La Carta Acquisti Sperimentale per la lotta alla povert\ue0. Il caso di Bologna

Tra il marzo 2014 e il luglio 2015 a Bologna \ue8 stata attivata la Carta acquisti sperimentale per la lotta alla povert\ue0, rivolta a famiglie con almeno un minore caratterizzate da un forte disagio economico. L\u2019articolo affronta l\u2019analisi del processo di implementazione della misura mettendo a fuoco le dinamiche della sperimentazione in termini di accesso, selezione, gestione e monitoraggio, entro un percorso comune di studi di caso condotti anche a Bari, Catania, Milano, Roma e Torino

Hydrological and hydraulic behaviour of a surface flow constructed wetland treating agricultural drainage water in northern Italy

A surface flow constructed wetland (SFCW) treating agricultural drainage water was investigated with the aim to detect modifications in hydrological and hydraulic characteristics after more than a decade of operation. Ponded infiltration tests were conducted to estimate the saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of the surface soil layer at the point scale. At the global scale, infiltration rate, i, was computed from the water balance to detect leakages from the pervious wetland surface. Tracer tests were conducted to analyse the existence of preferential flow inside the system and to estimate its hydraulic retention time (HRT). Clogging phenomena occurred given a mean Ks value of 30 mm h 121 was measured near the SFCW inlet, that was 9.61 times lower than the value at the outlet zone. The estimated infiltration losses were two orders of magnitude lower than infiltration measured at the point scale. The results also confirmed the existence of a moderate amount of preferential flow paths and dead zones in the SFCW as the actual HRT (6.7 days) was shorter than the nominal one (8.1 days). Despite this, it can be concluded that the system performance is still good after 17 years of operation

Remote Sensing and UAV Vegetation Index comparison with On-Site FAPAR Measurement

ALADIN was a two-year project dedicated to precision irrigation. It integrates different systems for collecting information (monitoring of crop conditions in site, from drone and satellite), processing of responses (irrigation prescription maps) and implementation in the field (variable rate irrigating machine). The experimental protocol was tested in two different farms in the Emilia Romagna region on two important crops, maize and tomato. Several indices from UAV were calculated, starting from single bands, and together with the NDVI index from UAV and Satellite, correlated to the crop vigour condition, and plants water status. Results will be used to produce prescription maps for precision irrigation

Hydrological and hydraulic behaviour of a surface flow constructed wetland treating agricultural drainage water in northern Italy

A surface flow constructed wetland (SFCW) treating agricultural drainage water was investigated with the aim to detect modifications in hydrological and hydraulic characteristics after more than a decade of operation. Ponded infiltration tests were conducted to estimate the saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of the surface soil layer at the point scale. At the global scale, infiltration rate, i, was computed from the water balance to detect leakages from the pervious wetland surface. Tracer tests were conducted to analyse the existence of preferential flow inside the system and to estimate its hydraulic retention time (HRT). Clogging phenomena occurred given a mean Ks value of 30 mm h-1 was measured near the SFCW inlet, that was 9.61 times lower than the value at the outlet zone. The estimated infiltration losses were two orders of magnitude lower than infiltration measured at the point scale. The results also confirmed the existence of a moderate amount of preferential flow paths and dead zones in the SFCW as the actual HRT (6.7 days) was shorter than the nominal one (8.1 days). Despite this, it can be concluded that the system performance is still good after 17 years of operation

Micrometeorological test of microsprinklers for frost protection of fruit orchards in Northern Italy

Microclimate modification induced by intermittent water sprinkling at ground level has proven to be suitable to enhance protection against spring hoarfrosts in orchards. This research investigates about the efficiency of different sprinkler types and water volumes in enhancing air temperature in the canopy layer and to optimise the amount and the cycling of the water applied. Tests have been done over three consecutive years in purpose-built boxes delimited by polyethylene film where different sprinklers and sprayers tested were positioned along two pipes. Microsprinklers and microsprayers with different characteristics and outflow capacity were compared to evaluate whether the size of the drops can induce modification of energy balance at the surface. The impact of below tree water sprinkling on the temperature profile appeared to be evident independently on the irrigation device and of the outflow tested. While no substantial differences between sprinklers and sprayers did not arise when the temperatures kept above 3 \ub0C, when temperatures fell below 3 \ub0C (even down to 7/ 128 \ub0C), a better performance of the microsprinklers with respect to microsprayers was observed. Differences tend to fade out with height. In the same temperature conditions, a better performance of the microsprinklers with higher outflow (65 l/h) with respect to the same model characterised by a lower outflow (45 l/h) clearly emerged

Deconvolution methods for LINC/NIRVANA data reduction

New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry, eds. W. A. Traub and W. Bellingham, Proceedings of SPIE. : The International Society for Optical Engineering 5491, p. 932 (2004)International audienc

How irrigation level affects the daily growth pattern of young pear fruit of the cv. 'Abbé fetel'

Fruit growth is a key factor to be considered when evaluating overall plant performance, as it represents the economically relevant, integrated result of all physiological processes underway at tree level. Water availability is known to affect important plant functions related to fruit growth such as carbon assimilation, phloem translocation and xylem flows. This work investigates the effect of water restrictions on pear fruit growth in the early stages of fruit development. Four irrigation regimes, corresponding to 100%, 50%, 25% and 0% of the calculated daily evapotranspiration, were applied to several trees of the cv. ‘Abbé Fetel’, starting from 40 days after full bloom (DAFB) until harvest. At about 50 DAFB, diameter changes of 4 fruit per treatment were continuously monitored over 24 hours, using automatic fruit gauges. On the same trees, leaf and stem water potentials were measured at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 24:00 hours, while the daily patterns of phloem, xylem and transpiration flows to/from the fruit were estimated only on the 100% and 25% irrigated trees. For each treatment, soil water status was also monitored using tensiometers at different soil depths. In the morning, both stem and leaf water potentials were reduced in the 0% treatment, while from midday on only stem water status was negatively affected by drought conditions and showed differences between the stressed (50% 25% and 0% treatments) and the 100% treatment. Fruit growth patterns over the 24 hours were characterized by the typical daily fluctuation in fruit diameter, alternating periods of shrinkage and swelling and no significant differences were detected among 100%, 50% and 25% treatments. Only fruit on the 0% irrigated trees showed reduced growth rates during the night and longer and deeper fruit shrinkages during the central hours of the day, which were followed by faster rehydration rates during the late afternoon. This change in the growth pattern resulted in a decreased total fruit daily growth, which however, was detected also on the 25% fruit. According to these results, a water supply of 50% of the tree evapo-transpiration may not be limiting for pear fruit growth at this time of the season and in these experimental conditions. Reduced xylem inflows were detected on 25% irrigated fruit at midday and in the early afternoon, the times when the same trees showed a significant reduction in their stem water potential. Stem water status may thus represent a good indicator for upcoming limitations in fruit water inflows due to drought stress

A multi-tool approach for assessing fruit growth, production and plant water status of a pear orchard

Only very little is published on simple tools for monitoring seasonal information relating plant water status to fruit growth/yield in horticultural crops. This paper analyses data recorded in 2014 from the end of cytokinesis (early July) on ‘Abbè Fetel’ trees grafted on four different rootstocks (Farold, Sydo®, MH and MC) grown in the Fratelli Navarra Foundation Experimental Farm, in Ferrara, Italy. Trees were irrigated according to the “Irriframe” scheduling system designed by the “Consorzio per il Canale Emiliano Romagnolo (CER)” of the Emilia-Romagna Region based on the water balance method. Soil moisture was calculated from water inputs (rainfall and irrigation) and outputs identified as crop evapotranspiration (ETc). For each rootstock, three treatments were studied: fully irrigated following the Irriframe scheduling or 50 and 0% of the recommended water volume. Relevant information of plant development, fruit growth and leaf water status were recorded. In addition, a new approach for measuring plant activity, called IPL index, was undertaken. This index involves the measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence, carboxylation activity of RuBisCo, and air and leaf temperature. In high-quality pear production systems, water/fruit growth control is a must, but growers lack an objective methodology for assessing management decisions. The data collected were used to evaluate possible assistance services in management decisions taken by the growers and/or the consultants throughout the season. The goal was to assist the growers in improving the efficacy of crucial decisions along fruit growth, and to help and ensure high production levels without losses in quality. The presented work also intended to prove the concept of this methodology. Satisfying results may indicate that it is close to large-scale adoption