Mechanical pruning on a vertical shoot positioning system in Dão Region

With the objective of costs reduction in winter pruning, a trial field was conducted from 2008 to 2010 to compare mechanical pruning (MEC = hedge pruning) with manual pruning (MAN), in the Dão region, Portugal, with the red grape variety Alfrocheiro, one of the most important of this denomination. The different types of pruning had already been introduced in 2007. The results obtained showed the same effect during the three years. In 2008 and 2009 the MEC yield was more than twice the MAN yield, with minimum differences in the wine quality (alcohol content and colour components). In 2010 there were also significant differences on yield, and mechanical pruning originated more than 50% of production. Also in this year, the differences in wines quality were small. The high yield in mechanical pruning is mainly due to the higher number of clusters, which compensate the fact that they are smaller. In 2008, differences in yield were also marked by the occurrence of coulure on manual pruning, a phenomenon not observed in mechanical pruning. In mechanical pruning, every year was observed a significant and alarming reduction on the vines vigour (shoot weight, shoot and laterals leaf area), although total leaf area per plant was about 4 times higher than in manual pruning. In 2010 the predawn leaf water potential did not indicate any differences between the two types of pruning

Exploring the production capacity of rooftop gardens (RTGs) in urban agriculture: the potential impact on food and nutrition security, biodiversity and other ecosystem services in the city of Bologna

Abstract The present work, focusing on the theme of food production and consumption in urban areas, analyses the relationships among three factors: city, human well-being and ecosystems. A case study was carried out addressing the quantification of the potential of rooftop vegetable production in the city of Bologna (Italy) as related to its citizens’ needs. Besides the contribution to food security of the city, the potential benefits to urban biodiversity and ecosystem service provision were estimated. The methodology consisted of: 1) experimental trials of potential productivity of simplified soil- less systems in rooftop gardens (RTGs); 2) detection of all flat roofs and roof-terraces and quantification of the potential surfaces that could be converted into RTGs; 3) identification of the city’s vegetable requirements, based on population and diet data; 4) calculation of the proportion of vegetable require- ment that could be satisfied by local RTG production; 5) identification of other benefits (improvement of urban biodi- versity through the creation of green corridors and estimation of carbon sequestration) associated with the increased area of urban green infrastructure (GI). According to the present study, RTGs could provide more than 12,000 t year−1 vegeta- bles to Bologna, satisfying 77 % of the inhabitants’ require- ments. The study also advances hypotheses for the implementation of biodiversity roofs enabling the connection of biodiversity rich areas across and close to the city: these would form a network of green corridors of over 94 km length with a density of about 0.67 km km−2