Search results for "Arboricoltura"
showing 10 items of 857 documents
An interpretive framework for assessing and monitoring the sustainability of school gardens
2016
School gardens are, increasingly, an integral part of projects aiming to promote nutritional education and environmental sustainability in many countries throughout the world. In the late 1950s, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) had already developed projects to improve the dietary intake and behavior through school and community gardens. However, notwithstanding decades of experience, real proof of how these programs contribute to improving sustainability has not been well-documented, and reported findings have mostly been anecdotal. Therefore, it is important to begin a process of collecting and monitoring data to quantify the results and …
Evaluating the Sustainability in Complex Agri-Food Systems: The SAEMETH Framework
2015
During the last few years, the definition of sustainability and the translation of its general principles into practical and operative tasks have come into the foreground of scientific research and political agendas throughout the world. The understanding and the evaluation of the environmental, social and economic performances of complex agricultural food systems is probably the real challenge, and the design of more sustainable alternatives has been recognized as necessary for a correct territorial management. This study’s primary goal is the proposition of an interpretive structure “Sustainable Agri-Food Evaluation Methodology” (SAEMETH), able to guide the evaluation of the sustainabilit…
The impact of soil erosion on soil fertility and vine vigor. A multidisciplinary approach based on field, laboratory and remote sensing approaches
2018
Soil erosion processes in vineyards, beyond surface runoff and sediment transport, have a strong effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) loss and redistribution along the slope. Variation in SOC across the landscape can determine differences in soil fertility and vine vigor. The goal of this research was to analyze the interactions among vines vigor, sediment delivery and SOC in a sloping vineyard located in Sicily. Six pedons were studied along the slope by digging 6 pits up to 60 cm depth. Soil was sampled every 10 cm and SOC, water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) were analyzed. Erosion rates, detachment and deposition areas were measured by the po…
Agricultural land abandonment in Mediterranean environment provides ecosystem services via soil carbon sequestration
2016
Abandonment of agricultural land leads to several consequences for ecosystem functions. Agricultural abandonment may be a significant and low cost strategy for carbon sequestration and mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to the vegetation recovery and increase in soil organic matter. The aim of this study was to: (i) estimate the influence of different Soil Regions (areas characterized by a typical climate and parent material association) and Bioclimates (zones with homogeneous climatic regions and thermotype indices) on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics after agricultural land abandonment; and (ii) to analyse the efficiency of the agri-environment policy (agri-environment measur…
Temperature regulating floral bud differentiation in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). Hormonal and genetic aspects
2017
In loquat, apex of a current shoot changes from vegetative to reproductive stage during summer, i.e. under high temperature conditions. Indeed, just before floral bud differentiation, a decline in the growth rate due to high temperature takes place. The aim of this work is to study the role of this 'summer rest period' on the apex transition from vegetative to reproductive stage. For this purpose 1) sprouting of secondary shoots was promoted at different times, removing the main shoot, before, during and after floral bud differentiation occurred and 2) groups of trees were shifted to a greenhouse under average maximum temperature not exceeding 25 ° C during different periods from June to Oc…
È possibile tracciare un bilancio sull’eucalitticoltura in Sicilia e sulle sue prospettive?
2017
La storia dell’eucalitticoltura in Sicilia è ormai una storia di mezzo secolo. La diffusione dell’eucalitticoltura in Sicilia e nelle regioni meridionali in genere ha corrisposto alla diffusione di un modello nuovo per queste realtà. Diversi errori sono stati compiuti soprattutto con riferimento alle scelte tecniche compiute a posteriori (scelta delle stazioni, assenza di cure colturali, utilizzazioni improprie). Un rinnovato interesse per questi popolamenti è derivato dalle opportunità offerte per l’utilizzazione energetica. Tuttavia anche questo approccio mostra i suoi limiti legati alla necessità di ricorrere a grossi volumi di legname e ad un utilizzo delle risorse legnose forestali sic…
Development of new non-dairy beverages from Mediterranean fruit juices fermented with water kefir microorganisms
2016
The aim of this work was to explore the use of several Mediterranean fruit juices as fermentable substrates to develop new non-dairy fermented beverages. Microbiological, chemical and sensory features of kefir-like beverages obtained after the fermentation of juices extracted from fruits cultivated in Sicily (southern Italy) with water kefir microorganisms were investigated. Results indicated that both lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were able to develop in the fruit juices tested, but the highest levels were registered with prickly pear fruit juice. All fruit juices underwent a lactic fermentation, since a lactic acid content was detected in the resulting kefir-like beverages. Except kiwif…
Huanglongbing modifies quality components and flavonoid content of 'Valencia' oranges.
2014
BACKGROUND: In order to evaluate the effect of citrus greening disease, or Huanglongbing (HLB), on quality components and flavonoid contents of 'Valencia' oranges, fruit from non-infected trees (control), from infected trees but symptom-less (asymptomatic) and from infected trees and showing clear HLB symptoms (symptomatic) were harvested in March and in May, 2013. Fruit peel, pulp and juice were separated, the main quality components were determined, and hesperidin, nobiletin, tangeretin, narirutin and didymin were quantified using liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Peel colour, total soluble solids and citric acid were similar in control and asymptomatic fruits. Symptomatic fruits were small…
Effect of Pulsed Electric Field Pretreatment on Drying Kinetics, Color, and Texture of Parsnip and Carrot.
2018
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment on drying kinetics and on color and textural changes in sliced parsnip and carrot. Cell disintegration index measured in parsnips after PEF pretreatment significantly differed from the ones measured for carrots and, consequently, the reduction of the time needed to dry both samples to a final moisture content up to 5% (wet basis). The drying time of the PEF pretreated parsnip was reduced by up to 28% at 70 °C and by up to 21% at 60 °C in carrot, in comparison to untreated samples. The PEF pretreatment influenced the effective diffusivity of water into the samples going from 50 °C to 70 °C: in carrots…
An innovative method to produce green table olives based on "pied de cuve" technology
2015
The technology of “pied de cuve” (PdC) is applied in food process only to produce wines with an enriched community of pro-technological yeasts. PdC promotes the growth of the desirable microbial strains in a small volume of grape must acting as a starter inoculums for higher volumes. The aim of the present work was to investigate the use of partially fermented brines, a technology known as PdC, developed with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics of green fermented table olives during two consecutive campaigns. The experimental plan included two trials based on different PdCs: trial A, PdC obtained with Lactobacillus pentosus OM13; trial B, …