General Agronomy
A.Y. 2022/2023
Learning objectives
Gain an integrated view of meteorological, edaphic and biological factors which contribute to crop production. Understanding the effect of agronomic interventions on factors of production.
Ability to understand the reasons of different cultivation paths in open fields under different conditions of climate, soil and availability of resources and different goals in terms of production and environmental impact.
Ability to understand the reasons of different cultivation paths in open fields under different conditions of climate, soil and availability of resources and different goals in terms of production and environmental impact.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowing how to diagnose the state of the agroecosystem by integrating visual assessments and assessments based on measurement of chemical or physical variables related to atmosphere, soil and crop. Being able to identify the need of soil arrangement or interventions to improve soil fertility before cultivation. Knowing how to define the quantitative aspects of interventions and their timing of a cultivation path.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
- Introduction: field of study of agronomy; cropping systems and their components; approaches in agronomy studies; determinants cropping systems.
- Earth's atmosphere and solar radiation: properties of the atmosphere; radiative behavior of bodies and radiation lows; extinction of radiation through the atmosphere and canopy; radiative budget and energetic budget at crop level.
- Radiation and crop production: crop growth analysis; interception and radiation use efficiency; potential, maximum and real yield; morphogenenetic effects of radiation.
- Temperature and crop production: determinants and dynamics of air, soil and crop temperature; productive and morphological effects of temperature; crop defence from high and low temperatures damages.
- Air turbulence: effects on plant-atmosphere exchanges, types of turbulence; soil and crop defence from wind damages.
- Hydrometeors: physical processes; classification; rain (amount, distribution, frequency, intensity, useful rainfall); hail (formation, damage to crops, crops defence).
- The agricultural soils: depth; inhibition layers, porosity and its measurement, water infiltration speed, structure stability, effects of agronomic practices on structure stability. Physical properties of soils and effects on response to tillage.
- Waterlogging: effects on soil and plant; practices to prevent waterlogging.
- Water erosion of soils: measurement; physical processes; types of erosion; universal soil loss equation (USLE).
- Tillage: aims; actions of different tillage machines; classification of tillage; set up of tillages protocols
- Sowing: seed bed requirements; calculate the rate of seeding; techniques for seeding.
- Soil amendment: dynamics of mineralization of soil organic matter and organic residues; humic budget; practices to reduce soil organic matter depletion; organic amendments and cover crops
- Soil pH amendment: crop growth limitation due to acidic, alkaline and saline soils; amendment interventions.
- Fertilization: aims, response of crops to nutrients applications, efficiency of fertilization, estimation of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium needs; choice of type, timing and application methods of fertilizers; review of mineral and organic fertilizers.
- Weeds and their control: quantitative and qualitative damage to crops due to weeds; weeds classification; weed control strategies.
- Plant propagation materials: types; registration of new varieties; production control and certification of seeds.
- Field trip at one or two farms focused on cropping systems. Visit to the laboratories and fields of CREA-SCS addressed at certifying seeds.
- Training to calculate fertilization plans.
- Training to recognize weeds.
- Earth's atmosphere and solar radiation: properties of the atmosphere; radiative behavior of bodies and radiation lows; extinction of radiation through the atmosphere and canopy; radiative budget and energetic budget at crop level.
- Radiation and crop production: crop growth analysis; interception and radiation use efficiency; potential, maximum and real yield; morphogenenetic effects of radiation.
- Temperature and crop production: determinants and dynamics of air, soil and crop temperature; productive and morphological effects of temperature; crop defence from high and low temperatures damages.
- Air turbulence: effects on plant-atmosphere exchanges, types of turbulence; soil and crop defence from wind damages.
- Hydrometeors: physical processes; classification; rain (amount, distribution, frequency, intensity, useful rainfall); hail (formation, damage to crops, crops defence).
- The agricultural soils: depth; inhibition layers, porosity and its measurement, water infiltration speed, structure stability, effects of agronomic practices on structure stability. Physical properties of soils and effects on response to tillage.
- Waterlogging: effects on soil and plant; practices to prevent waterlogging.
- Water erosion of soils: measurement; physical processes; types of erosion; universal soil loss equation (USLE).
- Tillage: aims; actions of different tillage machines; classification of tillage; set up of tillages protocols
- Sowing: seed bed requirements; calculate the rate of seeding; techniques for seeding.
- Soil amendment: dynamics of mineralization of soil organic matter and organic residues; humic budget; practices to reduce soil organic matter depletion; organic amendments and cover crops
- Soil pH amendment: crop growth limitation due to acidic, alkaline and saline soils; amendment interventions.
- Fertilization: aims, response of crops to nutrients applications, efficiency of fertilization, estimation of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium needs; choice of type, timing and application methods of fertilizers; review of mineral and organic fertilizers.
- Weeds and their control: quantitative and qualitative damage to crops due to weeds; weeds classification; weed control strategies.
- Plant propagation materials: types; registration of new varieties; production control and certification of seeds.
- Field trip at one or two farms focused on cropping systems. Visit to the laboratories and fields of CREA-SCS addressed at certifying seeds.
- Training to calculate fertilization plans.
- Training to recognize weeds.
Prerequisites for admission
As management of the agroecosystem for plant production is based on quantitative knowledge of the pedoclimatic variables and the response of plants to their variation, to approach the discipline is required to the student not only to have good knowledge of the fundamentals of plant biology, systematic botany and soil chemistry, but also to have good basics in mathematics and physics.
Teaching methods
The course includes lectures, classroom exercises concerning calculation of fertilization plans and recognition of weeds. Field trip will also be organized in order to show different cropping systems and specific agronomic interventions.
Teaching Resources
P. Ceccon, M. Fagnano, C. Grignani, M. Monti, S. Orlandini, 2017. Agronomia, EdiSES, ISBN 9788879599658.
Course slides published on Ariel: Agronomy project (prof. Marino Gallina Pietro)
Course slides published on Ariel: Agronomy project (prof. Marino Gallina Pietro)
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final exam consists of a written test and a recognition test. of 4 weeds in different phenological stages. The written test includes 6 questions aimed at verifying that students have acquired a quantitative knowledge of the environmental factors present in herbaceous systems and their dynamics as well as the ability of students to identify the most appropriate agronomic interventions, also organizing them temporally, to jointly optimize production and its environmental sustainability. Some questions requires to perform calculations or illustrate relationships using graphs. One question specifically concerns calculation of a fertilization plan. The written test lasts 2 hours and contributes to the formation of the final mark with 28 points while the recognition test lasts 10-15 minutes and contributes to the final mark with 3 points.
AGR/02 - AGRONOMY AND FIELD CROPS - University credits: 8
Field activity: 8 hours
Practicals: 16 hours
Lessons: 52 hours
Practicals: 16 hours
Lessons: 52 hours
Professor:
Marino Gallina Pietro
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)