Durum wheat is often cultivated in marginal areas with great management difficulties. Organic fertilization is a sustainable agricultural practice that allows preserving the environment, but its limit can be the reduction of yield and quality of crops, also in cereals. The aim of research was to evaluate the effects of the organic fertilization on yield and quality of Simeto, a variety of durum wheat

In the present study, brown seaweed - Fucus vesiculosus was used as a raw material for the preparation of bio-products for sustainable agriculture. Biosorption was applied to produce fertilizer additives with microelements. F. vesiculosus was enriched with Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions. Biostimulants of plant growth were obtained by seaweed extraction with potassium hydroxide. Different doses of enriched

Due to the reduction of cattle farming, the Finnish agricultural sector currently needs solutions to replace animal manure with new sustainable alternatives. This problem is especially acute for organic farms, which need livestock manure to improve soil fertility and soil organic carbon (SOC) to sustain yield. On the other side, plywood manufacturers aim to find ways to reuse waste fractions such as

Plants due to the high content of various bioactive compounds are the main raw material for production of valuable, and useful bio-products (e.g., food, cosmetics, medicines, biostimulants, biopesticides, and feed). Different plant parts, for instance: seeds, fruits, flowers, stems, leaves, and roots can be used for their manufacture. Nowadays, there is a clear need to develop new, efficient, and environmentally

Potentially toxic elements (PTE), e.g. As, Sb, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, can severely impact soil element cycling, organic matter turnover and soil inhabiting microbiota. Very often this has dramatic consequences for plant growth and yield which are greatly restricted in PTE-contaminated soils. The use of innovative amendments to reduce the labile pool of such soil contaminants, can result as a feasible and

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a diffused worldwide vegetable. Great amounts of fertilizers are often applied for increasing yield and quality, without considering the negative effect on the environment. A possible perspective for reducing this risk is to raise the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) through the use of plant biostimulants, which also improve yield and quality concomitantly. The aim

The current agricultural system faces several challenges, the most important being the ability to feed the increasing world population and mitigate climate change. In this context, the improvement of fertilizers’ agronomic efficiency while reducing their cost and environmental impact is one of the biggest tasks. Available literature shows that many efforts have been made to develop innovative fertilizers

Municipal waste compost was evaluated under open field conditions for replacing synthetic fertilizers in a vegetable three-year succession. Three compost rates, 45 t ha–1, 30 t ha–1 and 15 t ha–1 (dry matter), and compost at 15 t ha–1 combined with 25%, and 50% of the full synthetic nitrogen rate, were compared to full and none synthetic nitrogen fertilizations. Crop succession was: tomato followed

Maize is one of the most sensitive industrial crops of zinc supply. Questions about fertilisation methods and the type of fertilisers used are the subject of serious scientific discussion. The key objective of this paper was to evaluate the possibilities to recover the yielding potential of Zn-deficient young maize plants by application of nanosized Zn-containing foliar fertilisers. The agronomic response

The over-reliance on synthetic nitrogen (N) in current farming is a major concern because of its adverse effects on soil quality, the environment, and crop production. Organic fertilizers such as seaweed extract (SE) and microbial inoculants (MI) provide alternatives to chemical fertilizers that could decrease the amount of synthetic N needing to be applied and improve crop growth productivity. This

Highlights - Potassium nutrient management in maize-soybean strip intercropping can increase the resource use efficiency. - Compared to the T0 (no potassium), T2 (80 kg ha–1 on maize) application increases the light interception and leaf area index of maize by 17% and 38% respectively. - Regression analysis reveals a positive relationship between physiological parameters measured at R2 and at R6 growth

Apulia (southeast of Italy) has always been an agricultural region in the Italian landscape. Nowadays, the countryside is a mix of natural environments and artificial landscapes. From 2014 to 2016, the region has been the object of a project aimed to collect information about geographic position and surface devoted to legume and/or cereal landrace cultivation. The collection missions carried out allowed

The cultivation of oil crops for biofuel production has often been accused of not being environmentally sustainable due to the high inputs needed. To explore the effect of reduced input on productive and qualitative traits of camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz), a trial was carried out over a two-year period. This study analysed two different levels of input: a low input treatment (shallow non-inversion

The agriculture sustainability assessment is a difficult issue for the coexistence of conflicting objectives and the multidimensionality of the performances. The environmental, economic and social pillars need to be simultaneously considered in an assessment to evaluate potential synergies and trade-offs of the agricultural processes within and among the attributes of the dimensions in both implemented

To counteract fluoride (F) stress-induced adverse effects on plants, one approach is the application of exogenous potential osmoprotectants such as proline (Pro) and glycinebetaine (GB). This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of exogenous application of Pro and GB on germination and growth of common bean seeds after potassium fluoride (KF) and sodium fluoride (NaF) exposure. The study

The utilization of dual-purpose cereals is encouraged in the Mediterranean environments to fill a feed gap during the winter season. Triticale is a promising dual-purpose crop for forage and grain production. Studies on the variations in productivity and quality of dual-purpose triticale under variable fertilization management are scarce. This study was carried out during winter 2018/2019 and 2019/2020

Soils play a central role in achieving sustainable development. The new European Green Deal is addressing all policy areas relevant to sustainable soil management: climate change, biodiversity, agriculture and desertification, including sustainable water management, are necessarily at the core of the European policies. Consistently addressing soil protection across these different policy areas will

Vineyards’ soils are especially threatened by the risk of soil compaction and soil erosion, with negative consequences for wine production and provisioning of ecosystem services. The adopted inter-rows soil management influences the response of vineyard to different types of rainfall events, in terms of runoff and soil erosion. Actually, the use of cover crops in vineyards is widely considered as an

Agricultural land set up systems comprise those agronomic structures able to preserve the soil fertility from water erosion, such as: ditching, contouring, earth-riser and stonewall terracing, draining, and channelization, etc.. However, in the past 60 years, agricultural mechanization has led to an expansion of the field size and reduction in land set up system intensity to make machine operation

Land set-up systems in Italy were and, in a few cases, still are integral parts of agricultural landscapes. The soils of Italy mirror a wide variety of climates and morphologies and derive from a great diversity of parent materials influenced by different soil temperature and moisture regimes. Furthermore, their development was influenced by several anthropogenic activities over time including land

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identify the need to restore degraded soils in order to improve productivity and the provision of ecosystem services. The aim is to support food production, store and supply clean water, conserve biodiversity, sequester carbon, and improve soil resilience in a context of climate change. Within this framework, in order to achieve the SDGs and to correct land

Desertification is a complex phenomenon defined as the extreme degree of land degradation induced by human activities and climatic conditions. Climate change is accelerating and widening these areas. Previews analysis and studies assessed the vulnerability to desertification in Italy at national and regional level through a methodological approach based on integrating climate, soil, vegetation, and

According to European Landscape Convention, the term Landscape means an area whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and human factors. The equilibrium between these forces is mandatory to preserve this heritage implementing a good land protection and conservation policy that implies many professional figures like agronomists and soil scientists. Italian territory includes

Land reclamation and drainage networks represent one of the most ancient human modifications of the Italian soilscape, where tailored land set-up systems were developed in agroand forestecosystems in three millennia of man’s activity. Most of once manually maintained land settings are currently scarcely working or even disappeared because of the cost needed for their maintenance and the advent of mechanization

The European Cross-Compliance mechanism set up within the Common Agricultural Policy provides support payments to farmers under the condition that specific Standards for Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) are respected. GAEC standard 5 is specific to limit soil loss by erosion in arable crops and requires to comply with the ‘Realization of temporary ditches’ in sloping lands affected

Soil erosion is one of the biggest environmental problems throughout European Union causing considerable soil losses. Vegetation cover provides an important soil protection against runoff and soil erosion. To this aim, unlike annual crops, perennial plants have the advantage of covering soil for a longer time and reducing soil erodibility thanks to SOM increase due to litter effect and to reduction

The present research was conducted to assess the competition of four cover crop species including the Festuca ovina L., Festuca rubra L., Agropyron desertorum (Fischer ex Link) Shultes, and Bromus tomentellus Boiss with the weeds as well as enhancement of their establishment. B. tomentellus with 7.7 and 8.73 t h–1 had the highest dry weight production in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In 2016, the highest

To study the effects of salt stress and plant growth regulators (kinetin, gibberellic acid, potassium) on growth, yield, glycine betaine content, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose biphosphate carboxylase (RBC) gene expression of two Libyan bread wheat varieties, a factorial design of greenhouse experiment with three replications was conducted. Results revealed that salt stress significantly

As in any agroecosystem, also in aquaponics the nitrogen (N) balance represents an important tool to evaluate sustainability, and to identify factors that can improve N use efficiency (NUE) and reduce N losses. In this respect, fish stocking density has been little investigated, hence this research aimed to evaluate the N balance of a low technology aquaponic (AP) system managed at two fish densities

Agricultural activities are potential sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the most important non-carbon-dioxide GHGs. Perennial legumes such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) have potential roles for reduction of soil GHG emissions as part of crop rotation systems. However, the implications of perennial legume termination by tillage and subsequent soil incorporation

Ocimum basilicum L. is an herbaceous plant from the Labiate family that used fresh, as a spice, and as a medicinal plant. Mulch is technique capable of reducing evaporation from the surface of the soil in basil production systems; it has more impacts on yield and essential oil quality of a basil crop. This research was performed in order to study the effects of different mulch types and irrigation

The present study was designed to assess the impact of hen grazing on plant biodiversity in the ground cover of hazelnut orchards, as well as the quality of eggs from hens grazing in the orchards. Two different sites of hazelnut orchards located in Basilicata region were selected to conduct this study. The results showed that hen grazing affected the composition of herbaceous stratum of the orchards

Optimal planting speed of vacuum maize planters is usually suggested by planter’s manufacturers, while increased planting speed may influence plant spacing and finally yield. Our hypothesis was that by increasing planting speed over the suggested level plant spacing variability will also increase which will result in decrease of silage and grain yield and saving of seed and energy. The field trial

Social distancing and mobility restrictions adopted in Italy to deal with the COVID-19 emergency can also alter the operating conditions of the Italian agricultural labour market The restrictions can limit the movement of temporary labour that is already on the national territory and can prevent the arrival of other foreign workers to be engaged mainly in the harvesting of crops In Italy, temporary

Nowadays one of the main challenges in agriculture is to increase crop yield and quality in a sustainable way. Organic farming system (OFS) is considered more eco-friendly than the conventional farming system (CFS). However, cash crops showed a reduced yield when cultivated in OFS, and among them processing tomato reported the highest yield gap between OFS and CFS. Therefore, the objective of this

Once a very important crop, the cultivation of hemp has seen a significant reduction in Europe for a long time, but it is now subject to direct payments and promotion initiatives. Italy used to be an important producer and exporter of hemp textiles until the Second World War but currently information is lacking regarding the hemp production chain and legislation on the issue is often misunderstood

The high demand of barley for animal feed and the scarcity of fresh water increase the need for the reuse of treated wastewater as an alternative source for irrigation. Therefore, two-field experiments were conducted to study physiological processes, plant growth, grain yield and yield components of four-barley cultivars grown under four-irrigation treatments using treated wastewater or fresh water

The reduction of yield gap and achievement yield potential of oil plants make a significant contribution to yield increases and oil production in developing countries. This research was carried out to investigate the factors causing yield gap associated with rape seed crop management in the Neka region, east of the Mazandaran province, Iran, through a field study during 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Boundary

The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction analysis was applied to assess the genotype × environment interaction (GEI) effects and stability for 4-year dry matter yield (DMY) of 16 alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars of diversified geographic origin grown in four Algerian environments given by the combination of two water managements (rainfed and irrigated) and two evaluation sites

Currently, in Italy the cultivation of tobacco has strongly decreased and there is the need to organize substitute production chains that take into account current market demands. Medicinal plants can represent a possible alternative and an opportunity for the Italian agricultural sector. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality and the environmental sustainability of medicinal plants

In the Mediterranean rainfed systems, perennial warm-season grasses are profitable crops for the production of herbage as forage or feedstock for bioenergy purposes. During summer, when the production of cool-season crops is scarce, warm-season grasses can improve the productivity and stability of forage cropping systems. In Italy, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) can be cultivated for herbage production

Hundreds of highly toxic chemical pesticides and their conventional unsafe formulations of varying toxicities are used extensively to control pests, diseases, and weeds to increase agricultural production. The use of bio or botanical pesticides, which have been found effective, safe, and eco-friendly, could possibly provide a viable solution. Thus, the development and production of environment-friendly

The research on wheat accessions was carried out in order to evaluate their grain characteristics. Experiment was set in the agro-ecological conditions of Banja Luka in two experimental years (2015/16 and 2016/17). Ten obsolete wheat cultivars (Brkulja, Licanka, Partizanka, Vuka, Talijanka, Siđanka, Orasanka, Loznicanka, Dokucajevskaja and Nemcitaevskaja) and two landraces (Podrasnica and Previja)

Lower nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a major yield limiting factor in semi-arid regions due to poor organic contents of the soils. There is a close relationship between soil organic matter and NUE of fertilizers. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effect of sole N fertilizer and its combinations with organic amendments (farm manure combinations) on N use efficiency and crop productivity

In this 3-year study the suitability of the normalized differenced vegetation index (NDVI) to the evaluation of pea plant infestation by aphids and expected seeds yield was investigated. The effect was assessed in the conditions of the increasing doses of phosphorus fertilization (0, 70, and 140 kg P₂O₅ ha–¹) and in the different pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris) occurrence on six various cultivars

The main aim of this research was to establish simple regression models for predicting herbage production parameters during uninterrupted growth and to contribute to forage optimisation of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cultivated as an overwinter catch crop. The field experiment in split-plot design with two block replicates consisted of two growth cycles: primary growth (C1) and regrowth

This study evaluates the response of maize growing cycle length to meteorological variables at regional scale particularly, in the short-term period, considering global climate change. The experiment was carried out in Veneto Region (Northeast Italy) where maize phenological data collected by the regional network from 2005 to 2007 were combined with temperature data to analyse the relationship between

Our objective in this study was to determine to what degree macro and micro nutrients in water extracts, ethanol extracts and whole plant applications of Chinese chive (CC), soybean leaf (SL) and soybean stem (SS) promoted crop growth and if growth promotion was related to physiological elements such as photosynthetic efficiency. The studies we conducted in Suncheon, South Korea in 2017 also sought

In most countries the historical-cultural heritage also refers to the foods traditionally consumed. Southern Italy maintains a strong tradition of dishes based on wild plants, considered an important dietary foundation. Despite this, the nutritional properties and nutraceutical value of some of these plants are little known and, therefore, need to be investigated. Sixteen spontaneous species, traditionally

Wheat is the staple cereal crop of Pakistan but its growth is rigorously affected by associated weeds. Present study evaluated the synergistic effect of plant antagonistic rhizobacteria and fungi on growth, yield and suppression of wheat-associated weeds. Wheat associated weeds Phalaris minor and Avena fatua were grown in pots containing wheat as well. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 and Trichoderma

Due to the rapid shrinking of supply of mineral nutrients as well as observed weather fluctuations in throughout Europe in recent ten years, sustainable phosphorus fertilisation has become an important aspect of legume cultivation. There is a lack of knowledge about the effect of phosphorus (P) nutrition on the pea seed yield and quality in water poor conditions. This study was conducted to evaluate

To address biodiversity and agronomic value of grasslands, we attempted to determine the effect of management regimes on temporal plant species diversity of Arrhenatherion grassland vegetation over a 7-year period. In a split-plot experiment, three cutting regimes (traditional 2-cut system, modified and regular 4-cut systems) and five fertilisation regimes [i) zero; ii) phosphoruspotassium (PK); iii)

After 20 years of application of different manure types, cropping systems and additional nitrogen (N) levels, their residual fertility effects were compared by measuring the yield of a following unfertilised wheat crop (Experiment 1), which was sown on exactly the same plots of the previous long-term trial. All previously applied factors caused significant differences in wheat yield. Wheat yielded

To reduce the yield gap, specifying yield constraints in a particular area is necessary. A complete yield gap assessment method must provide information regarding potential yield, actual yield, and causes of the gap and their importance. Therefore, documenting the production process to explain crop management factors in each area is very important. The objective of the study was to perform a rice yield

Zinc (Zn) plays a vital role in biological systems. Plants require an appropriate balance of this essential micronutrient for growth and optimum yield. This study focused on the effectiveness of foliar application of Zn combined with inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on morphological, physiological traits and yield parameters of barley cultivars during the 2015-2016 growing season

Planting spacing is the systematic evaluation of the farm area or any growing surface for crop production. In order to study the effect of varying planting patterns in two garlic (Allium sativum L.) cultivars, an experiment was carried out as a factorial design based on randomised complete block design with three replications in the farm of Gonbad-e-Kavous University during 2016-2017. The factors consisted

Maintaining crop productivity under limited irrigation water requires some new strategies. This study investigated the influence of drought stress and the application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) including jasmonic acid, brassinosteroids, and putrescine on photosynthetic performance of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill). The results indicated that fennel exhibited active osmoregulation which prevented

The production of agricultural crops depends on the optimisation rate of plant genetic factors, climatic and soil factors and the level of agrochemicals. These factors are in constant dynamism and also are the production of agricultural plants. Changing in climatic conditions of the area will necessitate bring changes in the genetic resources of the plants that will be cultivated as well as in the

The search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic herbicides for weed control, has led the scientific community to an increased interest for plant allelopathic mechanisms. The utilisation of plant extracts as possible bioherbicides represents an important solution. In the present study, laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate, for the first time, the differences in the allelopathic

Warm season turfgrasses can be grown successfully in the transition zone, but dormancy occurs to some extent during the winter. Overseeding with cool-season turfgrasses is necessary if winter dormancy of warm season turfgrasses is not tolerated. The increasing availability of zoysiagrass cultivars has enabled this genus to be considered suitable for low-maintenance golf courses, especially for golf