PhD in Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences

Climate change in crops and forests (CCCF)

Climate change in crops and forests (CCCF)

Academic year 2026/2027

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Program

This course is not available in a.y. 2025/26

TITLE: Adaptation of food/non food crops and forests to climate change.

(Climate Change in Crops and Forests – CCCF)

Climate and climate change - Claudio Cassardo - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Climate involves the earth system (atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere) with several processes that influence energy, hydrological, carbon, and other budgets. Atmospheric and oceanic circulations are primarily driven by solar radiation and transport heat, mass and water vapor from tropical to polar regions, Radiation budget is influenced by the presence of greenhouse effect, and the change of concentration of greenhouse gases is causing the recent climate change, eventually amplified by external forcings or feedback processes in the different climate system components, which can be natural (variations of solar intensity, volcanic eruptions) or anthropic.

Plant strategies for adaptation to climate constraints - Claudio Lovisolo (coordinator) - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Plant responses to rising CO2 and temperature. Plant adaptations to drought. Water relations, carbon assimilation and partitioning among different plant organs upon changing climate conditions. Present and future choices in many fields of productive life and human relationships must take in count global climate crises. The atmospheric CO2 concentration, the triggering factor of the greenhouse effect, is constantly rising, and the carbon cycle in plants could partly mitigate the effect, but the high temperatures CO2-derived increase (photo)respiration and exacerbate oxidative damages in plant organs. In parallel, the current climatic variations lead to the alternation of extreme rain events with periods of drought. In this module, eco-physiological responses to rising CO2, temperature and solar radiation, plant adaptations to drought and plant water relations, carbon assimilation and partitioning among different plant organs upon changing climate conditions are addressed, by considering biophysical, biological and molecular interrelationships.

Effects of climate change on crops and weed management - Francesco Vidotto - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Response of crops to climate change (effect of rising temperatures and CO2 levels on crop productivity and distributions). Strategies to adapt crop growing techniques: changes in seeding period, soil management, genotype/phenotype comparisons. Effects of increased CO2 and temperature on weed distribution and competition. Weed control strategies under climate change. Changes in climate may affect crops through a complex system of interactions and cause-effect relationship. Increase of CO2 levels are expected to result in an increase of productivity, in particular in C3 crops. This is increase could be counteracted by the increase of losses due to enhanced respiration following temperature rises. Increase of average temperature could also result in shorter crop cycles and modified dynamics of soil nutrient availability. Changes in total seasonal rain and rain distribution, together with changes in ET0 average values will also impact significantly on crop growth and productivity, geographical distribution of cropping systems, and weed control strategies. Adaptation to climate change may include crop growing techniques, as shift in seeding period, soil management, genotype/phenotype comparisons.

Forests in a changing climate - Renzo Motta - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

The climate crises affects the forests in two different ways: 1) the productivity and distribution of forests are affected by changes in temperature, precipitation and the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and 2) climate change will likely alter the frequency and intensity of forest disturbances, including wildfires, storms, insect outbreaks, and the occurrence of invasive species. In the same time forests and the forest sector play a significant role in climate change mitigation through the capture of CO2 in forests and wood products, as well as through material and energy substitution. Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is a targeted approach or strategy to increase the climate benefits from forests and the forest sector, in a way that creates synergies with other needs related to forests.

Mitigation Options for Reducing GreenHouse Gases (GHG) Emissions of Agroecosystems - Sivia Fogliatto - 4 h - 0.7 ECTS

Main contributors and mechanisms of GHG emissions from agricultural systems, both cultivation and livestock. Options for reducing GHG emissions, while maintaining productivity, and related efficiency. Possibility of GHG offsetting within agroecosystems. Cropping and livestock systems are pivotal contributors of GHG emissions, mainly non-CO2 species, such as N2O and CH4. Mechanisms underlying emissions are driven by soil microbial dynamics, in their turn partly determined by management techniques (i.e. fertilization, crop residue management, tillage, irrigation, green manuring, etc.). Besides addressing these processes, this module will explore available knowledge about options for reducing GHG emissions, while maintaining productivity, and related efficiency, which is nowadays robust and highly useful to support decisions of involved stakeholders. Moreover, information on how agroecosystems offer the possibility of partly offsetting GHG emissions, through C sequestration within terrestrial pools will be provided.

Genomics approaches for crop improvement against adverse climate conditions - Lorenzo Barchi - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Genetics, genomics and transcriptomic approaches to identify the genetic bases of tolerance to abiotic stresses (high temperature, water stress, salinity) with the goal to develop new crop varieties adapted to the ongoing climate changes. A case study: Identification of the genetic bases of tolerance to water stress in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes and the accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, threatens food security in many areas of the world. Modification of environmental conditions promote the emergency and exacerbation of biotic (insect, fungi, and bacteria attacks) as well as abiotic (high temperature, drought, salinity) stresses, resulting in a decrease of crop productivity. The genetic mechanisms underlying the crop response to climate changes-related stressors involve complex signaling pathways controlled by many genes and regulatory regions, but at present, these mechanisms are still poorly understood in many crops. Genetics, genomics and transcriptomics approaches represent powerful tools for deciphering the genetic bases of tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses, with the goal to develop, by applying cutting edge breeding approaches, new crop varieties adapted to the ongoing climate changes. 

Insect response to climatic variables - Chiara Ferracini - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Effects of climatic change on insect pests, with particular regard to the implications for temperature-dependent agricultural and forestry pests. Implications for invasive pest outbreaks. Forecasting insect response by modelling insect population dynamics Life table parameters of insects are sensitive to temperature, rainfall, and CO2, and thus climate change can significantly affect the development and distribution of agricultural and forest pests. In particular, climate variability may trigger changes in geographical distribution, population growth rates, number of generations, crop-pest synchrony, and pest-natural enemies synchrony. Moreover, major implications with regard to the outbreaks by exotic pests and the interactions with host trees and natural enemies are reported. Various models have been used to predict how global warming will affect insect ecosystems, and multi season observations to analyse specific crop pest systems in specific environments are necessary to forecast insect response. Current modeling technology analyzing climate change impacts on the distribution of native and exotic species is presented, and the influence of possible climatic changes into pest management systems and on the pest-host plant-natural enemy relationship will be discussed.

Plant pathogens epidemiology and control under changing climate conditions - Monica Mezzalama - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Effects of increased CO2 and temperature on fungi, bacteria, viruses, phytoplasma. Evaluation under controlled modified environmental conditions of different patho-systems in horticulture, cereals, orchards and vineyard. Analysis of different agricultural environments and spread of new, emerging or remerging plant pathogens under changed climate conditions. Plant disease control strategies under unexpected environmental conditions. The changing environment impacts on plant diseases: a susceptible host will not be infected by a virulent pathogen if the environmental conditions are not conducive for disease development. The global change in CO2 concentrations, temperature, and water availability can have positive, neutral, or negative effects on disease progress, as each disease may respond differently to these variations. Plant resistance pathways are affected by environmental factors. Temperature and humidity affect the pathogens virulence, reproduction, and survival mechanisms. We will explore the multidimensional nature of plant–pathogen interactions analyzing some case patho- systems studies. We will also evaluate how crops can cope with the adverse environmental conditions to limit the losses. The following aspects are included:

• Effects of increased CO2 and temperature on diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, phytoplasma.
• Evaluation under controlled modified environmental conditions of different pathosystems in horticulture, cereals, orchards and vineyard.
• Analysis of different agricultural environments and spread of new, emerging or remerging plant pathogens under changed climate conditions.
• Plant disease control strategies under unexpected environmental conditions.

Soils in a changing climate - Michele Freppaz - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Soil properties under a changing climate. Climate regulation potential of soils. Sustainable soil management practices (e.g. control of soil erosion, management of soil organic matter) in the context of climate change. Implementation of climate-smart soil and land management practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Climate is an important factor in soil development and a major driver of the processes of soil formation, with resulting properties which have a marked spatial and temporal variability. At the same time the soil influences the climate system, both at the local and global scales, acting as a strong carbon sink, resulting in soil being the largest terrestrial organic carbon reservoir. Changing climate is affecting these characteristics due to rising temperatures, changing precipitation intensity and frequency and more severe droughts with a concomitant expected increase in organic matter decomposition rates. Adapted climate-smart land-use and management practices including control of soil erosion and management of soil organic matter, represent key tools for climate change mitigation by storing carbon and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.

The role of Remotely Sensed Open Data for mapping climate change effects - Enrico Borgogno Mondino - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Available Open Data Archives for Multitemporal Satellite Imagery. Mapping Climate Change Effects:

• geometrical changes (Glaciers, Water bodies, Forest Cuts, treeline moving, drought spreading, etc.);
• Phenology-related variations and phenological metrics from satellite image time series;
• heat fluxes regimes from the Earth: thermal data from satellites and evapotranspiration mapping.

The availability of a great variety of Open Data Archives makes presently possible to access Multitemporal Satellite Imagery for Earth Observation. In the framework of climate change, these data represent a great heritage that makes possible to describe occurring (and occurred) changes of both geometrical and physiological properties of the observed areas. Satellite images can nowadays explore an observation period ranging from 1972 up today. They can be used to map geometrical changes affecting glaciers, water bodies, Forests, Agricultural devoted context etc. With special concern about vegetation they can be used to explore phenology-related variations and mapping phenological metrics along the years looking for eventual significant trends; moreover heat fluxes regimes can be explored by thermal data and used to describe evapotranspiration trends and pattern of heat island especially in urban areas. The course will introduce these issues with special reference about TERRA MODIS, Landsat and Sentinel Earth Observation programs.

Policy, Society and Economics adaptation to Climate change - Silvia Novelli - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Optimization of agro-food chains and transformation processes under climate change - Vladimiro Cardenia - 8 h - 1.3 ECTS

Effects of climate change on virgin olive oil production. The temperature impact on olive cultivation and damage of oilve oil produced; adaptation of technology of production. Olive trees and tolerance to soil water scarsity. Salinity on fruit yield and oil production. Effect of climate change on the composition of olive oil as well as their organoleptic properties. Piedmont case study. Tunisia case study.

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