65889 - General Agronomy

Learning outcomes

To acquire basic knowledge on how cropping activities modify factors that determine crop production, on soil fertility and on the reciprocal effects of the environment on crop growing. At the end of the course the student will be able to plan the cropping practices to achieve a quantitative and qualitative satisfactory agricultural production, within an agronomic, economic and environmental sustainability.

Course contents

Prerequisites

To attend this course the student should have acquired good knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and biology, which are thought during the first year of the course.

 

The course is divided into three parts

In the first one the student is taught the definition of agronomy: its aims, evolution and sources.  At the end he knows the object of the agronomic science, the concept of agronomic sustainability and where he can find the information to achieve it.

In the second part, which is subdivided in three units, he learns the characteristics of the environmental factors (climate, soil and biotic factors). He understands what they are,  their main characteristics, how to measure them and the possibility to modify them.

The third one deals with the different agronomic practices. For each of them he knows the aims, the various techniques and their consequences on the crop and on the environment.

Thus, the class lectures are organized as follows:

 

1.     AGRONOMY____________________________________________________________ 5 HOURS

  Definition, history and agricultural statitics

2.     climate_______________________________________________________________ 6 H

  Definition

  Solar radiation

  Temperature

  Rain

  Evapotranspiration

  Wind

3.     soil____________________________________________________________________ 3 H

  Classificatin, analysis, composition

  Soil physics

  Soil air and water

4.     Agricultural biology______________________________________________ 2 H

  Biology of weeds

  Biology of soil organisms

5.     cropping practices________________________________________________ 20 H

  Definitions and aims

  Cropping systems and land sistemation

  Soil tillage

  Sowing

  Fertilization

  Organic fertilization

  Weed control

  Irrigation

  Rotation and consociation

 

To the class lectures (36 Hours) 24 h of practical activities are added, in order to show some agronomic practices and recent advances in agronomic research. The student will visit the laboratories of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, the agriculural garden and the experimental  farm of Bologna University, where he will see the long term agronomic experiments that are carried out there.

Readings/Bibliography

·   BONCIARELLI F. GRIMALDI U. LORENZETTI R. Principi di Agronomia Ed. Edagricole, Bologna

·   GIARDINI L. Agronomia generale (aziendale e ambientale) Ed. Patron, Bologna

·   LANDI R. Agronomia e Ambiente Ed. Edagricole, Bologna

·   Students are given the projected slides at the beginning  of the course to be copyied on their pen drive

Teaching methods

Class lectures with overhead video presentations, practical experiences, including visits to research laboratories of the Department od Agricultural Science, to the agricultural garden  ( http://www.dista.unibo.it/Orto%20Agrario/web/webenglish/WEB_Dista_English/Welcome.html ) and to agricultural experimental farm where agronomic long term agronomic experiments are carried out ( http://www.scienzeagrarie.unibo.it/it/servizi-e-strutture/esperienze-agronomiche-a-lungo-termine-ealt )

 

Assessment methods

This lecture is a part of the integrated course “65888 – General Agronomy and field crops”, together with the lecture “65889 – Field Crops”; thus the final evaluation of the students will take into account the achieved knowledge of both courses.

Regarding the present topics, the evaluation consists of a final oral exam of 20-30 minutes, approximately at the end of the lectures. Usually, the student will be asked three questions: the first one regarding a certain agro-environmental characteristic, the second question on the influence of pedo-climatic characteristics on agricultural sustainability, the third on the materials and means that the farmer can use to modify a main environmental characteristics. He will be evaluated on the basis of the acquired knowledge, on the ability of reasoning and of expressing his thoughts.

Teaching tools

Power point slides shown by overhead video projector during the lectures. The slides are copied on the student's pen drives at the beginning of the course.

 

Office hours

See the website of Guido Baldoni

See the website of Cesare Accinelli