Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to know and understand:
1. Causal agents in plant disease, their management in agreement with the legislation, the impact of plant health on food security and food safety
2. The most important concepts of animal welfare and the effect on the quality of products of animal origin
Applying knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply acquired knowledge and its implication in the production chain related to food production.
2. Understand the cause of diseases, even if not included in the course and define possible actions to mitigate their effects.
3. Understand the most important indicators of animal welfare and assess welfare guaranteed at the farm level.
Making judgements
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Assess primary production in term of quality and safety
Communication skills
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. appropriately utilize the scientific language and the specific lexicon of plant pathology and animal welfare to describe and transfer in oral and written form the acquired concepts.
Learning skills
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1.Increase his/her knowledge on Plant health, by self-consultation of specialized texts, scientific and educational journals, also beyond the topics discussed during the lessons
2. Understand the impact of farm management on the quality of plant products and on animal health and welfare
Course unit content
General introduction to plant health, causes of plant diseases and disease triangle. The interest of EFSA in food security and food safety in primary production. Impact of plant disease with focus on mycotoxins. Diagnostic approaches, plant disease epidemics and their management. Impact of climate change on food security and food safety. EU legislation – Integrated pest management (IPM), Organic farming
Full programme
Plant Health Module
1.General introduction to plant health and description of course objectives
2. Biotic and abiotic plant diseases, causes of plant diseases. Essential characters of fungi, bacteria, virus and their interaction with plants. Disease triangle; ecological, physiological and genetic interaction between plants and pests. Implications in plant health.
3. The interest of EFSA in Plant health. Impact of pests on plant, food security and food safety. Quarantine pest and their meaning for the European Union.
4. Impact of plant disease pre & post-harvest, including safety aspects. Disease symptoms, yield losses during crop production in field and post-harvest damages. Toxic compound produced by fungi.
5. Mycotoxins in plants and derived products. Main mycotoxins of interest and their toxic effect, mycotoxin producing fungi and main products contaminated by mycotoxins.
6. Diagnostic approaches in plant disease. Symptoms, biological, immunological and molecular diagnostic tools. Field observation, sample collection and diagnostic tool selection. Official analysis.
7. Plant disease epidemics, impact of pathogen characteristics, plant susceptibility and cropping system. Plant disease management: avoid, exclude, eradicate pathogen to protect plants. Predictive modelling for plan disease and their implication in plant protection.
8. Impact of climate change on food security and food safety. Future scenario and their impact on disease triangle. Examples of studied patho-systems.
9. EU legislation – Integrated pest management (IPM), pesticide residue, quarantine pests
10. EU legislation - Organic farming. Rules and their application to obtain organic products. Meaning of organic farming for plant health.
11.Sustainable crop protection. Aspects of sustainability, tool applicable to support a sustainable crop protection.
12. Main and or emerging diseases for different crop value chains to be selected based on the student’s interest
Animal Welfare Module
1. Introduction to animal welfare, most important concepts of animal welfare, 5 freedoms, practical examples of the use of 5 freedoms, EU regulations, EFSA and its role in the animal welfare assessment, introduction to risk assessment, animal welfare “from farm to fork”.
2. CATTLE: Introduction to dairy and beef cattle chain, most important cattle breeds, dairy cattle farming systems
morphological and production traits of cattle, overview on the production of this species, animal welfare in cattle farming, welfare indicators in productive animals, transport and slaughtering.
3. GENETICS: Introduction on the theoretical background of animal breeding and historical achievements, concept of animals breeding and the usefulness of genomic data in animal and human studies, genome wide enabled predictions (genomic selection), genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and gene-editing, genetics, genomics and animal welfare
4. ANIMAL MODELS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: Introduction to the use of animal models in the research for human health, concept of animal rights, welfare and ethics, ethics in the use of animals in research and education
5. SHEEP and GOATS: Introduction to extensive and intensive farming systems, morphological traits of sheep and goat, most important sheep and goat breeds, overview on the production of these species, animal welfare in sheep and goat farming.
6. SWINE: Introduction to pig production chain, most important pig breeds, pig farming systems, overview on the production of this species, welfare indicators in breeding animals (pregnant and lactating sows, boars), welfare indicators in productive animals, mutilation, transport and slaughtering.
7. POULTRY: Introduction to poultry chain, most important chicken breeds, poultry farming systems, morphological and production traits of poultry, overview on the production of this species, animal welfare in poultry farming, transport and slaughtering.
8. HORSES: Introduction to horse production and the role of horses in the society, most important horse breeds, equine farming systems, housing and facilities, horse right and horse welfare, welfare assessment in horse farming, management considerations, health husbandry
Bibliography
Gail L. Schumann and Cleora J. D’Arcy, Essential Plant Pathology, Second Edition, APS Press, 2010
Gail L. Schumann and Cleora J. D Arcy, Hungry Planet: Stories of Plant Diseases, APS Press, 2012
Grandin T. Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach CABI 2015
Power point presentations used during the course
For more detailed information: George N. Agrios, PLANT PATHOLOGY, 5TH EDITION, Elsevier, 2004
H. Blokhuis, M. Miele, I. Veissier, B. Jones Improving farm animal welfare: Science and society working together: the Welfare Quality Wageningen Academic Pub 2013
Teaching methods
The lessons will be held with the support of power point presentations.
The course will be integrated with seminars on specific topics relevant for plant health and animal welfare
Assessment methods and criteria
Summative assessment will be written. The written examination for the Plant Health module will contain open questions on the main course topics, both on the general aspects of pests, their impact crop production, quantitative and qualitative aspects, and pest management in different cropping systems, so as on relevant pests in selected value crop chains. The written exam for the Animal Welfare module will contain open questions on the main course topics regarding the concepts of animal welfare in different species, the most important animal welfare indicators and the quality of products of animal origin.
Other information
La frequenza delle lezioni non è obbligatoria, ma fortemente consigliata.
