Students will develop, as engineers, the ability to choose, apply and manage some of the many technologies available in agriculture and/or to efficiently interact with professional experts that can positively complement engineer knowledge. Significant decisional criteria will be derived from the analysis of the influence of management options on yield, quality and economic profitability, as well as the environmental sustainability. Students will acquire skills for the independent analysis of significant and representative case-studies using multiple tools (mass and energy balances, cost-benefit analysis, sustainability Key Performance Indicators). At the end of the course, students will be able to plan and critically evaluate some important agricultural cultivation techniques (including soil and plant management, pest and disease control strategies, animal breeding and farm machinery management). Examples and case studies will show how multiple objectives should be harmonized.

There are not pre-requirements

Soil (AGR/13 and AGR/02) Overview of the plant-soil system and interactions with hydrospheric and atmospheric compartments. The soil components, functions and variability. Nutrient and organic matter cycles. Climate effects on crops including adaptation and mitigation. Cereal and Fruit crop systems (AGR/02 and AGR/03) Winter cereals: winter wheat as case study. Spring-summer cereals: maize and rice as case studies. Criteria for choosing cultivation techniques: varieties, tillage, fertilization and irrigation of cereals. Yield and quality of cereals. Fruit cropping systems: apple and hazelnut, as case studies. Criteria for choosing cultivation techniques: crop density, pruning, fertilization, shades. Yield, quality and post-harvest management. Crop protection (AGR/11 and AGR/12) Pests and plant diseases in agricultural systems. Control methods and strategies for effective crop pest and disease management: maize and apple tree as case studies. The use of pesticides in integrated and organic farming. Agricultural machines (AGR/09) Overview of agricultural machines and their classification in relation to their use during a crop cycle. Detailed analysis of machines and implements used for arable and fruit cropping systems will be presented. For any kind of machine, operating principles, features, performances and possible evolution for precision agriculture application will be discussed with examples. Animal husbandry (AGR/17) Animal production: performance, protein source, ethics. Dairy production as a case study. Factor affecting profitability of dairy herd. Quality and sustainability of dairy production: management and genetics to improve milk quality. Economic sustainability and environmental footprint of dairy sector. Animal wellness in dairy farms. Precision livestock farming. Animal husbandry (AGR/17) Animal production: performance, protein source, ethics. Dairy production as a case study. Factor affecting profitability of dairy herd. Quality and sustainability of dairy production: management and genetics to improve milk quality. Economic sustainability and environmental footprint of dairy sector. Animal wellness in dairy farms. Precision livestock farming.

The course is organized in lectures, field excursion, practical analysis of case studies. A team project will be carried out by group of 3-4 students, using information both provided during the course, or freely and independently accessible. The team project will be delivered as a report (submitted on the course page by the end of the course) and presented to a panel of professors and students.

The teaching material (slides and handouts), as well as supplementary scientific papers and technical reports, will be available on http://www.polito.it on the course page.

Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group project;

The final examination consists of a written test (1 hours) made of 4 open questions. The written text will be discussed in an oral exam. The team project report is submitted at the end of the course and presented to a panel of professors and students. The final mark consists of 30% on the quality of the written test, 30% of team project and 40% considering the quality of the individual discussion.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.