Teaching code

4S008299

Credits

6

Coordinator

Elodie Genevieve Germaine Vandelle

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

AGR/12 - PLANT PATHOLOGY

Courses Single

Authorized with reserve

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

Students will address the problem of pathogen control in plant production, with a view to a greater environmental sustainability, and will acquire specific knowledge regarding the strategies currently used to reduce the environmental impact of pesticides (biological control, integrated pest management). Moreover, deep knowledge will also be provided about the mechanisms governing the interactions between plants and pathogens, as well as their relationships with the ecosystem, as a prerequisite for the development of innovative strategies, based on the interference with microorganism pathogenicity and/or the strengthening of plant resistance and natural defense capabilities.

Prerequisites and basic notions

- basic knowledge in microbiology, plant physiology, plant biology

Program

The course will cover the following topics:
1. Introduction to plant pathology: general concepts
2. Basics of epidemiology
3. Phytopathological diagnostics: direct methods, serological methods, molecular methods, remote sensing
4. Biodiversity and sustainability in agriculture
5. Control methods for plant disease management and control
6. Phytopathogenic bacteria.
-description of infection mechanisms
- cycles of Erwinia amylovora, Pseudomonas syringae, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Xylella fastidiosa (description of diseases and methods of control)
- Pathogenicity and virulence factors: description, function and regulation
7. Phytoplasmas: main characteristics and virulence factors.
5. Phytopathogenic fungi:
-description of some fungi and related diseases
-mechanisms of infection (adhesion, penetration, colonization).
-pathogenicity and virulence factors: description, function and regulation
6. Plant resistance to diseases: concepts and defense responses (morpho-structural mechanisms, synthesis of antimicrobial substances, hypersensitive cell death (HR), gene silencing)
7. Hormones and systemic resistance: signals and molecular mechanisms governing acquired systemic resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR).
8. Biological control: definition, description of biocontrol agents and selection methods
9. Biotechnological applications for the development of new control strategies: resistant plants and inhibition of phytopathogen virulence

Additional teaching materials.
-Course slides (provided no later than the end of each lecture)
-Scientific articles (references cited during lectures)

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Lectures will be delivered exclusively in presence without any recourse to online emergency teaching modes.
It will not be delivered in any other way except limited to students who, due to Covid, cannot access the University, upon submission of the relevant request on the appropriate form. The modes of delivery related to this casuistry will be decided by the lecturer and may include sending the recording, organizing a streaming lecture, sending additional materials, or organizing an in-person or distance meeting

Learning assessment procedures

The exam consists of a test articulated with:
1. Presentation of a scientific article in front of the other students of the course (15-20min). The article is chosen by students from a list proposed by the teacher or independently (approved by the teacher). The topic of the articles concerns topics of plant pathology addressed during the course.
2. Written exam with four open questions (2 hours). The purpose of the test is to ascertain the achievement of the training objectives described above.

Evaluation criteria

For the presentation of the scientific article, the evaluation criteria are the general understanding of the article, the deepening of the topic for a correct description of the context of the work presented (related bibliographic research), the property of the language used, the ability to discuss critically. The criteria for the evaluation of the written test are the degree of knowledge in general of the subject developed in the course of study, the property of language relating to the subject and reasoning capacity.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final mark expressed out of thirty will be attributed considering one third for the presentation of the article and two thirds for the written test. Each student will receive a single final grade including the outcome of the two tests performed. The exam will be the same for attending and non-attending students.

Exam language

italiano