Fertimetro, a Principle and Device to Measure Soil Nutrient Availability for Plants by Microbial Degradation Rates on Differently-Spiked Buried Threads

A novel patented method (PCT/IB2012/001157: Squartini, Concheri, Tiozzo, University of Padova) and the corresponding application devices, suitable to measure soil fertility, are presented. The availability or deficiency of specific nutrients for crops is assessed by monitoring the kinetics of progressive weakening of cotton or silk threads due to in situ microbial activity. The method is based on a nutrient-primed incremented substrate degradation principle. Threads are buried as is or pre-impregnated with N or P solutions, and the acceleration of the degradation rate for the N-supplemented or P-supplemented thread, in comparison to the untreated thread, is proportional to the lack of the corresponding nutrient in that soil. Tests were validated on corn crops in plots receiving increasing fertilizer rates in a historical rotation that has been established since 1962. The measurement carried out in May significantly correlated with the subsequent crop yields recorded in October. The analysis allows an early, inexpensive, fast, and reproducible self-assessment at field level to improve fertilization rates. The device is envisaged as a user-friendly tool for agronomy, horticulture, and any environmental applications where organic matter cycling, soil quality, and specific nutrients excess or deficiency are critical considerations

A first attempt to produce proteins from insects by means of a circular economy

The worldwide growing consumption of proteins to feed humans and animals has drawn a considerable amount of attention to insect rearing. Insects reared on organic wastes and used as feed for monogastric animals can reduce the environmental impact and increase the sustainability of meat/fish production. In this study, we designed an environmentally closed loop for food supply in which fruit and vegetable waste from markets became rearing substrate for Hermetia illucens (BSF\u2014 black soldier fly). A vegetable and fruit-based substrate was compared to a standard diet for Diptera in terms of larval growth, waste reduction index, and overall substrate degradation. Morphological analysis of insect organs was carried out to obtain indications about insect health. Processing steps such as drying and oil extraction from BSF were investigated. Nutritional and microbiological analyses confirmed the good quality of insects and meal. The meal was then used to produce fish feed and its suitability to this purpose was assessed using trout. Earthworms were grown on leftovers of BSF rearing in comparison to a standard substrate. Chemical analyses of vermicompost were performed. The present research demonstrates that insects can be used to reduce organic waste, increasing at the same time the sustainability of aquaculture and creating interesting by-products through the linked bio-system establishment

Expression profiling of candidate genes in sugar beet leaves treated with leonardite-based biostimulant

Leonardite-based biostimulants are a large class of compounds, including humic acid substances. Foliar application of biostimulants at field level improves plant growth, yield and quality through metabolic changes and stimulation of plant proton pumps. The present study aimed at identifying optimum dosage of BLACKJAK, a humic acid-based substance, which is able to modify genes involved in sugar beet growth. Thirty-three genes belonging to various biochemical pathway categories were tested in leaves of treated sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) samples to assess gene expression profiling in response to BLACKJAK. Seedlings of a diploid and multigerm variety were grown in plastic pots and sprayed with two dilutions of BLACKJAK (dilution 1:500-1.0 mg C L-1 and dilution 1:1000-0.5 mg C L-1). Leaf samples were collected after 24, 48, and 72 h treatment with BLACKJAK for each dilution. RNA was extracted and the quantification of gene expression was performed while using an OpenArray platform. Results of analysis of variance demonstrated that, 15 genes out of a total of 33 genes tested with OpenArray qPCR were significantly affected by treatment and exposure time. Analysis for annotation of gene products and pathways revealed that genes belonging to the mitochondrial respiratory pathways, nitrogen and hormone metabolisms, and nutrient uptake were up-regulated in the BLACKJAK treated samples. Among the up-regulated genes, Bv_PHT2;1 and Bv_GLN1 expression exerted a 2-fold change in 1:1000 and 1:500 BLACKJAK concentrations. Overall, the gene expression data in the BLACKJAK treated leaves demonstrated the induction of plant growth-related genes that were contributed almost to amino acid and nitrogen metabolism, plant defense system, and plant growth

Albarella future – zero carbon emission

Climate warming is setting requirements on research also in the agronomic and forest fields. The soil and vegetation are available as carbon sinks. Ecosystems under high exploitation lost part of their carbon. It is possible to recover this carbon from the air with natural processes and to return it to the land. Besides, global warming requires a change in mentality that moves into the replacement of fossil fuels with other energy sources. In this perspective, the island of Albarella, with its environment and economic activities, represents an attractive miniature model of the planet Earth. For this design, we estimated (Vensim simulation) the emissions and storage of CO2 equivalent of the whole island. Then, with the idea of acting on natural ecosystems to make them more active in carbon storage, we analyzed two vegetation series from the forest to the sea, one located in the nearby natural reserve of Porto Caleri, and one on the island of Albarella. The investigation concerns the soil carbon storage and the quality and quantity of populations of arthropods, bacteria, and fungi as well. The biodiversity of artificial environments resulted in higher than that of natural habitats, opening a debate. Acting in different ways on the substitution of fuels, we obtained scenarios with decreasing emissions, from consumerist without substitution of fuels, realistic with 15% of replacement by solar energy, and sustainable with zero use of fossil energy and all the island electricity produced through photovoltaic panels

51\ub0 Corso di Cultura in Ecologia. Ecologia del suolo e futuro, mantenendo i piedi per terra - Soil ecology and future, keeping our feet on the ground

L\u2019obiettivo principale degli 11 interventi e\u300 quello di evidenziare i meccanismi di funzionamento del suolo considerando l\u2019interazione di tutte le sue componenti. Lo scopo finale e\u300 quello di insegnare a gestire la risorsa suolo di un territorio in modo saggio e consapevole, basandosi su risultati di ricerche scientifiche e di ambito biologico

Hypothesis of face-cloth wrapping of the Turin Shroud Man: experimental and numerical results

Studies of sheets with the Turin Shroud (TS) body image impressed in them, wrapping a life-size sculpture of the TS Man very recently realized by the sculptor Sergio Rodella, allowed to made a preliminary hypothesis of how the TS was posed over the Man. In particular from the preliminary results obtained by wrapping only the face, and measured by means of a 3D scanner, it results that the TS wrapped the TS Man in a more tight way with respect to some hypotheses proposed in the past. A very preliminary numerical simulation of the face wrapping is also presented. If confirmed by additional studies performed along the whole body of the life-size sculpture of the TS Man, these results will be interesting if considered to try to refine the various body image formation hypotheses that, up to now, are not able to explain in the whole the very peculiar features of the TS body image

Caratterizzazione chimico-biologica di substrati alternativi per l\u2019allevamento di piante forestali

La sperimentazione in vivaio, mediante l’analisi di parametri di sviluppo vegetativo in rapporto a dati chimico-biologici (sostanze umiche e biomassa microbica), ha indicato come i fanghi e i compost possano costituire una valida alternativa ai materiali tradizionalmente impiegati per l’allevamento di sorbo e maggiociondolo in contenitore. Essi devono essere opportunamente miscelati allo scopo di fornire un’adeguata dotazione di sostanza organica umificata che riesca a ridurre, se non ad annullare, gli effetti negativi legati alla presenza dei metalli pesanti. Questi materiali possono supportare accrescimenti adeguati già dopo soli 4 mesi di permanenza in vivaio e garantire la disponibilità di materiale di propagazione idoneo alle pratiche bioingegneristiche nel periodo più adatto (luglio) prima della siccità estiva