L’influenza nel tempo e nello spazio di elementi ecologici, con i relativi tratti funzionali, sul controllo biologico presso l’esperimento di lungo termine di Montepaldi, Toscana

Pratiche agronomiche intensive e un uso irrazionale di pesticidi hanno portato ad uno sfruttamento esagerato delle risorse ambientali e al danneggiamento dell’habitat circostante. In questo contesto, il ruolo di elementi ecologici quali infestanti e habitat semi-naturali risulta fondamentale per fornire supporto ai predatori naturali e quindi garantire un efficiente controllo biologico. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è quello di analizzare le relazioni tra la presenza di artropodi e le specie di piante che compongono gli elementi ecologici. Il controllo biologico (CB) è stato valutato a seconda: (1) della distanza dai margini, (2) della gestione del sistema e (3) del periodo di campionamento. Inoltre, (4) è stata effettuata un’analisi per investigare se esiste una correlazione positiva tra la presenza di determinate specie di piante, con i relativi tratti funzionali, e predatori naturali. In questo modo è stato possibile valutare quali specie di piante favoriscono maggiormente i predatori naturali. I principali risultati mostrano una complessiva somiglianza tra campioni raccolti in diversi luoghi e diversi momenti. Questo fenomeno può essere spiegato dalla dimensione relativamente ridotta del sito sperimentale, che comporta una forte interazione tra i diversi sistemi, così come dalla forte influenza del paesaggio circostante sulla biodiversità degli artropodi. Ad ogni modo, questa complessiva somiglianza indica che il CB è risultato elevato anche nei punti più lontani dai margini in ogni periodo di campionamento, risultando costante nello spazio e nel tempo

Influence in time and space of non-crop elements with associated functional traits on biocontrol, within the Montepaldi Long-Term Experiment, Tuscany

Highly intensive practices of agriculture and an irrational usage of pesticides have resulted in environmental sources exploitation and damaging of surrounding habitats. In this scenario, the role of non-crop elements such as weeds and semi-natural habitats is crucial for enhancing natural enemy abundance and therefore supporting biocontrol effect. The aim of the research was to evaluate the correlation between presence of arthropods and plant species composing non-crop elements. Biocontrol was evaluated depending on: (1) distances from field margins, (2) management of the system and (3) period of sampling. An analysis of plant, with associated functional traits, and arthropods (4) was performed to identify which plant species likely support predators. Main findings highlighted an overall similarity between samples collected in different periods and spots. This is likely explained by the relatively small size of the experimental site with resulting strong interactions among all the systems and a strong influence of the surrounding landscape on arthropod biodiversity. However, the biocontrol effect was found to be high even in the farther spots from the margins, in every system and over the whole sampling period. In conclusion, Cirsium arvensis resulted to be the plant species associated with a higher abundance of predators

AESIS: a support tool for the evaluation of sustainability of agroecosystems. Example of applications to organic and integrated farming systems in Tuscany, Italy

Agricultural researchers widely recognise the importance of sustainable agricultural production systems and the need to develop appropriate methods to measure sustainability on the farm level. Policy makers need accounting and evaluation tools to be able to assess the potential of sustainable production practices and to provide appropriate agro-environmental policy measures. Farmers are in search of sustainable management tools to cope with regulations and enhance efficiency. This paper presents the outcomes of applications to organic and integrated farming of an indicator-based framework to evaluate sustainability of farming systems (Agro-Environmental Sustainability Information System, AESIS). The AESIS was described together with a review of applications dating from 1991 in a previous paper. The objective of the present paper is to present the AESIS application to organic and integrated farming systems in Val d’Elsa (Tuscany) and discuss how it is adapted for application to ordinary farms. The AESIS is organised into a number of environmental and production systems. For each system, environmental critical points are identified with corresponding agro-environmental indicators and processing methods. Possible solutions to sustainability issues, and critical points of relevance to the agricultural sector of the local economic and agro-ecological zone, are formulated by including an experimental layout, identifying indicator thresholds and by defining management systems with corresponding policy measures. Alternative solutions are evaluated by calculating and measuring the relevant indicators. The outcomes of the AESIS applications are discussed with specific relevance to the operational adoptability of AESIS to ordinary, agri-touristic farms managed with the organic and the integrated production method, respectively. The AESIS framework proved to be sufficiently flexible to meet the requirements for ordinary farm applications while keeping a holistic perspective and considering pedo-climatic and production factors on different spatial scales

La valutazione dell'agricoltura biologica: un modello aziendale economico-ambientale

Sempre più la PAC pone il problema di favorire lo sviluppo di un settore agricolo realmente multifunzionale, sostenibile e competitivo. Il lavoro presentato fornisce un contributo metodologico per facilitare la valutazione in termini monetari della compensazione da attribuire, agli agricoltori con produzioni di tipo biologico, per i servizi ambientali, al fine di assicurare loro il mantenimento della competitività. La ricerca ha posto a confronto, attraverso l’uso di un modello di Programmazione Lineare Parametrica, due simulazioni relative ai sistemi di produzione “convenzionale” e “biologico” in una azienda con allevamento di bovini da latte. Si è studiato l’andamento dei costi marginali dei servizi ambientali in funzione del decremento dell’impatto ambientale degli inquinanti azotati, del consumo di energia e dell’erosione del suolo

The effect of conservation tillage methods on biodiversity and weed suppression in the Montepaldi Long-Term Experiment (MoLTE).

MoLTE is part of the experimental farm of Florence University, which is located in Montepaldi, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany, Central Italy, and it covers an area of about 15 ha, in a lightly slopped area, 90 m asl. The whole MoLTE experimental site is divided in ten fields of around 1,3 ha each. The MoLTE experiment started in 1992 and is currently still ongoing. The fields are surrounded by semi-natural habitats composed by natural and artificial hedge, flower strip, spontaneous bushes and grass. The experimental site is composed by differently managed systems, designed with the purpose of comparing organic and conventional management. The organic systems operate on a 4-year rotation including Maize/Sunflower – Legume -Wheat/Barley – Legume, while for the conventional one a two-year crop rotation is used in which Maize/ Sunflower follows Wheat/ Barley. The European project FertilCrop, started in 2015, will last for three years. The overall aim of FertilCrop is to develop efficient and sustainable management techniques aimed at increasing crop productivity in organic farming systems. To achieve this, one of the aims of the project is to investigate the mutual interactions of crop plants with weeds and co-cultivated plants. Our experimental design consists in studies different type of primary soil tillage operations to test this mutual interaction in two different crops: barley and sunflower. The study is based on how this tillage can affect the biodiversity quality of the agro-ecosystem in different managed systems, organic and conventional, and to investigate the response of the crop in terms of yield. The species sampling was doing within the field and the semi natural habitat. This communities are sampled using two different methods. Within the field the Raunkiær method are used and the density of the species (number of individuals expressed per unit of area) and biomass per species are assessed. Within the semi natural habitat the transect method are used, with which the presence/absence of the species are evaluated. Using numerical indexes, the biodiversity quality of the agro-ecosystem are evaluated. Furthermore additional information about primary tillage operation and the interaction with weeds could be assessed

Assessment of management of a golf course by means of sustainability indicators

Golf courses are supposed to produce remarkable negative effects on the environment, due to some techniques involved in their management. To provide data useful for the proper assessment of the agro-environmental sustainability of a golf course, the framework agro-environmental sustainability information system (AESIS) was used, utilizing a set of indicators suitable to evaluate different dimensions of sustainability (physical, ecological, productive and social). The management of areal golf course located in Tuscany (central Italy) was compared to an alternative land use of the same area represented by an ordinary farm based on a sunflower-wheat rotation. Assessment indicators were selected by applying a conceptual model based on ecology theory and were calculated considering site-specific production and pedo-climatic features of the area. Different weighting scenarios were hypothesized in order to have different management options assessed and to carry out a targeted sensitivity analysis. Main results confirmed the significant impact of golf management on some ecological characteristics but the holistic assessment of AESIS approach permitted an overall evaluation that comprised a wide range of different issues. AESIS demonstrated to be a practical and adaptive tool able to perform an efficient comparison of possible land destinations

Impact of organic and conventional management and tillage operations on soil quality and productivity in the Montepaldi Long-Term Experiment (MoLTE)

The goal of the research was to assess the impact of different management (organic and conventional) and tillage (plowing, chisel plowing, disk harrowing) on soil quality, and to investigate the response of two crops, barley and sunflower respectively, in terms of yield. The indicators used for the soil quality evaluation were: earthworm's abundance, root's density, soil compaction score obtained with spade test, bulk density, soil penetration resistance and chemical analysis. Data were collected from November 2015 to September 2017, then statistical analysis, based on ANOVA test, was performed. Main results show that conventional system is more productive than organic and there is not significant difference between plowing and reduced tillage operations regarding yield; earthworms are more abundant under reduced tillage; root's density is about 20% higher in organic soils but phosphorous decreased by about 40% in 25 years

Alfalfa for a sustainable ovine farming system: Proposed research for a new feeding strategy based on alfalfa and ecological leftovers in drought conditions

In the past 10 years, the average demand for meat and milk across the world has significantly increased, especially in developing countries. Therefore, to support the production of animal-derived food products, a huge quantity of feed resources is needed. This paper does not present original research, but rather provides a conceptual strategy to improve primary production in a sustainable way, in relation to forthcoming issues linked to climate change. Increases in meat and milk production could be achieved by formulating balanced diets for ovines based on alfalfa integrated with local agricultural by-products. As the central component of the diet is alfalfa, one goal of the project is increasing the yield of alfalfa in a sustainable way via inoculating seeds with symbiotic rhizobia (i.e., Sinorhizobium meliloti). Seed inoculants are already present on the market but have not been optimized for arid soils. Furthermore, a part of the project is focused on the selection of elite symbiotic strains that show increased resistance to salt stress and competitiveness. The second component of the experimental diets is bio-waste, especially that obtained from olive oil manufacturing (i.e., pomace). The addition of agro-by-products allows us to use such waste as a resource for animal feeding, and possibly, to modulate rumen metabolism, thereby increasing the nutritional quality of milk and meat