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What is agronomy?

What is agronomy? This is another question that is as important as “what is horticulture?” in relation to the study and practice of plant agriculture. For those who desire to specialize in either agronomy or horticulture, the two main divisions of crop production, it is important to be able to distinguish between the two, or at least learn when both terms may apply to the same crop, or when an outright answer has to be deferred. It will be embarrassing to find oneself stammering when suddenly asked to explain what agronomy is or required to give its definition (or horticulture, or agriculture). Familiarity of the terms and their scope will also simplify literature research. For example, anyone who wishes to find information on cereal crops can likely find the same from books on agronomy rather than on horticulture. However, it should be realized that the distinction between agronomy and horticulture is not well established. Both terms can also apply to the same crop. This is so with grain or forage corn (agronomic) and sweet or young corn (horticultural) as well as pineapple grown for fiber (agronomic) and those grown for fruit (horticultural).But primary usage is not the only basis of distinction. Certain global development may cause a significant change that will affect the traditional uses of certain crops. For example, an increase in the world market demand for coconut water from young nuts may drastically affect the production of mature nuts for copra. In addition, other criteria of classification such as the intensity of care and value of the product are also considered, and these may vary with time and place.

In the Philippines, sweet potato and white potato, as well as field beans, are considered horticultural crops based on their intensive management. However, they are classified as agronomic crops in countries where they are grown through mechanized system in extensive scale.

So what is agronomy?

The term agronomy is derived from the two Greek words agros, meaning field, and nomos, meaning to manage. Thus agronomy has been defined as the art and science of field crop production and management. But this definition of agronomy does not provide a clear demarcation line with general application as to what is agronomy versus horticulture and their scope.

The use of the term “field” or “open field” which has reference to a large or extensive area of production in agronomy as compared to a “garden” or small area in horticulture is no longer reliable. The extensiveness of production varies from country to country or even from place to place within the same country depending on many factors such as climate and physical features, availability of capital, and market movement.

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How a Corn Plant Develops

Although nature provides the major portion of the environmental influence on corn growth and yield, a corn producer can manipulate the environment with proven managerial practices. Such operations include tillage and fertilization of the soil, irrigation, weed and insect control, and many other practices. Combinations of these practices vary over different production situations and management levels. A producer who understands the corn plant can use production practices more efficiently to obtain higher yields and profit.

Each plant develops 20-21 total leaves, silks about 65 days after emergence, and matures about 125 days after emergence. Plants and plant parts are displayed at identifiable stages of morphological (form and structure) development. All plants except figs. 5 and 6 (which were greenhouse grown) were field grown and photographed in the laboratory.

All normal corn plants follow this same general pattern of development, but the specific time interval between stages and total leaf numbers developed may vary between different hybrids, seasons, dates of planting, and locations.

Familiarity with the names and locations of some corn plant parts is helpful in understanding how the plant develops. Thus, the labeled illustrations of a corn seedling, lower stalk, corn ear, and corn kernel are introduced first as a reference, figures 1-4.

Figure 1. Corn Seedling

Figure 2. Lower Stalk

Figure 4. Corn Kernel

Figure 3. Corn Ear

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