PLANT PRODUCTIONModule HERBACEOUS CROPS FOR FOOD INDUSTRY
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: SARA LOMBARDOExpected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
- Describe the main environmental, biological, and agronomic factors affecting agricultural crop production;
- Understand the botanical, biological, and agronomic characteristics of the main herbaceous crops of interest in Mediterranean environments;
- Understand the main quality requirements of the herbaceous crops covered in the course that are intended for the food industry;
- Understand the relationships between genotype, environment, crop management practices, and the quality of the herbaceous crops covered in the course.
Applying knowledge and understanding
- Interpret the main quantitative and qualitative parameters of the agricultural crop productions covered in the course;
- Identify the main environmental, biological, and agronomic factors responsible for quality variability;
- Assess the suitability of a crop production for a specific food use;
- Relate the characteristics of the raw material to the requirements of subsequent food processing stages.
Making judgement
The student will be able to:
- Critically assess the effects of the main agronomic management choices and environmental and biological factors on the quantity and quality of agricultural crop production;
- Interpret the main issues related to the quality of plant-based raw materials;
- Identify the main critical aspects of the agricultural production phase in relation to the requirements of the food industry.
Communication skills
The student will be able to correctly use agronomic, botanical, and food technology terminology and clearly describe the relationships between agricultural production, raw material quality, and food processing.
Learning skills
The student will acquire the tools necessary to independently explore the agronomic and quality characteristics of new crops and to interpret the technical and scientific literature on plant production intended for food use.
Course Structure
Lessons (21 hours) and hands-on activities (42 hours) by case studies and/or seminars, group activities, etc.
Attending the classes is not mandatory, but strongly recommended, as it facilities the learning process and contributes to the achievement of the learning objectives.
Required Prerequisites
Essential prerequisites: basic knowledge of the structure and functioning of living organisms, the main classes of biomolecules, and units of measurement; ability to perform simple quantitative calculations. These are necessary to understand crop production processes and the main quantitative parameters of crop production.
Important prerequisites: basic knowledge of the structure
and functions of plants and of the main processes involving the transformation
of matter and energy; ability to interpret data, tables, and graphs. These are important for understanding the relationships among
crop growth, production, and quality.
Useful prerequisites: familiarity with scientific
language and the ability to understand introductory scientific texts. These are useful for understanding technical terminology
and further exploring the course content.
Attendance of Lessons
Attending the classes is not mandatory, but strongly recommended, as it facilities the learning process and contributes to the achievement of the learning objectives.
Detailed Course Content
- Fundamentals of crop production and agroecosystem
- The agri-food system and the role of herbaceous crops.
- Classification of the main herbaceous crops of food interest.
- Quantity and quality of herbaceous crops intended for the food industry.
- Factors affecting crop production and quality
- Main natural factors: soil, climate, and plant characteristics.
- Main agronomic factors: genotype selection, crop rotation and cropping systems, fertilization, irrigation, soil tillage, and crop protection.
- Effects of environmental factors and agronomic management on crop yield and quality.
- Relationships between cropping systems, quality characteristics of raw materials, and characteristics of processed food products.
- Principles of sustainable crop production and efficient use of resources.
- Main herbaceous crops of interest in Mediterranean environments. For each crop, the following aspects will be addressed: economic and food importance; botanical and biological characteristics; soil and climatic requirements; main aspects of crop management; harvesting and storage; quality characteristics of the raw material; and main food and industrial uses.
- Cereals (wheat, barley)
- Grain legumes (lentil, chickpea, faba bean, pea)
- Oilseed crops (sunflower)
- Field-grown vegetable crops (potato, globe artichoke)
- Other crops of interest to the food industry (tomato)
Textbook Information
- Giardini L. A come Agronomia. Pàtron Ed.
- Mosca G., Reyneri A. (coord.). Coltivazioni erbacee 1 – Cereali e colture industriali. Edagricole Ed.
- Mosca G., Reyneri A. (coord.). Coltivazioni erbacee 2 – Aromatiche e officinali, orticole agroindustriali, foraggere e colture a fini ecosistemici ed energetici. Edagricole Ed.
Didactic materials provided by the professor (lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) in the website http://studium.unict.it.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giardini L. | A come Agronomia | Pàtron Ed. | 2003 | 978-88-555-2707-1 |
| Mosca G., Reyneri A. | Coltivazioni erbacee 1 – Cereali e colture industriali | Edagricole Ed. | 2023 | 978-88-506-5621-9 |
| Mosca G., Reyneri A.. | Coltivazioni erbacee 2 – Aromatiche e officinali, orticole agroindustriali, foraggere e colture a fini ecosistemici ed energetici | Edagricole Ed. | 2024 | 978-88-506-5622-6 |
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course presentation: objectives, content, structure, and the link between agricultural production and the food industry. | Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 2 | Fundamentals of crop production and agroecosystem: 2.1 The agri-food system and the role of herbaceous crops. 2.2 The agroecosystem. 2.3 Agricultural crop production and the main biotic and abiotic factors affecting it. 2.4 Human interventions and agroecosystem management: main inputs and outputs and their effects on the system. 2.5 Principles of sustainable crop production and resource-use efficiency. 2.6 Overview of the main morphological and physiological characteristics of crops of agri-food interest. | Book 1; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 3 | Production and quality of herbaceous crops for the food industry: useful product; yield components; harvest index; harvest timing; production end-use; food quality, use and service quality, and technological quality; raw material requirements for the food industry. | Book 1; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 4 | Environmental factors affecting the production and quality of herbaceous crops for the food industry: 4.1 Main characteristics of agricultural soils. Influence of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils on the production and quality of herbaceous crops. 4.2 Climate and main atmospheric factors. Influence of climatic conditions on the production and quality of herbaceous crops. 4.3 Main abiotic stresses (water and thermal stress, salinity, waterlogging, and major nutritional and physical soil stresses). Effects of abiotic stresses on the production and quality of herbaceous crops. | Book 1; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 5 | Agronomic factors affecting the production and quality of herbaceous crops for the food industry: 5.1 Choice of species and genotype. 5.2 Crop rotation and cropping systems. 5.3 Fertilization and crop nutrient management. 5.4 Irrigation and water resource management. 5.5 Overview of soil tillage and management. 5.6 Overview of weed management and principles of integrated crop protection. 5.7 Effects of agronomic practices on the production and quality of raw materials for food processing. | Book 1; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 6 | Classification of herbaceous crops for the food industry. Main production chains based on raw materials derived from herbaceous crops. | Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 7 | Cereals: durum wheat, common wheat, barley. | Book 2; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 8 | Grain legumes: lentil, chickpea, faba bean, pea. | Book 2; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 9 | Oilseed crops: sunflower. | Book 2; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
| 10 | Field-grown vegetable crops: globe artichoke, potato. | Book 3; Didactic materials provided by the professor |
| 11 | Other crops of interest to the food industry: tomato. | Book 3; Didactic materials provided by the professor. |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Oral exam. In particular, the achievement of the learning outcomes will be ascertained through an oral discussion, during which the performance will be assessed in terms of the level of preparation achieved on the subjects of the discipline, argumentative and synthesis skills, clarity and language properties, with specific reference to technical terminology, as well as interdisciplinary connection skills and the degree of in-depth analysis. Learning assessment may also be carried out on-line, in accordance with the procedures established by the University, should the conditions require it.
The evaluation follows the following scheme:
|
Grade |
Description |
|
Not passed |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: significant shortcomings and inaccuracies Ability to analyze and synthesize: irrelevant with frequent generalizations Use of references: completely inappropriate |
|
18-20 |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: very modest with evident imperfections Analysis and synthesis skills: barely adequate Use of references: just appropriate |
|
21-23 |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: knowledge is slightly above the minimum acceptable level Ability to analyze and synthesize: a fair ability to analyze and synthesize information, presenting arguments in a logical and coherent manner Using references: use standard references |
|
24-26 |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: good knowledge Analysis and synthesis skills: good analytical and synthesis abilities, arguments are presented consistently Using references: use of standard references |
|
27-29 |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: knowledge more than good Ability to analyze and synthesize: considerable abilities of analysis and synthesis Use of references: the topic has been explored in depth |
|
30-30 cum laude |
Knowledge and understanding of the topic: excellent knowledge Ability to analyze and synthesize: excellent abilities of analysis and synthesis Use of references: important insights |
To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, students may request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs. Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l’integrazione Attiva e Partecipata — Servizi per le Disabilità e/o DSA) through the referring professor within the department, (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
- Classification of quality attributes of herbaceous crops for the food industry
- Role of natural factors (soil, atmosphere, and plant) in determining the quality attributes of herbaceous crops for the food industry
- Role of agronomic management (genotype selection, fertilization, irrigation, tillage, and crop protection) in determining the quality attributes of herbaceous crops for the food industry
- Quality traits of wheat
- Quality traits of globe artichoke
- Quality traits of grain legumes