Content (Syllabus outline)
Diseases of cultivated plants: symptoms, disease cycle, economic importance and plant disease management strategies. Diseases of grapevine and olives; pome and stone fruits, small fruits, nuts and vegetables, and the possibilities of their control. Diseases of field crops: cereals and maize, potato, industrial crops, fodder plants and diseases of some vegetables, which are grown in the field and the possibilities of their control. Fungicides: classification, selectivity, contact and systemic fungicides (relevant groups, mode of action, mobility) and biofungicides. Biological pesticides – antagonists and entomopathogens. Herbicides: defininition of a weed, causes for weed control, herbicide classification according to different criteria (chemical structure, mode of action, selectivity, mobility, time of application). Weed control thresholds and application time. Integrated weed management. Negative side effects of pesticides to humans and the environment. Mobility and degradation of pesticides in the environment. Ecological criteria for evaluating pesticides. Regulations in the field of registration and use of pesticides.
Pests of cultivated and some wild-growing plants (all groups with exception of insects). Ectodermal and endodermal glands of insects. Infochemicals of insects (allelochemicals, semiochemicals). Biotechnical methods in plant protection (pheromone baits, coloured sticky traps). Morphology, anatomy and systematics of the mites (Acarina), slugs and snails (Gastropoda) and nematodes (Nematoda). Their reproduction, bionomics, monitoring. Economically important rotents, birds, wild animals. Important pests of cultivated and wild-growing plants (taxonomic criteria) and methods of their control. Stored products pests: preventive and curative control methods. Control of pests with changing the environmental factors: prevention tactics, avoidance tactics, suppression tactics, »nonaction« tactics. Preference and defence mechanisms of plants against phytophagous organisms. Environmentally acceptable methods of controlling plant pests: intercropping, trap cropping, mechanical barriers, reflective mulches etc. Other alternative control methods of pests – an example of wireworms. Plant hygiene. Role of plant rotation and fallow ground in plant protection.
Prerequisites
Conditions for inclusion in the work:
Enrolment in the appropriate academic year.
Condition for performing study obligations Prerequisite for written practical examination:
- participation in practicals (75 %)
- seminar classes performed
- entomological collection and herbarium with pests and diseases
Prerequisite for for written exam:
- examination from practicals performed
- field work participation