79543 - Sustainable And Safe Use Of Horticultural Equipment

Learning outcomes

The course will provide knowledge on safety requirements adopted in the European countries for horticultural equipment. Key concepts on the safe use of tractors and agricultural equipment in view of the economic and environmental sustainability. Crop protection equipment for a sustainable horticulture.

Course contents

Module 1:

• Sustainability: Definition, evolution of the concept of sustainability. The Triple bottom line. MDGs and SDGs. Environmental sustainability and different concepts of sustainability. Linear vs Circular economy: sustainability strategies: Farm to Fork.
• Precision Agriculture: Definition, main goals and SDGs. Farming & agriculture evolution, PA in Italy. Tools and technologies. Climate changes and the effects on agriculture. Agriculture 4.0.
• Sustainability Indicators: Metrics, sustainability measurements. Environmental, economic and social metrics, energy sustainability indicators: definitions, application and limits.
• LCA: Life Cycle Assessment: definition, possible use, potential and challenges. Principles and methods of life cycle thinking and life-cycle assessment (LCA) with specific reference to agricultural field. Standard procedure: the 4 common stages of LCA: (i) Goal and Scope definition: the choice of the functional unit, definition of system boundaries and impact allocation methods; (ii) Life Cycle Inventory Analysis: primary data and their survey, secondary data - databases and estimation models; (iii) Life Cycle Impact Assessment: Inventory conversion into environmental impact, characterization factors, normalization, sensitivity analysis; (iv) Interpretation: detection of the critical points; analysis of suitable alternatives to reduce the environmental impact. Type of LCA. 
• LCA software and tools: Sofware for LCA: scope and uses. Type of software and tools, and their comparison. Focus on SimaPro software.
• LCA indicators: indices and indicators.Midpoint and Endpoint. Example of midpoint indicator. Example of endpoint indicator.
• Example of LCA studies.
  

Module 2:

• Tractor classification according to international standardization. Tractors and power units: main features of pedestrian controlled, ride-on garden tractors, narrow-track tractors for orchards and vineyards.
• Tillage machines adopted in horticulture.
• Tractors fitment to increase the safety of the operators with respect to rollover, falling objects, vibrations, noise level. Practice on the selection of tractor and agricultural implement for a given operation.
• Horticultural harvesting machines. Sprayers and spreaders: parts, controls, settings and calibration. Protection of the operator from hazardous substances in spray application.
• Seed drills, planters, transplanters: parts, controls, settings and calibration.
• Machinery and methods for precision and digital farming.
• Educational visits to machinery manufacturer and dedicated sector fairs (MACFRUT)

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes made available by professors

Hawker, M. F. J., & Keenlyside, J. F. (1985). Horticultural machinery (No. Ed. 3). Longman.

Srivastava, A. K., Goering, C. E., Rohrbach, R. P., & Buckmaster, D. R. (1993). Engineering principles of agricultural machines.

BODRIA, Luigi; PELLIZZI, Giuseppe; PICCAROLO, Pietro. Meccanica e meccanizzazione agricola. Edagricole New Business Media, 2018.

Gian Luca Baldo, Massimo Marino, Stefano Rossi. Analisi del ciclo di vita LCA- Gli strumenti per la progettazione sostenibile di materiali, prodotti e processi. Manuali di progettazione sostenibile - Edizioni Ambiente 2008 - ISBN 9788889014820.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures in class and group acitivities.

During the course, field visits and/or seminars will be planned and will be held by experts in the field of agricultural machinery.

During the course, students will be assigned group exercises aimed at applying the concepts covered in class to practical case studies. The resulting deliverables will contribute to the final grade and will constitute an integral part of the overall course assessment.

Assessment methods

The assessment will cover the entire course, taking into account both learning modules. The oral examination consists of three questions per module, based on the topics covered throughout the course. The first question is delivered in written form through a 15-minute preliminary test, which includes 10 multiple-choice questions (5 per module). This written question is considered fully equivalent to an oral question. To pass the test, students must answer at least 3 questions correctly in each module. Upon passing the test, students will proceed to the oral part of the exam, where they will be asked the remaining two questions per module. The oral exam typically lasts approximately 20 minutes.

The lecturer responsible for recording grades is Prof. Francesca Valenti.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: students are encouraged to contact the University office responsible for support services as early as possible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en). The office will propose any appropriate accommodations to the students concerned. Such accommodations must be submitted to the course instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their suitability in relation to the learning outcomes and educational objectives of the course.

With regard to assessment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is strictly prohibited. Any use of such tools will be considered a violation of academic integrity.

 

Teaching tools

Lectures in class, and laboratory of water, energy and soil mechanics.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Valenti

See the website of