Evoluzione della resistenza stomatica e del potenziale idrico delle foglie in una coltura di frumento duro (Triticum durum Desf.)

International audienc

Confronto tra metodi di misura dell'evapotraspirazione massima da prato in clima mediterraneo

International audienc

ITALY'S RENEWABLE WATER RESOURCES AS ESTIMATED ON THE BASIS OF THE MONTHLY WATER BALANCE

The International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID) and the Italian National Committee of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ITAL-ICID) decided it would be worth extending a previous paper on Italy's available water resources to a detailed study oil the partitioning of precipitation between evaporation, groundwater storage (saturated and unsaturated zone) and runoff with the aim of estimating the potentially renewable water resources of the Country. The information is gained through a water balance model approach, using monthly climate data from the time series 1971-2000 estimated over 544 grid points of the whole of the Italian territory, made available by the CRA-Central Office for Crop Ecology (CRA-UCEA). The goal of this Study was to evaluate the fraction of precipitation that does not return to the atmosphere through the evaporation process or remains in soil storage and that includes both surface and Subsurface runoff including effective infiltration. The results obtained by using a GIS system may provide useful information on the evolution of the hydroclimatic condition in Italy and a picture of the runoff amounts in terms of time and space. This information call be used for national planning purposes and for activating strategies to protect and conserve water resources, especially with regard to irrigation management. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The Integrated Assessment of Land Degradation

This paper reviews recent findings on the complex field of land degradation (LD) with focus on the Mediterranean Basin and Italy, in particular. The LD definition and assessment methods are examined in the light of the most important natural and human driving forces of the phenomenon, such as land use and climate changes.Various methodological issues are dealt with from multidisciplinary perspective with the aim of providing the ground for the development of integrated approaches: monitoring needs, assessment of costs, development of mitigation strategies, etc. Factors affecting land vulnerability to degradation are classified into bio-physical and socio-economic drivers with some examples of applications in Italy. The role of determinants such as agricultural development, population growth, and urban sprawl is recognised as important but still ambiguous and thus needs further studies. Based on these findings, policy responses aimed at mitigating LD and thus reducing desertification risk are discussed and methodological proposal are presented