85855 - Agricultural Machines For Sustainable Crop Protection And Precisione Farming

Learning outcomes

The student will have a good knowledge on machines for field crops, orchards and vines protection to understand the main principles of crop spraying and the adoption of methods in alternative to pesticide application. Organic farming and precision farming principles and machines are evaluated to analyze methods addressed to improve plant nutrition and protection in view to preserve the soil water and to protect the environment.  Studens will be able to select the agricultural machines  with respect to the environmental sustainability of agricultural production and the safety of agricultural operators.

Course contents

The course consists of 10 teaching units.

1) Tractors and agricultural machinery. Safety and correct use in normal field operation (4 hours)

2) Classification of sprayers. Arable crops, orchards and vineyards sprayers. Spray application: pressure, pneumatic, rotary atomizers. Tanks, Pumps, fans, filters and accessories (6 hours)

3) Physics of liquid droplets. Drops classification and measurement. Spray drift control (4 hours)

4) Application rates and pesticides dosing in spray mixture. Setting and calibration of sprayers. (6 hours)

5) Sprayer checks and calibration. European regulation  for design, market and maintenance of sprayers and in use machines. Drift management (6 hours)

6) Crop protection and management in organic farming (4 hours)

7) Introduction to precision farming; machines and technologies in precision farming (15 hours)

8) Digital farm and the decision support systems (6 hours)

9) Autonomous vehicles in agriculture, the design, the european regulation and standardised testing methods (4 ore)

10) The european Aritificial Intelligence act and the requirements for tractors and agricultural machinery (5 ore)

 

Readings/Bibliography

PowerPoint presentations with reference to specific papers and publications are provided during the lectures. Similarly european regulations and directive and test standars are provided.

Following texts are also recommended

L.Bodria, G. Pellizzi, P. Piccarolo - Meccanica agraria, Volume I, Il trattore e le macchine operatrici - Edagricole
Capitolo 1. Classificazione delle macchine agricole, Capitolo 3. Il trattore.

D. Vannucci - Macchine per la difesa delle piante - Edagricole

C. Baldoin – Irroratrici. Scelta, manutenzione ed uso in campo. Edagricole

Edagricole-New Business Media - Agricoltura di precisione: metodi e tecnologie per migliorare l’efficienza e la sostenibilità dei sistemi colturali - curatore: R. Casa.

Ajit K. Srivastava, Carroll E. Goering, Roger P. Rohrbach, Dennis R. Buckmaster- Engineering Principles of agricultural machines 2nd Edition– ASABE St. Joseph, Michigan

Teaching methods

The course is structured on frontal lectures (46 hours) to explain the fundamentals of tractor and ag machinery safety and correct use, the management of crop spray application, the correct dose of pesticides and the proper adjustment and maintenance of the machines. Safety requirements with respect to sustainable plant protection are described.Machines and methods for crop protection and management in organic farming are considerd. Similarly principles, methods and machines in precision farming are evaluated.Lectures in classroom are integrated  with lab exercises (14 hours) on sprayer performance evaluation, setting and calibration, safety components of machinery.  Visits to the Laboratorio di Meccanica Agraria di Cadriano, to manufactures of tractors and sprayers and to farms implementing organic and precision farming management are also included.

Assessment methods

The evaluation of the course takes into account the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student.

The assessment consists of an oral examination based on 3 questions to assess the critical and methodological skills of the student, the whole vision of the subjects and the proper language.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations and techical videos

Office hours

See the website of Valda Rondelli