Influence of Irrigation Frequency on Radicchio (Cichorium Intybus L.) Yield

Red chicory (radicchio) plants produce leafy heads that are of great commercial interest and they require a proper irrigation technique to achieve satisfactory productivity. The use of mini-sprinklers with high-frequency irrigation schedules may increase radicchio productivity, provide better growing conditions due to timely intervention, and save water, but so far little research has been carried out on this topic. This experiment aims at evaluating the effect of two mini-sprinkler irrigation schedules (high- and low-frequency) on radicchio yield and growing conditions over a 5-year cultivation period. Marketable radicchio head production was on average 12% greater with the high-frequency schedule (26.5 t ha-1) than with the low-frequency schedule (23.6 t ha-1), mainly due to greater head weight. The number of underweight, pre-flowering, rotten, and missing plants was significantly different between the two schedules when these variables were considered separately, but the overall number of marketable plants was greater in the high-frequency schedule during certain years. In general, the high-frequency schedule permitted to increase both radicchio yield and to reduce irrigation water use on average by 14% (-24 mm in volume), improving the irrigation water productivity by 19% (from 0.18 t mm-1 of the low-frequency schedule to 0.22 t mm-1 of the high-frequency schedule). Reducing the irrigation interval permits a timely adaptation to the weather course and improves radicchio growing conditions, presenting itself as a valid strategy that could be adopted by the farmers, upon appropriate consideration of energy and management costs

Evaluation of long-term water management strategies for saving water and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural fields: controlled drainage and surface flow constructed wetland case studies in Venice Lagoon drainage basin

In in contesto di carenza idrica e di inquinamento delle acque superficiali causato dalle attività agricole, devono essere identificate nuove pratiche di gestione delle risorse idriche che rispondano a queste problematiche e possano essere utilizzate in diversi ambienti. Il bacino idrografico della Laguna di Venezia (nell'Italia nord-orientale) è un'area sensibile all'inquinamento delle acque superficiali. La prevalenza di terreni pianeggianti e la presenza di una falda freatica superficiale, tuttavia, suggeriscono condizioni idonee per la realizzazione di due pratiche di gestione idrica per la riduzione dei carichi di N e P provenienti dalle aree agricole: il drenaggio controllato (controlled drainage: CD) e le wetland artificiali a flusso superficiale (surface flow constructed wetlands: SFCWs). Il monitoraggio di lungo periodo delle performance di queste pratiche è necessario per fornire risultati di validità generale, che non siano condizionati dalla variabilità meteorologica annuale. Questo lavoro valuta le performance di un sistema di CD e di SFCW in un esperimento di lungo periodo. Il CD è stato monitorato durante i periodi 1995-2002 e 2006-2013, in termini di bilancio idrico e di resa delle colture, e dal 2007 al 2013 anche per le perdite di N e P. La SFCW è stata monitorata dal 2007 al 2013 per la riduzione dei carichi di N e P. Il CD ha permesso di ridurre i deflussi idrici del 69% e ha determinato un aumento complessivo della resa di granella di mais del 26,3%, e della resa di mais da insilato del 4,0%. Le perdite di NO3-N e PO4-P nelle acque superficiali sono state ridotte rispettivamente del 92% e del 65%. La SFCW ha mostrato tassi di rimozione annui apparenti dell'83% e del 79% rispettivamente per NO3-N e N totale, e del 48% e del 67% rispettivamente per PO4-P e P totale. Sia il CD che la SFCW si sono rivelati efficaci nel ridurre i carichi inquinanti di N e P, ed il CD ha anche contribuito ad aumentare la resa delle colture attraverso il risparmio idrico. Per questi motivi, l'applicazione di queste due pratiche di gestione idrica è da prendersi in considerazione in questo ambiente

Multi-year N and P removal of a 10-year-old surface flow constructed wetland treating agricultural drainage waters

Surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) can be e\u21b5ectively used to treat agricultural drainage waters, reducing N and P surface water pollution. In the Venice Lagoon drainage basin (northeastern Italy), an SFCW was monitored during 2007\u20132013 to assess its performance in reducing water, N, and P loads more than 10 years after its creation. Nitrogen concentrations showed peaks during winter due to intense leaching from surrounding fields. Phosphorus concentrations were higher after prolonged periods with no discharge, likely due to mobilization of P of the decomposing litter inside the basin. Over the entire period, N removal eciency was 83% for NO3\u2013N and 79% for total N; P removal eciency was 48% for PO4\u2013P and 67% for total P. Values were higher than in several other studies, likely due to the fluctuating hydroperiod that produced discontinuous and reduced outflows. Nitrogen outlet concentrations were reduced by the SFCW, and N removal ratios decreased with increasing hydraulic loading, while no strong correlations were found in the case of P. The SFCW was shown to be an e\u21b5ective long-term strategy to increase water storage and reduce N and P loads in the Venice Lagoon drainage basin

Simulazioni numeriche per lo sviluppo di tecniche innovative di casting per la produzione di SoGSi nel sistema iDSS.

The guidelines followed in the writing of this thesis are two different and clearly identifiable. One part aims to interest the readers in understanding the new possibilities in the field of fusion and solidification of Silicon introduced with the new type of melting furnace called induction - Directional Solidification System (i-DSS). In this first part the developments of new solution casting of the silicon are argued, with a possible new method to recycle the silicon for applications in the photovoltaic industry. The attention is focused on the improvement of the total efficiency of the i-DSS system and on the analyzation of the numerous possible configurations to integrate the electromagnetic stirring in the present building. The other part of the elaborate, in which it tries to give the more comprehensive answers, reports the functioning of i-DSS prototype furnace installed at LEP-Laboratory of Electroheat of Padua. The goal is to limit the difficulties that the followers maybe will encounter, difficulties that I met at the beginning of my training route

Gli impianti fotovoltaici.

open102

Soil properties zoning of agricultural fields based on a climate-driven spatial clustering of remote sensing time series data

The identification of zones within an agricultural field that respond differently to environmental factors and agronomic management is a key requirement for the adoption of more precise and sustainable agricultural practices. Several approaches based on spatial clustering methods applied to different data sources, e.g. yield maps, proximal sensors and soil surveys, have been proposed in the last decades. The current availability of a huge amount of free remote sensing data allows to apply these approaches to agricultural areas where ground or proximal data are not available. However, in order to provide useful agronomic management information, it is essential that the zoning obtained by clustering is linked to the underlying spatial variability of soil properties. In this work we explore the hypothesis that the response of crop vigor to temporal climate variability, assessed by remote sensing data time series, selected to correspond to specific growth phases and seasonal climate patterns, provides indications on the variability of soil properties within agricultural fields, for both herbaceous and tree crops. NDVI time-series for 38 years (1984–2021) were obtained for fourteen non-irrigated herbaceous and tree crop fields in Central Italy, from multispectral satellites data (Landsat 5/7/8, Sentinel 2). The Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was used to classify time series into three climatic classes (dry/ normal/wet) for five different periods of the growth season, covering the main phenological phases. K-means clustering was used to identify patterns of crop growth from climatically classified image sets, as well as for all the bulked images for comparison (bulk clustering). Clustering results were compared with soil maps obtained from spatialized ground data, for soil texture (clay, silt and sand), soil organic matter and available soil water (ASW). The agreement between the different clustering results and soil maps was assessed by the Adjusted Rand Index. Agreement with soil maps varied depending on the field, the phenological phase considered and the soil property considered. Climate driven clustering from long, late growth season periods best matched soil properties, both for herbaceous and tree crops, despite being based on a limited number of images. The clustering from images spanning a longer growth period for dry years systematically outpaced the bulk clustering for silt, sand and ASW, while the clustering for normal climatic conditions was the best for organic matter. The performance of the matching between clustering and soil maps increased with soil variability significantly more (P < 0.05) than in the bulk clustering (mean slopes respectively 0.468 ± 0.167; 0.113 ± 0.270). The integration of the SPEI climatic index into the clustering procedure systematically improved the identification of zones with homogeneous soil properties, highlighting that a greater attention should be posed to the climate-crop-field interactions when using remotely sensed image

PROVE DI CORROSIONE AD ALTA PRESSIONE DI CO2 PER I POZZI DI STOCCAGGIO

Nell’ambito del progetto ENI “GreenHouse Gases” è stata effettuata una attività sperimentale volta alla scelta materiali per i pozzi di stoccaggio. Utilizzando un sistema esperto per la scelta dei materiali dei pozzi è stata preparata una tabella che possa servire da guida per la selezione dei materiali per pozzi in funzione delle impurezze contenute nella CO2 e dei parametri di processo. I risultati forniti dal sistema esperto sono stati validati mediante prove sperimentali. Le prove svolte sono state: test di corrosione in autoclave, prove meccaniche, analisi chimica, indagini metallografiche

Analysis of Sentinel Node Biopsy and Clinicopathologic Features as Prognostic Factors in Patients With Atypical Melanocytic Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Atypical melanocytic tumors (AMTs) include a wide spectrum of melanocytic neoplasms that represent a challenge for clinicians due to the lack of a definitive diagnosis and the related uncertainty about their management. This study analyzed clinicopathologic features and sentinel node status as potential prognostic factors in patients with AMTs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinicopathologic and follow-up data of 238 children, adolescents, and adults with histologically proved AMTs consecutively treated at 12 European centers from 2000 through 2010 were retrieved from prospectively maintained databases. The binary association between all investigated covariates was studied by evaluating the Spearman correlation coefficients, and the association between progression-free survival and all investigated covariates was evaluated using univariable Cox models. The overall survival and progression-free survival curves were established using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 126 months (interquartile range, 104-157 months). All patients received an initial diagnostic biopsy followed by wide (1 cm) excision. Sentinel node biopsy was performed in 139 patients (58.4%), 37 (26.6%) of whom had sentinel node positivity. There were 4 local recurrences, 43 regional relapses, and 8 distant metastases as first events. Six patients (2.5%) died of disease progression. Five patients who were sentinel node-negative and 3 patients who were sentinel node-positive developed distant metastases. Ten-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 97% (95% CI, 94.9%-99.2%) and 82.2% (95% CI, 77.3%-87.3%), respectively. Age, mitotic rate/mm2, mitoses at the base of the lesion, lymphovascular invasion, and 9p21 loss were factors affecting prognosis in the whole series and the sentinel node biopsy subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Age >20 years, mitotic rate >4/mm2, mitoses at the base of the lesion, lymphovascular invasion, and 9p21 loss proved to be worse prognostic factors in patients with ATMs. Sentinel node status was not a clear prognostic predictor