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Department of Plant Science Records

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Collection Summary

Identifier

UA 5.8

Title

College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Department of Plant Science Records

Creator

Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences

Dates

1932-2012

Extent

1.0 linear feet (1 records center box) electronic records

Language

English

Repository

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Access note

This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Preferred Citation

Name of item . College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Department of Plant Science Records. UA 5.8. South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Abstract

The Department of Plant Science offers programs in agronomy, horticulture, and landscape architecture. The collection is composed of administrative records and publications generated by the Plant Science Department, including correspondence, class notes, pamphlets, reports, posters, and programs.

Historical Note

The Plant Science Department was formed in 1969, when the Agronomy Department and the Plant Pathology Department were combined. Ten years later, entomologists joined the department when the Entomology and Zoology Department was eliminated. The history of the Plant Science Department, then, is really the history of these three departments.

Instruction in agronomy was a core part of the South Dakota State University curriculum from the outset. In 1888, the first agronomy crops were sown with the assistance of the Agricultural Experiment Station, establishing a pattern that continues to this day. In 1897, when departments were formally organized, agronomy coursework was found in the Geology and Agronomy Department. By 1902, agronomy had achieved its independence from geology and an independent department was formed. Through the years, the department strengthened and expanded, developing strong areas of research and teaching in plant breeding, crop and soil science, and seed varieties, among others. Different faculty had different interests, but the overall work of the department remained mostly unchanged until it joined with plant pathology.

The plant pathology department followed much the same pattern as the agronomy department. Through the years, research in plant pathology as conducted through the Agricultural Experiment Station and courses were taught, although the department went by a number of different names. In the earliest years, courses were taught in the Botany Department. In 1911, the name changed to Botany and Plant Pathology, where it remained until 1918. From 1918-1923, the department was Botany and Plant Diseases, from 1924-1928 Botany and Plant Pathology, 1928-1950 Botany, Plant Pathology and Bacteriology. Finally, in 1950 the department became known as Plant Pathology.

The Entomology and Zoology Department was a department from 1920-1979. Courses were taught in those subjects from 1887, however, and scientific investigations in those areas were performed at the Agricultural Experiment Station from 1888. Initially, the administration of the Entomology and Zoology Department fell under the General Science Division, but in 1925, it moved to the agriculture division. In general, instructors in these subjects were sparse, but courses continued to develop. From 1938-1963, wildlife and wildlife management classes were taught through the department, but eventually they separated into their own area. The fate of the entomology and zoology subjects was not as good, however, and in 1979, the department was dissolved. The entomologists went to the Plant Science Department, and the zoologists moved to biology.

The department was merged with the Department of Horticulture, Forestry, Landscape and Parks in the summer of 2011. The expertise of the faculty and staff span the fields of: agronomy, entomology, genetics/plant breeding, horticulture, landscape architecture, plant pathology, plant physiology, soil science, and weed science. The department offers undergraduate programs leading to a B.S. in either: Agronomy, Horticulture or Landscape Architecture; and at the graduate level, M.S. and Ph.D. training in Agronomy or Biological Science. Plant Science has a robust research program that consistently ranks at, or near, the top of departments at SDSU for research expenditures and productivity.

The department is housed in six buildings across campus. These buildings provide research and teaching laboratories, greenhouses, seed house facilities and access to the functional genomics core facility. The on-campus facilities also include the SDSU Seed Testing Laboratory, SDSU Plant Diagnostics Clinic, Seed Certification, and Foundation Seed Stocks Division, which we operate as services for the public. In addition, we conduct research at 3 research farms near campus and 4 research stations across the state. The Field Specialists are housed in 6 regional extension offices across the state. The latest addition is the new McCrory Gardens Education and Outreach Center.

Contents Note

This collection is composed of departmental records and publications of the Plant Science Department. Folders contain pamphlets, reports, posters, programs, and computer media. Also included are correspondence and a list of Agronomy personnel for 1968-69. An item of note is a book of notes for a soils class from the early 1930's, which belonged to a student by the name of Paul Brown.

Key Words

  • South Dakota State University. Department of Agronomy.
  • South Dakota State University. Department of Entomology and Zoology.
  • South Dakota State University. Department of Plant Science.
  • South Dakota State University -- Field Day
  • South Dakota State University -- James G. Ross Memorial Lecture
  • South Dakota State University -- Robert H. and Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecture Series in Plant Biochemistry

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.

South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.

Copyright note

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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Container List

BoxFolderDescriptionDate(s)
11Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1978
12Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1979
13Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1980
14Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1982
15Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1983
16Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1984
17Agronomy Abstracts - Annual Meetings [American Society of Agronomy] [Crop Science Society of America] [Soil Science Society of America]1991
18Agronomy Field Day (announcements)1948-1955
19Agronomy personnel (list)1968-1969
110Biotechnology and Agriculture & Medicine (course announcement)2004
111Cereal Bowl Pancake Feed (poster)1999
112Correspondence1988, 1996
113Course Notes - Plant Science 313 Forage Crop and Pasture Management1996
114Department of Plant Science - South Dakota State University [Report]2005
115Graduate Study in Crops, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soils, Water Management and Weeds1990s
116James G. Ross Memorial Lecture (poster)1999
117N.E. Hansen Lecture Presentation (cd-rom)2002
118New Ideas Final Report: Agroecology - A Web Course with Tribal Collaboration [folder 1 of 3]2003
119New Ideas Final Report: Agroecology - A Web Course with Tribal Collaboration [folder 2 of 3]2003
120New Ideas Final Report: Agroecology - A Web Course with Tribal Collaboration [folder 3 of 3]2003
121Outline of course in commercial fertilizers (memorandum)1952
122Plant Science, Agronomy, Plant Pathology, Entomology at SDSU, by Lyle A. Derscheid1981
123Plant Science Newsletter2012
124Plant Science Pamphlet No. 82 - 1995 Annual Progress Report Northeast Research Station, Watertown, SD1996
125Plant Science Pamphlet No. 84 - Progress Report 1995 Central Crops and Soils Research Station, Highmore, SD1996
126Position announcement: Field/Laboratory Technician1999
127Report on a fact-finding mission to evaluate involvement of SDSU in the development of the Universidad Academica Campesina, Carmen Pampa, Bolivia1994
128Robert H. and Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecture Series in Plant Biochemistry (2 DVDs)2006 April 25-26
129Scholarship banquet (program)2007
130South Dakota checklist for areas D1, D2, D3 D4 To help you get high yields at low cost (pamphlet)undated
131Soil Fertility progress report1989
132Soils notebook (Paul Brown)1932-1934
133Sugat Beet School, First annual [program]1962 September 7
134Travel and Faculty Development opportunity: Universidad Academica Campesina, Carmen Pampa, Bolivia2002
135Weed Control Field Day (announcements)1954-1955
136Weeds (printer's plate)undated
137CREES/ Institutional Program Review- Plant Science Department 1 of 32008
138CREES/ Institutional Program Review- Plant Science Department 2 of 32008
139CREES/ Institutional Program Review- Plant Science Department 3 of 32008
140Dave Harris Memorial Gift to Entomology- Zoology Departmentundated
141Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Grant: Educating the Whole Person1998
142Gilt Edge Mine NPL Site Lawerence County, South Dakota, Final Report for the Climate Evaluation2001
143Plant Science Seminar 400 Senior Seminar1986
144Seed Laboratory Cost of Services [announcement]1973
145Soil Management Short Course Soil Fundamentals Soil Surveyundated
146Westin, F.C. Report to the Government of Venezuela1962
147Graduate Student Expectations1997