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SCHOOL |
OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES |
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ACADEMIC UNIT |
AGRICULTURE |
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LEVEL OF STUDIES |
UNDERGRADUATE |
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COURSE CODE |
PLP0903 |
SEMESTER |
9 | ||
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COURSE TITLE |
ORGANIC AND INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE | ||||
| INDEPENDENT TEACHING ACTIVITIES |
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS |
CREDITS | |||
| Lectures | 2 | ||||
| Lab / Op. Exercises | 2 | ||||
| Exercises | 0 | ||||
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TOTAL HOURS |
4 | 5 | |||
| COURSE TYPE | Specialized general knowledge | ||||
| PREREQUISITE COURSES | |||||
| LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION and EXAMINATIONS | Greek | ||||
| IS THE COURSE OFFERED TO ERASMUS STUDENTS | Yes | ||||
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COURSE WEBSITE (URL) |
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2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcomes |
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Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to: 1. Know the biology and population dynamics of insect pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, protozoa) used in biological control of insect pests of crop plants 2. Know the of mechanisms of action of various beneficial microorganisms against plant pathogens 3. Know the most important species of beneficial insects and mites (biology, foraging/parasitic behavior) utilized in biological control of phytophagous pests 4. Know the means and strategies employed for effective conservation of beneficial organisms (biological control agents) 5. Know population dynamics of phytophagous pest and (monitoring, population dynamics, intervention and economic thresholds) 6. Know the effects of crop protection products in beneficial insect and mite species (biological control agents) 7. Know the advantages and disadvantages of chemical control and know the alternative strategies for management of pest populations in the frame of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
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General Competences |
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• Acquire significant theoretical and technical background concerning the field of biological and integrated crop protection in Agriculture Science. • Creatively utilize scientific knowledge and modern technology for the implementation of biological and integrated pest management disciplines in various crop plants. • Develop necessary background knowledge to be able to attend postgraduate studies. • Be acquainted with the proper application of the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired during their under graduate studies. |
3. SYLLABUS
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In detail, the sections (lecture topics) that will be presented are: 1. Concepts and principles of Biological Control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Advantages and difficulties of adoption of biological control 2. Biology and population dynamics of entomopathogenic microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, protozoa). Host contact, penetration and infection, symptom manifestation in infected pests, spread and persistence of pathogen propagules, environmental conditions influencing epidemiology and development and prevalence of epizootics 3. Biology of predators and parasitoids (orientation and finding of habitats and prey/ host pests, responses of parasitoids to local cues and factors affecting foraging behavior to stimuli, various cues host recognition and assessment of hosts, mechanisms of parasitic behavior, overcoming host or pray defenses 4. Methods and biological control agents of pests (phytophagous insects and mites, plant-parasitic nematodes) and diseases (soil-borne pathogens responsible for collar and root rots, and pathogens infecting leaves, stems, flowers, fruits) of crop plants 5. Mechanisms of biological control agents of plant pathogens. Products registered for biological control 6. Management and manipulation employed for conservation and population increase of beneficial insects (predators, parasitoids) 7. Synergism between pesticides, advantages and disadvantages of chemical control, selection of pesticide resistant pest strains, pesticide resistance management 8. Pest control (population monitoring, economic injury levels, intervention threshold, determination of intervention time 9. Pesticides-induced effects to biological control agents, selective ways of applying pesticides 10. Control strategies with cultivating measures, sterilization, release of sterile male insects, insect trapping, types of traps, host-plant resistance to insect infestations |
4. TEACHING and LEARNING METHODS - EVALUATION
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DELIVERY |
Face-to-face teaching (lectures and laboratory practice) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY |
Use of ICT in teaching, in laboratory education and in communication with students | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TEACHING METHODS |
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STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION |
• For the theoretical part of the course: Final written or oral examination (60%) in the middle and at the end of the semester (in the middle of semester the written exam is optional) The written final examination of the theory includes: a) Multiple choice questionnaires b) Short-answer questions c) Comparative evaluation of theory. • For the laboratory practice: Written or oral examination at the end of the semester (40%). The laboratory test includes: a) Multiple choice questionnaires b) Short-answer questions c) Problem solving |
5. SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Hajek, A.E. (2018). ‘Natural Enemies. An introduction to Biological Control’ Εκδόσεις Cambridge University Press [ISBN 978-1-1072-8026-7] Σίδηρας, Ν.Κ. (2005). ‘Βιολογική Γεωργία Φυτική Παραγωγή’ Εκδόσεις ΔΗΩ, (Οργανισμός Ελέγχου και Πιστοποίησης Βιολογικών Προϊόντων) [ISBN 960-85961-3-0] Van Driesche, R., Bellows, Jr. T.S. (1996). ‘Biological Control’ Εκδόσεις Springer US, [ISBN 978-1-4613-1157-7] |
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-Related academic journals: |
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• Biological Control [https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/biological-control] • BioControl Journal of the International Organization for Biological Control [https://www.springer.com/journal/10526] |