Unit ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY
- Course
- Agricultural and environmental sciences
- Study-unit Code
- A002031
- Curriculum
- Biotecnologie
- Teacher
- Eric Conti
- CFU
- 12
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2023
- Offered
- 2025/26
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa integrata
AGRICULTURAL ENTOMOLOGY
| Code | 80454606 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Eric Conti |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline della difesa |
| Academic discipline | AGR/11 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | Entomology. 6 credits. Insects and man. External and internal morphology, physiology, reproduction, development. Taxonomy. Ecology and ethology. Population dynamics. Economic thresholds. IPM. Identification, biology, ecology, damage and management of the main pests of food crops. Laboratory. |
| Reference texts | - Handouts from the lecturer. - Baccetti B., Barbagallo S., Su¨ss L., Tremblay E. 2000. Manuale di Zoologia agraria. Antonio Delfino Editore. - Gullan P.J., Cranston P.S. 2006. Lineamenti di Entomologia. Zanichelli. - Pennacchio F, 2014. Gli Insetti e il loro controllo. Liguori editore. -Colazza, Peri, Lo Bue. Lineamenti di Entomologia in agricoltura biologica. Palermo University Press. |
| Educational objectives | Main knowledge and skills that the students will acquire are: - basic and applied knowledge on insects, their interactions and integrated management; - ability to apply the acquired knowledge in agricultural entomology |
| Prerequisites | Before attending or starting to study it is useful for the student to know the following basic concepts: outlines of zoology and animal cell; cultivated herbaceous and arboreal plants. |
| Teaching methods | Face-face lectures using video-projection. Laboratory experience. Discussion of scientific articles. Field excursion if possible. |
| Other information | NA |
| Learning verification modality | The student evaluation is carried out with an oral exam of about 30 minutes: recognition of main agricultural insect taxa; discussion on IPM strategies in one agro-ecosystem among the those chosen by the student in agreement with the lecturer; short questions on external morphology of main insect taxa, anatomy and physiology, ecology. During the exam the following skills will be evaluated: language, capacity to make links within and between modules. |
| Extended program | LECTURES: Introduction to Entomology. General morphology. Insects and man. Diffusion, economic importance. Insect taxonomy. External morphology. Head, thorax, abdomen. Internal anatomy and physiology. Reproduction. Development. Bioecology and behaviour. Insects and agroecosystems. Trophic levels, interactions, semiochemicals. Natural enemies. Population dynamics. Economic damage, monitoring, scouting, economic thresholds. Integrated pest management (IPM). Insect and mite pests of the different herbaceous (cereals, industrial crops, horticultural crops, legumes) and arboreal (olive groves, vineyards, pome trees, stone trees, minor fruit trees) agroecosystems. Taxonomy, bioecology, damage and integrated management. TRAINING, LABORATORY and possible field TRIP: External and internal morphology, development, taxonomy of economic important Orders and families. Mouthparts and plant damage. Insect dissections. Rearing techniques for pests and natural enemies. Behavioural and EAG bioassays. Control methods (chemical, biological, biotechnical control) and monitoring. Field trip if possible. |
| Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile | 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 |
PLANT PATHOLOGY
| Code | 80454506 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Giovanni Beccari |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline della difesa |
| Academic discipline | AGR/12 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | a) General part: symptomatology, concept of parasitism, epidemiology, infection process, resistance, diagnosis, plant disease management, mycotoxins. b) Special part: examples of abiotic, viral, phytoplasma-related, bacterial, oomycete, and fungal plant diseases. |
| Reference texts | a) Material provided by the teachers on unistudium platform; b) Matta A., Buonaurio R., Scala A., 2017. Fondamenti di Patologia vegetale. Patron Editore, Bologna, 490 pp. c) Belli G., 2007. Elementi di Patologia vegetale. Piccin Nuova Libraria, Padova, 407 pp. d) Pollini A., 2024. Micopatologia e micologia. Edagricole, Bologna, 751 pp. |
| Educational objectives | The objective of this course is to provide students with the foundation to acquire the following KNOWLEDGE: a) general concepts of plant pathology, such as symptomatology, parasitism, epidemiology, resistance, diagnosis, and plant disease management; b) specific concepts of plant pathology through case studies of major diseases affecting agricultural crops. Furthermore, based on the aforementioned knowledge, this course also aims to provide students with the following SKILLS: a) Development of a diagnostic protocol to identify major plant pathogens; b) Development of integrated management strategies for major plant diseases. |
| Prerequisites | The knowledge of the English language is very useful to further investigate the various topics of this course by reading scientific articles. |
| Teaching methods | The course, with a total duration of 54 hours, is divided into theoretical lectures and technical-practical exercises. The theoretical lectures will cover all the topics outlined in the program. The practical exercises are intended to familiarize students with the main analyses carried out in a plant pathology laboratory. In addition, visits to experimental fields and farms will be organized to assess the phytosanitary status of crops. |
| Other information | For the location and time of lessons, please look at the website: http://www.agr.unipg.it/newpro/calendario_lezioni.htm. The lesson frequency is strongly recommended. For each necessity please contact the teachers by e-mail (giovanni.beccari@unipg) or phone (+39 075 585 64 73). |
| Learning verification modality | The student examination will be realized by a final oral exam, consisting of an open interview (about 30 minutes long). The interview will verify the knowledge level of the course topics. For information about support service for students with disability please visit page http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
| Extended program | 1) GENERAL PART a) Introduction and symptomatology b) Parasitism c) Inoculum and epidemiology d) Infection process e) Resistance f) Diagnosis g) Plant disease management h) Mycotoxins 2) SPECIAL PART a) Examples of abiotic plant diseases b) Examples of viral plant diseases c) Examples of phytoplasma-related plant diseases d) Examples of bacterial plant diseases e) Examples of oomycete plant diseases f) Examples of fungal plant diseases |