Search results for " mulching"

Influence of greenhouse volume/area ratio on soil solarization efficiency

2008

Soil temperature under plastic cover is function of incoming radiation and thermal characteristics of the mulching material and the soil, but it could be also affected by greenhouse characteristics (structure, cover, Volume/Area ratio). The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of different greenhouse unitary volumes and different plastic mulching on soil temperature and soil solarization efficiency. The experiment was carried out in nonheated greenhouses covered with low density transparent polyethilene (PE), located at the experimental field of AAT Department of Palermo University, Italy (138° 7' N, 13° 22' E). Four Volume/Area (V/A) ratios were tested: 1.5 - 2.0 - 2.5 - 3.0. I…

Polyethylene and Biodegradable Starch-Based Mulching Films Affect Winter Melon Production in a Mediterranean Area

2012

EFFECTS OF PLASTIC MULCH AND FLOATING COVER ON LETTUCE PRODUCTION IN SICILY

2012

The use of floating cover directly applied on top of the crop is rapidly increasing on leafy vegetables like lettuce as a simple, inexpensive and effective technique to induce earliness. Two lettuce types, ‘Iceberg’ and ‘Romaine’, under two different crop management systems (black plastic mulch and black plastic mulch combined with floating cover) were tested in Sicily in 2007. Plug type transplants were planted at the end of January on double rows. The nonwoven floating cover was applied after transplanting. Maximum and minimum air temperatures below the floating cover during the growing period were in the average 5 and 1.5°C higher than those without cover. Lettuces mulched and protected …

Effects of Soil Solarization With Different Plastic Films and Fumigation With Combination of 1,3-Dichloropropene and Chloropicrin on Strawberry Prote…

2012

EFFECTS OF SOIL SOLARIZATION WITH DIFFERENT PLASTIC FILMS ON YIELD PERFORMANCE OF STRAWBERRY PROTECTED PLANTATIONS IN SICILY

2014

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.): Suitability of Traditional Cultivars to a Low-Trellis Farming System in a Semiarid Environment

2022

Humulus lupulus is a dioecious twining herb, with an outstanding vertical development capacity. Hop plants are usually grown on trellises up to 4.5 to 6.0 m high, whose management requires intense use of water, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor. In semiarid Mediterranean areas, where native resources are often scarce, the adoption of low-trellis farming systems could be a sustainable option for hop cultivation. With the aim of evaluating hop suitability to low-trellis cultivation in a Mediterranean environment, in 2018 and 2019 three traditional hop genotypes (‘Cascade’, ‘Chinook’, and ‘Nugget’) were grown, and their development rate was evaluated and put in relation with the plants’ cone,…

Indagine su Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) (=Epilachna chrysomelina (F.)) e Raphidopalpa foveicollis (Lucas) in meloneti biologici della Sicilia occ…

2011

Investigations on Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) and Raphidopalpa foveicollis (Lucas) in an organic cultivation of winter melon in western Sicily. A study on H. elaterii and R. Foveicollis, serious pests of winter melon, was conducted in two organic melon fields of the western Sicily. Dynamics of population and infestation levels were investigated. In addition, the possible influence of mulching on R. Foveicollis infestation has been taken into account. Our results showed that H. elaterii occurred only in one field from the beginning of June and it infested 60% of the plants in the mid-July, then the pest population density dropped to about 10%. R. foveicollis occurred in both locations fr…

Soil Quality as Affected by Intensive Versus Conservative Agricultural Managements

2017

Soils, the earth’s skin, are at the intersection of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The persistence of life on our planet depends on the maintenance of soils as they constitute the biological engines of earth. Human population has increased exponentially in recent decades, along with the demand for food, materials, and energy, which have caused a shift from low-yield and subsistence agriculture to a more productive, high-cost, and intensive agriculture. However, soils are very fragile ecosystems and require centuries for their development, thus within the human timescale they are not renewable resources. Modern and intensive agriculture implies serious concern about…

Indagini sulle infestazioni di Aphis gossypii Glover su melone invernale (Cucumis melo Var. Helios) in aziende a conduzione biologica della Sicilia o…

2011

Investigations on the aphid infestation occurring on winter melon crops (Cucumis melo var. Helios) in organic farms of western Sicily The winter melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important crop in Sicily. Previous studies carried out in western Sicily have shown that the aphid species Aphis gossipii is the key pest of winter melon crops.A. gossypii is a cosmopolitan species with very polyphagous habits; this phytophagous insect is capable of serious economic damage due to direct feeding of the sap plant and due to the honeydew secretion and the consequent presence of sooty mold and due to the possible transmission of viruses. The aim of this work was to investigate the levels of aphid infestati…