Fundamentals of Entomology and Plant Pathology

General plant pathology: Concept of disease in plants. History and progress of plant pathology. Type and amount of losses, effects of changes in agricultural methods and in human society on the development and spread of plant diseases, infectious and non-infectious plant diseases. Basic procedures in plant disease diagnosis: traditional and bio-molecular methods, identification of unknown disease; Koch's rules: postulates and practice, symptoms observation. The disease cycle: inoculation, infection, colonization, inoculum dispersal and survival. Basic concepts of plant disease epidemiology: appraisal of disease incidence and severity, pattern of epidemics: host, pathogen and environmental factors affecting epidemics. Plant disease management: control strategy and methods for sustainable plant disease management. Basic concepts of biological control. Applied plant pathology: Specific plant disease models caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses, of arable crops, fruit and forest trees. New and emerging diseases.
Insect systematics. Head, torax and abdomen morphology. Integument, alimentary canal, nervous system, tracheal system and circulatory system. Reproduction: oviparity, ovoviviparity, viviparity. Egg-laying. Postembryonic development: moult and metamorphosis: ametaboly, hemimetaboly, holometaboly. Postembryonic stages: youngs, nymphs, larvae, pupae, adults. Population dynamic. Classification of Orders and Families of agricultural pest insects. Biology of key insects of main crops and orchards: Hemiptera: Halyomorpha halys, Aelia spp., Dysaphis plantaginea, Eriosoma lanigerum, Myzus persicae, Trialeurodes vaporariorum; Lepidoptera: Nottuidi, Ostrinia nubilalis, Sesamia spp., Tortricidae (Ricamatori e carpofagi); Coleoptera: Melolontha melolontha, Popillia japonica, Elateridi, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera; Diptera: Tipulidi, Tefritidi e Agromizidi, Drosophila suzuki. Evolution of insect control methods. Agronomic, mechanical and physical control, biological control, chemical control, damage threshold, integrated pest management.