AGRONOMY

Agriculture and man: historical stages. Agriculture-environment relationships. Objectives and content of Agronomy. Plant production, the quality of food products and the factors affecting it. Concept of necosystem and agroecosystem. The climate and its classification: the major elements (solar radiation, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, evapotranspiration) and relations with crop production. Growth, development and productivity. The agricultural soil and its characteristics: A) Intrinsic: origin, texture, stratification, location and exposure, color; B) Extrinsic: structure, biological characteristics, chemical characteristics, plasticity, toughness, adhesion. Soil organic matter. Soil fertility concept. Functions of habitability of agricultural soil: mass, heat, softness, hygienic conditions. Tillage. Water-soil relationships, water potential, hydrological constants and measure of soil moisture. Irrigation (aims, methods and irrigation variables) and quality of irrigation water. Hints of dry farming. Water regulation and hydraulic-agricultural. Crop rotation and its agronomic and environmental significance. Hints on cropping systems. Notes on the weeds control. Nutritional functions of agrarian soil: nutrients, fertilizers and fertilization technique, fertilization and product quality. Fertilization plan. Environmental impact of fertilization. Notes on the propagation of cultivated plants.

Giardini Luigi, 2012. L’agronomia per conservare il futuro. Pàtron.