The summer school
The school is organized by the Italian Society of Agronomy (SIA) and the Italian Society of Weed Science (SIRFI). It will provide an overview of weed science, including weed biology and ecology, soil seedbank dynamics, and key concepts such as critical period of weed control. The school also covers integrated weed management, including mechanical, agronomic (e.g. cover crops) and chemical approaches, addressing their principles, applications and evaluation, with consideration of the ecological role of spontaneous flora.
The program combines lectures (morning) with hands-on activities (afternoon), including weed and seed identification, digital tools and remote sensing, laboratory sessions and field visits. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops.
Location and duration
The course will be held at the Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroalimentari dell’Università di Bologna (DISTAL – Viale G. Fanin, 40-50, 40127, Bologna, Italy) from June 10 to 12, 2026. The course will include both practical and theoretical lessons every day from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM and from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM.
Requirements
The course will be delivered in English, or in Italian if no international students will participate. The course will be activated if the minimum number of 15 participants is reached and is open to a maximum of 25 people. Admission to the course will be subject to evaluation by the Board of the Italian Society for Weed Science. Priority will be given to SIA members who are regularly enrolled for 2026 and to PhD students. At the end of the course, an official certificate will be issued, conditional on passing a learning assessment.
Those interested in participating are invited to submit their application by filling out the form available at the link by May 2, 2026:
https://forms.office.com/e/HwRrN44ciC
Acceptance of applications will be communicated only to selected candidates by May 4, 2026.
Full Program
Register Here