Agricultural Chemistry
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
General objectives: the first objective of the course is to provide basic knowledge of soil characteristics, linking their chemical-physical properties to functionality and fertility. The second objective is to acquire knowledge of the biochemical and physiological processes underlying the development, growth, and productive capacity of agronomically relevant plants, with particular focus on the grapevine.
U.D.1: Knowledge of the biochemical processes involved in primary metabolism and the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites in plants, as well as the physiological processes underlying their productive capacity and responses to environmental conditions, with particular reference to abiotic stress.
U.D. 2: Understanding soil characteristics to interpret its main functions, such as defining soil fertility and supporting agricultural production. The lessons will provide foundational knowledge on soil formation mechanisms and chemical composition, essential for assessing its functionality in a productive context. The chemical-physical properties of soils will also be analyzed in relation to their interaction with plant growth and development, with particular emphasis on the impact of fertility on agronomic production.
Relation with the rest of the course or other subjects: Building on the fundamental concepts learned in chemistry and plant biology courses, this study delves deeper into both the biochemical and physiological aspects of cultivated plants, with particular focus on grapevines, as well as the properties and characteristics of agricultural soils. Special attention is also given to soil-plant interactions as the foundation of mineral nutrition.
U.D.1: Knowledge of the biochemical processes involved in primary metabolism and the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites in plants, as well as the physiological processes underlying their productive capacity and responses to environmental conditions, with particular reference to abiotic stress.
U.D. 2: Understanding soil characteristics to interpret its main functions, such as defining soil fertility and supporting agricultural production. The lessons will provide foundational knowledge on soil formation mechanisms and chemical composition, essential for assessing its functionality in a productive context. The chemical-physical properties of soils will also be analyzed in relation to their interaction with plant growth and development, with particular emphasis on the impact of fertility on agronomic production.
Relation with the rest of the course or other subjects: Building on the fundamental concepts learned in chemistry and plant biology courses, this study delves deeper into both the biochemical and physiological aspects of cultivated plants, with particular focus on grapevines, as well as the properties and characteristics of agricultural soils. Special attention is also given to soil-plant interactions as the foundation of mineral nutrition.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
U.D.1: The student will build upon the foundational knowledge acquired in the first year, gaining further competencies in the structure, organization, and function of the plant system from a biochemical and physiological point of view, as well as its interactions with the surrounding environment. The educational pathway will provide tools for critical analysis and evaluation of biochemical and physiological processes, enhancing the ability to articulate them and laying the groundwork for future in-depth studies.
U.D.2: the student will learn the basics of soil chemistry considering, above all, the chemical composition and interaction between the different mineralogical, biotic and organic components.
Applied Knowledge and Understanding:
U.D.1: The acquired knowledge will play a crucial role in future decisions regarding vineyard management, enabling an understanding of the plant's physiological state in response to specific pedoclimatic conditions. This will also involve the correct interpretation of physiological analysis results and diagnostic tests aimed at assessing performance or identifying stress conditions.
U.D.2: The skills developed will include the evaluation of soil reactivity regarding effects on fertility and plant growth.
Critical Thinking and Judgment:
U.D.1: Critical thinking skills will be developed through the analysis of practical examples, highlighting approaches and parameters useful for defining the plant's physiological state. This will help students acquire critical judgment, one of the fundamental elements in the decision-making processes that characterize vineyard management.
U.D.2: Critical capabilities will be developed from soil composition data and knowledge of the reactivity dependent on them.
U.D.1: The student will build upon the foundational knowledge acquired in the first year, gaining further competencies in the structure, organization, and function of the plant system from a biochemical and physiological point of view, as well as its interactions with the surrounding environment. The educational pathway will provide tools for critical analysis and evaluation of biochemical and physiological processes, enhancing the ability to articulate them and laying the groundwork for future in-depth studies.
U.D.2: the student will learn the basics of soil chemistry considering, above all, the chemical composition and interaction between the different mineralogical, biotic and organic components.
Applied Knowledge and Understanding:
U.D.1: The acquired knowledge will play a crucial role in future decisions regarding vineyard management, enabling an understanding of the plant's physiological state in response to specific pedoclimatic conditions. This will also involve the correct interpretation of physiological analysis results and diagnostic tests aimed at assessing performance or identifying stress conditions.
U.D.2: The skills developed will include the evaluation of soil reactivity regarding effects on fertility and plant growth.
Critical Thinking and Judgment:
U.D.1: Critical thinking skills will be developed through the analysis of practical examples, highlighting approaches and parameters useful for defining the plant's physiological state. This will help students acquire critical judgment, one of the fundamental elements in the decision-making processes that characterize vineyard management.
U.D.2: Critical capabilities will be developed from soil composition data and knowledge of the reactivity dependent on them.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Prerequisites for admission
For this course, the student is required to have knowledge of Botany, General and Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment of learning is carried out through two examinations:
Teaching unit: biochemistry and plant physiologyA
The oral exam consists of 5 open-ended questions on various topics covered in the course and lasts 30 minutes. Each question is graded on a scale from 0/30 to 6/30. The final grade is the sum of the scores assigned to each question. The evaluation considers the accuracy of the answer, the terminology used to describe the process, the level of detail, and the overall quality of the response.
Teaching unit: Agricultural chemistry
The exam will be written and structured into 3 multiple-choice questions and 3/4 open-ended questions. The open-ended questions will have different maximum scores (maximum score 4/30, 5/30, 6/30) depending on the difficulty while the multiple-choice questions will have a maximum score of 3/30. Assessment parameters for open-ended answers will be the consistency of the answer with the question asked. Technical language property and the ability to rework theoretical knowledge will also be positively evaluated. The duration of the test will be 2 hours. The overall grade will be the sum of the marks given to each question. The maximum score achievable will be 33/30. Scores between 31/30 and 33/30 will award with "Lode". The outcome of the written test will be announced through the UNIMI portal.
There is no provision for the use of calculators during the test except for the specific needs of students with DSA and disabilities as outlined below.
Students with specific learning disabilities or other disabilities are requested to contact the teacher via email at least 15 days before the exam session to agree on any personal compensatory measure. In the email addressed to the teacher, the respective University services must be reported in CC: [email protected] (for students with LD) and [email protected] (for students with other disabilities).
Teaching unit: biochemistry and plant physiologyA
The oral exam consists of 5 open-ended questions on various topics covered in the course and lasts 30 minutes. Each question is graded on a scale from 0/30 to 6/30. The final grade is the sum of the scores assigned to each question. The evaluation considers the accuracy of the answer, the terminology used to describe the process, the level of detail, and the overall quality of the response.
Teaching unit: Agricultural chemistry
The exam will be written and structured into 3 multiple-choice questions and 3/4 open-ended questions. The open-ended questions will have different maximum scores (maximum score 4/30, 5/30, 6/30) depending on the difficulty while the multiple-choice questions will have a maximum score of 3/30. Assessment parameters for open-ended answers will be the consistency of the answer with the question asked. Technical language property and the ability to rework theoretical knowledge will also be positively evaluated. The duration of the test will be 2 hours. The overall grade will be the sum of the marks given to each question. The maximum score achievable will be 33/30. Scores between 31/30 and 33/30 will award with "Lode". The outcome of the written test will be announced through the UNIMI portal.
There is no provision for the use of calculators during the test except for the specific needs of students with DSA and disabilities as outlined below.
Students with specific learning disabilities or other disabilities are requested to contact the teacher via email at least 15 days before the exam session to agree on any personal compensatory measure. In the email addressed to the teacher, the respective University services must be reported in CC: [email protected] (for students with LD) and [email protected] (for students with other disabilities).
Plant physiology and biochemistry
Course syllabus
Amino acids. Protein: structures and functions (0.5 CFU).
Principles of bioenergetics and thermodynamics. Phosphoryl group Transfers and ATP - Biological oxidation-reduction reactions. Kinetics of enzymatic catalysis. Michaelis-Menten's equation. Regulation of enzyme-catalyzed reactions (0.75 CFU).
Glycolysis and fermentation. Energy yield of glycolysis. The TCA cycle. Electron flux and oxidative phosphorylation. Energy yield of respiration. The pentose-P pathway (1 CFU).
Chemistry and physiology of photosynthetic pigments - Pigment light excitation and de-excitation - Photosynthetic units: photosystem I and photosystem II - Photosynthetic electron flow and photophosphorylation - Calvin cycle - Photorespiration - C3, C4 and CAM pathways for carbon dioxide fixation. Sucrose and starch biosynthesis. Eco-physiological aspects of photosynthesis (1 CFU).
Transport in plant cells. Chemical and electrochemical potentials. Diffusion, active and passive transport. The Nernst's equation. Carriers and ion channels. Role of the PM H+-ATPase (0.5 CFU).
Water chemical-physical properties. Water potential components. Root water absorption and xylem translocation. Plant transpiration: driving forces; stomatal regulation. Plant water balance. Translocation in the phloem (0.75 CFU).
The plant mineral nutrition. Physiological function of essential macro- and micro-nutrients. Nitrogen and sulphur reductive assimilations (0.75 CFU).
The secondary metabolism (0.25 CFU).
Plant hormones and plant growth regulators: physiological aspects and a brief introduction of their action mechanism (0.5 CFU).
Principles of bioenergetics and thermodynamics. Phosphoryl group Transfers and ATP - Biological oxidation-reduction reactions. Kinetics of enzymatic catalysis. Michaelis-Menten's equation. Regulation of enzyme-catalyzed reactions (0.75 CFU).
Glycolysis and fermentation. Energy yield of glycolysis. The TCA cycle. Electron flux and oxidative phosphorylation. Energy yield of respiration. The pentose-P pathway (1 CFU).
Chemistry and physiology of photosynthetic pigments - Pigment light excitation and de-excitation - Photosynthetic units: photosystem I and photosystem II - Photosynthetic electron flow and photophosphorylation - Calvin cycle - Photorespiration - C3, C4 and CAM pathways for carbon dioxide fixation. Sucrose and starch biosynthesis. Eco-physiological aspects of photosynthesis (1 CFU).
Transport in plant cells. Chemical and electrochemical potentials. Diffusion, active and passive transport. The Nernst's equation. Carriers and ion channels. Role of the PM H+-ATPase (0.5 CFU).
Water chemical-physical properties. Water potential components. Root water absorption and xylem translocation. Plant transpiration: driving forces; stomatal regulation. Plant water balance. Translocation in the phloem (0.75 CFU).
The plant mineral nutrition. Physiological function of essential macro- and micro-nutrients. Nitrogen and sulphur reductive assimilations (0.75 CFU).
The secondary metabolism (0.25 CFU).
Plant hormones and plant growth regulators: physiological aspects and a brief introduction of their action mechanism (0.5 CFU).
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Teaching Resources
- Taiz L., Zeiger E. Moller I.M. Plant Physiology and Development, Sixth Edition. ISBN-13: 978 1605353531
- Slides available on MyAriel website
- Slides available on MyAriel website
Soil chemistry
Course syllabus
The definition of soil. Mechanisms of soil formation; definition, classification and alteration mechanisms of minerals. Silicates, composition, classification, isomorphic substitution processes (1.25 CFU).
Soil physical properties: structure, texture, density, color temperature (0.5 CFU).
Soil organic matter: definition, macromolecular composition, size fractionation. Soil organic matter storage processes; soil amendment practices. (0.75 CFU).
Water in soil: definition of different fractions and their availability to plants, explanation of the concept of adhesion and cohesion. The water cycle. The air in the soil. (0.5 CFU).
Adsorption processes of soil exchangers: introduction, classification of exchangers, explanation of theories developed to explain the phenomenon. Cation exchange capacity. Soil exchangers: reversible and irreversible anion adsorption processes. Influence of pH on the processes of variable charge exchange (0.75 CFU).
Geochemical cycles of elements: N, P, K, Ca, Mg (0.25 CFU).
Soil physical properties: structure, texture, density, color temperature (0.5 CFU).
Soil organic matter: definition, macromolecular composition, size fractionation. Soil organic matter storage processes; soil amendment practices. (0.75 CFU).
Water in soil: definition of different fractions and their availability to plants, explanation of the concept of adhesion and cohesion. The water cycle. The air in the soil. (0.5 CFU).
Adsorption processes of soil exchangers: introduction, classification of exchangers, explanation of theories developed to explain the phenomenon. Cation exchange capacity. Soil exchangers: reversible and irreversible anion adsorption processes. Influence of pH on the processes of variable charge exchange (0.75 CFU).
Geochemical cycles of elements: N, P, K, Ca, Mg (0.25 CFU).
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Teaching Resources
- Course slides on MyAriel. Presentations shown in lectures are available on the course's MyAriel site. They support the explanations given during the lectures. In the case of students who do not attend, it is advisable to supplement them with the recommended books.
Books suggested:
- Chimica Agraria, Violante, EDAGRICOLE
- Fondamenti di chimica del suolo, Sequi, Ciavatta, Miano, Pàtron Editore
Books suggested:
- Chimica Agraria, Violante, EDAGRICOLE
- Fondamenti di chimica del suolo, Sequi, Ciavatta, Miano, Pàtron Editore
Modules or teaching units
Plant physiology and biochemistry
AGR/13 - AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 48 hours
Professor:
Espen Luca
Soil chemistry
AGR/13 - AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY - University credits: 4
Lessons: 32 hours
Professor:
Scaglia Barbara
Professor(s)
Reception:
On Fridays from 9.00 to 12.00 or by appointment.
At the office or via MS Teams.
Reception:
to take an appointment
office- DISAA