Download the Sustainable Agriculture postgraduate programme as PDF file [223KB]
The first year students are introduced to some basic principles on a wide variety of modules relative to sustainable agriculture:
Introductory course: agroecology and sustainable farming systems (integrated crop management and organic farming), ecotoxicology, agroenvironmental indicators, quality assurance and legislation
Natural resources management: soil degradation, sustainable soil and water management, irrigation and drainage
Assessment of genetic resources: agrobiodiversity, seed production & conservation, in vitro plant propagation (plant tissue culture)
Crop protection: plant/pest biointeractions and integrated pest management, fungal and bacterial disease management, insect and weed management, detection and epidemiology of plant viruses, biotechnological approaches to crop protection
Greenhouse management: crop modelling and bioclimatology, greenhouse technologies, soilless culture (hydroponics)
Sustainable methodologies (case studies): fertilization, crop protection and production methods for several Mediterranean farming systems (olive trees, vegetables, citrus, vineyard) In the second year, successful students will be incorporated to suitable research projects in order to develop independent thinking in well-equipped laboratories leading to a M.Sc. degree.
The programme is organized in 8 sections
The Cycle includes introductory courses on Scientific English and use of Computer.
Most plant improvement programs in agricultural research involve experiments in which data are collected on genotype response across environments. Scientists must extract pertinent information from these data to make timely decisions on genotype recommendation, release or selection and on site selection for subsequent trials. The role of biometry in advancing knowledge in experimental design, analysis and interpretation of such data is of direct relevance to the economic viability of most rural industries. This cycles is devoted to the design of field experiments and the investigation of genotype environment interactions for primary economic plant attributes (yield and quality).
This cycle is an introductory overview to sustainability. It is a thorough presentation of the ecological aspects of sustainability, the toxic effects of chemicals to the environment, the environmental indicators and how they are used to measure impact to the environment, analysis of sustainable, organic farming systems and finally precision agriculture. The last course in this module, the pertinent legislation used to certify quality assurance is presented.
This cycle deals with the basic aspects of soil science and water management and how these resources can be used in a sustainable way. Soil properties and processes, soil as related to the environment and soil degradation problems and solutions. The water management course will emphasize water balance of agricultural lands, agricultural water use efficiency and sustainable on-farm irrigation.
Modern agriculture has a significant impact on agrobiodiversity. Equally, loss of biodiversity can have significant impacts on agroecosystems. Ways to measure and manage agrobiodiversity are essential tools of a sustainable agroecosystem. An important element of biodiversity conservation is the seed storage technology in seed banks. This technology requires knowledge on seed biology and seed germination and viability testing. Alternative technologies exist for germplasm that cannot be conserved with seeds such as recent advances in tissue culture and cryopreservation of vegetative material.
This cycle is devoted to plant pest (fungi and bacteria, viruses, insects) and weeds management. Basic principles and techniques of integrated pest and weed management will be presented. Selected biotechnological advances on crop protection will be presented.
This is a module on greenhouse management and hydroponic systems. The first part emphasizes greenhouse structures, environment and equipment for climate control. In addition, topics on energy saving technologies and renewable resources will also be covered extensively. The soilless culture course will cover hydroponic systems, their equipment, and water and nutrient management. Finally, disinfection strategies will be also introduced. Complementary to this topic is the subject of how the microclimate can influence crop growth and how the growth pattern can be assessed using computation and modeling. The bioclimatology course will focus on energy balance and plant responses to environmental factors while the crop modeling topics will emphasize how and why is used as a tool and present several case studies.
Case studies focused on the following crops will be presented: olives, grapes, citrus and vegetables.
[4 ECTS] – from October to November
SAG.511 – Scientific English (3 ECTS)
SAG.512 – Introduction to Computers (1 ECTS)
[3 ECTS] – October
SAG.521 – Crop Experimentation (3 ECTS)
[12 ECTS] – November-December
SAG.531 – Agro-Ecosystems and Population Dynamics (3 ECTS)
SAG.532 – Ecotoxicology (3 ECTS)
SAG.533 – Agro-Environmental Impact Assessment and Farm Management (3 ECTS)
SAG.534 – Quality Assurance & Good Agriculture Practice (3 ECTS)
[9 ECTS] – January
SAG.541 – Soil Properties and Quality Assessment (2 ECTS)
SAG.542 – Compost Technology (1 ECTS)
SAG.543 – Nutrient Management and Soil Fertility Improvement (3 ECTS)
SAG.544 – Optimal Water Use (3 ECTS)
[9 ECTS] – February
SAG.551 – Agrobiodiversity (3 ECTS)
SAG.552 – Seed Production and Quality Management (2 ECTS)
SAG.553 – Plant Breeding (1 ECTS)
SAG.554 – Biotechnological Approaches to Plant Propagation (3 ECTS)
[18 ECTS] – March-April
SAG.561 – Plant/Pest interactions & Integrated Pest Management (3 ECTS)
SAG.562 – Fungal and Bacterial Disease Management (3 ECTS)
SAG.563 – Detection and Epidemiology of Plant Virus Diseases (3 ECTS)
SAG.564 – Insect Management (3 ECTS)
SAG.565 – Weed Management ((3 ECTS)
SAG.566 – Biotechnological Approaches to Crop Protection (3 ECTS)
[9 ECTS] – May
SAG.571 – Crop Modeling and Bioclimatology (3 ECTS)
SAG.572 – Greenhouse Technology and Climate Control (3 ECTS)
SAG.573 – Soilless Culture (3 ECTS)
June
SAG.VIII – Case Studies in Organic and Integrated Production (olive trees, vegetables, citrus trees, grapevine)
Research Project (9 month duration)
Requirement : 60 ECTS credits Laboratory techniques (Related to the subject of the Master Thesis)
Research Subject Areas: (topics generally available for Master of Science thesis)
Last update: 03 of February, 2012