Report on Italian Research in Organic Food and Farming (2000–2005)

In Italy since the eighties, the scientific community opened a discussion on how to face many agricultural critical points, reconsidering old but renewed approaches to make agriculture more environment and consumer-friendly. In 1988 the first coordinated project on OF&F (Biological and integrated control of crop and forest pest and disease) was financed by MIPAF, involving 46 researchunits (research centres and universities). But it was only in the last decade that interest in organic farming really took off, when production methods continued to develop, along with consumers’ keen concern to be supplied with more wholesome, environment-friendly products. There was a major increase in the number of producers, and new initiatives got on the way for processing and marketing organic products. Italy has become the European country with the largest cultivated surface (954,361 ha, including 246,318 ha under conversion from conventional to organic farming, in 2004). The total surface is mainly cultivated with forage crops and pastures (48 %); the rest is devoted to cereals (20 %), fruit tree, including vineyards and olive-tree (18 %), vegetables and industrial crops (4 %). These data refer to land cultivated under provision of EC Regulation 2092/91 and its modifications. The gradual recognition of the organic farming potential to create a high added value food market and socio-economic benefits to farmers, producing positive effects on environment, public health, social and rural development and animal welfare as well, has driven the European Union and Italy to adopt specific legislation and promote research actions. The following different European acts issued after the Council Regulation 2091/92, have all recognized organic farming as a strategic tool to realize a sustainable development of European society: the Council Regulation EC 1257/1999 supporting rural development; the EU Commission Strategy for Sustainable Development in 2001, the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme in 2002 and, finally, the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003. The European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming (OF&F Plan) has been issued in June 2004, strongly supported by Italy during its EU chairing semester (June-December 2003). This document aims “to assess the situation and to lay down the basis for policy development in the coming years, thereby providing an overall strategic vision for organic farming’s contribution to the common agricultural policy (CAP)”. The Commission recognizes the dual key role of OF&F in food market and land management and the importance of research on organic farming and processing methods to exploit this potential (Action 7). Therefore, an important part of the country’s policies aimed at developing the organic sector has been addressed to strengthen research and training at different levels, adopting specific research programmes and farmers training to ensure the innovation transfer into agricultural practice with close cooperation among researchers, advisory services, farmers and the food production chain. As other Member States and Regions, Italy has adopted a national Action Plan on OF&F research in 2002. The Action Plan was devoted mainly to the development of organic farming, focusing on agro-environmental programmes, market development, research and production capacity building. In December 2005, a new National Strategic Plan on OF&F has been approved which does not include specific research priorities, but is a reference framework of actions to strengthen the whole OF&F production chain

Control of crops leaf growth by chemical and hydraulic influences.

Three species of forage grasses (Festuca arundinacea, Eragrostis curvula, Sporobolus stapfianus) commonly grown in the Mediterranean region were subjected to a soil drying treatment. Leaf growth rate in F. arundinacea was highly sensitive to soil drying and low growth rates were associated with high laminar turgors. The production of ABA was stimulated by soil drying and there was a clear relation between increasing ABA accumulation and reduction in leaf growth. Leaf growth of E. cutvula, a C4 warm season grass, was relatively insensitive to soil drying which was not accompanied by a substantial increase in leaf ABA content. S. stapfianus, a resurrection plant, was highly sensitive to decreasing soil water availability. In these two latter species, leaf growth was substantially restricted before ABA accumulation occurred. It is suggested that reductions in laminar turgor of E. curvula and S. stapfianus may be limiting leaf growth as soil dries. The results indicated a different mechanism of sensing and responding to reduction in soil water availability for the three species studied. The relative importance of the chemical and hydraulic control of leaf growth is discussed

Organic food and farming research in Italy: A review by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies (MIPAF)

In Italy, as in other countries, Organic Food and Farming (OFF) research suffers from a very high fragmentation as it is carried out by many public research institutes, universities and private centres. In recent years, due to the increasing relevance of OFF within national rural development programmes, strong efforts have been addressed towards an improvement of the efficiency of the distribution of funds, the research system and the reorganization of its activities, and a reduction of overlapping initiatives. This paper presents projects and institutions currently working on OFF research in Italy, focusing on the available public financial instruments and the main projects funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MIPAF. Most of the Italian research projects investigate plant production subjects, some actions involve animal production, animal health and welfare and environmental aspects. In order to facilitate the dissemination of research, the “National Information System on organic farming” (www.sinab.it) was established. It is financed by MIPAF. Furthermore, recognizing the need to coordinate research efforts also at transnational level, MIPAF is one of the 11 partners of the CORE-Organic ERA-net project, which started in October 2004, co-financed by the European Commission. This network could represent a very powerful tool to strengthen future national and international research actions and cooperation

ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM IN SPOROBOLUS STAPFIANUS: CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO DESICCATION AND REHYDRATION

Changes in the amounts of ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid and glutathione and in the levels of related enzyme activities were studied in Sporobolus stapjianus leaves, a desiccation-tolerant or resurrection plant, in response to desiccation and rehydration. Detached leaves of S. stapfianus were rapidly dried for 120 hr at 0% rel. hum. A 24 hr desiccation period was sufficient to achieve extremely low water contents (0.2%). Dried leaves were then rehydrated for 24 hr. The soluble-protein content decreased after drying but did not increase after rehydration without death ensuing. The enzymes related to the glutathione-ascorbate cycle reacted differently to the rapid water loss: dehydroascorbate reductase (EC 1.8.5.1) and glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) activities increased while ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) activity decreased. All these enzymes resumed their activities after rehydration. Oxidative processes were intensified following desiccation and even more after rehydration: i.e. the H2O2 level and the dehydroascorbate/ ascorbate molar ratio increased in desiccated leaves and even more in rehydrated leaves, while the oxidized glutathione/reduced ghttathione molar ratio, which decreased in desiccated leaves, reached the control value with rehydration

ARIMNet2 Integrated Strategic Research Agenda (ISRA). A Euro-Mediterranean framework for a more inclusive and effective cooperation on agricultural research and innovation

Fruit of a continuous dialogue between ARIMNet2 partners (i.e. 24 funding agencies and research institutions), renowned international scientists and European institutions, and based on a shared vision of Mediterranean challenges and priorities, the ARIMNet2 Integrated Strategic Research Agenda (ISRA) constitutes a transnational strategy to boost agricultural research and innovation and enhance sustainably food security, natural resource preservation and socio-economic development across the Mediterranean region. The ISRA is the actual roadmap for joint action in the framework of ARIMNet2 and might also guide future similar initiatives and policy-making. It frames the multiple activities implemented or proposed by the ARIMNet2 Consortium to actively support Mediterranean research and innovation efforts, notably by funding collaborative research projects (e.g. transnational calls), sharing research infrastructures and equipment (e.g. joint experiments, shared platforms), and fostering knowledge exchange and capacity-building (e.g. young researchers seminars, international conferences, networking events). The ISRA builds upon and complements existing European initiatives for the Mediterranean region, in particular the FACCE-JPI and Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR), paving the way for a more inclusive and effective Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on agricultural research and innovation