AGRONOMY
cod. 14963

Academic year 2008/09
2° year of course - First semester
Professor responsible for the course unit
FABBRI Andrea
integrated course unit
6 credits
hub:
course unit
in - - -

Course unit structured in the following modules:

Learning objectives

To provide the student with basic knowledge relating to the process of plant production,, with special reference to forage production and pasture management, integrated with elements of agricultural mechanics related to forage production.

Prerequisites

None

Course unit content

Agronomy<br />
INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PRODUCTION. Factors of production. Origins of agriculture and of cultivated crops. Yield and quality.<br />
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. Development and repartition of dry matter. Analysis of growth.<br />
SEED PROPAGATION. Seed characteristics and germination in field crops. Dormancy. Sowing and sowing machines.<br />
AGAMIC PROPAGATION. Apomixy. Layering and other traditional techniques. Cuttings and grafting. Micropropagation. Nursery.<br />
PLANTS AND WATER<br />
PLANTS AND MINERAL ELEMENTS. Main mineral nutrients; excess and deficiency. Antagonisms. Interactions. <br />
FERTILIZATION. The main available mineral fertilizers. Organic fertilizers. Fertigation.<br />
WEEDS AND HERBICIDES. Agronomical and chemical protection. Effects of herbicides and their behavior in the soil.<br />
GROWTH REGULATORS<br />
SOIL: PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES.<br />
ROOT SYSTEMS. Development of the root systen of field and fruit crops. <br />
TILLAGE. Preparatore and comlomentary tillage. Plow and plowing. Other tillage tools. Alterantive techniques.<br />
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. Monoculture, polyculture; intercropping; crop rotation. Organic farming. Cover crops. <br />
PLANT AND SOIL WATER. Hydrologic cycle. Goals of soil water management. Irrigated crop production. <br />
PRUNING. Physiology of pruning. Pruning operations. Training systems.<br />
PESTS IN CROP PRODUCTION. Classification of plant diseases. Insect pests, Non pathogenic diseases. Principles and methods of pest management. Integrated pest management.<br />
<br />
Pasture and forage crop production<br />
Natural forage production. Pasture flora. Calculation of stocking rate. Pasture tachnique.<br />
Grazing meadows. Grassland farming. Characteristics of the main legume and cereal species.  

Full programme

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Bibliography

COMPLETE LIST OF REFERENCE TEXTS<br />
Fabbri A., 2001 - Produzioni Vegetali. Edagricole, Bologna.<br />
Fabbri A., 2004 – Dispense integrative di Meccanica agraria e Foraggicoltura.<br />
Bonciarelli F. 1995 – Coltivazioni erbacee da pieno campo. Edagricole, Bologna.<br />
Baldoni R., Giardini L. (a cura di), 2001 - Coltivazioni erbacee. III ed. - Vol. III - Foraggere e tappeti erbosi. Edagricole, Bologna.<br />
Landi R., 1999 - Agronomia e ambiente. Edagricole, Bologna.<br />
Pellizzi G., 1996 – Meccanica e meccanizzazione agricola. Edagricole, Bologna.

Teaching methods

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Assessment methods and criteria

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Other information

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