Conveners
Sessione 1
- Giuseppe Di Miceli (Dip. SAAF - UniPA)
The lemon is recognized as the third most extensively cultivated citrus species worldwide, trailing only behind orange and mandarin. The enhancement in the economic value of lemons as a valuable resource in Southern Italy depends by the competitiveness of local lemons in both national and international markets. This necessitates conducting a comprehensive study that thoroughly explores the...
Wheat production is one of the most important agricultural systems, with an estimated global area of about 219 million hectares[1]. It has been shown that agricultural systems and the cereal industry as part of this, may potentially threaten biodiversity and ecosystem functions[2]. This highlights the necessity to optimise the production of wheat grain in an environmentally sustainable way[3]....
Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a pivotal agronomic practice to obtain both high yields and grain quality in durum wheat. However, since the overuse of synthetic fertilizers is raising a global concern for the environment, new crop nutrition strategies are needed to accomplish the goal of “producing more by consuming less”. The use of biostimulants was suggested as a sustainable option to...
Olive oil is an agricultural product produced mainly in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and is part of the so-called Mediterranean Diet [1]. Olive oil consumption is growing due to more informed consumers seeking the health benefits of olive oil, in addition to the search for healthier foods. The health benefits of olive oil are well known [2, 3] leading to increased olive oil...
Composting is a promising process for transforming and stabilizing sewage sludge (SS) into a valuable resource[1]. Biochar and zeolite can be used as bulking agents for composting[2]. However, their effect on the composting process, compost quality and soil-plant system upon compost application to soil have not been tested extensively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of...
Xylella fastidiosa, a notorious bacterium, poses a significant worldwide threat to fruit tree crops by disrupting the sophisticated mechanisms of water and nutrient transport within the xylem, crucial for plant growth and development, and its impact results in devastating symptoms such as leaf scorching, wilting, and the gradual dieback of branches or entire trees, severely compromising...
Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most ancient cultivated crops and, in the Mediterranean countries, it is widely used in human and animal nutrition because of its high nutritional value.
This legume is also important for the positive effect on soil productivity given by its nitrogen fixation capacity. Therefore, this species can be seen as a key crop to include in crop rotation to...
Keywords: condensed tannins, feed intake, digestibility, milk yield, cheese, fatty acids profile, antioxidant capacity
Fresh sulla forage, due to its contents in protein and condensed tannins, is known to enhance the productive responses of dairy ewes, but the same effects do not emerge when it is provided as hay [1, 2]. With the aim to improve the quality traits of sulla forage stocks,...
Sargassum muticum is native to the North Western Pacific coasts. In the Mediterranean Sea, is a noninvasive species, growing in the upper sublittoral zone, lagoons, and offshore harbors. Introduced to Europe in the late 1960s, was first recorded in the Mediterranean in the 1980s in France. Most introductions are due to anthropogenic activities, introduced through oyster farming, in Spain and...
Intercropping is proposed as one of the best practices within the agroecological approach based on functional agrobiodiversity. One of the most important functional crops that in intercropping facilitates phosphorus (P) uptake of the intercropped cereal are grain legumes [1]. Great attention is focused on their root interactions, which are mediated by root intermingling, and the role of the...
Groundwater salinization is a critical environmental problem, significantly hindering agricultural production. However, saline groundwater could represent the only available resource for irrigation in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, investigating its impacts on crops is crucial to address the challenge of maintaining agricultural productivity and sustainable development.
The aim of this...
The aim of current research was to appraise the potential impact of two biostimulants [Trichoderma atroviride and a vegetal-based protein hydrolysate (V-PH)], when applied alone or in combination, on the performance of two woodland strawberry genotypes (‘Alpine’ and ‘Regina delle Valli’). Overall, the results showed that ‘Alpine’ genotype was more productive than ‘Regina delle Valli’, although...
Medicinal and Aromatic plants (MAPs) have become a rising value all over the world in the last decades. These distinguished crops classified under industrial plants are of important raw materials in order to develop novel natural products especially in food, medicine, cosmetic, perfumery, textile industries. Although the main source of MAPs, around 80%, is wild collection from flora,...
The future of agriculture is linked to our capability to find a way to maintain profitable production systems with limited water quantity and quality. Despite a large volume of research on irrigation, there is still a gap between research advancement and its implementation, due to a tradeoff between simplicity of use and precision of the various irrigation methods. Plant-based monitoring has...
ESG is all about making a difference: to the planet, to your people and to your organization. So, what is it, and how is it important to any economic activity such as agriculture?
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It encapsulates several standards that measure how an organisation’s activities contribute to sustainable, viable development, and how that organisation...
The olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the Mediterranean's most representative and cultivated fruit crops, due to its numerous advantages on human health and ecological plasticity. Over time, many breeding programs have been conducted to select valuable genotypes with desired traits. However, one of the most important agronomic characteristics that remains a challenge is the identification of...
Grasslands are an essential component of Europe's land use, accounting for more than one-third of the continent's agricultural area. They provide food for herbivores and ruminants and deliver essential ecosystem services erosion control, water regulation, water purification, carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement, and wildfire prevention. Despite their significance, permanent grasslands in...
