Search results for "lcsh:Agriculture"
showing 10 items of 222 documents
Noise risk assessment in a bottling line of a modern Sicilian winery
2013
In wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high levels of noise mostly due to repeated collisions between the bottles. In Italy the Law Decree 81/2008 defined the requirements for assessing and managing noise risk, identifying a number of procedures to be adopted at different noise levels to limit workers exposure. This study aims at evaluating the equivalent and peak noise level inside the bottling plant area of a modern Sicilian winery. In particular, the influence of the working capacity (number of bottles produced per hour) on noise levels was evaluated. We considered three test conditions: T1 with working capacity of 4,000 bottles per hour, T2 with w…
Soil management effect on soil penetration resistance in the vineyard
2013
In environments characterized by steep slopes or arranged in terraces, among the shallow tillage systems, rototilling is extensively used. However, the effect of the repeated use of rototilling has a considerable influence on soil characteristics; it appears finely powdered, soft and without structure. In order to limit these inconveniences, an innovative self-propelled machine equipped with working tools as a spade, to be used in steep slopes or arranged in terraces areas, was designed by the Mechanics Section of the SAF (Scienze Agrarie e Forestali) Department of the University of Palermo in cooperation with Agrotec company, Padua, Italy. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of…
Recent Developments in Understanding Biochar’s Physical–Chemistry
2021
Biochar is a porous material obtained by biomass thermal degradation in oxygen-starved conditions. It is nowadays applied in many fields. For instance, it is used to synthesize new materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, animal feeding, adsorbent for smells, etc. In the last decades, biochar has been applied also to soils due to its beneficial effects on soil structure, pH, soil organic carbon content, and stability, and, therefore, soil fertility. In addition, this carbonaceous material shows high chemical stability. Once applied to soil it maintains its nature for centuries. Consequently, it can be considered a sink to store atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils, thereby mitigat…
Flavouring Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Essential Oils Stabilizes Oleic Acid Composition during Photo-Oxidative Stress
2021
Essential oils (EOs) from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are well-known as natural antioxidants. Their addition to extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) can contribute to reducing fat oxidation. The main aim of this study was to improve both food shelf-life and aromatic flavour of EVOO, adding different EOs of Sicilian accessions of common sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme. The morphological and production characteristics of 40 accessions of MAPs were preliminarily assessed. EOs from the most promising accessions of MAPs were analysed by gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry. Photo-oxidative studies of the EOs were carried out and the determination of the EVOO fatty acids obtained from 4 I…
Multiple response optimization of blueberry juice depectinization
2017
ABSTRACT: To obtain blueberry juice with a high content of antioxidants it is necessary to introduce an enzymatic depectinization step into the process. Due to the importance of this step in the final properties of blueberry juice it is critical that the operation conditions be optimized. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of temperature, duration of treatment and enzymatic complex concentration on anthocyanin content and juice yield during enzymatic depectinization. Results indicated that the best factor combination was 50ºC during 1.3h and 4mg 100g-1 of LAFASE(r) CLARIFICATION and 8mg 100g-1 of LAFASE(r) HE GRAND CRU enzymatic complex concentration. Under these condition…
Genetic similarity among Tunisian cultivated olive estimated through SSR markers
2013
Olive (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the oldest fruit tree in the Mediterranean basin, and is cultivated for oil and canned fruit. Part of this interest is driven by the economic importance of olive oil which is increasing throughout the world due to its beneficial effect to human health. In Tunisia, olive has great socio-economic importance, with more than 60 millions olive trees cultivated for olive oil production including a wide range of cultivars which are widely extended from the north to the south regions of the country for its high economic value. Here, we applied microsatellites (SSRs) molecular markers to assess the genetic variability of the most impor…
Successive alkalinity producing system for the treatment of acid sulphate soil runoff: preliminary results of a field trial
2005
A successive alkalinity producing system (SAPS) has been investigated as a potential passive treatment option for acid, metal containing runoff from acid sulphate soil. A pilot-scale system was installed at an agricultural land site in Rintala embankment area in mid-western Finland. The experimental layout consists of three parallel treatment units: two different SAPS cells and one limestone-filled cell for comparison of performance. The SAPS cells are composed of a bottom layer of limestone and a top layer of compost supplemented with sand. One of the SAPS cells contains sulphate-rich, waste gypsum mixed with the compost layer in order to enhance the metal reduction by sulphate reducing-ba…
Divers aspects de la fertilité de la vigne après une grêle
1981
<p style="text-align: justify;">Following a hail storm, the question normally posed is first to what extent a repruning is beneficial, and then to evaluate the hail's effect on the following year's fertility. A careful study of the influence of hail, using numerous measurements of fertility taken during winter has allowed to determine the parameters that should be taken into account in choosing the course of action to follow.</p>
Application of the SWAP model to predict impact of climate change on soil water balance in a Sicilian vineyard
2012
In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of quality water is leading to irrigation with saline water in soils having a considerable susceptibility to salinization and degradation. In this paper, water flow and solute transport in a Sicilian irrigated soil was simulated by using the SWAP model, and the simulated results compared to measured values of soil moisture and salinity. The investigation was carried out in a vineyard located in Sicily (Mazara del Vallo, Trapani Province) within the framework of the Project: Evolution of cropping systems as affected by climate change (CLIMESCO). The soil hydraulic parameters were obtained by inverse method based on multi-step outflow experiments. The result…
Plant response to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard: results of a three-years field investigation
2012
This paper reports the results of a three-year field investigation carried out in a vineyard located in Sicily (Mazara del Vallo, Trapani) within the framework of the Project: Evolution of cropping systems as affected by climate change (CLIMESCO). Research investigated soil-plant response to irrigation performed with water having two different salinity levels; soil hydrological characteristics, soil salinity, crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were measured in field plots. The results proved that crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were significantly affected by soil salinity conditions (expressed as electrical conductivity of the soil saturated water extract). A significan…