Overall objectives:

1 - Understand the causes of pests and diseases and the importance of prevention in plant protection in sustainable agriculture systems.
2 - Know the effects that biotic and abiotic agents have on the normal functioning of plants and how the plant responds to these effects.
3 - Diagnose and recognize the main groups of enemies of crops-pathogens and pests.
4 - Know and evaluate the size of the populations of the enemies of the cultures as well as the populations of auxiliaries.
5 - Have knowledge on criteria for the use of phytosanitary prevention practices and evaluate the need to use means of control in a perspective of natural limitation and construction of resilient agrosystems.
6 - Know and evaluate the development potential of adventitia according to cultural techniques.
7 - Evaluate and identify suppression of herbs in different cultivation systems.

Syllabus:

1 - Introduction to plant protection. Main concepts: domain and objectives;
2 - Eevolution of Plant Protection.
3 - Basic Principles of Phytopathology.
4 - Pest concept: types of damage; life cycles; trophic relationships.
5 - Main organisms that can assume the pest status in mixed systems.
6 - Main causative agents of plant disease.
7 - Adventitious herbs and their impacts on crops. Herb management concept.
8 - Introduction to pest and disease management methods in organic farming.
9 - The implication of cultural practices and soil mobilization in increasing populations of pests and diseases as well as those of annual weed species.
10 - Concept of natural limitation of ecological infrastructure.
11 - Notion of mixed systems resilience in the development of pest populations.
12 - Biological struggle concept.
13 - Notion of Bio pesticides of plant origin.
14 - Basic concepts in Phytopharmacology.
15 - Techniques and application material.
16 - Importance and main components of the plant protection product label.
17 - Plant protection products authorized in organic farming.

Literature/Sources:

Marques, J. , 2010 , Produção sustentável de Banana. O Segredo da Terra 30 , s. ed.
Ferreira, J. et all , 2009 , As Bases da Agricultura Biológica , Edibio, Portugal
Silva, S. , 2011 , Utilização dos recursos locais para uma pecuária Sustentável. O Segredo da Terra 32 , s. ed.
Marques, J. , 2008 , Gestão das ervas em Agricultura Biológica , Edibio, Castelo de Paiva

Assesssment methods and criteria:

Classification Type: Quantitativa (0-20)

Evaluation Methodology:
The aim is to acquire and apply the knowledge provided for in the objectives and programmatic contents. through an active and student-oriented teaching methodology. The student must grasp the basic concepts and know how to relate them to each other, further reinforcing them, through applied learning using available tools and study visits to concrete situations of future professional activity. To achieve the objectives and implement the syllabus, the UC's contact hours are scheduled as follows: Theoretical-practical teaching: 13 hours; Practical and laboratory teaching: 23 hours; and Field work: 41 hours. The assessment will include several moments of assessment applied to the theoretical-practical components, laboratory practices and fieldwork (e.g. frequencies, assignments and reports), any of the elements cannot exceed a weight of 50%, the theoretical-practical elements can be recovered in resource.