Search results for "Sowing"
showing 10 items of 71 documents
PLANTING DENSITY AND PRUNING METHOD AFFECT EGGPLANT SOILLESS CULTURE
2007
The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of two planting densities (1.6 plants-m-2 or 2.5 plants-m-2) and two pruning methods (two or four stemmed plants) on eggplant cultivars Black Bell and Longo in soilless culture. The research was carried out in 2003-2004 in the Northern coast Sicily. Eggplant plug plants were transplanted in a heated glasshouse in polystyrene containers (80 cm in length, 25 cm in width, 20 cm in height) filled with coconut coir dust. The experimental design was a split-split plot. Fruit production from January to April increased significantly as planting density increased. Irrespectively of the cultivars, four stemmed plants gave higher yields than two ste…
Wheat growth simulation and yield prediction with seasonal forecasts and a numerical model
2007
Abstract Wheat is a major winter crop in northern Italy. Italian agricultural markets and government agencies would undoubtedly benefit from the early availability of wheat yield forecasts at the regional and national scales as useful support in decision making. In this study we tested the skill of seasonal weather forecasts, in combination with observed weather data, as input to a crop model working in water limited conditions. The observations were used to simulate wheat growth from sowing up to 2 months before harvest, while seasonal forecasts were used afterwards to predict final yields. Observations included climatic variables and water table levels from a location in the Po river plai…
Evaluation of Green Roof Ageing Effects on Substrate Hydraulic Characteristics
2020
The vegetated substrate of green roofs may undergo various chemical and physical changes with time. Minidisk infiltrometer (MDI) tests were conducted to assess the short-term variations of the near-saturated hydraulic conductivity, K0, in the extensive green roof test plot established at the University of Palermo. Sampling was repeated four times: before planting (Age 0) and then after four months (Age 1), seven months (Age 2) and ten months (Age 3). A total of 144 infiltration tests were conducted at two pressure heads, h0 = −3 cm and h0 = −0.5 cm and infiltration data analysed by the Zhang (Soil Science Society of America Journal 61(4):1024–1030, 1997) model. Both K-3 and K-0.5 underwent …
Updated single and dual crop coefficients for tree and vine fruit crops
2021
Abstract The present study reviews the research on the FAO56 crop coefficients of fruit trees and vines performed over the past twenty years. The main objective was to update information and extend tabulated single (K c ) and basal (K cb ) standard crop coefficients. The selection and analysis of the literature for this review have been done to consider only studies that adhere to FAO56 method, computing the reference ET with the FAO Penman–Monteith ET o equation and field measuring crop ET with proved accuracy. The crops considered refer to vine fruit crops, berries and hops, temperate climate evergreen fruit trees, temperate climate deciduous fruit trees and, tropical and subtropical fru…
Effect of Wheat Straw as a Cover Crop on the Chlorophyll, Seed, and Oilseed Yield of Trigonella foeunm graecum L under Water Deficiency and Weed Comp…
2019
The effects of water stress on fenugreek crops are well documented. However, little is known about how these plants respond to water deficits under a soil-mulching system when the surface is protected. Therefore, the current research aims to demonstrate the possibility of reducing the impact of water stress and weed competition on the fenugreek crop through the use of wheat residues as a cover crop on the soil surface. A field experiment was carried out during the winter season (2016&ndash
Is seed availability enough to ensure colonization success?
2006
Abstract We tested the hypothesis that seed availability is a limiting factor for plant colonization of road embankments under Mediterranean climate conditions. Experimental sowing on 10 road embankments was carried out to compare the colonization success of plants that successfully colonize the road embankment and species that appear only occasionally in the road embankments. After sowing, we measured plant establishment, biomass production, and reproductive capacity of the species. The species that appear only occasionally in the road embankments had lower emergence rates (l.l ± 0.3%) than species that were successful colonizers (18.8 ± 2.9%). None of the species of the former group survi…
Conservation tillage in a semiarid Mediterranean environment: results of 20 years of research
2014
Conservation tillage techniques are becoming increasingly popular worldwide as they have the potential to generate environmental, agronomic, and economic benefits. In Mediterranean areas, studies performed on the effects of conservation tillage [in comparison with the conventional tillage technique (CT)] on grain yield of cereal crops have reported contradictory results as well as considerable year-to-year variation, demonstrating how the impact of different soil tillage techniques on crop productivity is strongly site-specific. The present paper summarises the main results from a set of experiments carried out in Sicily during the last 20 years in which we compared no tillage (NT) to CT in…
EFFECT OF CULTIVAR AND CROWN SIZE ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY FRESH BARE ROOT PLANTS IN SICILY
2012
In the southern regions of Mediterranean areas the plantations with fresh plants (winter planting system) have almost completely replaced those with cold stored plants (summer planting system). Particularly, fresh bare root plants produced in high elevation nurseries located in Spain and Poland and, in experimental phase, in the southern of Italy (in the mountains of Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata) are the most used. Such type of plant usually has a crown diameter from 6 to 14 mm, but the smallest plants should be (<8 mm) discarded in phase of selection and packing. Objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the different crown diameter on the earliness, productivity and qual…
Non-chemical weeds management in two Mediterranean culinary herbs
2009
Weeds management is one of the most relevant constraints to the cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, especially when they’re cultivated with “organic” methods, that, according to EU regulations, do not allow the use of chemicals. A strong interest is therefore devoted to pointing out “alternative” (agronomical and physical) methods for weeds control. This work reports the results of a trial performed in 2003-04 and 2004-05 in order to evaluate the effects on Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) of four non-chemical methods for weeds control: FS (False seeding), PD (Flaming), MZ (Mechanical weeding), SM (Hand weeding) compared with two untreated co…
Effect of Sowing Time on Coriander Performance in a Semiarid Mediterranean Environment
2006
In semiarid environments, time of sowing is one of the most important factors influencing seed yields. For coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), the most commonly recommended cropping technique is spring sowing (March–April), since the optimum soil temperature for seed germination ranges between 20 and 23 °C, and the crop shows a remarkable sensitivity to frost and cold. In many semiarid areas of southern Italy, however, the occurrence of prolonged dry periods in summer and spring does not allow for the scheduling of summer crops without irrigation. However, the generally mild winter temperatures and the typical rainfall distribution, which is mostly concentrated over the winter months, could …