In the last decade, research on Corylus avellana has focused on improving field techniques and hazelnut quality; however, climatic change and sustainability goals call for new agronomic management ...strategies. Precision management technologies could help improve resource use efficiency and increase grower income, but research on remote sensing systems and especially on drone devices is still limited. Therefore, the hazelnut is still linked to production techniques far from the so-called Agriculture 4.0. Unmanned aerial vehicles platforms are becoming increasingly available to satisfy the demand for rapid real-time monitoring for orchard management at spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, addressing the analysis of geometric traits such as canopy volume and area and vegetation indices. The objective of this study is to define a rapid procedure to calculate geometric parameters of the canopy, such as canopy area and height, by methods using NDVI and CHM values derived from UAV images. This procedure was tested on the young Corylus avellana tree to manage a hazelnut orchard in the early years of cultivation. The study area is a hazelnut orchard (6.68 ha), located in Bernalda, Italy. The survey was conducted in a six-year-old irrigated hazelnut orchard of Tonda di Giffoni and Nocchione varieties using multispectral UAV. We determined the Projected Ground Area and, on the Corylus avellana canopy trough, the vigor index NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and the CHM (Canopy Height Model), which were used to define the canopy and to calculate the tree crown area. The projection of the canopy area to the ground measured with NDVI values > 0.30 and NDVI values > 0.35 and compared with CHM measurements showed a statistically significant linear regression, R2 = 0.69 and R2 = 0.70, respectively. The ultra-high-resolution imagery collected with the UAV system helped identify and define each tree crown individually from the background (bare soil and grass cover). Future developments are the construction of reliable relationships between the vigor index NDVI and the Leaf Area Index (LAI), as well as the evaluation of their spatial-temporal evolution.
The aim of the present study was to characterize the physical-chemical and microbiological features of aerated compost teas (CTs) extracted with dechlorinated tap water and with two different ...additives, molasses and whey, in increasing doses. Plant pathogen suppression properties of CTs were also taken into account. Total nitrogen in CTs increased with rising doses of the additives used. In spite of this, nitrogen and mineral element contributions were limited but complementary for plant mineral nutrition. Although total heavy metal contents in CTs were low, an increase of their bioavailable forms (ionic and chelated forms, presence in microorganisms) should be taken into account. In addition, the distribution on soil of acid and/or chelating products by CTs could increase the bioavailability of heavy metals, especially in the case of several annual distribution cycles and of medium–long term treatments. Additives modulated the structure and composition of microbial communities and CTs, exhibiting a broad spectrum of suppressive properties against plant pathogens, especially when they were used in a raw form.
Agriculture, and the related food systems, represents one of the sectors that use most of the available water resources and is responsible for a large part of the greenhouse gases increase in Earth’s ...atmosphere. The aim of the present research was to estimate the three dimensions of sustainability—identified by the 2030 Agenda—of the olive oil supply chain in a typical production area within Campania Region (South Italy), through the analysis of seven different olive oil systems: four certified as organic, two of which irrigated (BIO1, BIO2, BIO-IRR1, BIO-IRR2); two integrated (INT1, INT2); and one hobbyist (HOBB). The novelty of the research was the broad-spectrum sustainability evaluation of these systems, through the estimation of their water and carbon footprints, and some economic and social aspects, to classify them in sustainability classes. So, the Life Cycle Thinking approach was used to quantify the environmental impacts and the social issues, as well as the costs of production of 1 litre of packed oil produced. Environmental impacts were assessed thought the life cycle assessment methodology, with a focus on the global warming and the water footprint, using the SimaPro 9.0 software and Hoekstra methodology, respectively. The cost production evaluation was performed by the life cycle costing methodology, while a primordial approach of social sustainability estimation was built identifying the stakeholders involved and suitable impact categories. Results showed that, per litre of oil, HOBB and BIO2 were the systems that emitted less CO2 eq (0.73 and 1.50 kg, respectively); BIO-IRR1 and BIO1 were the systems with the smallest water footprint (2.97 and 3.65 m3, respectively); HOBB and BIO1 were the systems with the lowest production costs (3.11 and 3.87 €, respectively). From a social point of view, INT1 and INT2 were the most pro-social systems. Overall, BIO1 was in absolute the most sustainable system under the various aspects considered. Hence the need to spread more and more (a) organic production methods, characterized by the use of self-produced fertilizers (on-farm compost); (b) more efficient machines use, for saving fuel; (c) balanced nitrogen fertilization to lower the water footprint.
This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the environmental and economic aspects of strawberry cultivation in the Campania and Basilicata regions of Southern Italy, and to consider the effects on ...strawberry productivity following compost tea (CT) application. Eight strawberry-growing systems were tested. To this end, compost tea production and characterization were described; a quantitative analysis of the strawberries’ yield was performed, and environmental impact per ha and per kg of strawberries was estimated using the life cycle assessment methodology. To compare the profitability of the systems analyzed, the gross profit of the farmers was calculated, also considering the social cost of pollution. One of the two organic systems analyzed, using solarization for soil disinfestation, biological fight for pest control, and corrugated boxes as packaging recycled at the end-of-life, was the most sustainable system with carbon credits. At the same time, organic crops are not always the most sustainable and profitable systems if significant irrigation and fertigation interventions are carried out, as in another organic system analyzed. Plastic materials and zinc structures were the most impacting items in almost all analyzed systems. The use of a CT with an elevated number of beneficial microorganisms with a high suppressive action allowed to obtain a good increase of the yield, in both systems that used it, and to have a higher gross profit. On the other hand, the validity of this technique was strongly linked to the finding of high-quality green compost.
In the last decade, research on Corylus avellana has focused on improving field techniques and hazelnut quality; however, climatic change and sustainability goals call for new agronomic management ...strategies. Precision management technologies could help improve resource use efficiency and increase grower income, but research on remote sensing systems and especially on drone devices is still limited. Therefore, the hazelnut is still linked to production techniques far from the so-called Agriculture 4.0. Unmanned aerial vehicles platforms are becoming increasingly available to satisfy the demand for rapid real-time monitoring for orchard management at spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, addressing the analysis of geometric traits such as canopy volume and area and vegetation indices. The objective of this study is to define a rapid procedure to calculate geometric parameters of the canopy, such as canopy area and height, by methods using NDVI and CHM values derived from UAV images. This procedure was tested on the young Corylus avellana tree to manage a hazelnut orchard in the early years of cultivation. The study area is a hazelnut orchard (6.68 ha), located in Bernalda, Italy. The survey was conducted in a six-year-old irrigated hazelnut orchard of Tonda di Giffoni and Nocchione varieties using multispectral UAV. We determined the Projected Ground Area and, on the Corylus avellana canopy trough, the vigor index NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and the CHM (Canopy Height Model), which were used to define the canopy and to calculate the tree crown area. The projection of the canopy area to the ground measured with NDVI values > 0.30 and NDVI values > 0.35 and compared with CHM measurements showed a statistically significant linear regression, Rsup.2 = 0.69 and Rsup.2 = 0.70, respectively. The ultra-high-resolution imagery collected with the UAV system helped identify and define each tree crown individually from the background (bare soil and grass cover). Future developments are the construction of reliable relationships between the vigor index NDVI and the Leaf Area Index (LAI), as well as the evaluation of their spatial-temporal evolution.
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