79262 - SEED BIOLOGY, PRODUCTION AND TESTING

Learning outcomes

Students will gain scientific and technical aspects  of seed of agronomical species, including seed biology and seed technology.

Course contents

Prerequisites

Fundamentals of seed biology and agronomy.

Introduction

 Introduction to the course. Role of seed science and seed technology in the modern agriculture.

Seed biology and physiology

Macro and microsporogenesis, embryogenesis and seed maturation.

Seed component, dormancy and germination.

Basic tools for seed identification.

Seed technology

Mechanical seed cleaning and handlings.

Seed quality: physical and physiological parameters.

Seed treatment and seed conditioning.

Seed production

Technical and agronomical aspects of seed production. Technical procedure for crop variety registration and intellectual property protection.

Seed quality

Procedures for assessing seed quality. Seed sampling and analysis. Seed purity, viability and vigor. 

Readings/Bibliography

Presentation slide would be provided and accessed in the web site of the course.

Ciriciofolo e Benincasa Sementi - Biologia, produzione e tecnologia.Edizioni Agricole di New Business Media srl, 2017 Università di Perugia. 2001

Teaching methods

Lectures and digital presentations. The course also includes laboratory and field sessions.

Assessment methods

The teching course (4 CFU) is part of the Integrated Course 99869 PLANT BREEDING AND SEED PRODUCTION, together with the course 99870 APPLIED GENETICS AND PLANT BREEDING (6 CFU). Therefore, the final assessment jointly considers the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student of both the aforementioned courses, proportionally to their respectives credits.

The knowledge and skills provided by this course are assessed through an oral exam. The assessment aims to evaluate the acquisition of critical understanding in three major sections : i) seed biology, ii) seed production, and iii) approaches and techniques for assessing seed quality.
The exam consists of 3 questions concerning the above mentioned major sections, taking into account: i) i) level of knowledge and skills acquired in relation to the complete program content;i) ability to critically and thoughtfully connect the different parts of the program, and ii) the student's ability to describe and critical analysis of the different aspects of seed biology, seed production techniquesa and their realtion to seed quality .
Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD), whether temporary or permanent, are advised to contact the University support office in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ). The office may suggest adaptations, which must be submitted to the instructor at least 15 days in advance for approval, based on the course learning objectives.

Teaching tools

Digital presentation and other materials provided during laboratory/field sessions.

In addition, seminars would be held by experts of the seed industry.

Office hours

See the website of Cesare Accinelli