Ueli Merz: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2015 |
| Name | Mr Ueli Merz |
| ueli.merz@usys.ethz.ch | |
| URL | http://www.spongospora.net |
| Department | Environmental Systems Science |
| Relationship | Lecturer |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 751-1000-00L | Interdisciplinary Project Work   Prerequisite: successful completion of the bachelor programme. | 3 credits | 4U | B. Dorn, E. Frossard, L. Meile, H. Adelmann, N. Buchmann, C. De Moraes, P. A. Fischer, M. C. Härdi-Landerer, M. Kreuzer, U. Merz, S. Peter, M. Schuppler, M. Siegrist, J. Six, S. E. Ulbrich, A. Walter | |
| Abstract | Die Studierenden der Agrar- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften erarbeiten in interdisziplinären Teams Lösungen für Probleme, welche ihnen von Projektpartner im Bereich der Nahrungsmittelwertschöpfungskette gestellt werden. | ||||
| Learning objective | Die Studierenden kennen - die Grundlagen des Zeit- und Projektmanagements - Vorgehensweisen, um Probleme, die ihnen von Projektpartnern gestellt werden, zielorientiert zu lösen. | ||||
| Content | Die Studierenden der Agrar- und Lebensmittelwissenschaft erarbeiten in interdisziplinären Teams Lösungen für Probleme, welche ihnen von Projektpartnern entlang der Nahrungsmittelwertschöpfungskette gestellt werden. Die Studierenden präsentieren und diskutieren die Lösungsvorschläge an der Schlussveranstaltung mit den Projektpartnern und verfassen einen schriftlichen Projektbericht. | ||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Die Anwesenheit der Studierenden an der Startveranstaltung am 26.2.2015 gemäss speziellem Programm ist Pflicht. | ||||
| 751-4505-00L | Plant Pathology II | 2 credits | 2G | B. McDonald, U. Merz | |
| Abstract | Plant Pathology II focuses on disease control in agroecosystems based on biological control, pesticide applications and breeding of resistant crop cultivars. The genetics of pathogen-plant interactions will be explored in detail as a basis for understanding the development of boom-and-bust cycles and methods that may be used to prevent the evolution of pathogen virulence and fungicide resistance. | ||||
| Learning objective | An understanding of the how biological control, pesticides and plant breeding can be used to achieve sustainable disease control. An understanding of the genetic basis of pathogen-plant interactions and appropriate methods for using resistance to control diseases in agroecosystems. | ||||
| Content | Plant Pathology II will focus on disease control in agroecosystems based on biological control, pesticide applications and breeding of resistant crop cultivars. The genetics of pathogen-plant interactions will be explored in detail as a basis for understanding the development of boom-and-bust cycles and methods that may be used to prevent the evolution of pathogen virulence and fungicide resistance. Lecture Topics and Tentative Schedule Week 1 Biological control: biofumigation, disease declines, suppressive soils. Week 2 Biological control: competitive exclusion, hyperparasitism. Week 3 Chemical control: History of fungicides in Europe, fungicide properties, application methods. Week 4 Fungicide categories and modes of action, antibiotics, fungicide development, fungicide safety and risk assessment (human health). Week 5 Resistance to fungicides. Genetics of fungicide resistance, ABC transporters, risk assessment, fitness costs. FRAC risk assessment model vs. population genetic risk assessment model. Week 6 Genetics of pathogen-plant interaction: genetics of pathogens, genetics of plant resistance, major gene and quantitative resistance, acquired resistance. Flor's GFG hypothesis and the quadratic check, the receptor and elicitor model of GFG, the guard model of GFG. Week 7 Resistance gene structure and genome distribution, conservation of LRR motifs across eukaryotes. Genetic basis of quantitative resistance. QTLs and QRLs. Connections between MGR and QR. Durability of QR. Week 8 Genetic resistance: Costs, benefits and risks. Week 9 Non-host resistance. Types of NHR. NHR in Arabidopsis with powdery mildews. NHR in maize and rice. Avirulence genes and pathogen elicitors. PAMPs, effectors, type-III secretion systems, harpins in bacteria. Fungal avirulence genes. Week 10 Easter holiday no class. Week 11 Sechselauten holiday no class. Week 12 Host-specific toxins. GFG for toxins and connection to apoptosis. Fitness costs of virulence alleles. Diversifying selection in NIP1. Week 13 Boom and bust cycles for resistance genes and fungicides and coevolutionary processes. Pathogen genetic structure and evolutionary potential. Genetic structure of pathogen populations in agroecosystems, risk assessment for pathogen evolution and breeding strategies for durable resistance. Week 14 Resistance gene and fungicide deployment strategies for agroecosystems. Week 15 Genetic engineering approaches to achieve disease resistant crops. | ||||
| Lecture notes | Lecture notes will be available for purchase at the cost of reproduction. | ||||
| Literature | Lecture notes will be available for purchase at the cost of reproduction. | ||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Plant Pathology I provides a good preparation for Plant Pathology II, but is not a prerequisite for this course. | ||||
| 751-4506-00L | Plant Pathology IV | 2 credits | 2G | U. Merz, M. Maurhofer Bringolf | |
| Abstract | Identification based on host, symptoms and micro-morphology, completed with life cycles and related control measures of the most important fungal diseases and their causal pathogens of annual and perennial crops with agricultural significance. | ||||
| Learning objective | The students will learn and train preparation skills for microscopy, aquire knowledge of selected diseases (identification, biology of pathogen, epidemiology) and understand the corresponding integrated control measures practiced in Swiss agriculture. | ||||
| Content | The course will partly be an e-learning excercise (with computers). | ||||
| Lecture notes | A script will be used on annual and perennial crops and their most important diseases. It will be updated stepwise | ||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The course will be in German (spec. nomenclature) | ||||