Nutritional characterization of two rare landraces of Turnip (Brassica rapa. var. rapa) tops and their on-farm conservation in Foggia Province

The study of nutritional properties in landrace products and the general context of its cultivation site are crucial to designing a sustainable on-farm strategy for landrace conservation. The present study describes the main nutritional aspects of two Brassica rapa subspecies rapa landraces collected in Puglia, Italy along with agroecological and socioeconomical traits where they are cultivated. The two B. rapa landraces ('Cima di rapa dalla testa' and 'Cima di rapa antica') are only found in sites at 700-800 m asl and in two landscape units (the Southern Daunian Mountains (SDM) and the Umbra Forest (UF), respectively) of the Foggia province. These rare landraces were selected by farmers to produce turnip greens/tops from ancient root turnip crops. They are named and consumed by local people in the same way as turnip tops of Brassica rapa subspecies sylvestris ('Cima di rapa'), which are widely cultivated in Puglia. Compared to the most common 'Cima di rapa', the two highlighted landraces have a better nutritional profile linked to an improved content in antioxidant compounds-i.e., vitamin C (458 mg kg-1 FW), total phenols (347 mg ac. gallic equivalent kg-1 FW)-in glucosinolate (741 μmol kg FW-1, in 'Cima di rapa antica') and in minerals, such as K. Both landraces are deemed as having a high risk of erosion. Few exemplars are cultivated in marginal lands and urban/peri-urban areas (SDM), or in isolated sites within the UF, which is a special protection zone within Gargano National Park. However, natural, cultural, and recreational tourism are the main economic activities in both landscape units

Morpho-biometrical, nutritional and phytochemical characterization of carrot landraces from Puglia region (southern Italy)

The explorations as a part of the regional BiodiverSO Programme of vegetable genetic resource rescue revealed that in the arenili (sandy shores) of “Salterns of Margherita di Savoia” (SMS), a coastal landscape area of Puglia region (southern Italy), along the commercial genotypes of small rooting species, landraces are still cultivated. The morpho-biometrical, nutritional and phytochemical properties of two carrot landraces (“Carota a punta lunga” and “Carota a punta tonda”) and a commercial carrot hybrid (“Presto”) collected from the SMS area are examined. The study highlighted that the pedological conditions of the arenili of the SMS area are the main driving force in controlling the nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics of carrot, conferring to genotypes grown in this area a high profile in comparison with literature data. In the site of cultivation of arenili, a large variability in the morpho-qualitative traits emerged among carrot genotypes. “Carota a punta tonda” stands for a promising genotype being very rich in phenols (209.8 mg kg-1 fw) (mainly di-caffeic acid derivative and chlorogenic acid), Β-carotene (21,512 µg 100 g-1 fw), and high antioxidative proprieties. “Carota a punta tonda” could be considered as a healthy product for consumers and also amenable to selection for breeding purpose. Increasing the knowledge about nutritional and nutraceutical properties of local landraces may push the preference of consumers beyond the local community and, at the same time, farmers can be stimulated to continue their cultivation. Thus, the promotion of their on-farm/in situ conservation (cultivation) could represent an efficient strategy for agro-biodiversity preservation

Evaluation of Garlic Landraces from Foggia Province (Puglia Region; Italy)

Interest in local landraces has unfortunately decreased over, the last decades, in which they have been continuously subjected to a high genetic erosion in favour of new modern varieties. Within the Puglia region (S-E Italy), Foggia province was found to be the richest in vegetable landraces. In the present study, six garlic landraces collected from this area have been assessed for their chemical composition (minerals, organic acids, free sugars, volatile, and phenolic compounds) along with their main morpho-biometrical traits. A commercial genotype was also considered as a reference standard. The landraces show a large variability, but in general high morphological standards, high levels of cations and phenols, and low levels of volatile-(S)-compounds in comparison with the commercial genotype and the literature values. 'Aglio di Peschici' and 'Aglio Rosso di Monteleone di Puglia' are very rich in minerals and phenols (mainly ferulic acid and iso-rhamnetin). This increase in knowledge on the chemical properties of these garlic landraces could represent a tool for encouraging the consumption of a food product. At the same time, the consumption of these landraces would stimulate their cultivation and could highly contribute to protection against the risk of erosion of agro-biodiversity by their in situ/on-farm conservation

Effects of after-ripening, stratification and GA3 on dormancy release and on germination of wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius L.) seeds

Seeds of wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius L.) were treated and compared in this research to investigate seed dormancy class and level involved in this species. Four seed lots were compared: (i) freshly harvested seeds in 2007 (07Fr); (ii) freshly harvested seeds in 2008 (08Fr); (iii) after-ripened (AR) 2007 seeds dry stored in glass jars (ARg); (iv) AR 2007 seeds dry stored in paper bags (ARp). The 07Fr seeds were exposed to (1) chemical scarification combined with gibberellic acid (GA3) levels (0, 200, 400, and 600mgL−1) and to (2) 28-day moist stratification at 5 and 23 ◦C, and two sequences of 5/23 ◦C combined with 0 and 400GA3 mgL−1 levels, and (3) together to the 08Fr and AR seeds were exposed to 56-day moist stratification at 5, 23, or 5/23 ◦C. With the 08Fr and AR seed lots this last stratification treatment was combined with 0 or 800GA3 mgL−1 levels. The dormancy depth of 08Fr (32% germination) was less than 07Fr seeds (2%). The latter after-ripened during dry storage and when stored in glass germinated more (47.5%) than in paper (12%). Stratification for 4 weeks was ineffective in improving germination of 07Fr seeds; when chemically scarified they did not germinate at all. The highest (nearly 70%) and the most rapid and uniform germination were observed for all the lots when they were warm stratified for 56 days. Warm stratification improved germination more than alternate temperature stratification, while cold stratification inhibited germination especially for the 08Fr and ARg lots, thus seeds seem not to have a morphological component to their dormancy. GA3 only improved germination of 07Fr seeds, at a low rate. A. acutifolius seeds fit the characteristics of a non-deep physiological dormancy

Head processing suitability in ‘Madrigal’ and ‘Brindisino’ artichoke cultivar

In Apulia region (Southern Italy) the early artichoke cultivar ‘Brindisino’ is widely cultivated; its fall production (early yield) is destined to fresh market, while the spring secondary production is used by the processing industry. Recently a new “seed”-propagated cultivar (‘Madrigal’) has been proposed mainly for processing industry. The aim of the study was to compare head suitability for processing of ‘Madrigal’ (high-yielding and late) with the standard cultivar ‘Brindisino’. Head samples, uniform in size and weight, at optimal stage for processing, were selected during spring period and were processed by eliminating the stem, by cutting the top part for the 60% or the 70% of their total height, and by eliminating the outermost and the hardest bracts (15-20). Starting from the subsequent bract, every single bract was subjected to the measure of cutting force with a penetrometer, until the optimal degree of tenderness, set to 35 Newton (N). Analyses were also performed for the determination of total phenols content in the inner and outer bracts. The heads weighed on average 126 g. ‘Brindisino’ showed a higher total number of bracts than ‘Madrigal’ (82 vs 75). In ‘Brindisino’ there is a noticeable difference in N values as function of cut height, in ‘Madrigal’ the contrary is true, especially in the outer bracts. With 70%-height cut the first useful internal bract (cutting resistance less than 35 N) was about the 36st for both cultivars; with the tallest cut the first useful bract was the 24th and 28th in ‘Brindisino’ and ‘Madrigal’, respectively. ‘Madrigal' waste was lower than ‘Brindisino’ and the incidence of head processed weight on the total raw weight was 5% higher in ‘Madrigal’. The phenol content was lower in ‘Madrigal’ compared to ‘Brindisino’ heads by 70% and 39% in outer and inner bracts, respectively

Post-harvest performance of ready-to-eat wild rocket salad as affected by growing period, soilless cultivation system and genotype

The present study focuses on the effect of growing period (autumn-winter and winter-spring), soilless cultivation system (floating system and ebb and flow system) and genotype (‘Naturelle’ and ‘Nature’) on the post-harvest performance of wild rocket salad. Changes in bio-physical characteristics (weight losses, main colour indices, the concentration of dry matter and chlorophylls), physiological characteristics (relative water content, osmotic potential, electrolytic leakage), antioxidant compounds (vitamin C, phenolic compounds, carotenoids), glucosinulates, and activity of antioxidant enzymes (CAT-catalase; APX-ascorbate peroxidase; SOD-superoxide dismutase; GR-glutathione reductase) were evaluated in wild rocket salad after 7 days of cold storage. Wild rocket salad grown under winter spring conditions and in a floating system was more prone to post-harvest quality decay as highlighted by higher electrolyte leakage and osmotic potential, and lower relative water content, greater weight losses due to respiration activity, and a rapid breakdown of colour to yellowness. A higher shelf-life of the product grown under less photo-thermal stressing condition (autumn-winter cycle) was attributable to less physiologically stressed raw material and to a rise in non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds, namely carotenoids, phenols, and vitamin C (ascorbic acid), all effective at contrasting oxidative stress during storage. The higher shelf-life of the product grown in an ebb and flow system (lower losses of mass and lower visual decay) and of ‘Nature’ (a higher retention of the green colour) under autumn-winter conditions, seems to be imputable both to a higher efficiency of antioxidant enzyme activity (APX and CAT) and to a greater content of antioxidant compounds, mainly carotenoids. The role of individual glucosinolates in delaying senescence was only observed as a genotype-specific response of ‘Nature’ to the root oxygen limitation occurring with the floating system

A Decision Support System (DSS) for Managing N Fertilization in Artichoke.

The present work illustrates the theoretical basis and the methodological approach of a new decision support system (DSS) program - called ArtichoN - for the management of N fertilization in artichoke crop; it uses a simplified N-balance model with the aim of providing to the farmers helpful tools to maintain their profitability, while minimizing the environmental impact of N-fertilization. The methodological approach used for scheduling N-fertilization is based on forecast of the daily amount of N uptake by the crop and of N available into the root zone in order to fulfil N-crop requirements by the soundest N supply to the soil, as follows: N-fertilization = N-crop uptake – N-soil availability. This DSS works on a daily basis through the following steps: a) estimation of a daily dry mass accumulation on the basis of cumulated degree days; b) derivation of the daily N-uptake by the crop as a function of the estimated accumulation of DM using specific N-dilution curves; c) estimation of the daily N-available in the soil intercepted by the roots (mineral and mineralised); d) daily N-balance (N-uptake – N-available in the soil); e) make a decision on the N-application rate and application scheduling on the base of the balance result and on moment of the growing cycle; For the steps a and b, it uses specific regression curves built by fitting non-linear functions on experimental data in Sothern Italy area obtained from literature. For the estimation of N mineralization it uses an approach from literature. The program allows to simulate crop growth by using historical meteorological data (multiannual averaged daily minimum and maximum temperature: Tmin and Tmax) specific of the area where the farm is located and thus producing a foresight N-fertilization plan

Soilless Cultivation System, Electrical Conductivity of Nutrient Solution, and Growing Season on Yield and Quality of Baby-Leaf Oak-Leaf Lettuce

The floating system (FL) is a common soilless method for baby-leaf production, whereas the ebb and flow system (EF) has been proposed as an alternative. Both of them allow managing plant saline stress while preventing reduction in plant growth and yield and increasing product quality. The oak-leaf lettuce response to the growing conditions (hydroponics, salinity) in interaction with climate and genotype has been little studied. Two experiments were carried out with two oak-leaf cultivars (green- and red-colored type) grown in FL and EF systems at two levels of nutrient solution (NS) electrical conductivity (EC) (EC = 2.5 and 3.5 dS m(-1); EC2.5, EC3.5, respectively) under autumn and late-spring conditions. The EF system caused an increase in salinity in the substrate where roots mainly develop, so it overcomes the effect of the EC3.5 treatment. In the autumn cycle, irrespective of the EC, EF-grown plants had improved leaf thickness (specific leaf area), color, and antioxidative (total phenol and carotenoid contents) properties; however, a reduction in yield was observed in the most productive cultivar (green type). In late spring, higher yield and product quality (processability, nitrate content) were obtained at the expense of color, with the FL showing the best productivity in the green type cultivar. The red type cultivar had higher dry mass, phenol, and carotenoid concentrations

Agronomical effects and response of growers in the application of the GesCoN DSS at the commercial farm scale

The results of the application of the GesCoN decision support system (DSS) during the 2018 growing season on six commercial farms for assisting growers in the management of fertigation of the processing tomato crop are reported. The farms were selected within the Capitanata area (Foggia province, Italy) and to have a representative coverage of all the area, which is a quite large flat territory where processing tomato cultivation covers about 20,000 ha. To evaluate the agronomical effects of the application of the DSS, two main plots were created on each farm with two managements of fertigation: i) management following to the daily indications provided by the DSS, and ii) management according to the empirical farmer procedures of each farm. The input of meteorological data into the DSS was carried out automatically and all the communications between the DSS and the growers were performed through daily smartphone notifications. The results indicate that the use of the DSS allowed an average reduction of 24% for the seasonal irrigation water volume and 7% for the N fertilizer application. Despite these savings in water and N, the total and marketable yield was not affected by the fertigation management methods. Besides, no significant effects were detected on some qualitative parameters of tomato fruits (dry matter, solid soluble and titratable acidity content). During the growing season, farmers managed the crop fertigation without experiencing difficulties using the DSS and in the end, they found the whole system very easy-to-use and useful in managing fertigation, while they suggested improving the information provided by the DSS by adding further inputs on the type and the quantity of N fertilizer to use. After its first calibration and validation on processing tomato and these preliminary large scale tests, the GesCoN DSS is currently functioning as a service on the platform www.ecofert.it for managing fertigation in processing tomato crop