Optimization of Nitrogen in Durum Wheat in the Mediterranean Climate: The Agronomical Aspect and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum) is the most cultivated cereal crop in the Mediterranean basin, traditionally grown under rainfed conditions using conventional tillage. Agronomical practices, soil type and climate variables are known to influence crop productivity. Their interaction effect is very complex and the time in which they occur strongly affects yield and quality. The nitrogen supply, in combination with climatic conditions, is the main constraint determining the physiological performance, grain yield and quality response of wheat. In addition, the N formulation, fertilizer management, crop sequence, seasonal trends, and the supply of residual and mineralized N influence the response of wheat to N fertilizer. N fertilizer management must be optimized to prevent N deficiency in the critical crop growth period, to avoid yield and quality losses and also prevent the excessive application of N fertilizer, thus reducing the environmental impact. The split application of N fertilizer is a promising strategy that satisfies plant needs and reduces N losses through improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Such a strategy can result in a remarkable reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the carbon footprint of Italian durum wheat, considering that the highest proportion of the total emissions deriving from N fertilizer production and its application

Long-distance transport of L-ascorbic acid in potato

BACKGROUND: Following on from recent advances in plant AsA biosynthesis there is increasing interest in elucidating the factors contributing to the L-ascorbic acid (AsA) content of edible crops. One main objective is to establish whether in sink organs such as fruits and tubers, AsA is synthesised in situ from imported photoassimilates or synthesised in source tissues and translocated via the phloem. In the current work we test the hypothesis that long-distance transport is involved in AsA accumulation within the potato tuber, the most significant source of AsA in the European diet. RESULTS: Using the EDTA exudation technique we confirm the presence of AsA in the phloem of potato plants and demonstrate a correlation between changes in the AsA content of source leaves and that of phloem exudates. Comparison of carboxyflourescein and AgNO(3 )staining is suggestive of symplastic unloading of AsA in developing tubers. This hypothesis was further supported by the changes in AsA distribution during tuber development which closely resembled those of imported photoassimilates. Manipulation of leaf AsA content by supply of precursors to source leaves resulted in increased AsA content of developing tubers. CONCLUSION: Our data provide strong support to the hypothesis that long-distance transport of AsA occurs in potato. We also show that phloem AsA content and AsA accumulation in sink organs can be directly increased via manipulation of AsA content in the foliage. We are now attempting to establish the quantitative contribution of imported AsA to overall AsA accumulation in developing potato tubers via transgenic approaches

Reliable identification and quantification of volatile components of sage essential oil using ultra HRGC.

Salvia officinalis (common sage) essential oil was chemically characterized by means of GC-MS, using 100 meter capillary columns with two different stationary phases. Identification of the analytes was carried out by means of the FFNSC mass spectrum library and the use of the Linear Retention Index (LRI) as an extra criterion of library searching. Quantitative analysis was also carried out by means of GC-FID with the internal standard method and the use of relative response factors determined for each chemical class of components. A total of 45 compounds were identified and quantified and reported with their experimental LRI values

Evaluation of rapeseed cultivation suitability in Apulia with GIS-multicriteria analysis

The potential of land for energy crops is determined by an evaluation of biophysical and economical variables. From this respect, climate, soil and geomorphologic environmental components are the most important agro-ecological variables to conduct this kind of evaluation. In this study, Geographic Information System (GIS) has been used to identify the most suitable areas for rapeseed crop production in the Apulia region. Environmental components such as climate (precipitation, temperature), soil (chemical and physical characteristics including texture, gravel percentage, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil depth, etc.), topography (slope) and economical components (farm-useful surface, mechanization, percentage of land covered by cereals and horticulture, irrigated surface, set-aside surface) were considered. Biophysical parameters (climate, geomorphology and soil) were used to draw a map of agronomic suitability of rapeseed according to the Agronomic Classification of the Territory II (CAT II) classification system; a map of general suitability of rapeseed in the Apulia region has been drawn with the support of multicriteria analysis, which also takes into account the economical parameters. The results from overlay maps for agronomic evaluation in the Apulia region showed that 38% (189,983 ha) of the arable land area is highly suitable (S1), 43.4% (21,6642 ha) is moderately suitable (S2), 11.9% (59,487 ha) is marginally suitable (S3) and 6.7% (33,210 ha) is and not suitable (N) for rapeseed cultivation

Il quaderno di coltivazioni erbacee

Nell’ambito delle superfici emerse (circa 13,5 miliardi di ha) circa 1,4 miliardi di ettari sono destinati alle coltivazioni erbacee, colture strategiche per l’alimentazione umana, sia in via diretta, attraverso l’utilizzo delle materie prime, sia per via indiretta, esempio come nel caso delle materie prime destinate alla zootecnia ed all’industria di trasformazione. Da considerare anche la rilevante presenza (circa 3 miliardi di ettari) di superfici destinate alla pastorizia (prati, pascoli e boschi) e le superfici, sempre più crescenti negli ultimi anni, per la produzione di energia. La Puglia possiede una superficie agraria e forestale di 1.350 mila ettari nei quali la destinazione a coltivazioni erbacee è consistente: 650 mila ettari a seminativi, 90 mila ettari a prati e pascoli 100 mila ettari a boschi. Da questa premessa si evince l’enorme importanza strategica che assumono queste colture nelle economie e nelle politiche internazionali. Il manuale è strutturato in tre parti, dimensionate in base all’importanza economica che le colture rivestono a livello regionale: - le colture cerealicole da granella, con particolare attenzione al frumento, orzo, avena; - le colture foraggere, con particolare attenzione agli erbai autunno vernini e ai pascoli; - le colture industriali, con maggior attenzione a girasole, colza e cenni su colture quali barbabietola e pomodoro da industria. Di tutte le colture, si fa comunque una trattazione che tiene in conto che la gestione dell’azienda agricola si intreccia con una serie di problematiche: - produrre con metodi di coltivazione che siano sostenibili sia economicamente ma anche dal punto di vista ambientale, considerando che le risorse naturali non sono rinnovabili. - assicurare la continuità di approvvigionamento, possibilmente senza fluttuazioni negli anni. - garantire un prezzo dei beni di prima necessità che sia conveniente sia per gli imprenditori agricoli che per la popolazione. - garantire la sicurezza dei prodotti in termini salubrità qualitativi e sanitari. Il quaderno nasce quindi con l’intento di fornire agli imprenditori agricoli un supporto e un aggiornamento sulle tecniche di coltivazione, al fine di ottimizzare il reddito degli agricoltori nel rispetto del mandato più ampio oggi affidato agli agricoltori che è quello assicurare il benessere alimentare e sociale delle comunit

Effects of Different Types of Soil Management on Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Contents and the Stability Index of a Durum Wheat–Faba Bean Rotation under a Mediterranean Climate

Abstract Soil quality, nitrogen, and organic matter content are increasingly being researched due to their impact on the environment. We assessed the effects of different soil management practices on the distribution and accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in a durum wheat–faba bean rotation system cultivated in a Mediterranean-type area of Southern Italy, over six years. The effects of three levels of soil disturbance—conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (RT), and no tillage—(NT) on the SOC and nitrogen (N) content at soil depths of 0–15, 15–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm were compared in a long-term experiment starting in the 2009–2010 growing season. The three soil management systems showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the surface layer (0–15 cm depth) in SOC content and total nitrogen, with the largest accumulation occurring in the conservation system (NT). In the deep layers (30–60 and 60–90 cm), however, no significant differences were found between the three tillage systems. The ascending order of the tendency to accumulate SOC and N in the soil in the 0–15 cm layer was NT > CT > RT. In addition, the C/N ratio showed a more equilibrated rate in the NT system. The conservation tillage (NT) gave the best results in terms of the physical characteristics of the soil, showing a higher stability index compared to CT and RT. Conservation tillage is therefore recommended for wheat cultivation in the dry areas of Southern Italy, due to its benefits in terms of both crop yield improvements and environmental protection

Climate Variability Impact on Wheat Production in Europe: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

Increased carbon dioxide concentration, rise in temperature and drought stress are important key factors causing frequent occurrence of climate events. Important adaptation strategy such as modification of phenological pattern to avoid stressful period during plant development will be key feature in crop plants. In addition, comprehensive understanding of plants response to elevated CO2 concentration, temperature and drought stress alone or in combination will be needed to acclimatize crop plant to these changes. Study of climate variability impact on wheat production concerning mitigation strategies is need of time in order to reduce the risk of climate change on crop yield and growth. Similarly, information about the time in which climate variable(s) occurred in the field is important as the severity of its effect/their combined effect can vary largely. Agronomic practices such as cultivar choice, water and nitrogen supply, nutrients availability and growing conditions should be taken into account to design adaptation options. The failure of agriculture to adapt to climatic variability will impact global food, especially wheat production. A holistic approach will be paramount to sustaining agriculture and the vitality of the world in the face of climate change

Optimization of the environmental performance of rainfed durum wheat by adjusting the management practices

Altering agricultural practices to meet the sustainability criteria can be a promising solution for reducing environmental burdens related to intensive agricultural management practices. In this study, different wheat management practices are proposed and evaluated for their environmental performances from a life cycle prospective. Information on crop yield response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates and soil disturbance was collected from field experiments conducted during the growing season (2010e2012) at Pantanelli experimental farm in southern Italy. Environmental impacts are organized in impact categories, which are estimated under the proposed scenarios using different methodology. All impacts are linked to the production of 1 kg of durum wheat using farm gate as a system boundary. Results showed that for all the examined scenarios, largest burdens are related to the production of farm inputs, while the lowest to cultivation face, except for no nitrogen supply scenarios. Impact assessment results at midpoint level indicate that most impact categories have a direct correlation between impact assessment values, which are very much linked to grain productivity, and management intensity with some exceptions. In most cases, T1 performed better than other scenarios whereas T8 reported the highest impact. At damage category, however, most of the impacts on human health came from Climate change (49.4%) and Particulate matter formation (49.5%). For the damage to ecosystems, minor differences between the different production scenarios were calculated with best option was for the lowest input scenario (T1). Only two impact categories contributed in a clear manner to the total impact on ecosystem. Climate change and Agricultural land occupation represent the majority of the total impacts on ecosystem with 50.5% and 46.3%, respectively. Impact assessment for the damage category "Resources" show that the majority of the impacts came from the depletion of fossil fuel. The use of diesel fuel in tractors for the various agricultural steps was a significant process that was responsible for the impact on the proposed scenarios. Comparative analysis for the proposed management scenarios give the possibility for the optimization of farming systems, which resulted in increasing productivity with minimum input. This has led to the reduction of impacts resulted from the production of 1 kg of product. It was found that the contribution of conservation agriculture technique (NT with low input of N fertilizer) to the impact categories and GWP index was small compared to that of CT and RT. Data obtained from this study could help farmers as well as the industry to focus on the most emission-intensive stages of durum wheat production in order to reduce impacts by improving productivity