Hydraulic Relations and Water Use of Mediterranean Ornamental Shrubs in Containers

A detailed, species-specific comprehension of plant water behavior can be a central tool to improve water management in nursery production and irrigated landscapes. Potted plants of Nerium oleander, Pittosporum tobira, and Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' were exposed to controlled increasing drought conditions in greenhouse. Water use, gas exchange, and foliar thermoregulation were monitored along the trial. N. oleander showed the most efficient response to increasing water stress, maintaining high levels of gas exchange and evapotranspiration rate during the whole trial, whereas L. japonicum emerged as the most sensitive species, with a significant drop in physiological performances already from the second day. The more aggressive water behavior of N. oleander can be compared to the one of anisohydric plants, whereas L. japonicum displays an isohydric strategy. P. tobira showed intermediate characteristics between the two other species. This work comes to provide useful tools for the management of irrigation in plant nursery and for decision making in the use of ornamental shrubs for landscape applications

Root Zone Sensors for Irrigation Management in Intensive Agriculture

Crop irrigation uses more than 70% of the world’s water, and thus, improving irrigation efficiency is decisive to sustain the food demand from a fast-growing world population. This objective may be accomplished by cultivating more water-efficient crop species and/or through the application of efficient irrigation systems, which includes the implementation of a suitable method for precise scheduling. At the farm level, irrigation is generally scheduled based on the grower’s experience or on the determination of soil water balance (weather-based method). An alternative approach entails the measurement of soil water status. Expensive and sophisticated root zone sensors (RZS), such as neutron probes, are available for the use of soil and plant scientists, while cheap and practical devices are needed for irrigation management in commercial crops. The paper illustrates the main features of RZS’ (for both soil moisture and salinity) marketed for the irrigation industry and discusses how such sensors may be integrated in a wireless network for computer-controlled irrigation and used for innovative irrigation strategies, such as deficit or dual-water irrigation. The paper also consider the main results of recent or current research works conducted by the authors in Tuscany (Italy) on the irrigation management of container-grown ornamental plants, which is an important agricultural sector in Italy

Evaluation of Major Minerals and Trace Elements in Wild and Domesticated Edible Herbs Traditionally Used in the Mediterranean Area

The human diet is characterized by the intake of major minerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, N) and trace elements (Zn, Mn, Se, Cu, Fe, Co, I, Cr, F, Pb, Cd) for their key role in many metabolic functions. Nowadays, the research of sources able to improve their intake is in continuous evolution, especially in the undeveloped countries. In this sense, wild edible herbs, commonly used since ancient times, can represent a good alternative to improve the daily human intake of minerals. In this study, four wild edible species, Rumex acetosa, Picris hieracioides, Cichorium intybus, and Plantago coronopus, were analyzed for their content in Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn and, besides, three domestications (named “soilless,” pot, and open field) were evaluated in the analyzed species in the prospective of their commercialization as valuable sources of minerals in the human diet. Nitrate and oxalate contents were also evaluated, given their negative impact on human health. Results unveil that open field domestication allowed the plants to maintain the content of major minerals similar to those measured in wild plants, especially in C. intybus and P. hieracioides. The trace elements Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn were not recorded at high content irrespectively to the wild collection or domestications. Finally, plants grown in the open field also accounted for a high oxalate and nitrate content, especially in R. acetosa. Further researches should be aimed at decreasing the oxalate and nitrate content in the domesticated species and to promote the commercialization of the domesticated species

Iodine biofortification of sweet basil and lettuce grown in two hydroponic systems

Two hydroponic techniques (floating system and aeroponics) were assessed for iodine (I) biofortification of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and baby-leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Iodine was supplemented by adding KI into the nutrient solution to achieve a final I concentration of 10 μM. Shoot biomass production and leaf concentration of I, nitrates, total phenols and pigments were measured on the occasion of two successive cuts, 14 and 28 days after transplanting. In both the hydroponic systems, the supplementation of KI represented an effective method for the biofortification of basil as it did not affect the plant growth, while it moderately reduced the biomass production in lettuce. Leaf I accumulation occurred to a greater extent in aeroponics than the floating system in both species. In KI-treated basil plants, leaf I content ranged between 9.76 and 23.58 mg kg− 1 FW. Consequently, 6 g of fresh basil leaves, which is contained in a portion of Italian pesto sauce (12 g), could satisfy 40%–94% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of iodine for healthy adults (150 μg day− 1). In lettuce, leaf I contents of first-cut leaves were 1.55 and 3.60 mg kg− 1 FW, in the floating system and aeroponics, respectively. Therefore, a serving size of 26 g of lettuce containing I from 1.55 (floating culture) to 3.60 (aeroponics) mg kg− 1 FW could satisfy 27 % to 62 % of the RDI of iodine. Lettuce grew much less in the floating system than aeroponics, probably because of the lower dissolved oxygen level in the nutrient solution as compared to aeroponics. Basil was less sensitive to the oxygen availability in the root zone, since no differences were detected between the two hydroponic systems in terms of fresh and dry biomass

Effects of Nonthermal Plasma (NTP) on the Growth and Quality of Baby Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. acephala Alef.) Cultivated in an Indoor Hydroponic Growing System

The aim of this research was to develop an effective protocol for the application of nonther-mal plasma (NTP) technology to the hydroponic nutrient solution, and to investigate its effects on the growth and quality of baby leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. acephala Alef.) grown in a hydroponic growing system (HGS) specifically designed for indoor home cultivation. Four HGSs were placed in separate growth chambers with temperature of 24 ± 1◦ C and relative humidity of 70 ± 5%). Lettuce plants were grown for nine days in nutrient solutions treated with NTP for 0 (control) to 120 s every hour. Results of the first experiments showed that the optimal operating time of NTP was 120 s h−1 . Fresh leaf biomass was increased by the 60 and 120 s NTP treatments compared to the control. Treating the nutrient solution with NTP also resulted in greater leaf content of total chloro-phylls, carotenoids, total phenols, and total antioxidant capacity. NTP also positively influenced chlorophyll a fluorescence in Photosystem I (PSI) and photosynthetic electron transport. These results revealed that the NTP treatment of the nutrient solution could improve the production and quality of hydroponically grown baby leaf lettuce

Green roofs and green façades for improving sustainability of towns

Nowadays, buildings in Europe account for a consumption of 40% of total energy use and about 65% of total electricity consumption. According to the European Directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD Directive), solutions such as green roofs and green walls can help to reduce energy consumptions and the greenhouse gases emissions by buildings. The installation of plant systems covering some surfaces of the building allows to reach an improvement of the building's energy efficiency mainly by reducing the energy demand for cooling in warm periods. The green layers used for buildings contribute to improve thermal insulation, since they reduce the direct solar radiation while the evaporative cooling contributes to create a better local microclimate. This paper provides the first data collected by a green wall prototype in progress at ENEA Casaccia Centre to investigate the effects of this natural green solution on the energy efficiency of buildings. The project was funded by the Programme Research of Electrical System, and is being carried out in cooperation with the Universities of Pisa, Bari and Viterbo