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Southern Tuscany coastal plains show favorable conditions from the agro-pedoclimatic point of view and are characterized by a relevant touristic flux, being one of the most popular seaside resort. In such conditions, water resource is one... more
Southern Tuscany coastal plains show favorable conditions from the agro-pedoclimatic point of view and are characterized by a relevant touristic flux, being one of the most popular seaside resort. In such conditions, water resource is one of the main assets: disregarded water management may then lead to severe consequences for the development and growth of the socio-economic system and agro-ecosystem maintenance.
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1 Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, r.rossetto@santannapisa.it, g.defilippis@santannapisa.it, sabine.gennaischott@gmail.com, m.depeppo@santannapisa.it, t.sabbatini@santannapisa,it,... more
1 Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, r.rossetto@santannapisa.it, g.defilippis@santannapisa.it, sabine.gennaischott@gmail.com, m.depeppo@santannapisa.it, t.sabbatini@santannapisa,it, e.bonari@santannapisa.it 2 Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy, nicola.silvestri@unipi.it 3 Autorità di Bacino pilota del fiume Serchio, Lucca, Italy, ndelseppia@gmail.com, andreadigrazia@yahoo.it
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Cropping among trees with perennial legumes is one option for increasing agro-ecosystem services, such as improving the nitrogen supply and increasing soil protection by herbaceous vegetation. Moreover, cropping under the canopy of olive... more
Cropping among trees with perennial legumes is one option for increasing agro-ecosystem services, such as improving the nitrogen supply and increasing soil protection by herbaceous vegetation. Moreover, cropping under the canopy of olive trees should diversify the farm production, compared to the traditional fallow management. Among perennial legumes, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) produces abundant biomass under Mediterranean rainfed condition. Based on this, a two-year field experiment was implemented in southern Tuscany in a rainfed olive orchard to test the competition for light effects on alfalfa biomass production and nutritive value. Light availability under the tree canopy was measured by hemispherical photos. In both years, the alfalfa yield of under-canopy varied according to the tree presence. A significant relationship between biomass production and light availability was recorded. The nutritive value of under-canopy alfalfa was similar to that of the open-grown alfalfa. H...
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A pilot experimental field combining rewetting of reclaimed peaty soils and water phyto-treatment was set up in the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) to reduce the water eutrophication and peat degradation caused by almost a... more
A pilot experimental field combining rewetting of reclaimed peaty soils and water phyto-treatment was set up in the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) to reduce the water eutrophication and peat degradation caused by almost a century of drainage-based agricultural use. In this paper, we investigated the restoration process occurring consequently to the conversion of a drained area in a natural wetland system (NWS) (the partial top soil removal, the realization of a perimeter levee to contain the waters, the rewetting with the drainage waters coming from the of surrounding cultivated areas) and the capability of the spontaneous vegetation to catch nutrients acting as a vegetation filter. To follow the restoration process over time (2012-2016), we used a mixed approach merging phytosociological surveys with ortophotos taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). During the last year of observation (2016), we performed destructive sampling on the most widespread plant communities ...
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Perennial crops can positively act on the environment providing a better inter-annual protection of soil cover from water erosion, limiting soil fertility degradation, the risk of nutrient leaching and the exploitation of water for... more
Perennial crops can positively act on the environment providing a better inter-annual protection of soil cover from water erosion, limiting soil fertility degradation, the risk of nutrient leaching and the exploitation of water for irrigation. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a warm-season grass native from North America, has been cultivated for decades as forage crop and only recently as bioenergy crop. Even if several studies reported a positive effect of nitrogen (N) supply on switchgrass yield and quality, potential indirect and direct environmental risks (e.g., eutrophication and greenhouse gas emission) are related to this practice. For this reason grass-legume intercropping can represent a sustainable practice able to increase biomass yield and quality, and at the same time to improve N use efficiency, soil structure and fertility. Based on this, the aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of switchgrass to Mediterranean environment as forage crop and to improve b...
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Introducing nitrogen N2-fixing crops into cereal-based crop rotations reduces N-fertiliser use and may mitigate soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). However, the effect of the cultivation of N2-fixing crops on N2O emissions is still not... more
Introducing nitrogen N2-fixing crops into cereal-based crop rotations reduces N-fertiliser use and may mitigate soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). However, the effect of the cultivation of N2-fixing crops on N2O emissions is still not well understood. N2O from N2-fixing crops can be emitted in two ways: during biological N2 fixation itself and when legume residues are returned to the soil. A field trial was carried out on clover (Trifolium squarrosum Savi) to test the role of leguminous crops on N2O emissions in the Mediterranean environment. Monitoring was performed from December 2013 to September 2014. Cumulated N-N2O fluxes were calculated for the growing season (Phase 1) and the post-harvest period (Phase 2) in order to assess the importance of each phase. Our results did not show statistically significant differences between the two phases in term of contribution to the total cumulative N-N2O emissions, in fact Phase 1 and Phase 2 accounted respectively for 43 and 57% of th...
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Aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of ensiled giant reed, ensiled maize, ensiled olive pomace, wheat bran for combined systems (CS: dark fermentation+anaerobic digestion (AD)) producing hydrogen-rich biogas (biohythane),... more
Aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of ensiled giant reed, ensiled maize, ensiled olive pomace, wheat bran for combined systems (CS: dark fermentation+anaerobic digestion (AD)) producing hydrogen-rich biogas (biohythane), tested in batch under basic operational conditions (mesophilic temperatures, no pH control). Substrates were also analyzed under a single stage AD batch test, in order to investigate the effects of DF on estimated energy recovery (ER) in combined systems. In CS, maize and wheat bran exhibited the highest hydrogen potential (13.8 and 18.9NLkgVS(-1)) and wheat bran the highest methane potential (243.5NLkgVS(-1)). In one-stage AD, giant reed, maize and wheat bran showed the highest methane production (239.5, 267.3 and 260.0NLkgVS(-1)). Butyrate/acetate ratio properly described the dark fermentation, correlating with hydrogen production (r=0.92). Wheat bran proved to be a promising residue for CS in terms of hydrogen/methane potential and ER.
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The underlying aim of biomass crops is to combine high yields and low nutrient contents. Delayed harvests of perennial grasses can reduce nutrient concentrations, while higher levels are generally observed at early harvests. However,... more
The underlying aim of biomass crops is to combine high yields and low nutrient contents. Delayed harvests of perennial grasses can reduce nutrient concentrations, while higher levels are generally observed at early harvests. However, depending on the supply chain and the conversion technology, harvesting before senescence could be viable, leading to multiple harvesting, improved feedstock digestibility, and wet biomass storage. In this study, the influence of harvest time and frequency of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) was assessed on aboveground nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations, removal, and nutrient use efficiency. In order to evaluate the effects of different cutting regimes, three single harvest (SH) and six double harvest systems (DH) were compared. Nutrient concentrations declined over the season from 10.3 to 2.5 gN kg−1, from 1.8 to 0.8 gP kg−1, and from 30.0 to 8.2 gK kg−1. Overall, DH led to higher nutrient concentrations than SH. Biomass at second cut tended to be richer in nutrients when harvested in autumn compared with winter, and when first cuts were delayed. Nutrient removal was markedly higher in DH for all the elements considered (on average, 196 kgN, 43 kgP, 530 kgK ha−1 in DH, 111 kgN, 29 kgP, 297 kg Kha−1 in SH). In DH systems, nitrogen and potassium use efficiencies were nearly halved compared with single late cuts, while phosphorus use efficiency decreased by about 30 %. The high nutrient removal rates of double-cut management suggest that it may be not sustainable, unless nutrient cycles are closed and nitrogen losses are evaluated.
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Preserving soils is a major challenge in ensuring sustainable agriculture for the future. Soil erosion by water is a critical issue in the Mediterranean regions and usually occurs when high-erosive precipitation is in temporal association... more
Preserving soils is a major challenge in ensuring sustainable agriculture for the future. Soil erosion by water is a critical issue in the Mediterranean regions and usually occurs when high-erosive precipitation is in temporal association with poor vegetation cover and density. Modelling soil erosion risks over large spatial scales suffers from the scarcity of accurate information on land cover, rainfall erosivity and their intra-annual dynamics. We estimated the soil erosion risk on arable land in a Mediterranean area (Grosseto Province, southern Tuscany, Italy) and investigated its potential reduction as a response to the change in intra-annual distribution of land cover due to the increase of perennial forage crops. A GIS-based (R)USLE model was employed and a scenario analysis was performed by setting criteria for raising the performance of perennial forage crops. Statistical data on agricultural crops provided an insight into current intra-annual land cover dynamics. Rainfall erosivity was computed on the basis of 22-year hourly precipitation data. The model was used to: i) quantify the potential soil losses of arable land in the study area, ii) identify those areas highly affected by erosion risks iii) explore the potential for soil conservation of perennial crops, thereby enabling appropriate preventive measures to be identified. The erosion rates, averaged over an area of about 140’000 ha, are estimated to 33.42 Mg ha−1 y−1. More than 59% of the study area was subjected to soil losses higher than 11 Mg ha−1 y−1 (from moderate to severe erosion) and the highest rates are estimated for steep inland areas. Arable land with severe soil erosion rates (higher than 33 Mg ha−1 y−1) represent about 35% of the whole study area. The risk of soil loss by water erosion in the study area is estimated to be reduced on average by 36% if perennial crops are increased in terms of 35% of the total arable land. The soil erosion data produced compared well with the published local and regional data. This study thus provides useful preliminary information for landscape planning authorities and can be used as a decision support tool in quantifying the implications of management policies.
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An important goal for biomass production is achieving a high quality grade related to conversion technology, as well as a high and stable output per hectare. Direct combustion is a widespread biomass conversion technique, and poplar SRC... more
An important goal for biomass production is achieving a high quality grade related to conversion technology, as well as a high and stable output per hectare. Direct combustion is a widespread biomass conversion technique, and poplar SRC is recognized as a high yield energy crop giving valuable biomass fuels. However, combustion is negatively affected by biomass minerals; a high ash content decreases heating value and process efficiency. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of some agronomic factors and their interaction on biomass quality of poplar SRC, considering higher heating value (HHV), proximate analysis parameters - i.e. ash (A), volatile matter (VM) and fixed carbon (FC) contents – and nitrogen content (N). Results allow to appreciate distinguished effects of soil properties and water supply on biomass quality of different plant parts. A lower average ash content was observed in poplars grown in LS (2,2%) compared with SCL (3,1%). In both soils, branches in I0 were poorer in ash than in I100 (3,4% vs 4,4%), while ash content in stems decreased with water availability (2,7% vs 1,9%). Statistically significant effects of soil properties on HHV, fixed carbon and N content were also shown.
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ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT
Agricultural activities are co-responsible for the emission of the most important greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Development of methodologies to improve monitoring techniques for N2O are... more
Agricultural activities are co-responsible for the emission of the most important greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Development of methodologies to improve monitoring techniques for N2O are still needful. The LIFE+IPNOA project aims to improve the emissions monitoring of nitrous oxide from agricultural soils and to identify the agricultural practices that can limit N2O production. In order to achieve this objective, both a mobile and a stationary instrument were developed and validated. Several experimental field trials were set up in two different sites investigating the most representative crops of Tuscany (Central Italy), namely durum wheat, maize, sunflower, tomato and faba bean. The field trials were realized in order to test the effect on N2O emissions of key factors: tillage intensity, nitrogen fertiliser rate and irrigation. The field trial on durum wheat was set up in 2013 to test the effect of tillage intensity (minimum and conv...
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The aim of this research is twofold: firstly to define a methodological path for the agrarian terraced landscapes characterization, evaluating their reliable conservation conditions through the geo-agronomic approach; secondly, to... more
The aim of this research is twofold: firstly to define a methodological path for the agrarian terraced landscapes characterization, evaluating their reliable conservation conditions through the geo-agronomic approach; secondly, to identify the elements of vulnerability for hillside drainage systems in a Mediterranean environment, in order to provide support for the decision-makers in the coordination of the local management actions. The study area is the SW hillside of the Monte Pisano (62 km2, 43°44' N – 10°32' E, Tuscany, Italy) chosen for its convergence between the presence of a historical terraced system and the need, manifested by the local Administrations, to face the management changes occurred during last decays.
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The Mediterranean terraced landscapes are largely shaped by the agrarian drainage systems, nowadays increasingly exposed to degradation due to changes in their management, diffusely neglected since the 1960s. The aim of this research is... more
The Mediterranean terraced landscapes are largely shaped by the agrarian drainage systems, nowadays increasingly exposed to degradation due to changes in their management, diffusely neglected since the 1960s. The aim of this research is to characterize the slope lands drainage systems, at the landscape scale, in a hilly Mediterranean context, in order to define action priorities for their active conservation. The selected study area covers 62 km 2 on the southwest hillside of Monte Pisano (43°44' N, 10°32' E, NW Tuscany) mainly dedicated to the olive growing. The methodology is GIS-oriented and uses remote-sensing techniques; it is addressed to the landscape characterization, based on structural and agronomic parameters. The result is the drawing-up of some directions for the management of these rural landscapes, as a first step in the setting out of a framework to sustain their agro-environmental functionalities.
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The Massaciuccoli Lake floodplain is one of the most important residual coastal marshy areas of Tuscany (Italy) affected by several environmental issues related to anthropogenic impact and land reclamation activities carried out since... more
The Massaciuccoli Lake floodplain is one of the most important residual coastal marshy areas of Tuscany (Italy) affected by several environmental issues related to anthropogenic impact and land reclamation activities carried out since 1920-30. At present, the area undergoes eutrophication processes related to the enrichment of nutrient in water drained into the lake, as well as subsidence associated to the intensification of the agricultural activities and the increasing soil mineralization (Rossetto et al., 2010a, Rossetto et al., 2010b). In order to improve the environmental conditions of this sensitive agroecosystem, a phyto-treatment system was set up in the 15 ha pilot area of San Niccolò. The phyto-treatment plant is divided in three different phyto-treatment systems: a) a constructed wetland system characterized by natural vegetation; b) a vegetation filter system based on the plantation of seven different no-food crops managed; c) a natural wetland system consists in a flood...
Under natural conditions peatlands play an important role in the global C cycle as a long-term sink of atmospheric C and are sensitive to disturbances such as management. Intensive agriculture involving their drainage has been shown to... more
Under natural conditions peatlands play an important role in the global C cycle as a long-term sink of atmospheric C and are sensitive to disturbances such as management. Intensive agriculture involving their drainage has been shown to lead to major problems linked to oxidation, subsidence and severe CO2 emissions. With regard to soil quality, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been shown to be suitable soil quality indicators. In fact, AMF have beneficial effects on plant growth, mineral nutrition, soil fertility and structure, but several studies have shown that all these benefits are declining upon agricultural intensification. For all these reasons is important to assess the impact of farming systems on AM fungal root colonization, diversity and structure. This work presents results of a 4-month field experiment carried out in two differently managed Mediterranean peatland areas: an intensive managed arable land and an ex-arable area, being uncultivated for 15 years. We invest...
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Wetlands cover about 6% of the world landscape. Within such lands, the global dominant classes, bogs and fens, are highly important for the C cycle and in particular peatlands, sequestering about one-third of the terrestrial C, are... more
Wetlands cover about 6% of the world landscape. Within such lands, the global dominant classes, bogs and fens, are highly important for the C cycle and in particular peatlands, sequestering about one-third of the terrestrial C, are critical ecosystems, which need to be largely investigated for their microbial diversity and roles. So far, more than 50% of the areas of peatlands, wetlands and riparian zones have been lost, through conversion to intensive agriculture. Intensive agricultural use of drained peatlands has been shown to lead to major problems because of the oxidation, subsidence and severe CO2 emissions, Several studies have been performed on secondary plant community succession and soil chemical changes after field abandonment in various habitats, whereas little is known about the accompanying belowground microbial diversity and the factors driving such shifts. In this regard, some studies have evaluated the effects of land use changes, such as forest, prairie, grassland ...
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Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soils cause uncertainties within Agricultural LCA. N 2 O affects global warming and is esti-mated with IPCC guidelines, agroecosystem models or direct measurements. CERES-EGC model was used to estimate... more
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soils cause uncertainties within Agricultural LCA. N 2 O affects global warming and is esti-mated with IPCC guidelines, agroecosystem models or direct measurements. CERES-EGC model was used to estimate N 2 O emis-sions from faba bean and winter cereals grown in two trials (ICC and CIMAS) with different climates. Model outputs were compared with IPCC estimates. Simulated N 2 O emission patterns showed emissions can be independent from fertiliser application dates or rates. This was due to soil moisture, rainfall and farming practices. Results showed the IPCC procedure estimated higher annual cere-als emissions of 740 g N 2 O-N ha -1 y -1 than simulation results and a lower estimation of 304 g N 2 O-N ha -1 y -1 for faba bean. Results revealed inclusion of climate, soil properties and management resulted in major variations of N 2 O emissions which CERES-EGC was able to capture. Thus, model estimates may increase accuracy of soil GHG emission in Agr...
Research Interests: Agricultural Engineering, Energy Economics, Renewable Energy, Energy Policy, Agriculture, and 15 moreCropping Systems, Agricultural Systems, Farming Systems and Cropping Systems, LCA, Legumes, Barley, Leguminosae, Environemntal Studies, LCA of Food, Faba Bean, Ecological Agriculture, Biogas Plants, Crop Nutrition, Rice wheat Cropping System, and Bioenergy Systems
Combining peatland rewetting with biomass cropping (paludiculture) is one of the strategies to remove nutrient surpluses from water and stimulate peat-forming vegetation. The basin of Massaciuccoli lake (Tuscany, central Italy) is a... more
Combining peatland rewetting with biomass cropping (paludiculture) is one of the strategies to remove nutrient surpluses from water and stimulate peat-forming vegetation. The basin of Massaciuccoli lake (Tuscany, central Italy) is a coastal floodplain, artificially drained for agricultural purposes since 1930s. The draining and exploitation of the land for intensive agricultural use has largely degraded the peat status in the area. In fact, the most relevant issues are: (i) the eutrophication of the lake due to nutrients enrichment (especially phosphorus) in surface- and ground-water and (ii) the subsidence due to compaction and mineralization of peat. An experimental trial was set up in spring 2012 on three perennial rhizomatous grasses (Phragmites australis, Miscanthus × giganteus, Arundo donax), two woody short-rotation-coppice species (Salix alba, Populus ‘Oudenberg’), two turfgrasses (a mix of Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne and Poa prantensis; Paspalum vaginatum). In 2013,...
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Paludiculture has been identified as one of the possible ways to restore ecological functions of drained peatlands. The replacement of arable crops with perennial crops, the higher level of water table and the lower use of inputs can also... more
Paludiculture has been identified as one of the possible ways to restore ecological functions of drained peatlands. The replacement of arable crops with perennial crops, the higher level of water table and the lower use of inputs can also determine a remarkable change on spontaneous vascular plant communities. A research was carried out in a drained peatland located in the coastal plain of Central Italy. The investigated crops were: a cool-season turfgrasses mix (Festuca arundinacea, Poa prantensis, Lolium perenne), Arundo donax, Miscanthus x giganteus, Phragmites australis, Salix alba and Populus ‘Oudenberg’, in addition to nearby uncultivated and cultivated areas as controls. The weed monitoring was carried out in June and August 2013, during the second year of crops growth. We collected the following data: the percentage of cover for each species (Braun-Blanquet method) and the above ground biomass per unit area (dry weight). The results showed an inverse relationship between the...
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Introduction Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most mature conversion technologies for bioenergy production and biomass from arable crops is the reference feedstock for AD in Italy and Europe. However, relevant agronomic inputs are... more
Introduction Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most mature conversion technologies for bioenergy production and biomass from arable crops is the reference feedstock for AD in Italy and Europe. However, relevant agronomic inputs are needed for these crops, that are less suited to marginal soils and low input levels than perennial crops, typically more efficient in nutrient use. Increasing Nitrogen Efficiency Use (NUE) of energy crops will be fundamental, given the N-related GHG emissions and energy consumption. Moreover, land use saving will also be crucial, considering the expected increase in demand of food, bioproducts and energy from agriculture. For these reasons, this study is aimed to assess the efficacy of different crops in land and nitrogen use for AD. Two sorghum varieties (Biomass 133, fiber sorghum, Syngenta; Jumbo, forage sorghum, Padana Sementi) and one maize variety (DKC6666, FAO 600, Dekalb) were compared with giant reed cut at different times from June to Septe...
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Along the Serchio River (Tuscany –Italy) a series of well fields is set for an overall amount of about 1 m3/s pumped groundwater providing drinking water for about 300000 people of the coastal Tuscany (mainly to the town of Lucca, Pisa... more
Along the Serchio River (Tuscany –Italy) a series of well fields is set for an overall amount of about 1 m3/s pumped groundwater providing drinking water for about 300000 people of the coastal Tuscany (mainly to the town of Lucca, Pisa and Livorno). Water is pumped enhancing riverbank filtration into a high yield (102 m2/s transmissivity) sand and gravel aquifer by artificially rising river head and setting pumping well fields along the river reach. However, being it unmanaged aquifer recharge, concerns arise both for quality and quantity of the abstracted groundwater. It happens in dry climate extremes (i.e. 2002/2003 or 2011/2012) that Serchio River flow falls below minimum environmental flow (MEF). Long term contamination of river water had been causing contamination of groundwater, as in 2002/2006, when pesticide contaminated surface water was polluting the well fields causing several problems to water supply. Such problems were overcome by setting in place derogatory regulatio...
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Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRGs) are promising crops for second generation biofuels. In Italian environments the aboveground productivity of these species has been widely studied since 1990s. However, the interest in investigating the... more
Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRGs) are promising crops for second generation biofuels. In Italian environments the aboveground productivity of these species has been widely studied since 1990s. However, the interest in investigating the belowground biomass of PRGs has arisen only recently. In this work we explored the root distribution of giant reed (Arundo donax) and miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) mature stands grown in Central Italy. In addition, the availability of an adjacent arable crop field allowed us to compare the organic matter distribution along the soil profile of the arable vs. the PRG system. The results showed a very high distribution of miscanthus roots within the first 15 cm of the soil. Nevertheless the two PRGs presented quite similar root biomass from 15 to 90 cm depth. The SOM along the soil profile matched the root distribution. Indeed, while under the arable system the topsoil (0-30 cm) had a rather homogeneous SOM content, under PRGs it was more concen...
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Innovative water management strategies such as the storage of reclaimed water or excess water from different sources in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) schemes can greatly increase water availability and therefore improve water security in... more
Innovative water management strategies such as the storage of reclaimed water or excess water from different sources in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) schemes can greatly increase water availability and therefore improve water security in the Mediterranean area. The Sant'Alessio well field will be used, within the framework of the MARSOL EU FPVII-ENV-2013 project, to demonstrate the sustainability, by a technical, social and market point of view, and the benefits of managing Induced Riverbank Filtration, one of the most common MAR techniques, versus the unmanaged option. Along with a detailed hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical site characterization a Wireless Sensor Network to monitor quantitatively and qualitatively the hydrologic variables in the river water, in the aquifer and in the well field has been designed. In this paper we present the test site, the investigations performed and the design of the monitoring system along with a brief overview of the Decision Support System (DSS) under development to control the whole monitoring devices. The DSS along with the monitoring system will constitute a prototype whose potential market exploitation will be tested.
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ABSTRACT Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial rhizomatous grass that shows promise as a bioenergy crop in the Mediterranean environment. The species has spread throughout the world, catalyzed by human activity, though also as a... more
ABSTRACT Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial rhizomatous grass that shows promise as a bioenergy crop in the Mediterranean environment. The species has spread throughout the world, catalyzed by human activity, though also as a result of its intrinsic robustness, adaptability, and versatility. Giant reed is able to thrive across a wide range of soil types and is tolerant to drought, salinity, and flooding. This tolerance to environmental stresses is significant and could mean that growing energy crops on marginal land is one possible strategy for reducing competition for land with food production and for improving soil quality. We devised an experiment in which we cultivated giant reed in a sandy loam soil with low nutrient availability. Our goal was to evaluate the dynamics of aboveground and belowground biomass and assess the nutrient dynamics of this grass species, focusing particularly on nutrient accumulation and remobilization. The species demonstrated good productivity potential: In the third year, aboveground dry biomass yield reached around 20 t ha−1, with a corresponding rhizome dry biomass yield of 16 t ha−1. Results for this species were characterized by low nutrient contents in the aboveground biomass at the end of the growing season, and its rhizome proved able to support growth over the spring period and to store nutrients in the autumn. Nevertheless, the adaptability of giant reed to marginal land and the role of its belowground biomass should be investigated over the long-term, and any further research should focus on its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain soil fertility.
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Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region are facing the challenge of managing its water resources under conditions of increasing scarcity and concerns about water quality. Already, the availability of freshwater in sufficient quality... more
Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region are facing the challenge of managing its water resources under conditions of increasing scarcity and concerns about water quality. Already, the availability of freshwater in sufficient quality and quantity is one of the major factors limiting socio-economic development. Innovative water management strategies such as the storage of reclaimed water or excess water from different sources in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) schemes can greatly increase water availability and therefore improve water security. The aim of the MARSOL project (co-financed by the EU under the FPVII-ENV-2013) is to demonstrate that MAR is a sound, safe and sustainable strategy that can be applied with great confidence and therefore offering a key approach for tackling water scarcity. For this, eight field sites were selected that will demonstrate the applicability of MAR using various water sources, ranging from treated wastewater to desalinated seawater, and a variet...