Pesticides and related products

Basic knowledge of agricultural tractors

In order to achieve the objectives of the Course Unit and acquire the expected skills, the teaching and learning process is based on:

– lectures and discussions of the content by teachers and students;

– PBL (Project Based Learning) through the identification of practical problems and their resolution, using practical classes or simulations: in the handling and application of plant protection products; operations with tractors and application machinery; keeping application records, organising the warehouse and responsible sale of plant protection products.

1. Know the relevant legislation applicable to pesticides and Phytopharmaceutical Products and their use by professional users.

2. Know the general principles, the specific guidelines and the techniques of risk estimation and decision-making for cultures within the scope of integrated protection and integrated production management. 

3. Be able to carry out a comparative assessment, at the level of the professional user, aimed at responsible decision-making in the most appropriate choice of Phytopharmaceutical Products.

4. Know the rules for safety and risk reduction in the use of Phytopharmaceutical Products.

5. Know the equipment to apply the Phytopharmaceutical Products and the tractor, their operation, adjustments and maintenance.

6. Know the techniques to apply the Phytopharmaceutical Products more appropriate to each specific situation.

7. Know to regulate, calibrate and maintain the equipment and plantt protection machines. 

8. List procedures for safely storing and transporting small amounts of Phytopharmaceutical Products.

1. The relevant legislation applicable to Phytopharmaceutical Products and its use by professional users:  the Directive 2009/128/CE, 21 October, of Sustainable Pesticides Use and Law 26/2013, 11 April, that regulates the activities of distribution, sale and application of Phytopharmaceutical Products.

2. General principles, specific guidelines and techniques of risk estimation and decision-making for cultures within the scope of integrated protection and integrated production management. 

3. The risks associated with Phytopharmaceutical Products and the way of identifying and limiting them, in particular: a) risks to the people (applicators, people entering in treated areas and consumers of treated products); b) symptoms of Phytopharmaceutical Products poisoning and first aid; c) risks to non-target plants, useful insects, wild fauna and flora, biodiversity and the environment in general. Illegal Phytopharmaceutical Products, corresponding risks, as well as the methods to identify such products.

4. Measures to minimize the risks to people, non-target organisms and the environment resulting from the use of Phytopharmaceutical Products, namely the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe working methods with regard to storage, handling, preparation of spray and the disposal of empty packages, contaminated materials and surplus of Phytopharmaceutical Products, including residues of spays.

5. Equipment and application techniques for safety use of Phytopharmaceutical Products: main types, characteristics, constitution and operation. Use, conservation and maintenance. Tractor use: engine, transmission, hydraulics, instrument panel, hitch and adjustments. Application techniques: regulation, calibration and tuning, calculation of doses, concentrations and volumes of spray solution. Application equipment, conservation and maintenance.

6. Safe storage and transport of small amounts of Phytopharmaceutical Products.

Continuous assessment

Test 50% + Assignment #1a (10%) + Assignment #2b (20%) + Assignment #3c (20%) + =100%

1. A written test to assess all the theoretical and practical concepts covered in the course module - 50%.

2. PBL presentation in 3 stages:

a) Assignment #1 (10%) Identification of crop pests;

b) Assignment #2 (20%) (presentation and discussion + written support) Risk assessment methodologies and protective measures;

c) Assignment #3 (20%) Plant protection equipment, and its selection, use and calibration.

Students pass the course if they have met the minimum attendance requirement (75%) and achieved a weighted average mark of 9.5 or higher.

A student passes if they have attended 75% of the taught classes and obtained a mark of 9.5/20 or higher. In all components, the student must have a mark of over 7.5.

Exam

In each academic year, a student who does not pass during the teaching period (i.e., through continuous assessment) is eligible to sit the final exam in the Regular and Resit sessions, on dates set out in the Academic Calendar and the Exam Calendar.

NAO