2015/2016

2017/2018

DM270

AGR/12 (PLANT PATHOLOGY)

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES

PERCORSO COMUNE

3°

2nd semester (01/03/2018 - 13/06/2018)

6

48 lesson hours

Italian

ORAL TEST

PICCO ANNA MARIA (titolare) - 6 ECTS

For a proper understanding of the topics of the Plant Pathology course, basic knowledge in plant biology, botany, mycology and plant physiology is desired. At Pavia University students acquire these prerequisites during the first year of the course (General Botany), the second year of course (Systematic botany, in which one part is dedicated to mycology) and the third year, first semester (Plant Physiology).

The course aims to provide students with the required knowledge and skills to recognize the most common diseases of cultivated and wild plants through in-depth knowledge of the biological cycles of pathogens, of the host-parasite relationships and of the pathogen’s nutritional needs.

The course will focus on the following items:
Importance of plant disease. Concept of disease; disease triangle; effect of environmental conditions on pathogen and host; host susceptibility; virulence and specialization of the pathogen. Classification of Plant Diseases. Biotic and abiotic diseases. Development of plant diseases. Transmission of pathogens; host plant/pathogen relationships. Symptoms. Infectious diseases. Viruses and viroids. Bacteria and phytoplasmas. Oomycete (Cromista): basic features, mode of infection. Fungi: basic features, classification, mode of infection, diagnosis, mycotoxin production. Introduction to Aerobiology. Elements of epidemiology. Fungal endophytes. Plant disease management and control.

Lectures (48 hours) also aimed in involving students through specialized seminars on topical issues, symptom analysis, diseased specimens analysis supported both with direct observation and visual aids.

Slides shown during the lessons; scientific papers and review articles from the international literature
Recommended books:

Recommended books:
Belli Giuseppe - Elementi di patologia vegetale - Seconda edizione - Editore: Piccin-Nuova Libraria.
George N. Agrios - Plant Pathology, Fifth Edition – Academic Press
Essential Plant Pathology, Second Edition - By Gail L. Schumann and Cleora J. D’Arcy

The plant pathology examination is oral and is foreseen for all students after the end of the course lessons. The exam provides three or four questions on different topics dealt with during the lessons. The final grade is awarded on the basis of the degree of preparation of the student, his critical skills and his ability to make connections between different topics.