FORAGE CROPS

The course aims to provide a deep knowledge on forage crops and forage systems in semi-arid Mediterranean environment. The acquired skills will allow the student to manage the production process in order to improve the farm feed self-sufficiency, the increase of forage supply and the quality of forage production in relation to the social, economic, cultural, ecological and landscape context in which the farm operates. In order to reach this goals, the study will cover the establishment of temporary grasslands, their productivity and quality; the qualitative and quantitative characterization of permanent grasslands and pastures, their management and possible improvement; the organization of stable and balanced forage systems at farm and regional scale.

The course will be structured as follows:

• Lectures
• Participated lessons
• Cooperative lessons
• Analysis of case studies

1. Forage crops: general description, historical outline, ecological and environmental value, climate relationship.
2. Forage crops: agronomic classification
3. Economic importance of forage crops in the world, in Italy, in Sicily.
4. Temporary forage crops
   1. autumn-spring annual species: main grasses, legumes and cruciferous species; botanical features, biology, environmental needs, cultural technique, production and quality.
   2. spring-summer annual species: main grasses species, botanical features, biology, environmental needs, cultural technique, production and quality.
   3. perennial forage crops: historical importance in the context of Italian forage production; main grasses and legume species, cultivation techniques and utilizations, production and quality.
5. Pastureland (natural permanent pastures): definitions and agro-ecosystems functions; pastoral resources in the world and in the Mediterranean countries; pasture vegetation types and their analysis methods, productivity of pasture (direct methods and simulation models), forage quality, agronomic improvement, grazing management.
6. The forage system: study methods.
7. Case studies of Mediterranean forage systems

1. BALDONI R., GIARDINI L., 2002. Coltivazioni erbacee – Foraggere e tappeti erbosi. Patron, Bologna. DISPA – Le colture da energia di possibile coltivazione in Italia (a cura dei docenti della sezione di Scienze Agronomiche)
2. BERTONI G., RONCHI B., BERNABUCCI U., 1991. Valorizzazione dei foraggi prativi in relazione alle tipologie di allevamento. Rivista di Agronomia, 25, 2, 127-147.
3. CASSANITI S., COSENTINO S., COPANI V., RIGGI E., 2002. Disponibilità di risorse foraggere e movimenti zonali degli animali in allevamento nell’area dei Monti Nebrodi. Giornata di Studio su “La Transumanza: tecnica antica e tecnologie moderne”, Firenze, 27 settembre 2001. Atti Accademia dei Georgofili, XLVIII, 573-608.
4. CAVALLERO A., CIOTTI, A., 1991. Aspetti agronomici dell’utilizzazione dei prati e dei pascoli. Rivista di Agronomia, 25, 2, 81-126.
5. CERETI F. C., TALAMUCCI P., 1991. Possibilità di studio e di organizzazione del sistema foraggero pratopascolivo. Rivista di Agronomia, 25, 2, 148-169.
6. COSENTINO S, CASSANITI S., COPANI V, CORLETO A, ZILIOTTO U., 2003. Ruolo agronomico delle leguminose foraggere. Rivista di Agronomia 37: 79-88.
7. TALAMUCCI P., 1997. Combinazione delle risorse pascolive nei sistemi foraggeri e loro ruolo nei sistemi multiuso. Rivista di Agronomia, 31, 1, 107-107
8. Appunti del docente.