Features and objectives

Common objectives

The common objective of the course is to deepen the interdisciplinary skills of the Agricultural Sciences, acquired in specific laboratories and in the open field (experimental farms), as well as in collaboration with affiliated institutions and research agencies, under the supervision of an academic mentor. The PhD programme in Agricultural Sciences also promotes internationalisation through research periods abroad, co-supervision agreements with foreign researchers, the conclusion of agreements with foreign universities and research institutes, and the presence of researchers from national and international universities and research institutes on the teaching staff.
 

Didactics

The course is taught over three years and aims to train people capable of contributing to innovation and the scientific and technological development of society. Each year, a three-year teaching plan is formulated for the newly activated doctoral cycle.

The preparation of PhD students is oriented both towards university teaching and towards employment in public and private research organisations, industry and services.

The total teaching commitment is 180 Research Training Credits (CFR). For admission to the second year 42 CFRs are required and for admission to the third year 102 CFRs are required. All CFRs must be obtained by the third year of the course. Common and specific teaching activities require that 1 CFR is equivalent to 5 hours of lectures and 25 hours of total commitment of the doctoral student.

Attendance is compulsory, with a maximum of 25% absences out of the total number of scheduled lectures and a minimum attendance of 75% for each course. For PhD students without a scholarship, the minimum compulsory attendance is 30% for each course.

In order to encourage stays abroad and internships, PhD students engaged in off-site research activities may be exempted from attending scheduled lectures, although they must sit the final exams. In addition, those who have attended courses similar to the course at the host institution may request an assessment of the CFRs they have accrued. The decision on assessment rests with the Course Committee.

At the end of each academic year, the student must submit a report on the activities undertaken during the year. The report is assessed by the College for admission to the following year and for the recognition of CFRs relating to research activity.

Curriculum Agrometeorology and ecophysiology of agricultural and forest ecosystems 
(Reference Professors: Prof. Roberto Furesi and Prof. Costantino Sirca)

The research lines mainly concern:

• Analysis of the impact of climate on agriculture and forest and natural ecosystems, with a focus on adaptation and mitigation dynamics and techniques.
• Study of micrometeorological processes in agricultural, forest and natural systems and the dynamics governing the carbon balance.
• Analysis of ecophysiological processes in Mediterranean environments with reference to water stress conditions.
• Analysis of land use, with reference to the identification of bioclimatic indices, agricultural and forestry suitability studies and the management of green areas.
• Modelling and simulation of crop water requirements and estimation of irrigation efficiency, considering the climate change underway.
• Analysis of interactions between climate change and forest fire risk.
• Development and validation of models for studying the functionality and productivity of forest and agricultural systems.
• Management and utilisation of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity for the sustainability of cropping systems.
• Economic impacts of climate change on agricultural systems.
• Economics and policies of fire management activities.
   

Microbial biotechnology and food technology curriculum 
(Reference Professors: Prof. Costantino Fadda and Ilaria Mannazzu)

The research lines mainly concern:

• Physiological and genetic characterisation of bacteria, yeasts and fungi, also in relation to their use in the biotechnology and food industry.
• Characterisation of the microbiota in agricultural, forestry, agro-food, animal husbandry and water ecosystems.
• Selection of starter strains for agro-food processes.
• Chemical-physical and sensory characterisation of food products and impact of processing/conservation operations on the evolution of key biochemical parameters.
• Impact of processing/preservation operations on the content and activity of biological components in food.
• Determinants of plant pathogenicity and mycotoxigenic capacity in filamentous fungi and development of alternative containment strategies.
• Metabolomics as a new approach to nutritional research and its utility in the study of the food and gut microbiota.
   

Curriculum Monitoring and control of forest ecosystems in Mediterranean environments
(Reference Professors: Paola Castaldi and Filippo Gambella)

The research lines mainly concern:

• Study of Mediterranean forest biodiversity.
• Climate-soil-biocenosis relations and the influence of anthropic factors on forest ecosystems.
• Indicator species for monitoring the state of degradation of forest ecosystems.
• Identification of qualitative models for different forest and mountain ecosystems by monitoring the main biological, geochemical and environmental indicators.
• Definition of sustainable strategies aimed at recovering and rehabilitating degraded areas and improving the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil and crop production.
• Development of sustainable agroforestry systems and renaturalisation models for areas subject to reforestation with exotic species.
• Evaluation of the state of natural balance through the study of the composition of biocenoses and identification of the taxonomic groups most sensitive to environmental pollution factors.
• Studies on the bio-ecology of the main pathogens and phytophages in forest populations and their means of control.
• Genetic biotechnology applied to taxonomic phylogeny and environmental diagnostics.
• Spatial information systems for monitoring and multidimensional representation of the elements studied.
   

Curriculum Cultivated Plant Productivity
(Reference Professors: Prof. Domenico Rau and Sara Melito)

The main lines of research concern:

• Study of biological and agronomic factors influencing the production, growth and development of horticultural and floricultural species in protected cultivation and in the open field.
• Evaluation of new sources of bioproducts with a bioactivating and fertilising function (struvite, biostimulants, lombricompost) for plant production and improvement of the quality of food of plant origin.
• Integrative multi-omics approaches to identify the genetic basis of plant adaptation to environmental change, identify genes of agronomic and economic relevance and facilitate crop improvement for climate resilience and higher nutritional value.
• Population genetics to inform breeding strategies and increase genetic gain.
• Molecular profiling and barcoding of individual plants or populations of plant species of agricultural interest.
• Physiology of cereal and grain legume crops adapted to the Mediterranean environment, with emphasis on phenology, resource use efficiency, cropping systems for marginal areas, ancient cultivars and species, and cereal grain quality.
• Agricultural strategies for the recovery of marginal or abandoned areas in the Mediterranean and their conversion into new agricultural systems
• Eco-friendly strategies for weed management in agro-ecosystems.
• Production physiology of tree species adapted to the Mediterranean environment, with a focus on the physiological effects of winter and green pruning on the yield and quality of wine grapes, as well as on the efficiency of water use under conditions of limited water availability.

Livestock science and technology curriculum
(Reference Professors: Corrado Dimauro and Fabio Correddu)

The main lines of research concern:

• Study of the nutrition of animals of zootechnical interest, feeding techniques and methods for evaluating livestock feeds.
• Mathematical-statistical modelling applied to biological processes of zootechnical interest, production systems and the environmental impact of livestock farming.
• Studies on the relationship between the nutrition of the main species of livestock interest and the quality and safety of food products of animal origin.
• Studies on genetic improvement and the enhancement of biodiversity in species of livestock interest through quantitative and biotechnological genetics tools.
• Studies on the breeding techniques of terrestrial and aquatic species of livestock interest.
• Studies on the optimisation of zootechnical systems, the efficiency of machines and plants in livestock breeding, the relationship between animal management techniques and animal welfare.
• Economics and policies of sustainable and competitive livestock management.

Desertification and Land Degradation Curriculum
(Reference Professors: Giovanna Seddaiu and Giovanni Garau)

The main lines of research concern:

The research topics of this curriculum focus on all forms of land degradation, understood as the loss of actual or potential productivity or utility of land due to natural or anthropogenic factors affecting food production and security, livelihoods and the production and provision of other ecosystem goods and services. In this context, desertification is a form of land degradation that occurs in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid dry areas globally.

The specific research lines of the curriculum are:

• Factors and forces leading to land degradation and desertification.
• Impacts of climate change on land degradation and desertification.
• Monitoring and assessment methodologies at different scales (from field to landscape).
• Mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat land degradation and desertification.
• Socio-economic and policy dimensions of land degradation and desertification.