Agricultural Genetics and Herbaceous Crops

The general objective of the course "Plant genetics and herbaceous crops" is to provide basic knowledge on the cropping systems in Italian agricultural areas, with a focus on the intensive livestock farming in the Po valley. Students will learn which aspects are needed to consider in the evaluation of the choice of new varieties and the grain and forage cropping systems on both cereal and livestock farms. Such aspects are crop type and potential productivity, sowing and harvest time, fertilization, irrigation, hay-cutting time, and forage conservation. Students will understand which elements are needed to consider when setting up cereal-based systems on a livestock farm, according to the livestock feeding requirement and the market prices of commodities. Furthermore the students will acquire technical and scientific knowledge for the variety choice and the management of agricultural genetic resources also on the basis of modern biotechnology useful to work in the cereal, forage-livestock, agro-food, agro-energy and seed sectors.

In this course the student will acquire the knowledge regarding the fundamental techniques used in plant breeding, from classical plant breeding (e.g. recurrent selection, inbred line extraction, backcrossing, hybrid varieties and mutagenesis ) to modern molecular tools (e. g. marker assisted selection, genetic modified crops). In addition the students will acquire technical and scientific knowledge to work in the cereal, forage-livestock, agro-food, agro-energy and seed sectors.In this course the student will acquire the knowledge regarding the fundamental techniques used in plant breeding, from classical plant breeding (e.g. recurrent selection, inbred line extraction, backcrossing, hybrid varieties and mutagenesis ) to modern molecular tools (e. g. marker assisted selection, genetic modified crops). In addition the students will acquire technical and scientific knowledge to work in the cereal, forage-livestock, agro-food, agro-energy and seed sectors.