FOOD PATHOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY

Academic Year 2018/2019 - 2° Year
Teaching Staff Credit Value: 13
Taught classes: 77 hours
Exercise: 28 hours
Term / Semester:

Learning Objectives

  • Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products

    Knowledge on principal biotic and abiotic diseases and mycotoxin contaminations, particularly referred to post-harvest, diseases diagnosis, epidemiology and control principles

  • Stored product pests

    Provide knowledge on the biological and behavioral traits of the main groups of pests
    in order to define of the most appropriate management and control programs for specific infestations
    in the main territorial agro-food industries


Course Structure

  • Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products

    The course will be provided by frontal lessons in the classroom as weel as laboratory exercises; moreover, educational visits will take place at companies involved in different sectors of agro-food chains organized ad hoc during the reference semester

  • Stored product pests

    The course will comprise classes, laboratory training and field visits


Detailed Course Content

  • Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products

    The course provides students with the necessary tools for the diagnosis of principal biotic and abiotic diseases and mycotoxin contaminations vitiating the quality and quantity of vegetable in post-harvest and storage as well as the criteria and control methods for their prevention foreseen in post-harvest

  • Stored product pests

    Introduction: foodstuffs and damage caused by animal parasites.
    Arthropods: general characteristics.
    Insects: morphology, anatomy and postembryonic development. Population development and damage.
    Mites: morphology, anatomy, postembryonic development. Population development and damage.
    Rodents: General characteristics. Murids: morphology, anatomy, development. Population development
    and damage.
    Birds and other harmful organisms: General characteristics and damage caused.
    The main insect orders
    Stored product insect pests
    Stored product mite pests
    Rodents harmful to foodstuffs
    Ecology of biocenosis living on foodstuffs
    Animal organisms as vectors of pathogens for humans and pets
    Processing and commercial environments
    Prevention of infestations
    Pest monitoring techniques
    Methods for the evaluation of solid impurities in food
    Animals infesting the foodstuffs and the self-control system
    Control methods: physical, biological, biotechnical and chemical tools


Textbook Information

  • Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products

    The teacher will provide all necessary, also by STUDIUM platform, to study covered topics. The student can consult any of the text field, for the study of the discipline we recommend the following books:

    • Book 1: De Cicco V., Bertolini P., Salerno M.G. Patologia post-raccolta dei prodotti vegetali. Piccin Editore, 274 pp.
    • Book 2: Belli G. Elementi di patologia vegetale. Piccin Editore, 475 pp.
    • Teacher notes, papers and monographies
  • Stored product pests

    1. Trematerra P. - Süss L. 2007. Prontuario di entomologia merceologica e urbana. Con note
    morfologiche, biologiche e di gestione delle infestazioni. Aracne Editrice, (ISBN:
    978-88-548-1195-9)
    2. Trematerra P. 2016 Entomologia urbana applicata. Aracne Editrice, (ISBN: 978-88-548-9143-2)