Programme

Learning tasks
To increase knowledge concerning fundamental processes underlying plant life as well as provide students with basic expertise in experimental plant physiology. Plant Physiology has a primary importance in many scientific areas and applicative contexts such as plant molecular biology, plant breeding, pharmacology, plant pathology, agro-industrial biotechnology.

Expected learning outcomes: to describe theoretical aspects, in-depth knowledge, clarity of exposition, ability to apply the acquired knowledge to complex problems, language properties.

Course program
THE PLANT CELL (INCLUDING STRUCTURE, BIOGENESIS AND EXPANSION OF THE CELL WALL) - WATER AND PLANT CELLS (STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF WATER, DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS, WATER POTENTIAL) - WATER BALANCE OF THE PLANT (WATER IN THE SOIL, ABSORPTION OF THE 'WATER FROM THE ROOTS, WATER TRANSPORT THROUGH THE XYLEM, ACCLIMATION TO WATER DEFICIT IN THE SOIL, LAPLACE'S LAW, JURIN'S LAW, TRANSPIRATION, STOMATA: MORPHOLOGY, OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISMS - SOLUTE TRANSPORT (ELECTROCHEMICAL POTENTIAL, NERNST'S EQUATION, TRANSPORT PROCESSES, TRANSPORT PROTEINS) - PHOTOSYNTHESIS (GENERAL CONCEPTS, ORGANIZATION OF THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS, ANTENNA SYSTEMS, EXCITATION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS, PHOTOSYNTHETIC ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN, Z SCHEME, REDOX POTENTIAL, WATER PHOTOLYSIS, PLASTOQUINONE: STRUCTURE/FUNCTION RELATIONSHIP, PROTON TRANSPORT AND ATP SYNTHESIS, PHOTOSYNTHETIC SYSTEM REGULATION, DISSIPATION MECHANISMS, REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND DEFENSE SYSTEMS) - PHOTOSYNTHESIS: CARBON REACTIONS (CALVIN-BENSON CYCLE AND ITS REGULATION, PHOTORESPIRATION, C4 CYCLE , CAM CYCLE , ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PHOTOSYNTHATES, STARCH AND SACCHAROSE BIOSYNTHESIS) - CELLULAR RESPIRATION (GLYCOLYSIS, PHOSPHATE PENTOSE PATHWAY, CITRIC ACID CYCLE, MITOCHONDRIAL ELECTRONIC TRANSPORT, CYANIDE RESISTANT RESPIRATION, ALTERNATIVE OXIDASE) - METABOLISM OF LIPIDS - TRANSLOCATION IN FLOEMA (WAYS OF TRANSLOCATION, MODEL OF PRESSURE FLOW, LOADING, DRAINING AND ALLOCATION) 'NITROGEN AND SULFUR, ASSIMILATION OF NITRATE AND AMMONIUM, BIOLOGICAL FIXATION OF NITROGEN, ASSIMILATION OF SULFUR AND PHOSPHATE, NUTRITIONAL DEFICIT- GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - AUXIN: GENERALITIES AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION (POLAR TRANSPORT, EXTENSION GROWTH , PHOTOTROPISM, GRAVITROPISM) - GIBBERELLINES, CYTOKININES, ETHYLENE, ABSCISSIC ACID, BRASSINOSTEROIDS: GENERALITIES AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION- PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS, PHOTORECEPTORS AND RESPONSES TO VARIATIONS OF THE SPECTRAL QUALITY OF LIGHT - PHOTOPERIODISM - CONTROL OF FLOWERING.

Core Documentation

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY (IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE)
LINCOLN TAIZ- EDUARDO ZEIGER
SINAUER ASSOCIATES (FIFTH EDITION)

FISIOLOGIA VEGETALE (IN LINGUA ITALIANA)
LINCOLN TAIZ- EDUARDO ZEIGER
PICCIN EDITORE IV EDIZIONE (TRADOTTO DALLA QUINTA EDIZIONE IN LINGUA INGLESE)

Rascio et al. Elementi di Fisiologia Vegetale EdiSES

The teacher receives every day (Monday-Friday) by appointment by institutional e-mail

Type of delivery of the course

The course will take place through classroom lectures and laboratory exercises. Lectures are organized by means of power point presentations that are made available to the student. The exercises (detailed in module N. 3) are organized by groups (around 20 students each) and then replicated four times so that each student (around 90 in total) can beneficiate a single experimental position (or in pairs) and can actively participate to experimentation. Before each shift, students are adequately informed and trained about the risks inherent in the exercise and provided with safety data sheets for the materials used and individual protection devices. Students complete and countersign a declaration of training / information / training regarding the aforementioned risks. Each exercise is accompanied by a training course carried out by means of a printout which is provided to each student and which contains questions of verification of comprehension, ability to calculate, ability to apply to problems associated with the exercise.

Type of evaluation

The oral exam will consist of the discussion of topics related to the program. Laboratory exercises may also be the subject of the interview. The ability to describe the theoretical aspects, the level of detail, the clarity of exposure, the ability to apply the knowledge acquired to complex problems, the language property will be evaluated. Exams of June and July of the summer session will be carried out electronically according to the provisions of the D.R. 703/2020 ".