Conventional irrigation management is often inefficient in responding to seasonal changes of tree... more Conventional irrigation management is often inefficient in responding to seasonal changes of tree water needs. The use of leaf- and fruit-based sensors might provide helpful insights on tree water status, although they have been poorly investigated so far. Fruit gauges and leaf patch clamp pressure (LPCP) probes were tested during stage I of nectarine fruit growth to evaluate if leaf turgor pressure and fruit size may serve as indicators of water deficit. This experiment was carried out in the 2017/18 season. Four irrigation levels were applied to \u2018September Bright\u2019 nectarine trees (100, 40, 20 and 0% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) and data were collected during stage I of fruit growth. Tree size, fruit doubling, leaf chlorophyll concentration, stomatal conductance (gs), stem water potential (\u3a8stem), fruit diameter and canopy light interception were measured. Fruit gauges and LPCP probes were mounted on trees for a week interval in the second half of fruit growth stage I. Sensor outputs were expressed as fruit diameter and attenuated pressure of leaf patches (pp). Fruit diameter was reduced in deficit irrigated trees. As expected, gs and \u3a8stem responded to irrigation inputs. Continuous fruit diameter and pp were found to be both sensitive to water deficit, although they require different analytical approaches for data interpretation. Results of this study suggest that nectarine fruit growth and leaf turgor pressure can be used independently as continuous indicators of plant water status
The handbook provides various descriptions and reading passages containing technical terms useful... more The handbook provides various descriptions and reading passages containing technical terms useful to study, investigate and work in the field of agricultural sciences and technologies. It is specifically designed for students and operators in agriculture who are not native English speakers. The text provides clear and easy descriptions of objects, mechanisms or biological entities used or found in some important agricultural activities. When a direct description or definition is not given in the text, specific hand drawings are provided and become the perfect aid for understanding the technical terms or concepts. Several technical terms specific to the different areas of agriculture (botany, plant physiology, the environment, irrigation, engineering, farming systems, insects and pathogens, etc.) are reported in boldface to facilitate the reader\u2019s focus. The book was meant to be a dynamic tool, to be continuously updated by volunteer contributions from all colleagues and professionals in the various areas of agricultural sciences and technologies. Indeed, in this second edition, an entire chapter on processing wheat into pasta and several pictures on various other topics have been added
Activities of major sorbitol and sucrose metabolizing enzymes and carbohydrate contents were foll... more Activities of major sorbitol and sucrose metabolizing enzymes and carbohydrate contents were followed during the growth season of `Encore' peach fruits and developing shoot tips. In fruit flesh, sucrose synthase (SS) was present during stage I of growth, when cells are actively dividing, and NAD+-dependent sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) during stage III, when cells enlarge actively. Acid invertase (AI) revealed the best correlation with relative growth rate (RGR) of fruits during the entire season. Activities of all carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes were not detectable in fruit flesh during seed filling and pit hardening, when RGR of fruits was the slowest. The highest content of sucrose was in concert with low levels of sucrose metabolizing enzyme activities toward the end of fruit development. In shoot tips, SDH had low activity at the beginning and end of the season when vegetative growth was slowest and a 2:1 sorbitol: sucrose ratio was present. Mid-growing season was, on the other hand, characterized by an increase in SDH activity and a 1:1 sorbitol: sucrose ratio. In `Nemaguard' seedlings, only SDH activity showed a positive correlation with shoot growth. Also, in root tips of `Nemaguard' seedlings SDH exhibited its highest activity, even higher than AI activity in the same roots. We concluded that in peach sucrose may represent the major carbon form used for fruit growth, while sorbitol seems to play a predominant role in vegetative growth.
Little is known about the best diurnal irrigation timing for maximum fruit growth in stone fruit,... more Little is known about the best diurnal irrigation timing for maximum fruit growth in stone fruit, despite fruit size being the most important focus for growers to achieve maximum marketable yield. This study investigated the effects of morning and afternoon irrigation on nectarine fruit growth in stage I (cell division) and stage III (cell expansion). In the 2017/18 season, \\u2018September Bright\\u2019 trees were subjected to morning (Iam) and afternoon (Ipm) irrigations. Fruit diameter was monitored continuously (15-min intervals) using fruit gauges and converted into fruit weight, relative growth rate (RGR) and fruit growth efficiency (FGE), with the latter representing RGR per unit of crop water supply (irrigation + rainfall). Irrigation timing affected FGE in opposite fashions during stage I and III. In stage I, maximum FGE occurred in days of Iam, whereas in stage III in days of Ipm. The different observations in the two stages were strongly influenced by the effect of crop evapotranspiration on FGE but were likely dependent on other factors such as stage-specific vascular activity, sugar and starch content and fruit advancement in phenology phases. Overall, this study suggests that optimal irrigation management needs to consider irrigation timing at sub-daily scales in conjunction with stage-specific irrigation strategies
L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidrata... more L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidratare con aria calda frutti di gelso, cercando di ottenere un prodotto nuovo contribuendo alla risoluzione dei problemi legati alla sua diffusione. L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidratare con aria calda frutti di gelso, cercando di ottenere un prodotto nuovo contribuendo alla risoluzione dei problemi legati alla sua diffusione
Conventional irrigation management is often inefficient in responding to seasonal changes of tree... more Conventional irrigation management is often inefficient in responding to seasonal changes of tree water needs. The use of leaf- and fruit-based sensors might provide helpful insights on tree water status, although they have been poorly investigated so far. Fruit gauges and leaf patch clamp pressure (LPCP) probes were tested during stage I of nectarine fruit growth to evaluate if leaf turgor pressure and fruit size may serve as indicators of water deficit. This experiment was carried out in the 2017/18 season. Four irrigation levels were applied to \u2018September Bright\u2019 nectarine trees (100, 40, 20 and 0% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) and data were collected during stage I of fruit growth. Tree size, fruit doubling, leaf chlorophyll concentration, stomatal conductance (gs), stem water potential (\u3a8stem), fruit diameter and canopy light interception were measured. Fruit gauges and LPCP probes were mounted on trees for a week interval in the second half of fruit growth stage I. Sensor outputs were expressed as fruit diameter and attenuated pressure of leaf patches (pp). Fruit diameter was reduced in deficit irrigated trees. As expected, gs and \u3a8stem responded to irrigation inputs. Continuous fruit diameter and pp were found to be both sensitive to water deficit, although they require different analytical approaches for data interpretation. Results of this study suggest that nectarine fruit growth and leaf turgor pressure can be used independently as continuous indicators of plant water status
The handbook provides various descriptions and reading passages containing technical terms useful... more The handbook provides various descriptions and reading passages containing technical terms useful to study, investigate and work in the field of agricultural sciences and technologies. It is specifically designed for students and operators in agriculture who are not native English speakers. The text provides clear and easy descriptions of objects, mechanisms or biological entities used or found in some important agricultural activities. When a direct description or definition is not given in the text, specific hand drawings are provided and become the perfect aid for understanding the technical terms or concepts. Several technical terms specific to the different areas of agriculture (botany, plant physiology, the environment, irrigation, engineering, farming systems, insects and pathogens, etc.) are reported in boldface to facilitate the reader\u2019s focus. The book was meant to be a dynamic tool, to be continuously updated by volunteer contributions from all colleagues and professionals in the various areas of agricultural sciences and technologies. Indeed, in this second edition, an entire chapter on processing wheat into pasta and several pictures on various other topics have been added
Activities of major sorbitol and sucrose metabolizing enzymes and carbohydrate contents were foll... more Activities of major sorbitol and sucrose metabolizing enzymes and carbohydrate contents were followed during the growth season of `Encore' peach fruits and developing shoot tips. In fruit flesh, sucrose synthase (SS) was present during stage I of growth, when cells are actively dividing, and NAD+-dependent sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) during stage III, when cells enlarge actively. Acid invertase (AI) revealed the best correlation with relative growth rate (RGR) of fruits during the entire season. Activities of all carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes were not detectable in fruit flesh during seed filling and pit hardening, when RGR of fruits was the slowest. The highest content of sucrose was in concert with low levels of sucrose metabolizing enzyme activities toward the end of fruit development. In shoot tips, SDH had low activity at the beginning and end of the season when vegetative growth was slowest and a 2:1 sorbitol: sucrose ratio was present. Mid-growing season was, on the other hand, characterized by an increase in SDH activity and a 1:1 sorbitol: sucrose ratio. In `Nemaguard' seedlings, only SDH activity showed a positive correlation with shoot growth. Also, in root tips of `Nemaguard' seedlings SDH exhibited its highest activity, even higher than AI activity in the same roots. We concluded that in peach sucrose may represent the major carbon form used for fruit growth, while sorbitol seems to play a predominant role in vegetative growth.
Little is known about the best diurnal irrigation timing for maximum fruit growth in stone fruit,... more Little is known about the best diurnal irrigation timing for maximum fruit growth in stone fruit, despite fruit size being the most important focus for growers to achieve maximum marketable yield. This study investigated the effects of morning and afternoon irrigation on nectarine fruit growth in stage I (cell division) and stage III (cell expansion). In the 2017/18 season, \\u2018September Bright\\u2019 trees were subjected to morning (Iam) and afternoon (Ipm) irrigations. Fruit diameter was monitored continuously (15-min intervals) using fruit gauges and converted into fruit weight, relative growth rate (RGR) and fruit growth efficiency (FGE), with the latter representing RGR per unit of crop water supply (irrigation + rainfall). Irrigation timing affected FGE in opposite fashions during stage I and III. In stage I, maximum FGE occurred in days of Iam, whereas in stage III in days of Ipm. The different observations in the two stages were strongly influenced by the effect of crop evapotranspiration on FGE but were likely dependent on other factors such as stage-specific vascular activity, sugar and starch content and fruit advancement in phenology phases. Overall, this study suggests that optimal irrigation management needs to consider irrigation timing at sub-daily scales in conjunction with stage-specific irrigation strategies
L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidrata... more L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidratare con aria calda frutti di gelso, cercando di ottenere un prodotto nuovo contribuendo alla risoluzione dei problemi legati alla sua diffusione. L\\u2019obiettivo di questo lavoro \\ue8 stato quello di valutare la possibilit\\ue0 di disidratare con aria calda frutti di gelso, cercando di ottenere un prodotto nuovo contribuendo alla risoluzione dei problemi legati alla sua diffusione
The peach x almond hybrid GF 677 is a vigorous rootstock widely used for peach across Italy. Howe... more The peach x almond hybrid GF 677 is a vigorous rootstock widely used for peach across Italy. However, despite its high production and adaptation to various soil and environmental conditions, this rootstock may induce excessive vigor and decrease fruit quality. Today, modern peach industry demands rootstocks which combine: (a) reduced vigor, suitable for high density systems, facilitating canopy management (e.g. mechanization of pruning, thinning and harvest); and (b) high yield and fruit quality. In this study, the productive evaluation of peach trees grafted on six rootstocks of different vigor from three different locations, Castelvetrano (Sicily), Forlì (Emilia-Romagna) and Cesena (Emilia-Romagna) is reported. In Castelvetrano and Cesena, rootstocks GF677 (Prunus persica x P. dulcis) and Garnem (P. dulcis x P. persica), Adesoto (P. insititia), Rootpac-20 (P. besseyi x P. cerasifera), Rootpac-40 [(P. persica x P. persica) x (P. dulcis x P. persica)], and Rootpac-90 [(P. persica x P. davidiana) x (P. dulcis x P. persica)] were grafted with the nectarine cultivar Big Top. In Forlì, the same rootstocks were grafted with the peach cultivar Rome Star. Yield, number of fruits, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), average fruit weight, flesh firmness, soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) were determined at the third leaf (2015). In all experimental sites, in both ‘Big Top’ and ‘Rome Star’, GF 677, Garnem and RP90 induced the highest vigor, while RP40 and RP20 the least. In Emilia-Romagna, yield efficiency was highest in the most vigorous trees, with the only exception of RP40, which combined a size-controlling effect with high yield efficiency and large fruit size. RP40 induced biggest fruit size in all experimental sites and also led to the highest yield and yield efficiency in Sicily. In addition, Adesoto advanced fruit maturation in Sicily. Productive and qualitative data will be collected and analyzed in the following years in order to validate the results of 2015
Recently, as a consequence of climate change, water became one of the most limiting factors for p... more Recently, as a consequence of climate change, water became one of the most limiting factors for plant growth. This led to the necessity of using more sensitive and precise tools in order to improve irrigation management. In this work two continuous monitoring systems were tested on ‘Nocellara del Belice’ (NB) and SAF10 olive genotypes. ZIM-probes were installed on leaves for the measurement of leaf patch pressure (Pp, the inverse of leaf turgor pressure), whereas fruit gauges were installed on olive drupes for the assessment of fruit absolute growth rate (AGR) fluctuations (µm min-1). Midday stem water potential (Ψstem) was determined at regular intervals during the season and used as reference monitoring system. The inversion of the Pp daily curve and the increase of the AGR daily range was observed as the Ψstem went down to an average value between -2 and -2,5 MPa for both the genotypes studied. The two continuous monitoring systems highlighted a very different response to water stress of the two genotypes. The relationship between AGR and Pp is inverted in conditions of severe water stress. Moreover, AGR and Pp nocturnal variance change according to tree water stress and appear to be related. The ratio between the coefficients of variation of AGR and Pp appears to be a sensitive, genotype-indipendent indicator for the assessment of a water deficit threshold. In conclusion, both ZIM-probes and fruit gauges may be considered promising tools to detect water stress in olive in real-time.
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Papers by Riccardo Lo Bianco
In this study, the productive evaluation of peach trees grafted on six rootstocks of different vigor from three different locations, Castelvetrano (Sicily), Forlì (Emilia-Romagna) and Cesena (Emilia-Romagna) is reported. In Castelvetrano and Cesena, rootstocks GF677 (Prunus persica x P. dulcis) and Garnem (P. dulcis x P. persica), Adesoto (P. insititia), Rootpac-20 (P. besseyi x P. cerasifera), Rootpac-40 [(P. persica x P. persica) x (P. dulcis x P. persica)], and Rootpac-90 [(P. persica x P. davidiana) x (P. dulcis x P. persica)] were grafted with the nectarine cultivar Big Top. In Forlì, the same rootstocks were grafted with the peach cultivar Rome Star. Yield, number of fruits, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), average fruit weight, flesh firmness, soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) were determined at the third leaf (2015).
In all experimental sites, in both ‘Big Top’ and ‘Rome Star’, GF 677, Garnem and RP90 induced the highest vigor, while RP40 and RP20 the least. In Emilia-Romagna, yield efficiency was highest in the most vigorous trees, with the only exception of RP40, which combined a size-controlling effect with high yield efficiency and large fruit size. RP40 induced biggest fruit size in all experimental sites and also led to the highest yield and yield efficiency in Sicily. In addition, Adesoto advanced fruit maturation in Sicily.
Productive and qualitative data will be collected and analyzed in the following years in order to validate the results of 2015
The inversion of the Pp daily curve and the increase of the AGR daily range was observed as the Ψstem went down to an average value between -2 and -2,5 MPa for both the genotypes studied. The two continuous monitoring systems highlighted a very different response to water stress of the two genotypes. The relationship between AGR and Pp is inverted in conditions of severe water stress. Moreover, AGR and Pp nocturnal variance change according to tree water stress and appear to be related. The ratio between the coefficients of variation of AGR and Pp appears to be a sensitive, genotype-indipendent indicator for the assessment of a water deficit threshold. In conclusion, both ZIM-probes and fruit gauges may be considered promising tools to detect water stress in olive in real-time.