Organic Farm Knowledge: si amplia la piattaforma online
La Organic Farm Knowledge Platform (QUI il toolbox per accedervi) fornisce informazioni pratiche per agricoltori e consulenti biologici. Inizialmente, la piattaforma è stata creata per includere strumenti utili e informazioni sull’agricoltura biologica. Negli ultimi due anni, sono stati aggiunti materiali sull’alimentazione dei monogastrici, sulle sementi e l’allevamento. Ora la piattaforma è stata estesa a coprire […]
Cocktails of pesticide residues in conventional and organic farming systems in Europe – Legacy of the past and turning point for the future
Considering that pesticides have been used in Europe for over 70 years, a system for monitoring pesticide residues in EU soils and their effects on soil health is long overdue. In an attempt to address this problem, we tested 340 EU agricultural topsoil samples for multiple pesticide residues. These samples originated from 4 representative EU case study sites (CSS), […]
Predicting net returns of organic and conventional strawberry following soil disinfestation with steam or steam plus additives
The study is published in the journal “Agronomy”. Pre-plant methods for managing soil-borne pests and diseases are an important priority for many agricultural production systems. This study investigates whether the application of steam is an economically sustainable pre-plant soil disinfestation technique for organic and conventional strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) production in California’s Central Coast region. We […]
Management of grazing Italian river bufalo to preserve habitats defined by Directive 92/43/EEC in a protected wetland area on the Mediterranean coast: Palude Frattarolo, Apulia, It
Modern investigation through botanic, vegetation and soil analyses allowed us to establish, for the frst time, the maximum herd size of grazing Italian river bufalo that would allow the preservation of habitats defned by Directive 92/43/EEC in a coastal area of the Mediterranean basin. The study was funded by project LIFE09 NAT/ITI000150 (“Humid coastal habitat conservations actions […]
Does organic farming reduce environmental impacts? – A meta-analysis of European research
Article published in the Journal of Environmental Management. Organic farming practices have been promoted as, inter alia, reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. This meta-analysis systematically analyses published studies that compare environmental impacts of organic and conventional farming in Europe. The results show that organic farming practices generally have positive impacts on the environment per […]
Unione europea: una nuova strategia per la protezione del suolo
La salute del suolo è essenziale per conseguire gli obiettivi in materia di clima e biodiversità del Green Deal europeo. Nel quadro della strategia dell’UE sulla biodiversità fino al 2030, la Commissione europea vuole aggiornare l’attuale strategia per affrontare il degrado del suolo e preservare le risorse della terra (“neutralità in termini di degrado del […]
Meta-analysis of nutrient budgets in organic farms across Europe
A scientific publication for the project “Relacs – Improving inputs for organic farming”. Nutrient supply to organic farms is a highly discussed topic in Europe, due to the restricted availability of external fertilizer resources and the use of contentious inputs. To optimize the flow of nutrients throughout the organic farming system, it is firstly necessary […]
Organic Amendments Alleviate Salinity Effects on Soil Microorganisms and Mineralisation Processes in Aerobic and Anaerobic Paddy Rice Soils
The study is published in “Frontiers in sustainable food systems”. Sea-water level rise leads to increased saltwater intrusion causing soil salinity on arable land with negative effects on soil microbial processes. Organic amendments are known to reduce the effects of salinity on soil microorganisms, therefore positively influencing microbial activity and nutrient cycling. However, the extent […]
Agricultural Soil Organic Matters and Microbiome Are Shaped by Management and Hedgerows
The study is published in the journal Agronomy. Despite the essential roles of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) and soil microbes in agro-ecosystems, we still have a limited understanding of the extent by which they are impacted by agronomic strategies in ecological and conventional farming. Using three-dimensional fluorescence excitation–emission matrices (3D-EEM) and high-throughput microbial sequencing, […]
Organic management promotes natural pest control through altered plant resistance to insects
The study is published on Nature Plants. Reduced insect pest populations found on long-term organic farms have mostly been attributed to increased biodiversity and abundance of beneficial predators, as well as to changes in plant nutrient content. However, the role of plant resistance has largely been ignored. Here, we determine whether host plant resistance mediates […]
