Agricultural Biochemistry and Physiology of Medicinal Plants

The teaching aims to provide students with basic knowledge of the main biochemical and physiological processes in higher plants, addressing aspects related to plant primary and secondary metabolism, to plant physiology and to plant-environment interactions. These topics are discussed in relation to the productivity and quality of medicinal plants.

At the end of the teaching, students will have to know the fundamental biochemical processes related to plant physiology and to adaptation of plant to the environment. Students will have to be able to recognize the main agro-environmental factors that determine plant productivity, and to understand how these factors can influence the content of metabolites of interest in medicinal plants. Students will have to acquire basic criteria for evaluating the sustainability of production and the quality of medicinal plants.