- Docente: Umberto Mazzucchi
- Credits: 7
- SSD: AGR/12
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (cod. 0878)
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the knowledge of how plants perceive and decode the signals of the biotic and abiotic agents of disease, together with the main virulence factors of infectious disease agents. The student will be able to critically apply the current means for combating disease and to devise and implement innovative disease control strategies and means. By dealing with selected case studies of all types of disease, the student will enrich his/her professional preparation and be stimulated to make both creative and critical assessments.
Course contents
Pathosisms : Homologous and heterologous systems; Host plant and pathogen attributes. Preformed defence barriers. The innate plant immune system: immediate immune response; mediated immune response; systemic immune response. Pathogen aggression tools: Prokaryote secretion systems and virulence factors; Oomycetes and fungal virulence factors; Virus and viroid virulence factors.
Agents of infectious diseases - Case studies:
- Viroids : potato spindle tuber , peach latent mosaic.
- Viruses : plum pox virus; tomato spotted wilt; cucumber mosaic virus
- Traditional bacteria : fire blight; brown rot and ring rot of potatoes; bacterial spot of stone fruits
- Fastidious bacteria : Pierce's disease of grape and tree wilts
- Phytoplasma and spiroplasma: pear decline, apple proliferation, flavescence dorée, bois noir, Citrus stubborn
- Plasmodiophoromycetes : clubroot of Crucifers
- Chytridiomycetes : black wart of potato
- Oomycetes: late blight of potato, root and stem rots
- Fungi : vascular wilts of vegetables and trees; root and stem rots by ascomycetes,basidiomycetes and imperfect fungi
- Parasitic plants : dodder
Readings/Bibliography
Notes with texts and figures in PDF format distributed free to the students for the general part. The material will be put on line after authorization has been obtained.
Articles from journals and monographs recommended by the lecturer for the case studies
Teaching methods
Lectures
Laboratory exercises with molecular tests to characterise genomic sequences of viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Assessment methods
Final oral examination
Teaching tools
Colour slides with traditional projector; Text and figures in PowerPoint with projector and computer
Links to further information
http:// Vedi anche corsi di Biotecnologie fitopatologiche II;Biodiversità patogenetica
Office hours
See the website of Umberto Mazzucchi