PRINCIPI DI FRUTTICOLTURA MEDITERRANEA

Students will acquire the skills needed to make decisions on the choice and management of fruit growing systems in the Mediterranean environment, from the selection of species, cultivars and rootstocks to orchard management and harvest. They will also be able to recognise the main fruit species of Mediterranean interest, including recently introduced tropical and subtropical crops, and place them in the appropriate soil, climate and production context. Finally, they will be able to evaluate the sustainability of cultivation techniques, also in light of climate change.

In particular, by the end of the course students will be able to:

D1 – Knowledge and understanding: (i) know and describe the main fruit tree species of interest for the Mediterranean area, including their botanical, physiological and agronomic characteristics; (ii) understand the interactions between soil and climate conditions and fruit crops in the Mediterranean context; (iii) acquire basic knowledge of propagation, orchard establishment, pruning and crop management of fruit trees in a Mediterranean climate.

D2 – Applying knowledge and understanding: (i) select the most suitable species, cultivars and rootstocks according to environmental conditions and production goals; (ii) plan and manage a fruit orchard, with particular attention to sustainability, irrigation efficiency and integrated pest management; (iii) apply agronomic techniques aimed at improving productivity, fruit quality and resilience to environmental stresses.

D3 – Making judgements: (i) critically evaluate the agronomic practices adopted in Mediterranean fruit growing, also in relation to climate change and sustainability challenges; (ii) formulate technical proposals consistent with the principles of integrated and organic agriculture.

D4 – Communication skills: (i) correctly use scientific and technical terminology related to Mediterranean fruit growing; (ii) communicate information, issues and solutions related to orchard management clearly and in a structured way, both in writing and orally.

D5 – Learning skills: (i) develop a critical and independent study method to deepen and update knowledge in the field of fruit growing; (ii) develop the ability to use technical and scientific sources and digital tools to manage agronomic information.

The course consists of 21 hours of lectures and 42 hours of practical activities, for a total of 63 hours of teaching.

Lectures are held in the classroom with the support of multimedia presentations and provide the theoretical basis on the main fruit species of Mediterranean interest. For each species they cover taxonomy, fruiting biology, the range of cultivars and rootstocks, environmental requirements and orchard agronomic management (D1). Lectures are interactive and encourage discussion and connections between topics, including in relation to sustainability and climate change (D3).

Practical activities consolidate the knowledge acquired and turn it into applied skills. They include:

• classroom analysis of case studies and multimedia materials (cultivar profiles, orchard layouts, production data), in which students identify the most suitable technical choices for a given soil, climate and production context (D2, D3);
• preparation and presentation of reports on specific topics, individually or in small groups, based on technical-scientific sources (D4, D5);
• field visits to fruit farms, nurseries and local production sites, to directly observe cultivars, training systems, cultivation techniques and field issues (D2, D3).

Teaching materials used during the course (slides, lecture notes, further reading) are available on the Studium platform.

Information for students with disabilities and/or SLD: to guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal meeting to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on the teaching objectives and their specific needs. Students may also contact the Department's CInAP contact professor (Centre for Active and Participatory Inclusion - Services for Disabilities and/or SLD).

Should circumstances require the course to be delivered in blended or remote mode, the necessary changes to the above may be introduced in order to comply with the programme described in the Syllabus.

To follow the course successfully and achieve the expected learning outcomes, particularly D1 and D2, students should meet the following prerequisites.

Background knowledge:

• basic knowledge of plant biology and physiology: cell and tissue structure, plant organography, photosynthesis, water relations, growth and development;
• basic knowledge of general arboriculture: fruit tree morphology, vegetative and reproductive cycle, flowering and fruiting biology, principles of propagation, orchard establishment and pruning;
• basic notions of agronomy, soil fertility and plant nutrition, needed to understand soil management, fertilization and irrigation of orchards;
• basic notions of agricultural genetics, needed to understand cultivar classification criteria and breeding objectives.

Curricular prerequisites:
Although there are no formal prerequisites, students are advised to have passed, or at least attended, the following courses of the degree programme: Agronomia generale e coltivazioni erbacee, Fertilità del suolo e nutrizione delle piante, Zoologia e genetica agraria and Fondamenti di arboricoltura generale.

Attendance at lectures and other teaching activities is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. Attending lectures makes it easier to acquire basic knowledge of the species covered (D1). Taking part in practical activities, case study discussions and field visits is particularly useful for developing the ability to apply knowledge to real situations (D2), independent judgement in technical choices (D3) and communication skills through classroom discussion and report presentations (D4).

Non-attending students can still prepare using the adopted textbook and the teaching materials available on Studium. They are encouraged to contact the lecturer to agree on any further study useful for exam preparation (D5).

• Introduction to the course: importance and features of Mediterranean fruit growing (D1, D3)
• Review of general arboriculture (D1)
• Stone fruits: peach, apricot, cherry and plum (D1, D2)
• Nut crops: almond, pistachio (D1, D2)
• Pomegranate, carob, prickly pear, fig (D1, D2)
• Kiwifruit (Actinidia), mulberry (D1, D2)
• Tropical and subtropical fruit crops: cherimoya (Annona), avocado, mango and papaya (D1, D2, D3)
• Outline of citrus growing, viticulture and olive growing (D1)

Each species is covered according to the following outline:

• origin and taxonomy, distribution in Italy and worldwide, flowering and fruiting biology, cultivar classification criteria, breeding objectives (D1);
• environmental requirements and suitability, propagation and rootstocks, training systems and pruning, orchard agronomic management (fertilization and irrigation), maturity indices and harvest (D2);
• outline of storage issues and main uses of the product (D1, D3).

Each species is discussed in relation to sustainability and the effects of climate change (D3). Practical activities include the analysis of case studies and technical-scientific sources and the presentation of reports on specific topics (D4, D5).

Adopted textbooks

1. Gentile A., Inglese P., Tagliavini M. (eds.), Arboricoltura speciale. Edagricole – New Business Media, Bologna, 2022. ISBN 978-88-506-5616-5.
2. Lecture notes and teaching materials (slides, in-depth notes) available on the Studium platform.

Learning is assessed through an oral examination. Students' preparation will be evaluated according to the following criteria, referring to the Dublin descriptors:

• learning ability and depth of knowledge of the topics covered (D1, D5);
• ability to apply knowledge and to reason independently and critically (D2, D3);
• ability to summarise and present, and correct use of technical terminology (D4).

Grades are awarded according to the following scheme:

Fail

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): major gaps; significant inaccuracies.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): irrelevant; frequent generalisations; inability to summarise.
• Use of references (D5): completely inappropriate.

18-20

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): threshold level; evident flaws.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): barely sufficient.
• Use of references (D5): barely appropriate.

21-23

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): routine knowledge.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): able to carry out correct analysis and synthesis; argues logically and coherently.
• Use of references (D5): uses standard references.

24-26

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): good knowledge.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): good analysis and synthesis skills; topics are presented coherently.
• Use of references (D5): uses standard references.

27-29

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): more than good knowledge.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): considerable analysis and synthesis skills.
• Use of references (D5): has studied the topics in depth.

30-30 cum laude

• Knowledge and understanding of the topic (D1): excellent knowledge.
• Analysis and synthesis skills (D2, D3, D4): considerable analysis and synthesis skills; full independence of judgement.
• Use of references (D5): significant in-depth study.

Learning assessment may also be carried out online, should circumstances require it.

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal meeting to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on the teaching objectives and their specific needs. Students may also contact the Department's CInAP contact professor (Centre for Active and Participatory Inclusion - Services for Disabilities and/or SLD) (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).

Knowledge and understanding (D1)

• Present a crop of your choice following the outline covered in class.
• Describe the flowering and fruiting biology of pistachio (a dioecious species), highlighting the implications for the choice and ratio of male pollinizer trees.
• Explain the cultivar classification criteria for peach.
• Describe the climatic requirements and chilling requirement of a stone fruit of your choice.

Applying knowledge and understanding (D2)

• Discuss propagation methods and rootstock choice for almond on calcareous soil with limited water availability.
• Propose a training system and planting layout for a cherry or apricot orchard, giving reasons for your choice.
• Identify the maturity indices and harvest criteria for avocado or mango.
• Identify species and cultivars suited to a coastal area of south-eastern Sicily with mild winters.

Making judgements (D3)

• Evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of introducing a subtropical fruit crop in Sicily.
• Discuss the effects of climate change on a crop of your choice and possible adaptation strategies.
• Compare integrated and organic management of an orchard of a species of your choice.

Communication skills (D4)

• Present, using appropriate technical terminology, the crop profile of a species covered in the course.
• Briefly outline the main breeding objectives for a given crop.

Learning skills (D5)

• Discuss a report or technical-scientific paper studied during the course, linking it to the topics of the programme.
• Link knowledge of general arboriculture to the technical choices for a given species.