0000000001279357
AUTHOR
D. Giambalvo
Morpho-agronomic and genetic diversity among twelve sicilian agro-ecotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris)
Although Sicily is relatively small (about 25000 km2), it accounts for several agro-ecotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), for many of which no data on morphological, agronomic, and organoleptic characteristics are available to date. Thus, experiments were performed to characterize 12 lentil agro-ecotypes from different areas of Sicily, including some small islands surrounding the main island, and to assess the extent of genetic diversity (by means of six inter-simple sequence repeat [ISSR] primers). A famous agro-ecotype from central Italy (Castelluccio di Norcia) and two commercial varieties from Canada (Eston and Laird) were also included in the study. The results showed a large deg…
Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) leaves and stems as a potential biofuel feedstock
Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L. syn., Sulla coronaria [L.] Medik.) is a short-lived perennial legume native to the Mediterranean basin, where it is extensively grown as a 2-year forage crop playing a key role in cereal-based systems of semi-arid regions thanks to its versatility, (e.g., used for grazing, hay and silage production, and grazing associated with hay production), good-quality forage, and environmental benefits. To date, sulla has not been considered as a bioenergy crop. This research aimed to evaluate the potential of sulla biomass as a biofuel feedstock; in addition, due to the possibility to separate the leaves from the stems as suggested for alfalfa, the biomass composition wa…
Scorpiurus muricatus L.: an interesting legume species for Mediterranean forage systems
Scorpiurus muricatus L. (prickly scorpion’s tail) is a legume species widely distributed as a spontaneous plant in Mediterranean pastures. In Sicily, farmers ascribe to this species a very high palatability and galactogogue effect, so that its abundance increases the value of the pasture. However, despite its worthy traits, the use of S. muricatus as a forage within cropping systems has not been well investigated. A field experiment was performed during two growing seasons in a semiarid Mediterranean environment to acquire information on the productivity of S. muricatus in comparison with other forage species grown in Mediterranean areas (e.g. berseem clover, burr medic, subterranean clover…