Dr. Mariana Amato has been an Associate Professor in Agronomy and Crop Science at the University of Basilicata since 2002. In January 2014, she passed the Italian national selection for Full Professor in Agronomy, Crop Science, and Horticulture. She has been the Coordinator for International Relations, Erasmus and ECTS of the School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, Universita della Basilicata, Italy, since 2012. She graduated from the University of Napoli with a Master's Degree in Agriculture in 1984 with honors. She received her Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Science in 1991 from Michigan State University, USA. Her research topics include Agronomy, Sustainable agriculture in protected areas, Environmental certification in agriculture, Soil biophysics, Plant root systems, Sustainable soil management techniques, Soil stability in rural and peri-urban areas, Root water uptake, Spatial variability of soil-root properties, Simulation models of plant-root-soil relationships, Methodology for root, soil and water measurements, Non-destructive soil and roots techniques, Geophysical methods in agriculture, Soil tillage, Education in Agronomy, and Soil Science.