Effects of organic fertilization from wet olive pomace on emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum Shrank) grain yield and composition

In a circular economy framework, the evaluation of waste by-product use as fertilizer is essential to promote sustainable agriculture. Olive oil wet pomace can be a valuable alternative as organic fertilizer on cereal crops. Aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of organic (with olive oil waste pomace) fertilization, on grain yield, protein and polyphenol content of emmer wheat grown in Southern Italy. Different amounts, time and amount of application of organic fertilizer were compared to a traditional mineral fertilizer treatment. The chemical analysis, mainly grain protein content and phenolic acids contents, were carried out on the hulled seeds. Agronomic traits showed that the application of olive wet pomace at 140 Mg ha−1 in the first year and 70 Mg ha−1 in the second year, gave the best grain yield than an annual amount application of 70 Mg ha−1. No difference between organic and mineral fertilization was observed when the latter was carried 1 or 2 years before, and the organic fertilization increased grain protein content respect to mineral one. Polyphenol content was not significantly affected by fertilization treatments, while ferulic acid in the emmer grain recently fertilized with wet pomace showed a higher content than emmer fertilized 2–3 years before

Effects of mineral and organic fertilization with the use of wet olive pomace on durum wheat performance

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Behold : silence and attention in education

Educators continually ask about the best means to engage students and how best to capture attention. These concerns often make the problematic assumption that students can directly govern their own attention. In order to address the role and limits of attention in education, some theorists have sought to recover the significance of silence or mindfulness in schools, but I argue that these approaches are too simplistic. A more fundamental examination of our conceptions of identity and agency reveals a Cartesian and Kantian foundationalism. This assumed subjectivity establishes too simplistic a conception of the agency of students in directing attention. I critically engage with these conceptions by drawing on a range of diverse sources, primarily modern Continental philosophy and Christian mystical theology

Improvement of soil properties by application of olive oil waste

Wet olive pomace is an organic lignocellulosic material, a by-product of the olive milling process, a typical and traditional activity in many Mediterranean countries. Wet olive pomace has difficult commercialization due to its high moisture content of 55–65%, that causes a noticeable increase in oil extraction costs. However, it could be conveniently reused in agriculture as a valid soil amendment to improve soil fertility and structure. Here, we studied the effects of the application of increasing amounts of non-fermented wet pomace on the fertility of a silty-clay soil, grown with 3 crops in succession: sunflower-wheat-wheat. The experiments were conducted at the Agricultural Faculty of Bari, Italy, on a Pachic Hoploxeroll soil characterized by illite and kaolinite and large amounts of Fe and Al sesquioxides. We compared the effect of wet pomace applied at amounts ranging from 0 to 210 Mg ha$^{-1}$, incorporated 60 days prior to sunflower sowing. In the wheat late season of the second year, average samples from the 0–0.60 m layer were taken and tested for structural stability, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, pH and saturation extract electrical conductivity. The results indicate that the application of wet pomace induces a general improvement in soil fertility. In particular, the incorporation of increasing amounts of wet pomace improved nutrient content. For instance, an application of 210 Mg ha$^{-1}$ of wet pomace increased soil organic matter by +84%, total N by +0.90 g kg$^{-1}$, available P by +79.40 mg kg$^{-1}$ and exchangeable K by +80 mg kg$^{-1}$. We also observed an improvement in soil structure, which is of particular importance in hot, arid environments and in sustainable agricultural systems