmental Horticultural Science, Fruit and Crop Science, and Plant Protection Science. Each concentration is well-grounded in the sciences and designed to prepare students for many attractive career opportunities.

Concentrations

• Environmental Horticultural Science: This concentration offers students a comprehensive preparation for positions in the nursery, turf, greenhouse, landscape, and floriculture industries, including public horticulture.
• Fruit and Crop Science: The Fruit and Crop Science concentration provides students with detailed knowledge of the production of tree fruits and nuts, grapes, small fruits, vegetables, and other row crops, and forages.
• Plant Protection Science: Approximately one-third of the world's food crops are destroyed each year by insects, rodents, diseases, and other pests. Finding ways to reduce these losses is the challenge of the plant protection specialist.

Undergraduate Programs

The department offers several undergraduate programs, including:

• BS Plant Sciences: The Plant Sciences Department at Cal Poly offers students an opportunity not just to learn, but to learn-by-doing.
• Crop Science Minor: Designed for students majoring in related academic disciplines who desire careers in crop production or its associated industries.
• Fruit Science Minor: The minor is designed for students majoring in related academic disciplines who desire to seek careers in fruit production or its associated industries.
• Landscape Horticulture Minor: The minor provides students with an understanding of the landscape horticultural industry and provides basic skills to understand the design, installation, and maintenance of landscapes.
• Plant Protection Minor: This program emphasizes both plant protection and plant production.

Graduate Programs

Cal Poly offers a Master of Science degree in Agriculture with specializations in Crop Science, Environmental Horticultural Science, and Plant Protection Science, among others.

Courses

The department offers a wide range of courses, including:

• PLSC 101: Orientation to Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 110: People, Pests and Plagues
• PLSC 120: Principles of Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 123: Landscape Installation and Maintenance
• PLSC 124: Plant Propagation
• PLSC 126: Landscape Construction
• PLSC 127: Horticulture and Landscape Design
• PLSC 132: Pomology I
• PLSC 133: Pomology II
• PLSC 150: Forage Crops
• PLSC 175: Beekeeping
• PLSC 190: California Vegetable Production
• PLSC 200: Special Problems for Undergraduates
• PLSC 203: Organic Enterprise Project
• PLSC 205: Orchard and Vegetable Enterprise Project
• PLSC 212: Environmental Horticulture Enterprise Project I
• PLSC 215: Floral Design I
• PLSC 225: Floral Design II
• PLSC 230: Environmental Horticulture
• PLSC 232: Basic Viticulture
• PLSC 233: Plant Materials I
• PLSC 234: Plant Materials II
• PLSC 240: Commercial Seed Production
• PLSC 244: Precision Farming
• PLSC 245: Horticultural Production Techniques
• PLSC 270: Selected Topics
• PLSC 304: Introduction to Plant Breeding
• PLSC 312: Environmental Horticulture Enterprise Project II
• PLSC 313: Agricultural Entomology
• PLSC 315: Principles of Organic Crop Production
• PLSC 321: Weed Biology and Management
• PLSC 323: Plant Pathology
• PLSC 327: Vertebrate Pest Management
• PLSC 329: Plants, Biotechnology, and the Media
• PLSC 331: Advanced Viticulture - Fall
• PLSC 332: Landscape Contracting
• PLSC 333: Greenhouse Vegetable Production
• PLSC 334: Greenhouse Vegetable Enterprise Project
• PLSC 336: Advanced Viticulture - Winter
• PLSC 337: Advanced Viticulture - Spring
• PLSC 339: Internship in Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 340: Principles of Greenhouse Environment
• PLSC 341: Cut Flower Production
• PLSC 342: Potted Plant Production
• PLSC 343: Turfgrass Management
• PLSC 350: Abiotic Plant Problems
• PLSC 351: Experimental Techniques and Analysis
• PLSC 355: Citrus and Avocado Fruit Production
• PLSC 360: Nut Crops Production
• PLSC 381: Native Plants for California Landscapes
• PLSC 400: Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
• PLSC 406: Advanced Weed Management
• PLSC 410: Crop Physiology
• PLSC 414: Grape Pest Management
• PLSC 420: Organic Crop Production Systems
• PLSC 421: Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops
• PLSC 424: Nursery Crop Production
• PLSC 425: Arboriculture
• PLSC 427: Disease and Pest Control Systems for Ornamental Plants
• PLSC 428: Advances in Plant Pathology
• PLSC 431: Insect Pest Management
• PLSC 432: Specialized Operations for Golf Courses and Athletic Fields
• PLSC 437: Park and Public Space Management
• PLSC 441: Biological Control for Pest Management
• PLSC 445: Cropping Systems
• PLSC 450: Current Issues in the Strawberry Industry
• PLSC 461: Senior Project I
• PLSC 462: Senior Project II
• PLSC 470: Selected Advanced Topics
• PLSC 471: Selected Advanced Laboratory
• PLSC 500: Individual Study in Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 539: Graduate Internship in Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 570: Selected Topics in Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 571: Selected Topics Laboratory in Horticulture and Crop Science
• PLSC 575: Applied Systematics for Agriculture
• PLSC 581: Graduate Seminar in Crop/Fruit Production
• PLSC 596: Thesis in Crop Science
• PLSC 597: Thesis in Environmental Horticulture Science
• PLSC 598: Thesis in Fruit Science
• PLSC 599: Thesis in Plant Protection Science

Faculty

The department is staffed by experienced faculty members, including:

• Shunping Ding: B.S., Henan University, China, 2010; M.S. The University of Hong Kong, 2013; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2018.
• Lauren C. Garner: B.S., The College of William and Mary, 1992; M.S., Cornell University, 1996; Ph.D., University of California, Riverside, 2004.
• David H. Headrick: B.S., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 1986; M.S., University of California, Riverside, 1988; Ph.D., 1992. Pest Control Advisor, California.
• Shashika Hewavitharana: B.S., University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2009; M.S., Washington State University, 2013; Ph.D., Washington State University, 2017.
• Benjamin K. Hoover: B.S., Temple University, 2005; M.S., The Pennsylvania State University, 2007; Ph.D., 2012
• Scott J. Steinmaus: B.S., University of California, Davis, 1984; Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 1995; Post-doctorate, University of California, Riverside, 1998. Pest Control Advisor, California.
• Ashraf Tubeileh: B.S., An-Najah National Univ., Nablus, Palestine, 1995; M.S., Université de Lorrain, Nancy, France, 1997; Ph.D., Université de Lorrain, Nancy, France, 2000.
• Jeffrey C. Wong: B.S., Saint Mary's College of California, 1994; M.S., University of Illinois at Champaign, 1999; Ph.D., 2002. The J. G. Boswell Foundation of Pasadena Endowed Chair.