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Dr. Luca Incrocci
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa 56124, Italy

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Soilless cultivations, increasing the water and nutrient use efficiency of horticultural crops
0 Modelling of evapotranspiration, growth and nutrient uptake of greenhouse and open-field horticultural crops
0 Development of Decision Support System for PC and smartphone for aiding growers to irrigate and fertilize the horticultural crops
0 Studies on calibration and application of some root zone sensors (dielectric sensors
0 Tensiometers) for irrigation scheduling

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Modelling of evapotranspiration, growth and nutrient uptake of greenhouse and open-field horticultural crops

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Journal article
Published: 12 August 2021 in Plants
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Heavy metal contamination is a major health issue concerning the commercial production of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) that are used for the extraction of bioactive molecules. Copper (Cu) is an anthropogenic contaminant that, at toxic levels, can accumulate in plant tissues, affecting plant growth and development. On the other hand, plant response to metal-induced stress may involve the synthesis and accumulation of beneficial secondary metabolites. In this study, hydroponically grown Pelargonium graveolens plants were exposed to different Cu concentrations in a nutrient solution (4, 25, 50, 100 μM) to evaluate the effects Cu toxicity on plant growth, mineral uptake and distribution in plants, some stress indicators, and the accumulation of bioactive secondary metabolites in leaf tissues. P. graveolens resulted in moderately tolerant Cu toxicity. At Cu concentrations up to 100 μM, biomass production was preserved and was accompanied by an increase in phenolics and antioxidant capacity. The metal contaminant was accumulated mainly in the roots. The leaf tissues of Cu-treated P. graveolens may be safely used for the extraction of bioactive molecules.

ACS Style

Antonios Chrysargyris; Rita Maggini; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Nikolaos Tzortzakis. Copper Tolerance and Accumulation on Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. Grown in Hydroponic Culture. Plants 2021, 10, 1663 .

AMA Style

Antonios Chrysargyris, Rita Maggini, Luca Incrocci, Alberto Pardossi, Nikolaos Tzortzakis. Copper Tolerance and Accumulation on Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. Grown in Hydroponic Culture. Plants. 2021; 10 (8):1663.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonios Chrysargyris; Rita Maggini; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Nikolaos Tzortzakis. 2021. "Copper Tolerance and Accumulation on Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. Grown in Hydroponic Culture." Plants 10, no. 8: 1663.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2021 in Horticulturae
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Elevated UV-B radiation (UV-B) has been previously reported to affect plant development, physiology, and promote the biosynthesis of UV-absorbing compounds. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic herb, widely cultivated worldwide for its use in the food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics industry. This species exhibits high diversity among different ecotypes based on their geographical locations. There has been little research on intra-specific photosynthetic and metabolic differences in UV-B tolerance across ecotypes from different geographical areas. This study evaluated the protection responses to high UV-B radiation of nine O. basilicum accessions with different geographic origins. Specifically, the changes in chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and the leaf rosmarinic acid (RA) compound were assessed using an “in vivo-vitro system” in a closed-type plant production system. Our results revealed a significant variation in UV-B protection mechanisms among accessions when plants were treated with high UV-B doses. The accumulation of RA increased significantly by UV-B light treatment in OCI142, OCI148, OCI30, OCI160, and OCI102, with the highest concentration measured in OCI160 plants. This ecotype showed the highest value of the Fv/Fm ratio, 0.70, after 48 h. Recovery of leaf functionality was more rapid in OCI160 than in other sweet basil accessions, which may indicate better photosynthetic capacity associated with enhanced biosynthesis of UV absorbing compounds. This study shows that the biosynthesis of the UV-absorbing compound (RA) represents an effective mechanism to reduce the photoinhibitory and photooxidative damage caused by high UV stress.

ACS Style

Haana Mosadegh; Alice Trivellini; Rita Maggini; Antonio Ferrante; Luca Incrocci; Anna Mensuali. In-Vivo In-Vitro Screening of Ocimum basilicum L. Ecotypes with Differential UV-B Radiation Sensitivity. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 101 .

AMA Style

Haana Mosadegh, Alice Trivellini, Rita Maggini, Antonio Ferrante, Luca Incrocci, Anna Mensuali. In-Vivo In-Vitro Screening of Ocimum basilicum L. Ecotypes with Differential UV-B Radiation Sensitivity. Horticulturae. 2021; 7 (5):101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Haana Mosadegh; Alice Trivellini; Rita Maggini; Antonio Ferrante; Luca Incrocci; Anna Mensuali. 2021. "In-Vivo In-Vitro Screening of Ocimum basilicum L. Ecotypes with Differential UV-B Radiation Sensitivity." Horticulturae 7, no. 5: 101.

Original reports
Published: 01 March 2021 in JCO Global Oncology
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PURPOSE The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cancer care globally. There are limited data of its impact in Africa. This study aims to characterize COVID-19 response strategies and impact of COVID-19 on cancer care and explore misconceptions in Africa. METHODS We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey of oncology providers in Africa between June and August 2020. Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis by income groups were performed. RESULTS One hundred twenty-two participants initiated the survey, of which 79 respondents from 18 African countries contributed data. Ninety-four percent (66 of 70) reported country mitigation and suppression strategies, similar across income groups. Unique strategies included courier service and drones for delivery of cancer medications (9 of 70 and 6 of 70, respectively). Most cancer centers remained open, but > 75% providers reported a decrease in patient volume. Not previously reported is the fear of infectivity leading to staff shortages and decrease in patient volumes. Approximately one third reported modifications of all cancer treatment modalities, resulting in treatment delays. A majority of participants reported ≤ 25 confirmed cases (44 of 68, 64%) and ≤ 5 deaths because of COVID-19 (26 of 45, 58%) among patients with cancer. Common misconceptions were that Africans were less susceptible to the virus (53 of 70, 75.7%) and decreased transmission of the virus in the African heat (44 of 70, 62.9%). CONCLUSION Few COVID-19 cases and deaths were reported among patients with cancer. However, disruptions and delays in cancer care because of the pandemic were noted. The pandemic has inspired tailored innovative solutions in clinical care delivery for patients with cancer, which may serve as a blueprint for expanding care and preparing for future pandemics. Ongoing public education should address COVID-19 misconceptions. The results may not be generalizable to the entire African continent because of the small sample size.

ACS Style

Yehoda M. Martei; Tara J. Rick; Temidayo Fadelu; Mohammed S. Ezzi; Nazik Hammad; Nasreen S. Quadri; Belmira Rodrigues; Hannah Simonds; Surbhi Grover; Luca Incrocci; Verna Vanderpuye. Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa. JCO Global Oncology 2021, 7, 368 -377.

AMA Style

Yehoda M. Martei, Tara J. Rick, Temidayo Fadelu, Mohammed S. Ezzi, Nazik Hammad, Nasreen S. Quadri, Belmira Rodrigues, Hannah Simonds, Surbhi Grover, Luca Incrocci, Verna Vanderpuye. Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa. JCO Global Oncology. 2021; 7 (7):368-377.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yehoda M. Martei; Tara J. Rick; Temidayo Fadelu; Mohammed S. Ezzi; Nazik Hammad; Nasreen S. Quadri; Belmira Rodrigues; Hannah Simonds; Surbhi Grover; Luca Incrocci; Verna Vanderpuye. 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa." JCO Global Oncology 7, no. 7: 368-377.

Journal article
Published: 19 January 2021 in Horticulturae
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Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a plant well known in traditional medicine for its many beneficial properties, but the lack of standardization regarding the product to offer to consumers limits its diffusion. To this end, drying appears to be a useful technique to offer a low-cost product that can be stored for long time, but the different drying procedures may give rise to end-products of very different quality as nutraceutical and antioxidant compounds. Nettle leaves have been dehydrated employing freeze-drying (FD), oven-drying (OD) or heat pump drying (HPD) and compared with fresh leaves following water extraction to emulate the use by final consumers. Results indicate that the best dehydration technique is HPD, which apparently gives rise to more than a doubling of total phenols and antioxidant activity in the extract compared to the water extract obtained from fresh leaves but a reduction in the level of ascorbic acid of about 39%. In addition, the content of some phenolic compounds is 10 to over a hundred times higher in the extract after HPD than that obtained from fresh samples. This confirms that the dehydration technique should be tuned in relation to the compounds of greatest interest or value.

ACS Style

Leani Martìnez Garcìa; Costanza Ceccanti; Carmine Negro; Luigi De Bellis; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. Effect of Drying Methods on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Urtica dioica L. Leaves. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 10 .

AMA Style

Leani Martìnez Garcìa, Costanza Ceccanti, Carmine Negro, Luigi De Bellis, Luca Incrocci, Alberto Pardossi, Lucia Guidi. Effect of Drying Methods on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Urtica dioica L. Leaves. Horticulturae. 2021; 7 (1):10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Leani Martìnez Garcìa; Costanza Ceccanti; Carmine Negro; Luigi De Bellis; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. 2021. "Effect of Drying Methods on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Urtica dioica L. Leaves." Horticulturae 7, no. 1: 10.

Journal article
Published: 20 November 2020 in Agronomy
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Large amounts of fertilizers are being used in agriculture to sustain growing demands for food, especially in vegetable production systems. Soluble fertilizers can generally ensure high crop yields, but excessive leaching of nutrients, mainly as nitrate, can be a major cause of water pollution. Controlled-release fertilizers improve the nutrient use efficiency and lower the environmental hazard, usually without affecting the production. In this study, an innovative controlled-release coated urea fertilizer was compared to conventional nitrogen (N) fertilizers and a soluble ammonium-based fertilizer containing a nitrification inhibitor, in a round table tomato cultivation. Both the water and N balance were evaluated for each treatment, along with the yield and quality of the production. The experiment was repeated in three different seasons (spring, autumn and summer-autumn) in a glasshouse to prevent the effect of uncontrolled rainfall. The results indicated that N leaching decreased by increasing the percentage of coated urea. The application of at least 50% total N as coated urea strongly reduced N leaching and improved N agronomic efficiency in comparison with traditional fertilizers, ensuring at the same time a similar fruit production. Due to reduced leaching, the total N amount commonly applied by growers could be lowered by 25% without detrimental effects on commercial production.

ACS Style

Luca Incrocci; Rita Maggini; Tommaso Cei; Giulia Carmassi; Luca Botrini; Ferruccio Filippi; Ronald Clemens; Cristian Terrones; Alberto Pardossi. Innovative Controlled-Release Polyurethane-Coated Urea Could Reduce N Leaching in Tomato Crop in Comparison to Conventional and Stabilized Fertilizers. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1827 .

AMA Style

Luca Incrocci, Rita Maggini, Tommaso Cei, Giulia Carmassi, Luca Botrini, Ferruccio Filippi, Ronald Clemens, Cristian Terrones, Alberto Pardossi. Innovative Controlled-Release Polyurethane-Coated Urea Could Reduce N Leaching in Tomato Crop in Comparison to Conventional and Stabilized Fertilizers. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (11):1827.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Incrocci; Rita Maggini; Tommaso Cei; Giulia Carmassi; Luca Botrini; Ferruccio Filippi; Ronald Clemens; Cristian Terrones; Alberto Pardossi. 2020. "Innovative Controlled-Release Polyurethane-Coated Urea Could Reduce N Leaching in Tomato Crop in Comparison to Conventional and Stabilized Fertilizers." Agronomy 10, no. 11: 1827.

Original reports
Published: 01 November 2020 in JCO Global Oncology
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PUROSE Ethiopia has one cobalt radiotherapy (RT) machine to serve a population of more than 100 million. The purpose of this study was to report on patterns of palliative RT of bone metastasis in a severely low-capacity setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patient and treatment characteristics of patients irradiated for palliation of symptomatic bone metastasis were extracted from a retrospective database of patients treated between May 2015 and January 2018. This database included a random sample of 1,823 of the estimated 4,000 patients who were treated with RT within in the study period. Associations between the applied RT schedule and patient and tumor characteristics were evaluated with the χ2 test. Hypothetical savings of RT sessions and time were compared in the case of a single-fraction policy. RESULTS From the database, 234 patients (13%) were treated for bone metastasis. Most patients were ≤ 65 years of age (n = 189; 80%) and female (n = 125; 53%). The most common primary sites were breast (n = 82; 35%) and prostate (n = 36; 15%). Fractionated regimens were preferred over single fraction: 20 Gy in 5 fractions (n = 192; 82.1%), 30 Gy in 10 fractions (n = 7; 3%), and 8 Gy in 1 fraction (n = 28; 12%). Factors associated with single-fraction RT included nonaxial sites of bone metastasis ( P < .01) and an address outside Addis Ababa ( P ≤ .01). If single-fraction RT would have been given uniformly for bone metastasis, this would have resulted in a 78% reduction in the number of RT sessions and 76% reduction in total RT time. CONCLUSION The pattern of palliative RT for bone metastasis in Ethiopia favors fractionated regimens over single fraction. Efforts should be made to adopt evidence-based and cost-effective guidelines.

ACS Style

Tara J. Rick; Biruk Habtamu; Wondemagegnhu Tigeneh; Aynalem Abreha; Surbhi Grover; Mathewos Assefa; Wilma Heemsbergen; Luca Incrocci. Radiotherapy Practice for Treatment of Bone Metastasis in Ethiopia. JCO Global Oncology 2020, 6, 1422 -1427.

AMA Style

Tara J. Rick, Biruk Habtamu, Wondemagegnhu Tigeneh, Aynalem Abreha, Surbhi Grover, Mathewos Assefa, Wilma Heemsbergen, Luca Incrocci. Radiotherapy Practice for Treatment of Bone Metastasis in Ethiopia. JCO Global Oncology. 2020; 6 (6):1422-1427.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tara J. Rick; Biruk Habtamu; Wondemagegnhu Tigeneh; Aynalem Abreha; Surbhi Grover; Mathewos Assefa; Wilma Heemsbergen; Luca Incrocci. 2020. "Radiotherapy Practice for Treatment of Bone Metastasis in Ethiopia." JCO Global Oncology 6, no. 6: 1422-1427.

Journal article
Published: 16 October 2020 in Scientia Horticulturae
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Two hydroponic techniques (floating system and aeroponics) were assessed for iodine (I) biofortification of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and baby-leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Iodine was supplemented by adding KI into the nutrient solution to achieve a final I concentration of 10 μM. Shoot biomass production and leaf concentration of I, nitrates, total phenols and pigments were measured on the occasion of two successive cuts, 14 and 28 days after transplanting. In both the hydroponic systems, the supplementation of KI represented an effective method for the biofortification of basil as it did not affect the plant growth, while it moderately reduced the biomass production in lettuce. Leaf I accumulation occurred to a greater extent in aeroponics than the floating system in both species. In KI-treated basil plants, leaf I content ranged between 9.76 and 23.58 mg kg−1 FW. Consequently, 6 g of fresh basil leaves, which is contained in a portion of Italian pesto sauce (12 g), could satisfy 40%–94% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of iodine for healthy adults (150 μg day−1). In lettuce, leaf I contents of first-cut leaves were 1.55 and 3.60 mg kg−1 FW, in the floating system and aeroponics, respectively. Therefore, a serving size of 26 g of lettuce containing I from 1.55 (floating culture) to 3.60 (aeroponics) mg kg−1 FW could satisfy 27 % to 62 % of the RDI of iodine. Lettuce grew much less in the floating system than aeroponics, probably because of the lower dissolved oxygen level in the nutrient solution as compared to aeroponics. Basil was less sensitive to the oxygen availability in the root zone, since no differences were detected between the two hydroponic systems in terms of fresh and dry biomass.

ACS Style

M. Puccinelli; M. Landi; R. Maggini; A. Pardossi; L. Incrocci. Iodine biofortification of sweet basil and lettuce grown in two hydroponic systems. Scientia Horticulturae 2020, 276, 109783 .

AMA Style

M. Puccinelli, M. Landi, R. Maggini, A. Pardossi, L. Incrocci. Iodine biofortification of sweet basil and lettuce grown in two hydroponic systems. Scientia Horticulturae. 2020; 276 ():109783.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Puccinelli; M. Landi; R. Maggini; A. Pardossi; L. Incrocci. 2020. "Iodine biofortification of sweet basil and lettuce grown in two hydroponic systems." Scientia Horticulturae 276, no. : 109783.

Journal article
Published: 06 August 2020 in Foods
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In this study, five wild edible herbs traditionally consumed in the Tuscany region (Italy) were evaluated for their potential in human nutrition. The nutraceutical characterization of Rumex acetosa, Cichorium intybus, Picris hieracioides, Sanguisorba minor, and Plantago coronopus, as well as their sensory profile were reported. Additionally, a preliminary assessment of completely different domestication of the wild species (named “soilless”, pot, and open field) was conducted to verify the possibility of their marketability, which is impossible if the plants are only gathered as wild. The open field domestication allowed to obtain plants with nutraceutical and sensory profiles similar to those of the wild species, especially in C. intybus, P. hieracioides, and S. minor. The pot domestication allow to obtain plants with chlorophyll and carotenoid contents close to those of the wild species, as well as a lower total phenolic and flavonoid content and ascorbic acid content than wild species. In the “soilless” method, R. acetosa and P. coronopus exhibited a high quality in terms of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity. Afterward, the sensory profile was strongly affected by the domestication in terms of the palatability, except for R. acetosa and P. coronopus, which displayed Hedonic Index (HI) values close to the consumer acceptability limit (HI = 6). A sensory profile similar to that of wild species was reported in open field domestication, whereas a worse sensory profile was reported in P. hieracioides and C. intybus domesticated using the soilless method. Finally, according to the preliminary assessment carried out in this study through an analysis of the general nutraceutical properties, S. minor was shown to be the most promising species thanks to its intrinsically highest nutraceutical properties considering the marketability of wild edible herbs as “new” functional food. However, further research on the bioavailability and bioactivity tests of nutraceutical compounds present in this species are required to confirm the findings of this study.

ACS Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Francesca Venturi; Isabella Taglieri; Giuseppe Ferroni; Lucia Guidi. Comparison of Three Domestications and Wild-Harvested Plants for Nutraceutical Properties and Sensory Profiles in Five Wild Edible Herbs: Is Domestication Possible? Foods 2020, 9, 1065 .

AMA Style

Costanza Ceccanti, Marco Landi, Luca Incrocci, Alberto Pardossi, Francesca Venturi, Isabella Taglieri, Giuseppe Ferroni, Lucia Guidi. Comparison of Three Domestications and Wild-Harvested Plants for Nutraceutical Properties and Sensory Profiles in Five Wild Edible Herbs: Is Domestication Possible? Foods. 2020; 9 (8):1065.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Francesca Venturi; Isabella Taglieri; Giuseppe Ferroni; Lucia Guidi. 2020. "Comparison of Three Domestications and Wild-Harvested Plants for Nutraceutical Properties and Sensory Profiles in Five Wild Edible Herbs: Is Domestication Possible?" Foods 9, no. 8: 1065.

Review article
Published: 30 July 2020 in Agricultural Water Management
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In Europe, most greenhouse vegetable crops are grown in soil. Where soilless systems are used, apart from in The Netherlands, Belgium and France, they are mostly free-draining systems, in which nutrient solutions are not recirculated. Both soil-grown and free-draining soilless systems commonly have large nitrate (NO3−) leaching loss. Irrigation is a major contributing factor to NO3− leaching loss. Irrigation management of greenhouse vegetable crops needs to be improved to reduce the appreciable N loss to subterranean water and surface water bodies. This article reviews the state-of-the-art, of methods and tools that are available, or are being developed, to optimise irrigation management of both soil- and soilless-grown vegetable crops in greenhouses. Adaptions for greenhouse conditions and cropping cycles of the FAO56 approach to calculate crop water requirements are reviewed. Attention is paid to (i) the developments and suitability of various adaptations of the Penman–Monteith FAO56 equation and simpler equations to calculate reference crop evapotranspiration (ETO), and (ii) equations to calculate crop coefficient (Kc) values under greenhouse conditions, in which cropping cycles may differ appreciably from those of outdoor crops. The various classes of soil/substrate moisture sensors that have been used in greenhouse crops are reviewed, regarding their general suitability and practical use. Their use in both soil and substrate is considered, as are the effects of salinity and the use of some sensors to measure the salinity of the growing media. The use of various plant sensors with vegetable crops under greenhouse conditions is reviewed. The results of a survey that assessed, for greenhouse vegetable crops in Europe, the use of different (a) types of irrigation systems, and (b) irrigation management methods, for both soil and soilless production are presented. Following the revision of this information, recommendations are made regarding the scientific and practical value of the available tools and technologies to aid growers to optimise irrigation management of vegetable crops grown in greenhouses.

ACS Style

Luca Incrocci; Rodney B. Thompson; María Dolores Fernandez-Fernandez; Stefania De Pascale; Alberto Pardossi; Cecilia Stanghellini; Youssef Rouphael; Marisa Gallardo. Irrigation management of European greenhouse vegetable crops. Agricultural Water Management 2020, 242, 106393 .

AMA Style

Luca Incrocci, Rodney B. Thompson, María Dolores Fernandez-Fernandez, Stefania De Pascale, Alberto Pardossi, Cecilia Stanghellini, Youssef Rouphael, Marisa Gallardo. Irrigation management of European greenhouse vegetable crops. Agricultural Water Management. 2020; 242 ():106393.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Incrocci; Rodney B. Thompson; María Dolores Fernandez-Fernandez; Stefania De Pascale; Alberto Pardossi; Cecilia Stanghellini; Youssef Rouphael; Marisa Gallardo. 2020. "Irrigation management of European greenhouse vegetable crops." Agricultural Water Management 242, no. : 106393.

Editorial
Published: 24 July 2020 in Stats
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Precision farming is one way of many to meet a 55 percent increase in global demand for agricultural products on current agricultural land by 2050 at reduced need of fertilizers and efficient use of water resources. The catalyst for the emergence of precision farming has been satellite positioning and navigation followed by Internet-of-Things, generating vast information that can be used to optimize farming processes in real-time. Statistical tools from data mining, predictive modeling, and machine learning analyze patterns in historical data, to make predictions about future events as well as intelligent actions. This special issue presents the latest development in statistical inference, machine learning, and optimum control for precision farming.

ACS Style

Alexander Kocian; Luca Incrocci. Learning from Data to Optimize Control in Precision Farming. Stats 2020, 3, 239 -245.

AMA Style

Alexander Kocian, Luca Incrocci. Learning from Data to Optimize Control in Precision Farming. Stats. 2020; 3 (3):239-245.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alexander Kocian; Luca Incrocci. 2020. "Learning from Data to Optimize Control in Precision Farming." Stats 3, no. 3: 239-245.

Journal article
Published: 23 July 2020 in Agronomy
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While the ongoing global warming and the economic crisis threaten horticultural and ornamental products production in the Mediterranean region, new challenges and opportunities for renewing plant material occur. Pitaya has great potential as a new crop for Mediterranean growers: it consumes little water and it adapts well to the high temperatures present in the greenhouse. Moreover, the market shows increasing demand of new, healthy exotic fruits and the fruit of these crops are worldwide appreciated as a super fruits. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of introducing a new type of product that in addition to the aesthetic value can combine functional nutritional characteristics, through a whole chain approach, in order to develop basic knowledges and technical information that may lead to the commercial production of pitaya by small-scale farmers in Italy. The results of this study report and discuss various aspects to support the establishment of pitaya cultivation, such as its propagation by cuttings and micropropagation, greenhouse cultivation practices (through the clarification of the sprouting and flowering phenology as well as the fruit maturation period), while providing also information on the sensory properties and the antioxidant levels which naturally occurring in these fruits.

ACS Style

Alice Trivellini; Mariella Lucchesini; Antonio Ferrante; Daniele Massa; Matteo Orlando; Luca Incrocci; Anna Mensuali-Sodi. Pitaya, an Attractive Alternative Crop for Mediterranean Region. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1065 .

AMA Style

Alice Trivellini, Mariella Lucchesini, Antonio Ferrante, Daniele Massa, Matteo Orlando, Luca Incrocci, Anna Mensuali-Sodi. Pitaya, an Attractive Alternative Crop for Mediterranean Region. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (8):1065.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alice Trivellini; Mariella Lucchesini; Antonio Ferrante; Daniele Massa; Matteo Orlando; Luca Incrocci; Anna Mensuali-Sodi. 2020. "Pitaya, an Attractive Alternative Crop for Mediterranean Region." Agronomy 10, no. 8: 1065.

Journal article
Published: 07 June 2020 in Sensors
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This paper follows an integrated approach of Internet of Things based sensing and machine learning for crop growth prediction in agriculture. A Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) relates crop growth associated measurement data to environmental control data via hidden states. The measurement data, having (non-linear) sigmoid-type dynamics, are instances of the two classes observed and missing, respectively. Considering that the time series of the logistic sigmoid function is the solution to a reciprocal linear dynamic model, the exact expectation-maximization algorithm can be applied to infer the hidden states and to learn the parameters of the model. At iterative convergence, the parameter estimates are then used to derive a predictor of the measurement data several days ahead. To evaluate the performance of the proposed DBN, we followed three cultivation cycles of micro-tomatoes (MicroTom) in a mini-greenhouse. The environmental parameters were temperature, converted into Growing Degree Days (GDD), and the solar irradiance, both at a daily granularity. The measurement data were Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Evapotranspiration (ET). Although measurement data were only available scarcely, it turned out that high quality measurement data predictions were possible up to three weeks ahead.

ACS Style

Alexander Kocian; Giulia Carmassi; Fatjon Cela; Luca Incrocci; Paolo Milazzo; Stefano Chessa. Bayesian Sigmoid-Type Time Series Forecasting with Missing Data for Greenhouse Crops. Sensors 2020, 20, 3246 .

AMA Style

Alexander Kocian, Giulia Carmassi, Fatjon Cela, Luca Incrocci, Paolo Milazzo, Stefano Chessa. Bayesian Sigmoid-Type Time Series Forecasting with Missing Data for Greenhouse Crops. Sensors. 2020; 20 (11):3246.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alexander Kocian; Giulia Carmassi; Fatjon Cela; Luca Incrocci; Paolo Milazzo; Stefano Chessa. 2020. "Bayesian Sigmoid-Type Time Series Forecasting with Missing Data for Greenhouse Crops." Sensors 20, no. 11: 3246.

Journal article
Published: 09 January 2020 in Horticulturae
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Sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.) is a perennial wild herb appreciated as a folk medicine and for use in folk-traditional cuisines, and its nutraceutical properties are increasingly known and studied. Nowadays, there is a lack of knowledge about the possibility of using this species as fresh-cut produce, and no reports have investigated the physiological/biochemical changes of sorrel leaves upon storage. To test the aforementioned, sorrel seedlings were cultivated in a floating system and two consecutive harvests took place: The first cut at 15 days (C1) and second cut at 30 days (C2) after sowing. Fresh-cut sorrel leaves from C1 and C2 were stored in plastic boxes at 4 °C for 15 days and chlorophylls, carotenoids, total phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated during the storage period. During storage, sorrel leaves from the same cut did not show significant changes in total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, which represents a positive outcome for the maintenance of the nutraceutical value of this species. For this reason, sorrel may be a very promising species as a “new” fresh-cut leafy vegetable. However, some differences were observed between the two cuts, especially in the total flavonoid and the total ascorbic acid contents. While promising, further research will be necessary to standardize the yield and the nutraceutical content of this species in different cuts, which will be necessary to introduce and promote sorrel to consumers.

ACS Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. Suitability of Hydroponically-Grown Rumex acetosa L. as Fresh-Cut Produce. Horticulturae 2020, 6, 4 .

AMA Style

Costanza Ceccanti, Marco Landi, Luca Incrocci, Alberto Pardossi, Lucia Guidi. Suitability of Hydroponically-Grown Rumex acetosa L. as Fresh-Cut Produce. Horticulturae. 2020; 6 (1):4.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. 2020. "Suitability of Hydroponically-Grown Rumex acetosa L. as Fresh-Cut Produce." Horticulturae 6, no. 1: 4.

Journal article
Published: 07 January 2020 in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
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The paper presents an Internet-of-Things based agricultural decision support system for crop growth. A dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) relates indicative parameters of crop development to environmental control parameters via unobserved (hidden) Markov states. The expectation-maximization algorithm is used to track the states and to learn the parameters of the DBN. The steady state information is then used to derive a predictor for the measurement data a few days ahead. The proposed DBN avoids time-consuming training cultivation cycles, as only data of the current cultivation cycle are available to the algorithm. Three cultivation cycles of lettuce have been used to test the performance of the proposed DBN. The environmental parameters were temperature, solar irradiance and vapor-pressure deficit. The measurement data include evapotranspiration at granularity equal one day, and leaf-area index and dry weight, at granularity equal one week. It turned out that accurate measurement data prediction a few days ahead is possible even if the number of data samples is low.

ACS Style

A. Kocian; D. Massa; S. Cannazzaro; L. Incrocci; S. Di Lonardo; P. Milazzo; S. Chessa. Dynamic Bayesian network for crop growth prediction in greenhouses. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2020, 169, 105167 .

AMA Style

A. Kocian, D. Massa, S. Cannazzaro, L. Incrocci, S. Di Lonardo, P. Milazzo, S. Chessa. Dynamic Bayesian network for crop growth prediction in greenhouses. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2020; 169 ():105167.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Kocian; D. Massa; S. Cannazzaro; L. Incrocci; S. Di Lonardo; P. Milazzo; S. Chessa. 2020. "Dynamic Bayesian network for crop growth prediction in greenhouses." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 169, no. : 105167.

Journal article
Published: 03 January 2020 in Scientia Horticulturae
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Globe artichoke is cultivated for its flower heads and as the source of pharmaceutical compounds from the leaves, whose extracts contain a high level of health-promoting compounds and show one of the highest antioxidant capacities reported for vegetables. The content and composition of such beneficial plant secondary metabolites may be greatly affected by cultivation variables, including plant genotype and mycorrhizal symbiosis. This study was carried out to gain knowledge on antioxidant activity, total phenols and chlorogenic acid levels in the leaves of two artichoke cultivars, Romanesco and Tema, as affected by six arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) belonging to diverse genera, species and isolates. The six AMF showed significantly higher percentages of root colonization in Romanesco (46 %) than in Tema (32 %), and different colonization dynamics. The overall pooled data showed that in Romanesco the levels of total phenols increased by 35 %, chlorogenic acid by 67 % and antioxidant activity by 43 %, compared with Tema. The six AMF differentially affected such levels, with Claroideoglomus claroideum 22W3 as the only isolate producing significant increases compared with controls, for total phenols and chlorogenic acid, and with C. claroideum 22W3 and Funneliformis mosseae IMA1 as the isolates enhancing antioxidant activity, compared with controls. Moreover, a strong correlation was found between total phenols and antioxidant activity in the leaves of both artichoke cultivars. This work, comparing the highest number of diverse AMF studied so far in relation to their modulation of plant secondary metabolism, expanded our knowledge on their functional diversity and allowed the detection of the best performing symbionts to be utilized for obtaining artichoke leaves with enhanced health-promoting activities.

ACS Style

Luciano Avio; Rita Maggini; Gergely Ujvári; Luca Incrocci; Manuela Giovannetti; Alessandra Turrini. Phenolics content and antioxidant activity in the leaves of two artichoke cultivars are differentially affected by six mycorrhizal symbionts. Scientia Horticulturae 2020, 264, 109153 .

AMA Style

Luciano Avio, Rita Maggini, Gergely Ujvári, Luca Incrocci, Manuela Giovannetti, Alessandra Turrini. Phenolics content and antioxidant activity in the leaves of two artichoke cultivars are differentially affected by six mycorrhizal symbionts. Scientia Horticulturae. 2020; 264 ():109153.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luciano Avio; Rita Maggini; Gergely Ujvári; Luca Incrocci; Manuela Giovannetti; Alessandra Turrini. 2020. "Phenolics content and antioxidant activity in the leaves of two artichoke cultivars are differentially affected by six mycorrhizal symbionts." Scientia Horticulturae 264, no. : 109153.

Original research article
Published: 18 December 2019 in Frontiers in Plant Science
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Iodine deficiency is a serious world-wide public health problem, as it is responsible for mental retardation and other diseases. The use of iodine-biofortified vegetables represents a strategic alternative to iodine enriched salt for people with a low sodium diet. However, at high concentrations iodine can be toxic to plants. Therefore, research on plant iodine toxicity is fundamental for the development of appropriate biofortification protocols. In this work, we compared two cultivars of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) with different iodine tolerance: “Tigullio,” less tolerant, with green leaves, and “Red Rubin,” more tolerant and with purple leaves. Four greenhouse hydroponic experiments were conducted in spring and in summer with different concentrations of iodine in the nutrient solution (0.1, 10, 50, 100, and 200 μM), supplied as potassium iodide (KI) or potassium iodate (KIO3). Plant growth was not affected either by 10 μM KI or by 100 μM KIO3, while KI concentrations higher than 50 μM significantly reduced leaf area, total plant dry matter and plant height. The severity of symptoms increased with time depending on the cultivar and the form of iodine applied. Growth inhibition by toxic iodine concentrations was more severe in “Tigullio” than in “Red Rubin,” and KI was much more phytotoxic than KIO3. Leaf iodine concentration increased with the iodine concentration in the nutrient solution in both varieties, while the total antioxidant power was generally higher in the purple variety. In both basil cultivars, a strong negative correlation was found between the photosynthesis and the leaf iodine content, with significant differences between the regression lines for “Tigullio” and “Red Rubin.” In conclusion, the greater tolerance to iodine of the “Red Rubin” variety was associated with the ability to withstand higher concentrations of iodine in leaf tissues, rather than to a reduced accumulation of this element in the leaves. The high phenolic content of “Red Rubin” could contribute to the iodine tolerance of this purple cultivar.

ACS Style

Luca Incrocci; Giulia Carmassi; Rita Maggini; Caterina Poli; Djamshed Saidov; Chiara Tamburini; Claudia Kiferle; Pierdomenico Perata; Alberto Pardossi. Iodine Accumulation and Tolerance in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) With Green or Purple Leaves Grown in Floating System Technique. Frontiers in Plant Science 2019, 10, 1 .

AMA Style

Luca Incrocci, Giulia Carmassi, Rita Maggini, Caterina Poli, Djamshed Saidov, Chiara Tamburini, Claudia Kiferle, Pierdomenico Perata, Alberto Pardossi. Iodine Accumulation and Tolerance in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) With Green or Purple Leaves Grown in Floating System Technique. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2019; 10 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Incrocci; Giulia Carmassi; Rita Maggini; Caterina Poli; Djamshed Saidov; Chiara Tamburini; Claudia Kiferle; Pierdomenico Perata; Alberto Pardossi. 2019. "Iodine Accumulation and Tolerance in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) With Green or Purple Leaves Grown in Floating System Technique." Frontiers in Plant Science 10, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 09 December 2019 in Antioxidants
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Wild edible plants have been used in cooking since ancient times. Recently, their value has improved as a result of the scientific evidence for their nutraceutical properties. Sanguisorba minor Scop. (salad burnet) plants were hydroponically grown and two consecutive cuts took place at 15 (C1) and 30 (C2) days after sowing. An untargeted metabolomics approach was utilized to fingerprint phenolics and other health-related compounds in this species; this approach revealed the different effects of the two cuts on the plant. S. minor showed a different and complex secondary metabolite profile, which was influenced by the cut. In fact, flavonoids increased in leaves obtained from C2, especially flavones. However, other secondary metabolites were downregulated in leaves from C2 compared to those detected in leaves from C1, as evidenced by the combination of the variable important in projections (VIP score > 1.3) and the fold-change (FC > 2). The storage of S. minor leaves for 15 days as fresh-cut products did not induce significant changes in the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, which indicates that the nutraceutical value was maintained. The only difference evidenced during storage was that leaves obtained from C2 showed a lower constitutive content of nutraceutical compounds than leaves obtained from C1; except for chlorophylls and carotenoids. In conclusion, the cut was the main influence on the modulation of secondary metabolites in leaves, and the effects were independent of storage.

ACS Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Gabriele Rocchetti; Maria Begoña Miras Moreno; Luigi Lucini; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. Hydroponically Grown Sanguisorba minor Scop.: Effects of Cut and Storage on Fresh-Cut Produce. Antioxidants 2019, 8, 631 .

AMA Style

Costanza Ceccanti, Marco Landi, Gabriele Rocchetti, Maria Begoña Miras Moreno, Luigi Lucini, Luca Incrocci, Alberto Pardossi, Lucia Guidi. Hydroponically Grown Sanguisorba minor Scop.: Effects of Cut and Storage on Fresh-Cut Produce. Antioxidants. 2019; 8 (12):631.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Costanza Ceccanti; Marco Landi; Gabriele Rocchetti; Maria Begoña Miras Moreno; Luigi Lucini; Luca Incrocci; Alberto Pardossi; Lucia Guidi. 2019. "Hydroponically Grown Sanguisorba minor Scop.: Effects of Cut and Storage on Fresh-Cut Produce." Antioxidants 8, no. 12: 631.

Journal article
Published: 16 October 2019 in Molecules
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Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is becoming more and more important in the health food market as a functional food, since its seeds and oil represent a rich source of bioactive compounds. Its chemical composition is strongly correlated with, and dependent on, genetic characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variation in seed yield, oil content, fatty acid composition and secondary metabolite profiles between a low-linolenic linseed variety, belonging to the Solin-type group (Solal), and a high-linolenic traditional one (Bethune), cultivated, both as spring crops, in open field conditions of Central Italy. The achieved results pointed out the different behavior of the two varieties in terms of growth cycle, oil content, and some important yield components, such as capsule number per plant and thousand seed weight. There were also significant differences in seed composition regarding total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant activities as well as in carotenoid, tocopherol, and tocotrienol profiles between the two varieties. In particular, Solal was characterized by the greatest contents of oil, phenols, flavonoids, α- and δ- tocotrienol, together with the highest antioxidant activity. Bethune, on the contrary, showed the highest amounts of carotenoids (lutein and β-carotene). These results indicate a clear effect of the genetic characteristics on the biosynthesis of these secondary metabolites and, consequently, on the related antioxidant activity. Our findings suggest that the mutation process, responsible for the selection of the low-linolenic cultivar, is able to modify the biosynthetic pathways of carotenoids and phenolics.

ACS Style

Silvia Tavarini; Antonella Castagna; Giuseppe Conte; Lara Foschi; Chiara Sanmartin; Luca Incrocci; Annamaria Ranieri; Andrea Serra; Luciana G. Angelini. Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Two Linseed Varieties as Sources of Health-Beneficial Substances. Molecules 2019, 24, 3729 .

AMA Style

Silvia Tavarini, Antonella Castagna, Giuseppe Conte, Lara Foschi, Chiara Sanmartin, Luca Incrocci, Annamaria Ranieri, Andrea Serra, Luciana G. Angelini. Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Two Linseed Varieties as Sources of Health-Beneficial Substances. Molecules. 2019; 24 (20):3729.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Tavarini; Antonella Castagna; Giuseppe Conte; Lara Foschi; Chiara Sanmartin; Luca Incrocci; Annamaria Ranieri; Andrea Serra; Luciana G. Angelini. 2019. "Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Two Linseed Varieties as Sources of Health-Beneficial Substances." Molecules 24, no. 20: 3729.

Journal article
Published: 11 October 2018 in Agricultural Water Management
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The objective of this study was to design and test a prototype fertigation controller for the management of container ornamental nursery stocks irrigated with different water sources, including saline water or reclaimed municipal/industrial wastewater. The prototype could schedule irrigation in various ways, i.e. as a time clock, or by means of a soil moisture dielectric sensor, or using a crop evapotranspiration (ET) model. The prototype also monitored the salinity in the root zone using a dielectric sensor that measured both substrate moisture and electrical conductivity (EC), or a probe measuring the EC of the water draining out of the containers. Excessive substrate salinization of the containers irrigated with saline water (containing 10 mM of sodium chloride) was prevented by the automated adoption of a series of measures: irrigation with fresh water or a mixture of fresh water and saline water; progressive increase of irrigation dose for each event, and progressive reduction of fertilizer concentration in the nutrient solution delivered to the crop. The system was tested in three experiments conducted in Pistoia (Italy) between 2008 and 2010 with two ornamental species: Photinia × fraseri Dress (a salt-medium tolerant species) and Prunus laurocerasus L. (a salt-sensitive species). When irrigation with fresh water was controlled with a dielectric sensor or an ET model, total irrigation water use and the loss of both N and P were reduced by 17% to 84% compared with the time-controlled irrigation. The sensor-based control of saline water irrigation reduced the salinity effects on dry matter accumulation in both species; however, it did not prevent the occurrence of leaf damages (leaf scorch) on Prunus plants, which were unmarketable by the end of growing season. On the contrary, no leaf damages were visible on Photinia plants irrigated with saline and/or fresh water, such that all were classified in the top quality market category. The controller developed in this work could be used in commercial nurseries to improve profitability and sustainability of container hardy ornamental nursery stock production.

ACS Style

Luca Incrocci; Paolo Marzialetti; Giorgio Incrocci; Andrea Di Vita; Jos Balendonck; Carlo Bibbiani; Serafino Spagnol; Alberto Pardossi. Sensor-based management of container nursery crops irrigated with fresh or saline water. Agricultural Water Management 2018, 213, 49 -61.

AMA Style

Luca Incrocci, Paolo Marzialetti, Giorgio Incrocci, Andrea Di Vita, Jos Balendonck, Carlo Bibbiani, Serafino Spagnol, Alberto Pardossi. Sensor-based management of container nursery crops irrigated with fresh or saline water. Agricultural Water Management. 2018; 213 ():49-61.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Incrocci; Paolo Marzialetti; Giorgio Incrocci; Andrea Di Vita; Jos Balendonck; Carlo Bibbiani; Serafino Spagnol; Alberto Pardossi. 2018. "Sensor-based management of container nursery crops irrigated with fresh or saline water." Agricultural Water Management 213, no. : 49-61.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2018 in Acta Horticulturae
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ACS Style

Carlo Bibbiani; A. Campiotti; G. Giagnacovo; L. Incrocci; A. Pardossi; A. Latini; E. Schettini; G. Vox. Green roofs and green façades for improving sustainability of towns. Acta Horticulturae 2018, 333 -336.

AMA Style

Carlo Bibbiani, A. Campiotti, G. Giagnacovo, L. Incrocci, A. Pardossi, A. Latini, E. Schettini, G. Vox. Green roofs and green façades for improving sustainability of towns. Acta Horticulturae. 2018; (1215):333-336.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlo Bibbiani; A. Campiotti; G. Giagnacovo; L. Incrocci; A. Pardossi; A. Latini; E. Schettini; G. Vox. 2018. "Green roofs and green façades for improving sustainability of towns." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1215: 333-336.