PHYTOSANITARY TECHNIQUES FOR LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

Module Plant Health: Prevention and Control of Diseases

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

The educational objectives of the course are described below. The course aims to provide knowledge on plant pathogens, infection modes, economic damage caused, diagnosis, and strategies for controlling plant diseases in green areas, parks, and natural environments. It also aims to provide theoretical knowledge and practical-applicative guidance for planning plant protection interventions and environmental restoration in compliance with phytosanitary regulations and safeguarding the health of operators and citizens.
The course will consist mainly of lectures, but laboratory activities are planned for the recognition of the main symptoms and for learning techniques for isolating fungal pathogens from infected plant tissues.

Students are required to actively participate both during the lectures and the laboratory activities. In addition, students will be asked to prepare a report on a monographic topic, chosen in agreement with the lecturer, which must then be presented during the course after preparing a PowerPoint presentation. This will allow students to acquire a series of skills related to the following aspects:
a) conducting a literature search by consulting articles and websites on the chosen topic, ensuring the selection of the most reliable bibliographic sources;
b) preparing a report based on a well-defined outline;
c) creating a PowerPoint presentation by selecting appropriate images and structuring the slides properly;
d) presenting in public and answering the lecturer’s questions.

Finally, students will be guided through a laboratory learning path. Each of them will be asked to acquire knowledge of certain laboratory technical activities related to a specific topic with the aim of making them autonomous in laboratory practice. At the end of this path, a test will be administered to assess learning outcomes.

“Contribution of the course to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Goal No. 2: ZERO HUNGER – End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

Target 2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, help maintain ecosystems, strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and progressively improve land and soil quality.

Methods:

• lecture

• laboratory

Goal No. 13: CLIMATE ACTION – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Target 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

Target 13.3 Improve education, awareness, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.

Methods:

• lecture

• dedicated seminar

• supplementary materials

Goal No. 15: LIFE ON LAND – Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and stop biodiversity loss

Target 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Target 15.2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

Target 15.3 By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation–neutral world.

Target 15.4 By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, to enhance their capacity to provide benefits essential for sustainable development.

Methods:

• lecture

• dedicated seminar

• laboratory

• study visit

• supplementary materials

Course Structure
The course will consist mainly of lectures, complemented by laboratory sessions focused on the recognition of major symptoms of plant diseases and on the techniques for isolating fungal pathogens from infected plant tissues.

Active student participation is required both during lectures and in laboratory activities. In addition, students will be asked to prepare a report on a monographic topic, to be agreed upon with the lecturer, and to present it in class using PowerPoint. This activity is designed to help students develop the following skills:
a) conducting a literature search using scientific articles and reliable online sources;
b) preparing a written report following a clear and logical outline;
c) designing an effective PowerPoint presentation, selecting appropriate images and structuring the slides coherently;
d) delivering an oral presentation and answering questions from the lecturer.

Knowledge of the prerequisites (Plant cell biology: structure and function; General botany: plant morphology and physiology; Knowledge of systematic botany; Basic knowledge of ecophysiology) will help students follow the lectures more easily and achieve greater success.

Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory according to the academic regulations. However, participation in at least 70% of the scheduled activities is strongly recommended in order to sit the final examination.
Please note that the examination requires knowledge of the laboratory activities, which are accessible only to students who attend regularly.

Attendance is not compulsory according to the academic regulations; however, to sit for the exam, it is strongly recommended to attend at least 70% of the scheduled activities.

The examination requires knowledge of the laboratory activities, and participation in these activities is allowed only for students who attend regularly.

DETAILED COURSE STRUCTURE

Review of General Plant Pathology
Concept of disease, symptomatology, diagnosis and conventional and innovative diagnostic methods, general characteristics of pathogens, disease development stages, pathogen attack mechanisms and plant resistance mechanisms, epidemiology.

Special Plant Pathology
Main diseases of ornamental plants and Mediterranean maquis vegetation, and diseases of forest trees: wood decay, root rots, powdery mildews, chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, canker stain of plane, crown gall, vascular diseases.

Non-parasitic diseases

Disease control
Integrated control of infectious diseases; protection from alien pathogenic species and invasive species; quarantine and phytosanitary measures; compulsory control.

Plants and pollution
Effects of pollutants on plants; phytotoxic effects of pollutants; biological monitoring of pollutants.

Beneficial microorganisms
Rhizosphere microbial communities; biofertilizers and antagonistic microorganisms; role of pathogenic and antagonistic microorganisms in phytoremediation processes.

Assessment of plant health status and tree stability conditions
Wood decay processes in standing trees; visual assessment according to the V.T.A. method (Visual Tree Assessment); instrumental diagnosis of altered wood.

Disease control
Integrated control of diseases; quarantine and phytosanitary measures; compulsory control.

Laboratory activities
Recognition of symptoms of the main diseases of ornamental and forest plants (diagnosis); preparation and observation of samples under light microscopy; isolation methods of causal agents responsible for major forest and ornamental plant diseases; molecular identification of plant pathogens.

Field activities
Phytosanitary surveys in nurseries and forests, assessment of incidence and severity of damage caused by different pathogens.

Seminars
On monographic topics delivered by experts in the field.

Consultation of databases, textbooks, and specialized journals.

Browsing phytopathology-related websites.

At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the ability to recognize the symptoms of the main diseases present in our environment and the elements to identify the peculiar symptoms of emerging diseases. The student will be able to design an experiment with the aim of identifying the etiology of a disease and to plan a control program while respecting the environment. The student will be able to answer, during the examination, questions concerning phytosanitary issues addressed during lectures and will be able to consult specific bibliography and dedicated websites to solve specific phytopathological problems.

INDEPENDENT JUDGEMENT

Students will be guided by the lecturer along a path of knowledge and learning that will enable them to acquire independent judgement through the planning of theoretical and practical activities, such as the analysis of a scientific article and the application of laboratory protocols to address technical questions. Phytopathological problems (symptomatic plant samples) will be proposed, which they will be required to solve on the basis of the knowledge acquired during the course.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND LEARNING ABILITY

Developing students’ communication skills is one of the aims of the course. In fact, the lecturer will propose the analysis of a scientific publication. Students will be required to analyse it and prepare a PowerPoint presentation in response to specific analytical questions. This individual study will then be presented in class, where the lecturer will encourage critical discussion of the data presented. For the preparation of the report, students will need to refine their learning skills and their ability to deepen their knowledge of the proposed topic.

1. Ragazzi A., Capretti P., Gherardini L., Moricca S. – 2023 – Elementi di Patologia Forestale – Pàtron Editore, Bologna

2. Belli G. – 2006 – Elementi di Patologia Vegetale (second edition, 2012) – Piccin Editore, Padua

3. George N. Agrios – Plant Pathology – Academic Press Inc., San Diego, California (6th edition)

4. Garibaldi A., M.L. Gullino, V. Lisa – Malattie delle piante ornamentali – Calderini Edagricole

5. Lorenzini G. – Le Piante e l’inquinamento dell’aria – Edagricole, Bologna

6. Forest Pathology and Plant Health – Special Issue published in Forests – Editors M. Garbelotto & P. Gonthier. MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland

Any supplementary teaching material (lecture notes; laboratory protocols; scientific and/or popular articles related to the course topics; handouts on monographic subjects) will be provided by the lecturer during the lessons and simultaneously published on Studium.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

A written mid-term test will be held halfway through the course, which will be taken into account for the final evaluation. This test will include some questions aimed at assessing the skills acquired in the laboratory.

A written report on a monographic topic chosen in agreement with the lecturer.

Presentation of the report using PowerPoint.

During the presentation of the report, the lecturer will verify the knowledge acquired during the course through specific questions.

EXAMPLES OF FREQUENT QUESTIONS AND/OR EXERCISES

Examples of open-ended questions:

• Describe the different types of cankers caused by Cryphonectria parasitica.

• Describe the mechanism of hypovirulence.

• Explain how to isolate a plant pathogen from fruit, leaf, and soil.

The assessment of learning takes place through a written test and an oral examination (presentation of the report). The evaluation of the student’s preparation will be based on the following criteria: learning ability and level of in-depth knowledge of the topics covered, synthesis and presentation skills, and reasoning ability.

Grading scale

Fail (Not eligible)

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: major gaps, significant inaccuracies

• Analytical and synthesis skills: irrelevant, frequent generalisations, inability to synthesise

• Use of references: completely inappropriate

18–20

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: threshold level, evident flaws

• Analytical and synthesis skills: barely sufficient skills

• Use of references: barely appropriate

21–23

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: routine knowledge

• Analytical and synthesis skills: able to analyse and synthesise correctly, argues logically and coherently

• Use of references: uses standard references

24–26

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: good knowledge

• Analytical and synthesis skills: good analytical and synthesis skills, topics expressed coherently

• Use of references: uses standard references

27–29

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: more than good knowledge

• Analytical and synthesis skills: remarkable analytical and synthesis skills

• Use of references: has deepened the topics

30–30L (cum laude)

• Knowledge and understanding of the subject: excellent knowledge

• Analytical and synthesis skills: remarkable analytical and synthesis skills

• Use of references: significant in-depth study

EXAMPLES OF FREQUENT QUESTIONS AND/OR EXERCISES

Examples of open-ended questions:

• Describe the different types of cankers caused by Cryphonectria parasitica.

• Describe the mechanism of hypovirulence.

• Explain how to isolate a plant pathogen from fruit, leaf, and soil.