Learning objectives
To provide the student with elementary knowledge relating to the process of plant production, with special reference to the processes of growth and development, maturation, harvest and storage of feed. Knowledge on the effects of agricultural practices on crop production (yield, quality, digestibility) and on feed preservation and contamination is also provided.
Prerequisites
Botany
Course unit content
INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PRODUCTION. Factors of production. Origins of agriculture and of cultivated crops. Yield and quality.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. Development and dry matter partitioning. Analysis and growth indexes (canopy).
SEED PROPAGATION. Seed characteristics and germination in field crops. Dormancy. Sowing and sowing machinery.
CLIMATIC VARIABLES: radiation, temperature, rainfall. Crop injury by high and low temperatures.
PLANTS AND WATER: crop needs. Soil available water. Field capacity and wilting point. Effects of drought and water flooding. Irrigation methods and their efficiency.
PLANT NUTRITION. Main nutrients; excess and deficiency. Antagonisms. Interactions. Macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur.
FERTILISATION. The main available mineral fertilisers. Organic fertilisers. Fertirrigation. Crop needs.
WEEDS AND HERBICIDES. Agronomic and chemical weed control. Effects of herbicides on plants and their behaviour in the soil.
SOIL: physical, chemical and biological properties. Management of water flooding. Drainage.
ROOT SYSTEMS. Development of root systems in field crops. Methods of root investigation. Indexes of root growth.
SOIL TILLAGE. Preparatory and complementary tillage operations. Plough and ploughing. Other tillage tools. Alternative techniques.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS: Monoculture, polyculture; intercropping; crop rotation. Organic farming. Cover crops.
PLANT AND SOIL WATER. Hydrologic cycle. Goals of soil water management. Irrigated crop production.
FORAGES: meadows and pastures of Gramineous and Leguminous. Forage harvest.
Full programme
INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PRODUCTION. Factors of production. Origins of agriculture and of cultivated crops. Yield and quality.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. Development and dry matter partitioning. Analysis and growth indexes (canopy).
SEED PROPAGATION. Seed characteristics and germination in field crops. Dormancy. Sowing and sowing machinery.
CLIMATIC VARIABLES: radiation, temperature, rainfall. Crop injury by high and low temperatures.
PLANTS AND WATER: crop needs. Soil available water. Field capacity and wilting point. Effects of drought and water flooding. Irrigation methods and their efficiency.
PLANT NUTRITION. Main nutrients; excess and deficiency. Antagonisms. Interactions. Macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur.
FERTILISATION. The main available mineral fertilisers. Organic fertilisers. Fertirrigation. Crop needs.
WEEDS AND HERBICIDES. Agronomic and chemical weed control. Effects of herbicides on plants and their behaviour in the soil.
SOIL: physical, chemical and biological properties. Management of water flooding. Drainage.
ROOT SYSTEMS. Development of root systems in field crops. Methods of root investigation. Indexes of root growth.
SOIL TILLAGE. Preparatory and complementary tillage operations. Plough and ploughing. Other tillage tools. Alternative techniques.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS: Monoculture, polyculture; intercropping; crop rotation. Organic farming. Cover crops.
PLANT AND SOIL WATER. Hydrologic cycle. Goals of soil water management. Irrigated crop production.
INTRODUCTION TO CROP PRODUCTION: cereals and legumes. Wheat and soybean as examples. Recognition of seeds of the main field crops.
FORAGES: meadows and pastures of Gramineous and Leguminous. Forage harvest and storage.
Bibliography
Fabbri A., 2001 - Produzioni Vegetali. Edagricole.
Giardini L., 2002 - Agronomia generale : ambientale e aziendale. 5. ed. – Patron, Bologna.
Giardini L., 2003. A come Agronomia. Patron, Bologna.
Bonciarelli F. 1995 - Fondamenti di Agronomia Generale. Edagricole.
Baldoni R., Giardini L., 2000 - Coltivazioni erbacee: Volumi 1, 2 e 3 - Patron Editore.
Bittante G., Andrighetto I., 1990 - Ramanzin M., Fondamenti di zootecnica – Liviana Editrice.
Ligabue M., Tabaglio V., Betti S., 2005 - Le piante foraggere. Ed. L’Informatore Agrario, Verona.
Bonciarelli F., 1995 - Coltivazioni erbacee da pieno campo. Edagricole, Bologna.
Teaching methods
Lessons will be organized face-to-face, and in exceptional cases, with the possibility of using the lessons also remotely in synchronous (via Teams) and asynchronous mode (uploaded on the Elly page of the course). Lecture, to comply with the program.
The teaching (lectures) will be carried out in the classroom using slides as didactic material (supplement to the recommended text). The slides will be available online on the Elly platform in pdf format for students only and after each lesson. During the lessons, the appropriate use of technical language will be reiterated, and the links between the various parts of the course will be highlighted. For this reason, the presence of the students in classroom and their active participation is strongly encouraged.
Assessment methods and criteria
ORAL EXAM, which will assess the student's ability to apply the concepts learned during the course. The oral exam includes 5 questions on the different topics of the course. The registration for the test takes place online through the ESSE3 SYSTEM.
If it is impossible to take the exam in classroom due to rules imposed by the University, the exam will be carried out remotely through Teams software.
The assessment of the level of knowledge acquired also takes into consideration how the student is able to express himself correctly, with the specific scientific language.
Other information
No
