AGRI_EE1 – Smart Agriculture

Course Content

Lectures

  1. Introduction to Smart Agriculture. Integrated approach to management of agricultural activity. Utilization of modern technologies. Digital transformation of the agricultural sector. Input control Modern digital Information and Communication Technologies and planned methods of data collection, processing, storage, and dissemination. Outdoor broadband.
  2. Internet of Things (IoT) and Agriculture 4.0. Analysis of big data (BigData). The future of IoT: 5th Generation (5G) requirements, architecture, infrastructure, and applications. Automatic Control Systems, Digital technologies (ICT), and Process Configuration in greenhouse systems Integrated IoT-based greenhouse control robotic systems (cablebot – agbot)
  3. Factors of production (soil/climate, labor, capital – inputs, management). Agricultural productivity. Relationship between agriculture and environment in a sustainable way.
  4. Automatic Control Systems and Process Regulation. New technologies in fertilization, irrigation, and crop protection. Data collection and analysis methods. Organization of data for analytical processing Greenhouse microclimate control and agricultural units Nutrition Control in Hydroponic Crops
  5. Meteorological applications and data management Internet applications. Analysis, design, and architecture of web applications. Big Data, cloud computing and data centers. Key features of SDN networks. Artificial Intelligence Applications.  Input – output of energy. Reduced use of inputs that have a negative impact on the environment, to cover the objectives related to agriculture.
  6. Spatio-temporal variation of the properties and characteristics of the soil, the crop, and other parameters of the plot of land
  7. Principles and methods of precision agriculture management. Methods and applications of crop characteristic mapping.  Global Positioning System (GNSS) systems and accuracy.
  8. Production mapping sensors.  Sensors for measuring soil and crop parameters.
  9. Remote sensing applications to measure variability for agricultural applications  Surface modeling and spatial interpolation. Precision agriculture data analysis.  Application of variable input rates, and crop diversification.
  10. Unmanned vehicles as sensor carriers for measuring variability in the field.  Applications of precision agriculture in Greece. The laboratory exercises aim to deepen and familiarize the students with the concepts and methodologies analyzed in the theoretical part. Particularly:
  11. Use and applications of G.P.S.
  12. Software applications in precision agriculture.
  13. Analog map scanning and georeferencing – Import, process, and rendering of cartographic data. – Composition and production of thematic maps in a digital environment. – Applications in Precision Agriculture
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE2 – Irrigation and Drainage using Information and Communication Technology

Course Content

Lectures

  1. Hydrological cycle – Water balance parameters.
  2. Processes and mechanisms of irrigation water interaction with soil.
  3. Principles of operation of measuring sensors: a) soil water parameters, b) irrigation water quantities, c) agrometeorological parameters
  4. Data acquisition and recording systems.
  5. Agrometeorological data management systems (Part Ι).
  6. Agrometeorological data management systems (Part ΙΙ).
  7. Decision support systems for irrigation (Part Ι).
  8. Decision support systems for irrigation (Part ΙΙ).
  9. Decision support systems for irrigation (Part ΙΙΙ).
  10. Decision support systems for irrigation (Part ΙV).
  11. Implementation of software for the design of irrigation-drainage networks and irrigation planning (Part Ι).
  12. Implementation of software for the design of irrigation-drainage networks and irrigation planning (Part ΙΙ)
  13. Implementation of software for the design of irrigation-drainage networks and irrigation planning (Part ΙΙΙ).

Laboratory exercises

  • Laboratory exercise 1: Indirect methods for determining soil moisture and pressure load of soil water. Reference methods. Automatic data recording and retrieval
  • Laboratory exercise 2: Use of internet services and tools to retrieve weather information and soil parameters
  • Laboratory exercise 3: Development of an application for retrieving information of hydraulic properties of soils in a geographic information system
  • Laboratory exercise 4: Design of a daily dynamic irrigation program using agrometeorological data using spreadsheets
  • Laboratory exercise 5 Use of software for the design of irrigation/drainage systems and irrigation planning (Part Ι).
  • Laboratory exercise 6 Use of software for the design of irrigation/drainage systems and irrigation planning (Part ΙΙ)
  • Laboratory exercise 7: Recapitulation – Exemplary solution of exercises
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE3 – Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Course Content

Lectures

  1. Equations of motion for boundary layers
  2. Hydraulic characteristics of open channel flow
  3. Surface and internal wave theory
  4. Advection diffusion equation
  5. Sediment and associated contaminant transport in lakes and streams
  6. Mixed layer modeling in lakes
  7. Remediation
  8. Transport processes at the air/water interface
  9. Turbulent diffusion
  10. Heat and mass transport in porous media
  11. Water quality modelling in reservoirs
Detailed Course Outline
AAGRI_EE4 – Pollution and Protection of the Rural Enviroment

Course Content

Lectures

  • Pollution and Environmental Protection
  • Natural Water and Wastewater: Natural and Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water
  • Processes in natural waters
  • Pollution of Water Systems (Pollution from Organic Wastes, Suspended Solids, Heat Pollution)
  • Pollution of Water Systems (Pollution from Pharmaceuticals, Heavy Metals)
  • Bioaccumulation of pollutants
  • Eutrophication, Eutrophication Indicators of Water
  • Microbial contamination of water
  • Natural water-purification mechanisms
  • Purification of potable water
  • General Principles of Water and Waste Water Purification
  • Biological Waste Water Treatment Advanced Oxidation
  • Processes for water and wastewater treatment
  • Water Quality Regulations: Potable Water, Water for Animal Production, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Laboratory Exercises

  1. Introduction to the Laboratory – Safety and health rules
  2. Sampling water – Sample maintenance
  3. Organoleptic characteristics of water: Color-Odor-Taste-Turbidity
  4. Physical Characteristics of Water: Electrical Conductivity-pH-Salinity
  5. Physical Characteristics of Water: Hardness – Ca2 +, Mg2 +
  6. Physical Characteristics of Water: Determination of Total Suspended Solids
  7. Inorganic Water Components: Spectrophotometric determination of ammonium
  8. Inorganic Water Components: Determination of nitrate, sulphate and phosphate using ionic chromatography
  9. Organic Water Components: Determination of Chemically Oxygen Demand (COD)
  10. Organic Water Components: Determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
  11. Determination of chlorophylls
  12. Microbiological examination of water-Nutrients
  13. Microbiological examination of water-Determination of the total number of microorganisms
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE5 – Systems Simulation and Modeling of Agrobiosystems

Course Content

Lectures

  1. The agrobiosystems
    • The Biosphere,
    • Systems concepts
  1. Systemic Properties of Agrobiosystems, Case studies
  2. Systems Methodologies
    • General systems methodology
    • Life cycle assessment
    • Biological modeling
    • Data analysis
    • Steps in agrobiosystems Modeling
    • System Classification
    • Input Functions of Time
    • Output Functions of Time
  1. Simple models of population dynamics
    • birth-death processes in discrete and continuous time.
    • Review of linear homogeneous differential equations (DE) of 1st order with constant coefficients, and of linear homogeneous difference equations of 1st order with constant coefficients.
  1. Interacting population models: Growth and Feedback in Population Biology
    • Exponential growth equation
    • Logistic equation: The logistic model of population dynamics, its analytical solution and the analysis of its solutions. Fixed points (FP) and their stability in single-state models.
    • Lotka-Voterra’s predator-prey equation
    • Multispecies extension of Lotka-Volterra and Holling – Tanner prey-predator models.
    • Phase diagrams, fixed points and periodic orbits in multi-state models.
    • Local stability of fixed points in multi-state models. Review of the concepts of eigenvector and eigenvalue from Linear Algebra.
    • The dynamics of infection
    • Feedback analysis
    • Steady state and isocline analysis
  1. Conservation of Mass in Natural Resource Systems
    • Simple compartmental models with in- and out-flows and their limiting behavior.
    • One-compartment system
    • Two-compartment system
    • Three-compartment system
    • Multiple-compartment system
  1. Oscillations and Stability in Biological Systems
    • Simple harmonic motion
    • Damped motion
    • Damped forced vibrations
    • Forced free vibrations
    • Stability test by the isocline and phase-plane methods
  1. Linear homogeneous difference systems of 1st order with constant coefficients, their solution and stability. Applications to Leslie models.
  2.  Introduction to Markov chains.
  3. Applications of Markov chains in agrobiosystems.
  4. Food-chain models in agrobiosystems.
  1. Parameter optimization in biosystems
  2.  Sustainability
    • Sustainable harvesting
    • Fisheries management
    • Nutrient loading

Laboratory exercises

  1. Τhe steps to develop a simulation model. The agrobiosystem as a case study
  2. Mechanistic modelling of plant growth. Input/Output functions of time
  3. Simple models of population dynamics
  4. Interacting population models (Exponential growth equation, Logistic equation, Lotka-Voterra’s predator-prey equation)
  5. Phase diagrams, fixed points and periodic orbits in multi-state models. Parameter optimization in the agrobiosystems
  6. Conservation of mass in natural resource systems: Simple compartmental models with in- and out-flows and their limiting behavior.
  7. Computer Simulation in Plant growth (DSSAT model, GreenLab model, CropSyst model)
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE6 – Aromatic & Medicinal Plants

Course Content

Lectures

  1. Historical review and importance of Aromatic and Medicinal plants.
  2. Global, European, and Greek reality of Aromatic and Medicinal plants.
  3. Botanical classification, description, biology, and ecology.
  4. Measures to preserve and utilize native flora in their natural environment.
  5. Main cultivated aromatic and medicinal plants.
  6. Plant cultivation techniques of great importance for our country (propagating material, selection criteria for aromatic and medicinal plants).
  7. Cultivation care, control of weeds, enemies, and diseases).
  8. Application of Integrated Management to aromatic and medicinal plants.
  9. Collection-harvesting criteria and methods
  10. Conservation (fresh and dried aromatic and medicinal plants)
  11. Aromatic and medicinal plants of particular economic interest.
  12. Isolation technologies of essential oils and bioactive substances.
  13. Basic elements of essential oil chemistry and biological action.
  14. Their uses in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Laboratory Exercises:

  1. Terminology, and presentation of aromatic medicinal plants.
  2. Cultivation techniques and bioclimatic conditions
  3. Cultivation of the main species in Greece.
  4. Cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants in containers.
  5. Collection and post-collection management of aromatic products.
  6. Technologies for the isolation of essential oils and bioactive substances.
  7. Educational Excursion.
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE7 – Applied Soil Science

Course Content

Lectures

  • Soil units (description and behavior of soil units.
  • Soil genesis and related functions of the main soil units of Greece.
  • Processes of soil formation (adding materials to the soil body, loss of materials from the soil body, movement of materials to the soil body, transformation of materials to the soil body).
  • Formation of A and B horizons. Clay-calcic horizon formation. Mathematical models of soil genesis. Soil functions.
  • Soil classification (Physical classification systems and soil taxonomic units, Numerical soil classification systems.).
  • Pedon, levels, and diagnostic horizons. Interpretation of the presence of soil genetic features (iron-manganese outcrops, iron-manganese concretions).
  • Fertility – fertilization needs and their fertilization treatment.
  • Soil mapping (interpretation of soil data and maps)
  • Soil studies. Land use.
  • Alternative land resource utilization systems.
  • Evaluation of soil resources (evaluation systems).
  • Suitability of soil units for specific crops and uses. Cultivation groups.
  • Degradation and protection of soil resources (physical, chemical degradation, desertification, erosion).
Detailed Course Outline
AGRI_EE8 – Practical Exercise

Course Content

Students’ placement is an optional course. One faculty member of Agricultural Department is placement supervisor. This course includes a scientifical and professional work. Students have to keep work/tasks colander with their progress for evaluation purposes.

Detailed Course Outline