2023
Crop Protection
Name: Crop Protection
Code: FIT13091L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Agronomy
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
To acquire knowledge and training to:
1. Observe and describe symptomatologies possibly due to diseases and/or pests and to be able to recognize weed presence in a crop.
2. List agents capable of causing field symptoms by comparison to those described in literature: manuals, compendia, CDs and
internet sites.
3. Collect representative samples from field plants, to further use in simple diagnostic tests for tentative identification of pathogen, pest or weed.
4. Recognize and describe progression patterns of field symptoms (disease, pest, weed) to use possible limitation means.
1. Observe and describe symptomatologies possibly due to diseases and/or pests and to be able to recognize weed presence in a crop.
2. List agents capable of causing field symptoms by comparison to those described in literature: manuals, compendia, CDs and
internet sites.
3. Collect representative samples from field plants, to further use in simple diagnostic tests for tentative identification of pathogen, pest or weed.
4. Recognize and describe progression patterns of field symptoms (disease, pest, weed) to use possible limitation means.
Contents
Block A. Plant Pathology.
1. Definition of plant disease and types of causing agents.
2. Disease development and factors that favors them.
3. Symptoms and physiological alterations induced in hosts by pathogens.
4. Morphology and biological properties of the most important pathogens
5. Basic methods to use in the field and in the laboratory for tentative diagnosis and aetiology determination of a given disease.
6. Examples and brief description of diseases of important crops and some means of control.
Block B. Entomology.
1. Study of morphological and biological properties of the main orders of insecta.
2. Brief description of some important agricultural pests. Symptoms, biological cycles and control means.
Block C. Plant weeds.
Definition of weed and of plant parasite.
Type of damages caused to agricultural crops.
Botanical classification and biology of most important weeds and useful means of control.
1. Definition of plant disease and types of causing agents.
2. Disease development and factors that favors them.
3. Symptoms and physiological alterations induced in hosts by pathogens.
4. Morphology and biological properties of the most important pathogens
5. Basic methods to use in the field and in the laboratory for tentative diagnosis and aetiology determination of a given disease.
6. Examples and brief description of diseases of important crops and some means of control.
Block B. Entomology.
1. Study of morphological and biological properties of the main orders of insecta.
2. Brief description of some important agricultural pests. Symptoms, biological cycles and control means.
Block C. Plant weeds.
Definition of weed and of plant parasite.
Type of damages caused to agricultural crops.
Botanical classification and biology of most important weeds and useful means of control.
Teaching Methods
The followed methodology of teaching of this course will involve lectures, laboratory and field classes. These will take place in grape vineyards, olive, stone and pome orchards, and other crops to be familiar with the diversity of organisms present and the critical observation of the sanitary status of the crop visited. Samples of symptomatic plants will be collected, and brought to the laboratory for parasite identification. Lecture classes will make generous use of images (power points, videos) of diseased material, pests and weeds. Students were encouraged to search for scientific information in internet sites, databases (b-on) and other sources. There will be 2 written tests covering the lecture materials or alternatively one written final exam. There will be an obligatory Laboratory assessment covering matters of field visits and laboratory sessions.
Teaching Staff
