Advances of nanotechnology in agro-environmental studies

With the increase in the world population and the demand for food, new agricultural practices have been developed to improve food production through the use of more effective pesticides and fertilisers. These technologies can lead to an uncontrolled release of undesired substances into the environment, with the potential to contaminate soil and groundwater. Today, nanotechnology represents a promising approach to improve agricultural production and remediate polluted sites. This paper reviews the recent applications of nanotechnologies in agro-environmental studies with particular attention to the fate of nanomaterials once introduced in water and soil, to the advantages of their use and their possible toxicology. Findings show that the use of nanomaterials can improve the quality of the environment and help detect and remediate polluted sites. Only a small number of nanomaterials demonstrated potential toxic effects. These are discussed in detail

Effetti dell'intensità di utilizzazione sulla produzione foraggera e sull'azotofissazione della sulla

Objectives of this research were (I) to quantify nitrogen fixation under field conditions of sweetvetch in relation to the cutting intensity; (II) to evaluate the effect of the control species on the reliability of the estimate of nitrogen fixation, using the nitrogen balance method (NB); (III) to verify the possibility of application of the natural abundance method (NA) in the environmental conditions of the experimental site. Two cutting intensities were compared: intensive (2 early cuts in spring and 1 autumn cut) and extensive (1 cut in spring + possible cleaning cut in summer). Three control species were tested: Lolium hybridum, Cicorium inthybus and Phalaris aquatica. The intensive cutting regime showed higher levels of nitrogen fixation in the above ground phytomass compared to those achievabie through extensive utilization (about 300 vs. 235 kg N ha-1). The nitrogen fixation assessed by the NB method was underestimated when Phalaris aquatica was used as control species, while nitrogen fixation was not affected by the control species using the NA method. The results show that soil δ 15N in the experimental site was sufficient for the application of NA method. The δ 15N of sulla cultivated in a soil without combined nitrogen was obtained indirect1y (B = -2,4) by assuming that the percentage of nitrogen fixation on total nitrogen of sulla is never higher than 95%. Further investigations are required to verify this parameter and to evaluate the fate of fixed nitrogen in the following crop after a legume crop. The dynamics of the morphological stage of deveIopment, of the leaf to stem ratio and of the total nitrogen of the aboveground phytomass influenced the reliability of the control species using the NB method

Stakeholder Analysis for Sharing Agro-environment Issues Towards Concerted Action: A Case Study on Diffuse Nitrate Pollution

There is increasing need for participatory approaches to support the development of sustainable farming systems, based on the active involvement of stakeholders in the definition of research objectives and priorities. This paper reports the experience of a team of agronomy researchers involved in the SLIM project (http://slim.open.ac.uk), around a case study of nitrate pollution. The agro-ecosystem analysis included biophysical processes at microcatchment scale and the stakeholders' perceptions, interests and practices related to the nitrate issue (stakeholders analysis). The conceptual SLIM framework model supported new interactions among stakeholders, that were facilitated by researchers, using dialogical tools to enable them to use scientific data and to integrate their own knowledge on the farming system. The agro-environment policies, based on compulsory prescriptions, revealed weak assumptions and insufficient integration of scientific knowledge. The stakeholder analysis contributed to the identification of priorities both for scientific research and agro-environment policies. Researchers provided the site-specific scientific knowledge, in a way that enabled stakeholders to identify the relationships between agricultural practices, landscape values and the nitrate pollution issue and to elaborate shared strategies to develop concerted actions. New spaces for interaction between researchers and stakeholders should be created to face complex agro-environment issues at catchment scale, such as the nitrate pollution of groundwater. The implication for agronomy research is that the experiments should be designed to produce suitable results to facilitate participatory sessions and that it is worthwhile to invest in specific skills of communication science and group dynamics management within the agronomy researchers' community, in order to integrate agronomy knowledge into high quality participatory processes

Developing adaptive responses to contextual changes for sustainable agricultural management: The role of social capital in the Arborea district (Sardinia, Italy)

This article investigates the role played by social capital (in terms of bonding, bridging and linking social capital) in developing adaptive responses to contextual changes (environmental, social and economic) at the local scale. Three questions guided the research: can social capital produce resilience and collective action? Could environmental barriers be turned into opportunities? Can social capital contribute to long-term adaptation to change? Results obtained from a qualitative research conducted in the Arborea district (Sardinia, Italy) show how collective actions to adapt to contextual changes are both results and generators of robust social capital. On the one hand, social capital contributes towards increasing resilience by generating collective responses to contextual changes without compromising the structural functions of the system; on the other hand, the lack of a clear regulatory framework for facilitating the development of local collective adaptive responses, depresses foresight strategies

Categorizing basic factors driving soil genesis, pedovariability and plant assemblages in Mediterranean Temporary Wetlands (TWs)

A research was carried out in six Temporary Wetlands (TWs), located in north-western Sardinia (Italy), with the aim to categorize the basic factors driving and linking soil genesis and plant assemblages in Mediterranean basin

Effects of nitrogen fertilizer sources and temperature on soil CO₂ efflux in Italian ryegrass crop under Mediterranean conditions

We report the results of a study that aimed to assess the dynamics of total and heterotrophic soil respiration and its relationships with soil temperature or soil moisture of an Italian ryegrass haycrop managed with different nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources. The field experiment was carried out in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone of the dairy district of Arborea, a reclaimed wetland in central-western Sardinia, Italy. This is an area characterized by sandy soils, shallow water table and intensive dairy cattle farming systems. Italian ryegrass is grown for hay production in the context of a double cropping rotation with silage maize. We analyzed the effects of N fertilizer treatments on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux, soil water content and soil temperature: i) farmyard manure; ii) cattle slurry; iii) mineral fertilizer; iv) 70 kg ha-1 from slurry and 60 kg ha-1 from mineral fertilizer that corresponds to the prescriptions of the vulnerable zone management plan. During the monitoring period, soil water content never fell below 8.6% vol., corresponding to approximately -33 kPa matric potential. Total and heterotrophic soil respiration dynamics were both influenced by soil temperature over winter and early spring, reaching a maximum in the first ten days of April in manure and slurry treatments. In the last 30 days of the Italian ryegrass crop cycle, total soil respiration decreased and seemed not to be affected by temperature. The analysis of covariance with soil temperature as covariate showed that average respiration rates were significantly higher under the manure treatment and lower with mineral fertilizer than the slurry and slurry+mineral treatments, but with similar rates of respiration per unit increase of soil temperature for all treatments. The average soil respiration rates were significantly and positively related to the soil carbon (C) inputs derived from fertilizers and preceding crop residuals. We concluded that: i) the fertilizer source influenced soil CO2 efflux of the winter haycrop according to the amount of C input; and ii) that the temporal dynamics of soil respiration can be explained by soil temperature regime only in winter and early spring. These findings suggest that further studies are needed to analyze the role of soil biological factors controlling soil respiration dynamics of intensive forage cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions

Morphological adaptation to <i>Lolium rigidum</i> Gaudin to different conditions of the Medeterranean semi-arid environment

A field evaluation, aimed at comparing several morphological traits of one cultivar ("Wimmera") and a Sardinian genotype ("Nurra") of annual ryegrass, was carried out in Northern Sardinia. The two accessions were compared over two years in a field experiment, following the UPOV rules for the identification of new cultivars. The distinctness of "Nurra" for flag leaf, tiller, spike and spikelet length was clearly demonstrated. Also, some "Nurra" plant adjustments in water-limited environmental conditions in late spring (elongation of spikelets and awns, late heading, increase of awn presence, higher fertility) seem to be an adaptive response of a drought-tolerant morphotype. The results of this experiment contribute to the agronomic valorisation of "Nurra" ryegrass as a valid drought-tolerant material suitable for introduction into the semi-arid pasture seed market

Politiche agro-energetiche in Sardegna

Questa nota propone un’analisi critica degli strumenti di pianificazione e programmazione della regione Autonoma della Sardegna (RAS), con specifico riferimento alle agro-energie per la produzione di biocombustibili e con particolare attenzione alla coerenza tra le diverse misure proposte, all’adeguatezza delle stesse e alle prospettive per lo sviluppo del comparto

Report on Stakeholder Engagement Methodologies

Stakeholder engagement in research projects can take a number of forms according to the scope of the project and the purpose of the interaction. L4.2. has focused on comparing different approaches to stakeholder engagement in collaborative projects. This report presents a synthesis of the experiences and lessons learnt through the stakeholder engagement activities of LiveM researchers within MACSUR, within an Italian (Oristano) case study, and within the SOLID (Sustainable, Organic and Low Input Dairying) project. An overview of these examples, and some of the lessons drawn from them, can also be found in the MACSUR paper on stakeholder engagement methods being developed by researchers from all three MACSUR themes (Koenig et al. under production). The first part of this report describes the stakeholder engagement strategy within the SOLID project. Stakeholder engagement methods are analysed through observations of activities and using semi-structured interviews with researchers and stakeholders. Two aspects of the SOLID approach are described – the stakeholder panel and the Future Dairying workshop. Transcripts of the workshop and the contribution of the stakeholder panel to the SOLID annual meeting in Helsinki are included (Appendices 1 and 2), as a contribution to the analysis of workshop outcomes being undertaken within the SOLID project. As part of a wider suite of stakeholder engagement activities, the SOLID stakeholder panel provided an example of how ongoing oversight of scientific outputs and direction by stakeholders can be effective in identifying weaknesses in approach and communication, and in suggesting relevant and effective directions for research activities. The stakeholder workshop demonstrated a useful structure for the exploration of stakeholder concerns, their view of ideal states and their solutions for reaching them. Low participation levels demonstrated the need to understand the motivations that drive stakeholders to engage in such projects, and highlighted the value of developing long-term relationships between stakeholders and researchers that allow scientific research to become an accepted part of practical problem-solving. The second part of the report describes stakeholder engagement activities carried out in the context of one of the MACSUR regional pilot studies (Oristanese case study in Sardinia, Italy). The Oristanese case study demonstrates the potentialities and constraints of participatory methodologies in relation to the different categories of stakeholder involved. It highlights the importance of creating new spaces for dialogue between farmers, researchers and policy makers in order to promote the generation of “hybrid knowledge” (Nguyen et al. 2013) for the emergence of more sustainable and longer-lasting strategies to adapt to CC. This would require the promotion of open knowledge generation platforms where multiple stakeholders are encouraged to participate and make their views heard. These approaches are designed in order to overcome the misalignment between scientists' suggestions and policy implementation. In the third part of the report, the outcomes of a "learning event" held in Sassari (MACSUR mid-term meeting) with decision makers from different EU countries, are discussed. Finally, some reflections are presented on the importance of involving local stakeholders and decision makers in research projects, of sharing views and knowledge between scientists and stakeholders, and on the pros and cons of different methodologies at the different scales of stakeholder engagement, drawing on all three examples of practice. The research approach analysed includes two important components, which are represented by “transdisciplinarity” (to be included in the macro area of “scientific knowledge”) and “local knowledge”, as fundamental elements to fill the Science and Policy Gap