79249 - ENVIRONMENTAL AGRONOMY AND WEED SCIENCE

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Docente: Alberto Vicari
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: AGR/02
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (cod. 9235)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student acquires the elements for the study of the territorial, agronomic and environmental analysis of agricultural ecosystems, the practical-application methods for the management of weeds in crops, lawn, turf and ornamentals, forest, recreational and not agricultural areas. Particularly, the student is able of: to know and to apply the agronomic techniques for the environmental safeguard of the territory; to manage the weed flora in the agricultural and not agricultural areas; to recognize the main weeds of agricultural and not agricultural areas.

Course contents

Agronomic aspects of the rural landscape. Connections and differences between environmental and farm agronomy.

Agricultural ecosystems: organic farming, sustainable agriculture, conservation agriculture, use of GMO plants in agriculture.

Elements of precision agriculture: role and scope, intra-field spatial variability and tools (GPS, differential correction, remote sensing and proxy-detection, Geographic Information Systems, variable rate equipment). Agricultural use of precision agriculture: yield monitoring, sowing, weed control, fertilization, precision viticulture.

Environmental impact of agriculture: Nonpoint source and point source pollution of pesticides in groundwater and surface water. Fertilizers, heavy metals, manure management. Pesticide residues in water and foods. Mitigation strategies to reduce environmental impact of agriculture.

Interrelationships of ecological factors and agricultural practices in the territorial management. Agronomic techniques for the environmental safeguard at a territorial scale.

Weed management practices in wheat, maize and rice. Weed control in soybean, sugar beet, sunflower and canola. Weed management in lawn, turf and ornamentals. Aquatic weed control. Weed management in not agricultural areas: urban and industrial areas. Weed control in railroad lines and road network. Weed management in pastures and rangelands.

Weed identification by species.

Readings/Bibliography

File in pdf format, available at http://campus.unibo.it/ .
Viggiani P. e Angelini R. Dicotiledoni spontanee e infestanti. 2002. Il Sole 24 ORE Edagricole, 529 pp.

Teaching methods

Lecture hall and practice in informatic room.

Assessment methods

Oral examination

Teaching tools

Slide projector

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Vicari