Principles of agrometeorology, the main variables and their measure; the soil and its physical, mechanical, chemical and biological properties; the water content of the soil; soil tillage; regulation of excess water, drainage and land setting; mineral and organic fertilization; weed control and management
Ceccon P., Fagnano M., Grignani C., Monti M., Orlandini S., 2017. Agronomia. EDISES, Napoli ISBN 978 88 7959 965 8
Didactic material edit by the Professor
Learning Objectives
Knowledge: basic concepts for understanding the productive potentials and the effects of agronomic management on production and on the environment.
Skills acquired at the end of the course: knowledge of the main agronomic management techniques and their application for the optimization of the productive processes of the nursery.
Skills acquired at the end of the course: evaluation, selection and application of the different agronomic techniques studied.
Prerequisites
Students are expected to be familiar with the principles and terminology of pedology, agrometeorology, soil chemistry, and mechanization
Courses recommmended: pedology, soil chemistry, and mechanization
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours reserved to private study and other indivual formative activities: 96
Frequency of lectures, practice and lab, although non compulsory, is strongly recommended
Teaching tools: Moodle platform and e-learning tools (training materials, auto assessment quiz, problem solving and discussion forum)
Type of Assessment
Oral exams aimed at verifying if the student has acquired the necessary knowledge and the ability to analyze complex situations, as well as the ability to synthesize and correlate the different topics.
Course program
1) The components of the agroecosystem: atmosphere and soil.
The functions and properties of agricultural soil (texture, structure, porosity, mechanical properties, water potential, organic matter and chemical properties). The main agrometeorological variables (solar radiation, temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind and evapotranspiration), their biological functions, the measuring instruments.
2) Management of production processes: land setting techniques; drainage; protection against adverse abiotic events (frosts, heat waves, hail, wind); soil tillage; fertilization (nutrients, mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers, soil conditioning and correction), management and control of weeds (characteristics of weeds, preventive, physical, mechanical, chemical control)
3) Specific seminars on substrates for cultivation, measurement and analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from the bare and cultivated soil.
4) Exercises: soil sampling, visits to farms