Agricultural systems and soil science

The course will start from the definition of agroecosystems and will then focus on their components (crops, soil and atmosphere) and their interactions. First, atmospheric variables will be described and quantified, and their impact on crop development and growth will be defined. Second, the soil chemical, physical, and biological properties will be defined, as well as their impact on crop growth and on processes of interest for environmental preservation. Finally, the crop water balance and the basic elements about irrigation will be presented.
All these contents will help students to get acquainted with agroecosystems from a functional point of view, and - together with the class of Ecology - will lie down the bases to be used in subsequent classes to understand the practical applications of plants and soils in forestry, nature-based solutions, water management, and environmental remediation.
Most of the contents will be delivered via lectures, integrated with short sessions dedicated to calculations.

Knowledge and understanding. The students will:
· know and understand the basic characteristics of atmosphere and soil.
· know and understand the processes of the soil-crop-atmosphere system that affect crop growth and development, and those that are of environmental interest.
Applying knowledge and understanding. The students will be able to:
· understand the interactions among soil, crop and atmosphere for a given agroecosystem.
· run simple calculations about crop growth and development in response to fundamental soil and atmospheric properties.
· understand how soil, crop, and atmosphere can impact the processes of environmental interest.