MECHANIZED MANAGEMENT OF PRUNING RESIDUES IN SWEET CHESTNUT ORCHARDS

In Italy, Dryocosmus kuriphilus is a major insect pest of chestnut orchards causinggall formation and significant yield losses. The use of the parasitoid wasp Torymussinensis is an effective biological control method that requires the appropriatemanagement of the pruning residues, to preserve the woody galls in which T.sinensis adults overwinter. An innovative tractor-pulled combined mechanicalshredder was tested for treating the residues, once the pruning operations arecompleted. The machine processes the residues in a single-step, picking-up theprunings from the orchard floor, shredding them to appropriate size, and collectingthem into a rear container. The shredded residues may then be concentrated into afew piles for the long-term field storage, until next spring. The aim of the studywas to evaluate the machinery’s operative performance, the quality of the shreddedbiomass and the impact on gall integrity. In the field trials, the machineryeffectively shredded the residues achieving an average operative capacity of 1.19ha∙h-1 and a work capacity of 1.79 t∙h-1. Moisture content, apparent bulk density,and particle size distribution of the shredded biomass were determined. Over 95%of wood chips were included in the 3.15-45 mm size range, making them suitablefor use in residential biomass furnaces. The calorific power of the chestnut residueswas similar to that reported for other hardwood species (18-20 MJ∙kg-1). Also, themechanical action of the shredder preserved at least two thirds of the winter galls,safeguarding the parasitoid’s life cycle

Deficit Irrigation for Efficiency and Water Saving in Poplar Plantations

Water resources are increasingly limited and less available, so improving water use efficiency is particularly pressing in the agricultural sector, where inefficient irrigation systems are often in operation. Drip irrigation is one of the most water-saving systems that can optimize distribution according to the actual needs of the crop. In the present study, an engineered drip irrigation system was applied to a poplar crop dedicated to the production of biomass for energy use. The aim was to evaluate the influence of the supply of different volumes of irrigation water on crop growth. Four levels of water supply were tested (theses T1, T2, T3, and T4), each determined by different intervention thresholds established by using four soil moisture sensors, one for each thesis (PLOT) (20, 30, 40, and 50 percent, respectively). In the third growing season, the effect of the different amounts of irrigation water supplied on plant growth was particularly evident between control T1 (104 m3 ha−1) compared with T2 (540 m3 ha−1), T3 (1924 m3 ha−1) and T4 (4549 m3 ha−1). Regarding biomass production, no statistical differences were found between T2 (8.97 Mg DM ha−1 year−1), T3 (9.99 Mg DM ha−1 year−1) and T4 (10.02 Mg DM ha−1 year−1), but they were all different from T1 (7.09 Mg DM ha−1 year−1. This leads to the conclusion, at least up to the third growing season, that with equal satisfactory levels of biomass production, water and energy savings can be achieved by choosing intermediate levels of water supply (e.g., with the sensor at 30%) as compared to the maximum value tested

AI DO ETHICS

The AI DO ETHICS - Artificial Intelligence and Innovation in Economics and Business project. Developing skills by Ethics - coordinated by the University of Macerata, follows new research paths, inserting itself in a consolidated tradition of the University, which has always committed the different humanities to a dimension of application. The recent doctoral courses in "Innovation and law" and in "Humanism and Technology" testify to this. Furthermore, since 2013, the Research Enhancement Office - ILO (Industrial Liaison Office) within the Research and Internationalization Area, carries out research enhancement activities addressed both internally, having as reference the teaching staff, doctoral students and students, both externally, in relation to the local productive fabric and the social community in which the University is inserted, with a specific attention to cultural and creative industries and digital humanism. Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize our world. It will change how we work and how businesses succeed. We need to think about what AI should do and not simly about what it can do. We have to make sure that AI is ethically grounded, for ensuring that AI has a positive impact from a social perspective as well as from an economic one. Therefore, our tasks are to improve 1) skills to live in an AI-driven society, 2) skills to work with AI in business and marketplace. The project considers in an integrated way research, education and commitment for social and business objectives, and aims to promote ethically conscious uses of technologies. Ethics is not a merely containing or limiting point of view; moreover it is generative of new perspecives and of overall more efficient solutions, it is a driver of technological and social innovation and a resource for more cooperative, resilient, supportive societies. First of all the project addresses some critical issues to highlight and manage them: a) lack of synergies between humanities and technological disciplines; b) lack of synergies between universities and companies in order to share results of ethical research; c) lack of awareness about responsibility in innovation, d) increasing cultural diversity and plurality that makes traditional ethical codes of uncertain application. The project intends: 1) to promote a widespread ethical sensitivity towards AI; 2) to design a path of ethical awareness towards AI in particular for AI users and for young people that the university specifically trains on business; 3) to take a concrete step towards the elaboration of ethics- guidelines for AI users; 4) to improve the awareness that ethics fosters trustworthy innovation; -5) to promote a new and innovative education model in the AI sector, through the involvement, in experimentation, of two key dimensions such as the academic research and education and the business world. All the partners actively contribute to the development of the project: tasks, efforts and budget are distributed within the partnership to ensure balanced involvement. The project develops through several activities for a diverse audience: 1) research is carried out to acquire knowledge about good ethical practices already implemented by companies that work with AI in the economic field; 2) a panel of 80 (20 IT, 15 FR, 15 DE, 15 PL, 15 RO) students is involved in the experimentation of a training course based on the dimensions of knowing (learning by thinking), acting (learning by acting), and doing (learning by doing); 3) confrontations are organized between the academic world and the world of business; 4) a new interdisciplinary teaching format is designed for university teaching, centered on the ethical issues raised by AI, in particular in the economic and business fields; 5) workshops, open meetings and even a literary prize are organized to spread awareness of the ethical issues raised by AI. Project results are the following: 1) the asset and development of a new interdisciplinary teaching for university education, centered on the ethical issues opened by the AI, in particular in the economic and business fields; it can work as a pilot, built with mixed face2face and e-learning modules, that is adaptable and implementable for use in different degree courses and also in companies; 2) the creation of an adaptability manual of the new course for university curricula in which experimentation will take place; 3) the development of guidelines for an ethical attitude by AI users, particularly in the economic and business fields; 4) results of cultural and social impact, which mean: growth in awareness among stakeholders and citizens about the ethical issue emerging from the use of AI, particularly in enterprise and busines

Innovative Device for Automated Monitoring of Table Olive Fermentation Parameters: First Experimental Results

The table olive sector is highly important to the Italian agri-food industry. To produce quality table olives without defects in appearance, flavors, or aroma and to meet consumer expectations, special precautions must be taken to limit side effects associated with transformation and storage processes. During these processes, essential to debitter and stabilize the final product, drupes may undergo undesirable fermentations due to changes in the olive-to-brine ratio, temperature changes, and alteration of the brine’s chemico–physical parameters, thus decreasing their commercial and nutritional value. An innovative user-friendly system, equipped with low-cost digital and sensorized devices, has been engineered and realized for step-by-step batch monitoring of table olive storage brines. The main fermentation parameters (i.e., temperature, pH, salinity, free acidity, volatile acidity, and residual sodium hydroxide) of virgin, compliant, and altered brines were analyzed with both the automated prototype and Official reference methods, with the aim of testing the functionality of the prototype device and verifying the reliability and repeatability of the measurements. Good linearity was observed for all parameters examined, with a relatively low mean deviation between the two approaches. It is therefore possible to constantly monitor brine conformity automatically during the processing stages, benefiting product quality and environmental, energy, and economic sustainability