Crop management

Identification of suitable agricultural management for:

1. Processing tomato
2. Potato
3. Grain leguminous
4. Sugar beet
5. Oil plants, fibre plants and cellulose plants

Processing tomato

Identification of suitable agricultural management for processing tomato (peeling, paste and cherry type):

• Effects of agronomic techniques (varieties choice, irrigation, fertilization, planting density and plant arrangement, plant protection) on the yield and quality of the products.
  Regard to varieties choice, every year, new promising cultivars (peeling, paste and cherry type) were assessed in agronomic and qualitative trials at typical growing area. For all the varieties were studied response to integrated-crop management and resistant/tolerance traits to main diseases (mainly viruses).
  Regard to irrigation techniques were investigated time-able and volume of irrigation that determined production increasing without worsening of quality traits.The best results were obtained with the 100% of restitution of crop evapotranspiration (mET) for peeling and paste varieties and 25% of restitution of crop evapotranspiration (mET) for cherry types.
  Researches performed on nitrogen fertilization have indicated that nitrogen supply up 120 Kg ha^-1 didn't resulted an increasing of marketable yield and, moreover, were observed worsening of quality parameters important for transformation (size homogeneity, colour, consistence of the fruits) and increasing of viral damages.
  Regard to plant arrangement, paired rows were preferred if drip-irrigation and mechanical harvest were adopted.
  Plant-protection systems were investigated in order to verify the effectiveness of a covering protective tissue (called "agri-fabric tissue") in order to preserve tomato plants from virus diseases (CMV and TSWV). Different times and rate of covering were investigated. No significant virus infection was noticed on covered rows and positive indirect effects were also registered on uncovered plants side by side the covered ones.
  
  
• Effects of some agronomic techniques on nitrate accumulation into the fruits
  The effects of maturation degree and some agronomical technique on nitrate accumulation (for its toxicological effects) in tomato fruits were investigated. Agronomical indexes (yield, fruits morphology, phytosanitary conditions) and quality characteristics of tomato fruits (nitrate, phosphate and oxalate contents, pH, °Bx and others quality indexes) were investigated too. The effects of maturation degree, irrigation level and nitrogen fertilizer doses on nitrate contents were significant (P=0,01). Distribution frequency of nitrogen fertilizer not influenced nitrogen contents in the fruits. The highest nitrate content was observed in green tomato fruits, especially in those most irrigated and fertilized. The lowest nitrate content was observed in ripe tomato fruits; in overripe fruits, it was slowly highest respect to ripe fruits. The other qualitative parameters were influenced especially by maturation degree.
  
  
• Effects of some agronomic techniques on the accumulation of bioprotective compounds into the fruits.
  Carotenoids and flavonoids are the principal tomatoes antioxidants coumpounds. Effects of different agronomical conditions (different geographical areas, irrigation volumes and plastic screens) and effects of heating on these compounds into the small tomato fruits were studied. The results obtained were that the samples coming from hill were richer in carotenoids, while there weren't differences concerneing flavonoids contents. No differences were found for volumes of irrigation. Heating caused increasing of carotenoids but no of flavonoids. Carotenoids concentration increase of about 20% with plastic screens but flavonoids concentration was not affected. Increasing for content of carotenoids and flavonoids during ripening was found. Besides the red ripe stage berries harvest from the tallest branches of the plant had an antioxidant content about 80% higher than the berries at the same ripening stage harvested from the lowest branches.
  
  
• Use of compost obtained from organic fraction (O.F.) of municipal solid wastes (M.S.W.) in order to replace mineral fertilization
  During a triennial research is evaluated the effect of compost, obtained from organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (M.S.W.), on quantity and quality of some horticultural and industrial crops. The experimental treatments are: plots treated with three level of compost (15, 30 and 45 t ha^-1 of dry compost), plots treated with compost integrated with two level of mineral nitrogen (15 t ha^-1 plus 25 % or 50 % of nitrogen), plots treated with mineral fertilizers only (N = 150 kg ha^-1; P₂O₅= 200 kg ha^-1; K₂O = 120 kg ha^-1) and plots no fertilized. For processing tomato, the commercial product obtained from the thesis treated with 30 and 45 t ha^-1 of compost and with those treated with 15 t ha^-1 plus 25 % or 50 % of nitrogen, was no statistically different with respect to the thesis treated with mineral fertilizer only. For all the thesis, no differences were observed for all the biometric relieves and chemical indexes (dry residual, °Bx, acidity, glucose, fructose, pH, etc.) analysed except for the lowest colour of the fruits collected from the no-fertilized thesis.

Contacts:
Dr. Italo Giordano, i.giordano@isci.it
Dr. Mario Parisi, m.parisi@isci.it
Dr. Massimo Zaccardelli, m.zaccardelli@isci.it
Dr. Domenico Perrone, d.perrone@isci.it

Potato

Identification of suitable agricultural management for extraseasonal potato (summer-autumn and winter-spring cycles):

• Effects of agronomic techniques (varieties choice, planting time, irrigation, fertilization, planting density and plant arrangement) on the yield and tuber quality.
  Regard to varieties choice, clones bred in Italian researches institute and foreign varieties are validated in field conditions. For summer-autumn and winter-spring cycles, breeding programs provide a first screening level, for new genetic material and a second screening level for advanced clones. Two-hundred-twenty-nine clones (180 in winter-spring cycle and 99 in summer-autumn cycle) are assessed: seven of them are registered in Italian Varieties Catalogue.
  Regard to the most important agro-techniques, were studied planting time (in relation to environmental conditions), irrigation (time-able and volume), nitrogen fertilization (times and rates), plant arrangement. The effects of tuber physiological state on yield were investigated closely.
  
  
• Seed tubers propagation (production in field, storage, dormancy break treatments)
  One of the factor which limits potato cultivation during the summer-autumn cycle, in Southern Italy, is the difficulty to obtain healthy seed-tubers which have optimal physiological stage at planting time (from July to September).
  Our researches have established that suitable seed-tubers for extra-seasonal cycle can be obtained in winter-spring cycle in the plain along Southern Italy coast. Studies about the effects, on the yield, of different storage conditions and some dormancy break treatments on seed-tubers, are in progress.
  

Contacts:
Dr. Italo Giordano, i.giordano@isci.it
P.A. Alfonso Pentangelo, a.pentangelo@isci.it

Grain leguminous

Identification of suitable crop management for grain leguminous:

• Effects of agronomic techniques on yield and quality of bean for processing
  The studies have regarded: varieties choice in different cultivating areas, irrigation (time-able and volume), plant arrangement and plant density.
  
  
• Effects of agronomic techniques on yield and quality of proteinic-pea
  Studies were performed on proteinic-pea for animal nutrition: varieties choice in different cultivating areas, sowing time, plant arrangement and plant density. Results showed, in Southern Italy, highest yield in autumn-winter sowing than spring sowing. Nevertheless, highest damage by Ascochyta spp. were noticed in autumn-winter and for this reason resistant genotypes to Ascochyta spp are recommended.
  
  
• Effects of agronomic techniques on yield and quality of chick pea
  Varieties choices in different cultivating areas, sowing time, fertilization and plant arrangement were studied. Results showed, in Southern Italy, highest yield in autumn-winter sowing than spring sowing, in particular if resistant genotypes to Ascochyta rabiei. were used. New genotypes provided by ICARDA (Siria) were selected in order to find suitable cultivars in Southern Italy environmental conditions (resistant to drought stress and to Ascochyta).
  
  
• Effects of different grain legume crops on the following cultivation
  The effects of residual fertility of different grain legumes crops (faba bean, chick pea, pea) on the following durum wheat compared to continuous wheat, was evaluated in two different environments in southern Italy. In the first year, the grain legumes and the durum wheat were cultivated while in the second year was cultivated durum wheat only treated with four levels of nitrogen fertilisation (0 - 40 - 80 - 120 units per hectare). In both environments the grain yield and the protein content of wheat following the grain legumes were higher than those ones of continuous wheat, in absence of nitrogen fertilisation. In the field of Battipaglia (Salerno) the grain yields of durum wheat following the grain legumes were highest than continuous wheat until 40 units of N per hectare. At Pignola (Potenza) the differences were smaller and the nitrogen fertilisation reached the effect of the preceding crop at a lower rate (40 units of N per hectare) in chickpea and pea. The production curve after faba bean was always higher than in continuous wheat but with very low differences after 80 units per hectare.
  Further studies were in progress to evaluate the effect of grain legumes on the following tomato cultivation.

Contacts:
Dr. Italo Giordano, i.giordano@isci.it
Dr. Massimo Zaccardelli, m.zaccardelli@isci.it

Sugar beet

Identification of suitable crop management for sugar beet:

• Researches were referred to sowing-time, plant density, nitrogen fertilization, irrigation, weeding and plant protection (specifically to Sclerotium rolfsii) for autumn-sowing varieties.

Contacts:
Dr. Italo Giordano, i.giordano@isci.it

Oil plants, fibre plants and cellulose plants

Identification of suitable crop management for some oil plants, fibre plants, and cellulose plants:

• Researches were performed on sunflower (Helianthus annus L.), used as food oil and bio-diesel, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), used as food oil, crambe (Crambe abyssinica L.), used as lubricating oil, hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), common flax (Linus usitatissimum L.) and kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), these last used as fimbre and cellulose plants. Effects on yield and on qualitative traits of different environmental conditions, planting time, plant density and irrigation were studied.

Contacts:
Dr. Italo Giordano, i.giordano@isci.it
P.A. Alfonso Pentangelo, a.pentangelo@isci.it