35132 - Applied Plant Pathology

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Docente: Annamaria Pisi
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: AGR/12
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Biodiversity and Evolution (cod. 8419)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have the knowledge on biological processes that bring to the the disease, characteristics of pathogens, epidemiology and diagnosis. In particular the student will be able to apply traditional molecolar, serological analyses and ultrastructural studies to identify fungi, bacteria, viruses and phytoplasmas and methods for plant disease control. Emphasis placed on application of epidemiological principles, biological (including host resistance) and chemical strategies to achieve disease control.

Course contents

Requirements

The students should have good knowledge on the fundaments of plant pathology and be familiar with laboratory techniques. These requirements should be given by the previous university studies in plant pathology.

The course will offer lectures, seminars and laboratory.

Contents:

Theory and practice of in situ sampling and instrumentation methods for plant science and laboratory analyses. Reading and discussion of scientific papers from international journals regarding plant pathology. We will look at how modern molecular biology tools have been developed to identify and track down the plant killers in a way not too dissimilar from what is currently done when investigating human crimes. Clinical study of a disease with emphasis to etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis and control. Systematic, ecology, evolution and morphology of the main pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Ecological role of the fungi as saprophytes, mutualism and parasitism in native and managed ecosystems. Biodiversity of fungi in natural habitat.

Viruses as causal agents of plant diseases, structure of virus particles, transmission mechanisms, replication and dissemination in the plant, cytology and molecular biology in the reaction of resistance and sensibility to the viral infection, control of virus diseases. Post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) as plant protection from virus infections.. Basic elements of plant engineering. Transformation methods of plants and plant protection and principal types of OGM. Genomic applied to plant pathology and to plant protection: genetically modified plants for resistance to insects, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Strategies of virus protection. Resistance derived from the pathogen, non viral transgenes and genes R of natural resistance. Application of phytosanitary certification schemes for the production of propagating material. Activity of central and regional phytosanitary Service.

Contents of the teaching laboratory

The students will rotate trough different laboratories and will have the opportunity to use the electron microscopy laboratory. Isolation techniques from soil and plant tissue of the mail plant pathogens. Interaction between higher plants, plant pathogens and environment which is important in the occurrence and severity of plant disease. Experimental approaches. Methods of analyses and techniques used in current research in plant pathology, particularly with fungi and bacteria. Ecology and programmed death in the interaction host pathogen. Application of the principal techniques of traditional analyses, serological and molecular to detect and study the main phytoplasma and virus diseases. The laboratory will allow the student to verify the activity of suppression of PTGS of viral proteins by agroinfiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana (line 16C) plants which express the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP).

Readings/Bibliography

Handouts and selected paper will be given to the students during the lecture by the instructor

Teaching methods

The course will be subdivided in two parts:

the first concentrated on the main pathogens and diseases they cause. Analyses of plant-pathogen-environment interactions.

The second part p ractical exercises on macro and microscopic samples in mycological, virological, bacteriological and electron microscopy laboratories to allow the student to learn the different laboratory techniques to identify the pathogens responsible of the disease.

Light and electron microscopes (transmission -TEM and scanning- SEM), chemical and laminar flow hoods will be available for macro and microscopic identification of the different pathogens. Molecular characterization of nuclear and ribosomial DNA by PCR.

Plants with fungal infections harvested in the field will be examined during the laboratory hours. Studies on bacteria, clinical and molecular methods for their identification and classification. Discussion of the biological, chemical methods for plant disease control.

Reading and critical discussion of scientific papers in the plant pathology area.

Discussion and resolution of different problems suggested by the teacher or by the student.

Clinical study of a disease with emphasis to the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis and control.

Assessment methods

At the end of a course it will be a final exam that tests the acquired knowledge and abilities. The students should produce a power point presentation on a subject chosen with the instructor of about 15 minutes long.

Then questions on the main subjects of the course will follow.

The course will take place at the campus , Viale Fanin 42

Teaching tools

PC, slide projection and handouts

Office hours

See the website of Annamaria Pisi