Integrated Plant Protection

The phylum of Arthropods and the class of Insects.
External morphology of insect. Head and mouthparts. Thorax. Abdomen.
Circulatory system. Muscular system. Digestive system. Respiratory system. Excretory system. Nervous system and sensilla. Reproductive system and reproduction. Endocrine glands. External secretion glands. Intra- and interspecific communication systems.
Postembryonic development. Relationships between insects and other animals: symbiosis, antagonism, predation and parasitism.
General information on the defense. Integrated Pest Management. Thresholds. Monitoring devices. Main classes of insecticides and mechanisms of action. Microbiological control. Bacillus thuringiensis: applications and mode of action. Spinosad.
Biological control. Biotechnical control. Use of pheromones. Technique of the male sterile. Resistant plants: antixenosys, antibiosis, tolerance. Transgenic plants.
Characteristics of the main insect orders.

Introduction to and brief history of Plant Pathology. Causal agents of diseases: infectious and non-infectious diseases. Classification of infectious diseases: parasitic plants; fungi (powdery mildews, Fusarium, rusts, smuts, caries); oomycetes (downy mildews); bacteria (Erwinia amylovora, Pseudomonas, bacterial cankers, Xylella fastidiosa); phytoplasms (grapevine yellows, apple 'witch brooms'); viruses (grapevine viruses, sharka, tristeza). Mycotoxins and mycotoxicosis. Epidemiology of plant diseases. Diagnosis, management and control of plant diseases. Agrochemicals. Non-infectious diseases. Abiotic stresses: atmospheric pollutants and heavy metals. Global climate changes.