Learning objectives
At the end of the course the student is expected to be able to: understand information about the plant production process; know the processes of growth and development of plants, fruit ripening, harvesting and conservation and plant productions intended for transformation; understand which natural and agronomic elements most influence the quality of production; assess the reliability of the information provided by various sources in full autonomy, being able to express own evaluation and criticisms in an effective and scientifically correct way.
Prerequisites
Knowledge on Plant biology
Course unit content
INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PRODUCTION.
STRUCTURE, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
CLIMATIC VARIABLES.
PLANTS AND WATER.
PLANT NUTRITION.
BIOGULATORS.
SEED PROPAGATION and AGAMIC PROPAGATION.
SOIL: PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPRIETIES.
SOIL TILLAGES.
PLANT AND SOIL WATER.
FERTILISATION.
WEEDS AND HERBICIDES.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS.
FRUIT.
MATURATION, HARVEST, CONSERVATION.
EXEMPLES OF ARBOREAL AND HERBACEOUS CROPS AND THEIR PRODUCTS.
Full programme
INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PRODUCTION: Factors of production. Origins of agriculture and of cultivated crops. Yield and quality.
STRUCTURE, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: Overview of biology and physiology plant. Development and dry matter partitioning. Analysis and growth indexes (canopy). CLIMATIC VARIABLES: radiation, temperature, rainfall. Crop injury by high and low temperatures. PLANTS AND WATERPLANT NUTRITION: Main mineral nutrients, excess and deficiency. Antagonisms.
Interactions. BIOREGOLATORS: main class and main functions.
SEED PROPAGATION: Seed characteristics and germination in field crops. Dormancy. Sowing and sowing machinery.
AGAMIC PROPAGATION: Traditional and modern techniques.
SOIL: physical, chemical and biological properties. SOIL TILLAGE: Preparatory and complementary tillage operations. Plough and ploughing. Other tillage tools. Alternative techniques.
HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. Quenching and tempering. Hydraulic-agricultural arrangements. Excess water and its effects. Aims of slope accommodation. Modern guidelines. IRRIGATION: Aims. Quality of irrigation water. Types of Irrigation.
FERTILISATION: Main available mineral fertilisers on the market. Organic fertilisers. Fertigation. Crop needs.
WEEDS AND HERBICIDES: Preventive methods, physical direct and biological methods. Chemical weeding. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the action of herbicides and their behavior in the soil.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS: Monoculture, polyculture, intercropping, crop rotation, biological agriculture. FRUIT: classification. MATURATION, HARVEST, CONSERVATION. Physiology of Fruit ripening and development; post-harvest physiology; principles in harvesting fruit and herbaceous crops.
EXAMPLES OF ARBOREAL AND HERBACEOUS CROPS AND THEIR PRODUCTS: analysis of supply chain.
Bibliography
Fabbri A., 2001 - Produzioni Vegetali Edagricole (Available on Elly platform). PowerPoint presentations given by the teacher to be integrated by personal notes taken during the lectures, the material uploaded on the Elly platform and/or by consulting the following texts:
Giardini L., 2012 - L'Agronomia. 6 ed. –Patron, Bologna.
Sansavini S. (ed.), 2012 - Arboricoltura Generale. Pàtron, Bologna
Baldoni R., Giardini L., 2000 - Coltivazioni erbacee. Pàtron, Bologna (Vol. I, Cereali e proteaginose; Vol. II, Piante oleifere ecc.);
Sansavini S., Ranalli P., 2012 - Manuale di ortofrutticoltura. Edagricole, Bologna.
Teaching methods
Oral lessons
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam. The exam will be organized as a series of open questions on the subjects addressed in class. In particular, in addition to verifying the acquisition of basic knowledge, the ability to connect the general part with one or more individual species discussed during the course will be evaluated. Registration for the test takes place online through the ESSE3 SYSTEM. The oral exam, if carried out remotely, will be carried out on the MS Teams platform.
Other information
The activities will take place in streaming through the use of the Teams and Elly platforms. Lessons will be recorded for any asynchronous use. Lessons will be held in both synchronous (via Teams) and asynchronous mode (uploaded on the Elly page of the course). During the lessons in synchronous mode (direct), mainly frontal moments will alternate with interactive moments with the students. To promote active participation in the course, various activities will be proposed, through the use of the resources available in Elly, such as discussion forums or logbooks
