Prove di pacciamatura con materiali organici su Origano (Origanum heracleoticum L.)

La coltivazione delle piante aromatiche e medicinali, particolarmente quando condotta con i metodi dell’agricoltura biologica, si configura oggi come una possibilità di estremo interesse per il rilancio produttivo di numerose aree interne a rischio di marginalizzazione. Tuttavia, ancora numerosi sono gli aspetti da mettere a punto riguardo all’inserimento delle p.o. negli ordinamenti colturali italiani e siciliani in particolare, ed essi riguardano soprattutto interventi tecnici volti all’abbassamento del rapporto costo/ricavo. la messa a punto per queste dell’agrotecnica più opportuna, in grado contemporaneamente di: a. consentire l’ottenimento di rese ottimali, sia sul piano della quantit…

Variations in the volatile compounds of a Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) variety grown in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment

Fennel is an industrial source of anethole but, recently, further interest has came from the suggested possibility of many industrial uses of this plant. The volatile substances from the seeds of fennel grown in Sparacia (Cammarata - AG - Sicily; 37° 38' N; 13° 46' E) have been investigated and compared on a statistical base with previously reported data. The variety grown in Sparacia fall into the "high fenchone" chemovariety. The substances alpha-toluene, alpha-terpinene, beta-phellandrene + limonene and camphene appear the components most sensitive to environment and grow condition modifications. Fennel is an industrial source of anethole but, recently, further interest has come from the…

La coltivazione delle specie officinali in ambiente mediterraneo: il pirodiserbo come tecnica ecocompatibile di gestione delle infestanti

La produzione di specie officinali richiede oggi la rispondenza a requisiti di qualità sempre più precisi, considerati l’unica concreta possibilità di fronteggiare la competizione con le merci reperibili a bassissimo prezzo dai paesi extraeuropei. Per garantire questi requisiti qualitativi, l’adozione delle tecniche di produzione biologica viene sempre più considerata una necessità imprescindibile. Rispetto alla coltivazione con metodi convenzionali, la coltivazione delle officinali in biologico richiede tuttavia un livello più approfondito di conoscenze tecniche ed una maggiore cura nella tempistica e nella tecnica di esecuzione delle operazioni colturali. Per gli operatori in biologico, l…

CHEMICAL AND BOTANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS L. BIOTYPE FROM SICILY

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is widely cultivated all over the world as ornamental and aromatic plant. Today, the interest towards its cultivation is strongly arising, due to the many biological activities exerted by the essential oil extracted from its leaves and flowers. Which compounds confer to Rosemary's essential oil its properties is still unclear, but it seems likely that these effects must be attributed to a mixture of different principles, acting contemporarily and synergically. The diverse composition of the essential oils of Rosemary's ecotypes coming from different geographical areas could be the reason of their various level of activity. With the aim of obtaining furth…

Risposta bio-agronomica e produttiva del Coriandolo (Coriandrum sativum L.) alla fertilizzazione azotata organica e minerale: risultati di un biennio di sperimentazione

CARATTERIZZAZIONE DI TIPI DI “ANETO” COLTIVATI IN AMBIENTE MEDITERRANEO

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is an annual containing relevant amounts (2-4%) of essential oil, easily obtained through steam distillation of the whole aerial part or of the seeds alone. In Sicily, true dill is not present as wild plant; on the contrary, another Umbelliferae plant, Ridolfia segetum Moris., is largely widespread. The rather limited available literature is mostly devoted to the study of some botanical aspects or, at most, to chemical and analytical characterization of its leaves and flowers. Although at a deep examination the conformation of fruits is rather different between the two species, inside the inland Sicily the two genotypes, both referred to with the same dialectal …

The effect of mariculture facilities on water column trophodynamics as revealed by biochemical features of suspended organic matter (South Tyrrhenian, MED).

A comparison of a Mediterranean aquaculture impacted area and control areas was made to assess the effect of fish farm waste discharge on the biochemical features of the water column. Trophic variables commonly used in marine ecology such as total suspended matter, suspended chlorophyll-a, biochemical features of particulate organic matter (proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) and biopolymeric carbon were chosen as the best descriptors of trophic conditions. An initial analysis of data from the impact area was carried out in order to test the effect of farm waste using a gradient of distances downstream from the fish farm cages (50 m, 300 m, 1000 m). The results were then compared with a con…