FRUIT TREES
Learning outcomes of the course unit
The course aims at providing the student with knowledge related to fruit production and any first trasformation the product may require in farm, both in view of fresh consumption and of industrial transformation.
Prerequisites
Plant Production
Course contents summary
The course of Fruit Crops describes the plants, either trees, shrubs or herbaceous, which provide edible fresh fruits and nuts (excluding vegetables), and trees and shrubs which produce oil, spice and drug products, from temperate and tropical environments. Forest trees are not included.
The species dealt with are:
Fresh fruits: Apple, Pear, Grapevine, Citrus, Banana, Coconut, Avocado, Mango, etc.
Nuts: Almond, Cashew, Macadamia, Hazelnut, Pistachio, Date palm, Walnut.
Spices: Mustard, Pepper, Chili pepper, Vanilla, Cinnamom, etc.
Stimulants: Coffee, Cocoa, Tea, Cola.
Olii plants: Olive, Oil palm
For each species the aspects considered are:
Botany - morphology, anatomy, physiology of food plants, with special reference to the parts used as food and to the processes leading to their formation on the plant;
Genetics - origin and distribution of species, subspecies and varieties, and their environmental and quality features;
Cultivation - Main cultivation techniques, and their effects on production quality and quantity;
Transformation and storage - in farm techniques adopted for product conditioning and storage.
Recommended readings
Powerpoint presentations and other teaching material made available on the site.
Baldini E., Marangoni B., 1993 - Coltivazioni arboree. CLUEB, Bologna.
Rehm S., Espig G., 1997 – La coltivazione delle piante tropicali e subtropicali. Edagricole, Bologna.
Teaching methods
Lecture
Oral exam and student seminars