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Dr. Alessandra Trinchera
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics - Agriculture and Environment Research Center (CREA-AA)

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Organic Farming
0 Mycorrhizal fungi
0 Plant nutrition and fertilization
0 Agroecological service crops
0 phosphite

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Organic Farming
Mycorrhizal fungi
Agroecological service crops
phosphite

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Short Biography

Ph.D on “Soil Science and Climatology”, she’s Senior researcher at the Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia Agraria. Centro di ricerca Agricoltura e Ambiente (CREA-AA) in Rome (Italy). Research fields: sustainable agricultural practices in organic and integrated farming (low-impact fertilisation, use of plant biostimulants), crop diversification (strip cropping, rotations, legumes/cereals as cover crops), rhizosphere interaction in organic horticultural systems (rhizobia and AMF symbiosis). She was/is coordinator of 5 Italian projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, and involved in several European projects (SUREVEG project - CORE Organic Cofund 2017; EXCALIBUR project - H2020; BIO4FOOD CoreOrganic Cofund 2020; EJP Soil project). She is also Regional Coordinator for the North Mediterranean Region in the DIVERFARMING project - H2020 - Call: RUR 2016-2. She's the CREA expert of the Office PQAI I "Organic production" of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture at the COP (Committee on Organic Production) of the COM and member of the National Committee on fertilizers and biostimulants approval. She is the author of more than 40 ISI publications, 8 book chapters and more than 160 reviewed papers.

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Journal article
Published: 16 February 2021 in Microorganisms
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Mycorrhizal symbiosis represents a valuable tool for increasing plant nutrient uptake, affecting system biodiversity, ecosystem services and productivity. Introduction of agroecological service crops (ASCs) in cropping systems may determine changes in weed community, that can affect the development of the mycorrhizal mycelial network in the rhizosphere, favoring or depressing the cash crop mycorrhization. Two no-till Mediterranean organic horticultural systems were considered: one located in central Italy, where organic melon was transplanted on four winter-cereals mulches (rye, spelt, barley, wheat), one located in southern Italy (Sicily), where barley (as catch crop) was intercropped in an organic young orange orchard, with the no tilled, unweeded systems taken as controls. Weed "Supporting Arbuscular Mycorrhiza" (SAM) trait, weed density and biodiversity indexes, mycorrhization of coexistent plants in the field, the external mycelial network on roots were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, crop P uptake, yield and quality were evaluated. We verified that cereals, used as green mulches or intercropped, may drive the weed selection in favor of the SAM species, and promote the mycelial network, thus significantly increasing the mycorrhization, the P uptake, the yield and quality traits of the cash crop. This is a relevant economic factor when introducing sustainable cropping practices and assessing the overall functionality of the agroecosystem.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Elena Testani; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Gabriele Campanelli; Corrado Ciaccia. Agroecological Service Crops Drive Plant Mycorrhization in Organic Horticultural Systems. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 410 .

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Elena Testani, Giancarlo Roccuzzo, Gabriele Campanelli, Corrado Ciaccia. Agroecological Service Crops Drive Plant Mycorrhization in Organic Horticultural Systems. Microorganisms. 2021; 9 (2):410.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Elena Testani; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Gabriele Campanelli; Corrado Ciaccia. 2021. "Agroecological Service Crops Drive Plant Mycorrhization in Organic Horticultural Systems." Microorganisms 9, no. 2: 410.

Editorial
Published: 25 January 2021 in Agronomy
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Within the new “European Green Deal”, the European Commission defined crucial challenges for the agriculture of future decades, such as making food production more sustainable by considering the local pedo-climatic and socio-economic specificities

ACS Style

Mariangela Diacono; Francesco Montemurro; Alessandra Trinchera. An Overview on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture Strategies for Sustainable Crop Production. Agronomy 2021, 11, 223 .

AMA Style

Mariangela Diacono, Francesco Montemurro, Alessandra Trinchera. An Overview on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture Strategies for Sustainable Crop Production. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (2):223.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mariangela Diacono; Francesco Montemurro; Alessandra Trinchera. 2021. "An Overview on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture Strategies for Sustainable Crop Production." Agronomy 11, no. 2: 223.

Journal article
Published: 12 August 2020 in Agronomy
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The objectives of this paper are to present the dynamic of organic food and farming (OFF) research and innovation, to outline challenges in deploying programs and accessing funding, and to define key actions to foster the development of tailored quality research on organic farming in Italy. The baseline starts from the main outcomes that emerged during the World Café held in the frame of the Salone Internazionale del biologico e del naturale (SANA Expo) in 2018, where the Italian OFF research community met to build a convergence on scope and modus operandi in the research endeavor. These outcomes were examined in the light of the key features of the research and innovation projects funded in Italy in the last 10 years, respectively by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the regional administrations through the innovation support instruments in the Rural Development Plan programming periods. In the period 2009–2018, 70 research projects for a total funding of 21.081 million € (<0.1% of the value of the sector) were launched, addressing nine different topic areas. Over a similar period (2007–2019), 53 regional innovation projects addressing organic farming were activated for a total budget of 14.299 million € (<10% of the entire available funding). The implementation of interventions in the research and the innovation areas were often scattered in terms of the topics, disciplines, and types of supply chain/network addressed. The relatively high share of multi/interdisciplinary research and innovation projects as well as the acknowledgement of the multi-actor approach as a fundamental step toward co-research and co-innovation were upshots that emerged from our analysis. The outcomes of this study can be used by competent national and the regional authorities to design their future research and innovation policies and interventions.

ACS Style

Stefano Canali; Daniele Antichi; Simona Cristiano; Mariangela Diacono; Valentina Ferrante; Paola Migliorini; Francesco Riva; Alessandra Trinchera; Raffaele Zanoli; Luca Colombo. Levers and Obstacles of Effective Research and Innovation for Organic Food and Farming in Italy. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1181 .

AMA Style

Stefano Canali, Daniele Antichi, Simona Cristiano, Mariangela Diacono, Valentina Ferrante, Paola Migliorini, Francesco Riva, Alessandra Trinchera, Raffaele Zanoli, Luca Colombo. Levers and Obstacles of Effective Research and Innovation for Organic Food and Farming in Italy. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (8):1181.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stefano Canali; Daniele Antichi; Simona Cristiano; Mariangela Diacono; Valentina Ferrante; Paola Migliorini; Francesco Riva; Alessandra Trinchera; Raffaele Zanoli; Luca Colombo. 2020. "Levers and Obstacles of Effective Research and Innovation for Organic Food and Farming in Italy." Agronomy 10, no. 8: 1181.

Journal article
Published: 12 August 2020 in FEMS Microbiology Reviews
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Nitrification is the microbial conversion of reduced forms of nitrogen (N) to nitrate (NO3−), and in fertilized soils it can lead to substantial N losses via NO3− leaching or nitrous oxide (N2O) production. To limit such problems, synthetic nitrification inhibitors have been applied but their performance differs between soils. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the occurrence of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), a natural phenomenon according to which certain plants can inhibit nitrification through the release of active compounds in root exudates. Here, we synthesize the current state of research but also unravel knowledge gaps in the field. The nitrification process is discussed considering recent discoveries in genomics, biochemistry and ecology of nitrifiers. Secondly, we focus on the ‘where’ and ‘how’ of BNI. The N transformations and their interconnections as they occur in, and are affected by, the rhizosphere, are also discussed. The NH4+ and NO3− retention pathways alternative to BNI are reviewed as well. We also provide hypotheses on how plant compounds with putative BNI ability can reach their targets inside the cell and inhibit ammonia oxidation. Finally, we discuss a set of techniques that can be successfully applied to solve unresearched questions in BNI studies.

ACS Style

Pierfrancesco Nardi; Hendrikus J Laanbroek; Graeme W Nicol; Giancarlo Renella; Massimiliano Cardinale; Giacomo Pietramellara; Wolfram Weckwerth; Alessandra Trinchera; Arindam Ghatak; Paolo Nannipieri. Biological nitrification inhibition in the rhizosphere: determining interactions and impact on microbially mediated processes and potential applications. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 2020, 44, 874 -908.

AMA Style

Pierfrancesco Nardi, Hendrikus J Laanbroek, Graeme W Nicol, Giancarlo Renella, Massimiliano Cardinale, Giacomo Pietramellara, Wolfram Weckwerth, Alessandra Trinchera, Arindam Ghatak, Paolo Nannipieri. Biological nitrification inhibition in the rhizosphere: determining interactions and impact on microbially mediated processes and potential applications. FEMS Microbiology Reviews. 2020; 44 (6):874-908.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pierfrancesco Nardi; Hendrikus J Laanbroek; Graeme W Nicol; Giancarlo Renella; Massimiliano Cardinale; Giacomo Pietramellara; Wolfram Weckwerth; Alessandra Trinchera; Arindam Ghatak; Paolo Nannipieri. 2020. "Biological nitrification inhibition in the rhizosphere: determining interactions and impact on microbially mediated processes and potential applications." FEMS Microbiology Reviews 44, no. 6: 874-908.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2020 in Plants
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This paper explores the effect of agroecological service crops (ASCs), i.e., crops included in the crop rotation for their ecosystem services, terminated with an in-line tillage roller crimper (ILRC) on weed community composition and their functional traits in comparison to a tilled control without ASC. A two-year study was performed in a long-term experiment with vegetables under organic management. Four different cereal crops were introduced as ASCs. Weed abundance and richness and the functional traits were assessed at three different stages, i.e., before and after ASC termination and before harvest of the following crop, melon. All the ASCs showed strong weed suppression, with few differences between the cereals tested. Weed communities with ASCs had later flowering onset and wider flowering span compared to the control, which positively affects weed dispersal and attraction of beneficial insects. However, weed communities with ASCs had higher values for traits related to competition (specific leaf area, seed weight and more perennials). A trade-off between weed suppression and selection of more competitive weed communities by the introduction of ASCs managed with the ILRC should be evaluated in the long-run. The use of the ILRC alternating with other soil management practices seems the more effective strategy to benefit from the minimal soil tillage while avoiding the selection of disservice-related traits in the weed community.

ACS Style

Corrado Ciaccia; Laura Armengot Martinez; Elena Testani; Fabrizio Leteo; Gabriele Campanelli; Alessandra Trinchera. Weed Functional Diversity as Affected by Agroecological Service Crops and No-Till in a Mediterranean Organic Vegetable System. Plants 2020, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Corrado Ciaccia, Laura Armengot Martinez, Elena Testani, Fabrizio Leteo, Gabriele Campanelli, Alessandra Trinchera. Weed Functional Diversity as Affected by Agroecological Service Crops and No-Till in a Mediterranean Organic Vegetable System. Plants. 2020; 9 (6):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Corrado Ciaccia; Laura Armengot Martinez; Elena Testani; Fabrizio Leteo; Gabriele Campanelli; Alessandra Trinchera. 2020. "Weed Functional Diversity as Affected by Agroecological Service Crops and No-Till in a Mediterranean Organic Vegetable System." Plants 9, no. 6: 1.

Journal article
Published: 19 March 2020 in Agronomy
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Recently, on the EU market, phosphonic acid residues were detected in many organic goods, although fosetyl-derivates and phosphite salts are not allowed by Reg. EC n. 889/2009. The BIOFOSF project “Solving phosphite issue in organic fruit and horticultural crops” aimed at verifying whether the phosphonic acid contamination could be due to unproper use of fertilizers/plant protection products by organic farmers, or to the plant’s ability to self-produce it spontaneously. Applying a participative approach, field case-studies on potato, rocket lettuce, and pears were carried out (organic vs. integrated systems). The ethyl-phosphonic acid and phosphonic acid were determined in soil, tubers, leaves, fruits, tree woody organs, used fertilizers, and plant protection products to correlate them to the applied farming management. Tested crops were not able to self-synthetize phosphonic acid, being its detection due to: (i) external inputs not allowed in organic farming; (ii) fertilizers/plant protection products allowed in organic farming, contaminated by fosetyl or phosphite. In addition, it was found that tree crops can stock the phosphite in their woody organs, then translocate it from branches to leaves and fruits over time. Regression models applied to field data showed that fruit trees decontamination could take more than 5 years, depending on the starting value of phosphonic acid contamination, useful to define the phosphite maximum residue limit in organic fruit crops.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Bruno Parisi; Valentina Baratella; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Ivano Soave; Carlo Bazzocchi; Daniele Fichera; Mauro Finotti; Francesco Riva; Giacomo Mocciaro; Marco Brigliadori; Luca Lazzeri. Assessing the Origin of Phosphonic Acid Residues in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Crops: The Biofosf Project Multi-Actor Approach. Agronomy 2020, 10, 421 .

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Bruno Parisi, Valentina Baratella, Giancarlo Roccuzzo, Ivano Soave, Carlo Bazzocchi, Daniele Fichera, Mauro Finotti, Francesco Riva, Giacomo Mocciaro, Marco Brigliadori, Luca Lazzeri. Assessing the Origin of Phosphonic Acid Residues in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Crops: The Biofosf Project Multi-Actor Approach. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (3):421.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Bruno Parisi; Valentina Baratella; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Ivano Soave; Carlo Bazzocchi; Daniele Fichera; Mauro Finotti; Francesco Riva; Giacomo Mocciaro; Marco Brigliadori; Luca Lazzeri. 2020. "Assessing the Origin of Phosphonic Acid Residues in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Crops: The Biofosf Project Multi-Actor Approach." Agronomy 10, no. 3: 421.

Original research
Published: 29 April 2019 in Ecology and Evolution
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The mycorrhizal fungi are symbiotic organisms able to provide many benefits to crop production by supplying a set of ecosystem functions. A recent ecological approach based on the ability of the fungi community to influence plant-plant interactions by extraradical mycelium development may be applied to diversified, herbaceous agroecosystems. Our hypothesis is that the introduction of a winter cereal cover crop (CC) as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-host plant in an organic rotation can boosts the AMF colonization of the other plants, influencing crop-weed interference. In a 4-years organic rotation, the effect of two winter cereal CC, rye and spelt, on weed density and AMF colonization was evaluated. The AMF extraradical mycelium on CC and weeds roots was observed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. By joining data of plant density and mycorrhization, we built the mycorrhizal colonization intensity of the Agroecosystem indicator (MA%). Both the CC were colonized by soil AMF, being the mycorrhizal colonization intensity (M%) affected by environmental conditions. Under CC, the weed density was reduced, due to the increase of the reciprocal competition in favor of CC, which benefited from mycorrhizal colonization and promoted the development of AMF extraradical mycelium. Even though non-host plants, some weed species showed an increased mycorrhizal colonization in presence of CC respect to the control. Under intense rainfall, the MA% was less sensitive to the CC introduction. On the opposite, under highly competitive conditions, both the CC boosted significantly the mycorrhization of coexistent plants in the agroecosystem. The proposed indicator measured the agroecological service provided by the considered CCs in promoting or inhibiting the overall AMF colonization of the studied agroecosystems, as affected by weed selection and growth: It informs about agroecosystem resilience and may be profitably applied to indicate the extent of the linkage of specific crop traits to agroecosystem services, contributing to further develop the functional biodiversity theory.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Corrado Ciaccia; Elena Testani; Valentina Baratella; Gabriele Campanelli; Fabrizio Leteo; Stefano Canali. Mycorrhiza-mediated interference between cover crop and weed in organic winter cereal agroecosystems: The mycorrhizal colonization intensity indicator. Ecology and Evolution 2019, 9, 5593 -5604.

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Corrado Ciaccia, Elena Testani, Valentina Baratella, Gabriele Campanelli, Fabrizio Leteo, Stefano Canali. Mycorrhiza-mediated interference between cover crop and weed in organic winter cereal agroecosystems: The mycorrhizal colonization intensity indicator. Ecology and Evolution. 2019; 9 (10):5593-5604.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Corrado Ciaccia; Elena Testani; Valentina Baratella; Gabriele Campanelli; Fabrizio Leteo; Stefano Canali. 2019. "Mycorrhiza-mediated interference between cover crop and weed in organic winter cereal agroecosystems: The mycorrhizal colonization intensity indicator." Ecology and Evolution 9, no. 10: 5593-5604.

Journal article
Published: 08 May 2018 in Water
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The use of water surfactants in fertigation constitutes a viable approach to increase soil wetting, potentially improving crop nutrient uptake and quality. An in-field demonstration test was carried out by applying an innovative, eco-friendly, non-ionic surfactant to fertigation water in Lactuca sativa (var. Iceberg) production to increase nutrient use efficiency and improve the crop’s access to water. A non-ionic methyl-oxirane surfactant (methyl-oxirane + 2-methyl-oxirane) was added at an increasing rate to the fertigation solution (Hoagland). Upon harvesting, the main growth and nutritional parameters were determined on the aboveground and belowground portions of the lettuce. Leaf nitrate content, water, and nitrogen use efficiency were recorded; the relationship of lettuce aboveground dry biomass with nutrient uptake was evaluated using vectorial analysis; and ultrastructural analysis of lettuce roots was performed by scanning electron microscopy. The surfactant, applied by fertigation at the rate of 1.0 mL × LHoagland−1, improved crop P, K, Mn, and Fe use efficiency. When applied by fertigation, although the surfactant did not increase the water use efficiency index, it induced a significant decrease of the specific leaf water content (−8.8%) and an increase of the leaf area (+13.3%). By comparison with the recent literature, we inferred a positive physiological response by more expanded and less thick leaves in lettuce, likely by the optimization of the crop water and nutrient root uptakes mediated by the abundant but shortest lateral roots. This finding corresponded to the lowest leaf nitrate content, indicating an improvement of the lettuce quality without losing the crop yield.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Valentina Baratella. Use of a Non-Ionic Water Surfactant in Lettuce Fertigation for Optimizing Water Use, Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Increasing Crop Quality. Water 2018, 10, 613 .

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Valentina Baratella. Use of a Non-Ionic Water Surfactant in Lettuce Fertigation for Optimizing Water Use, Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Increasing Crop Quality. Water. 2018; 10 (5):613.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Valentina Baratella. 2018. "Use of a Non-Ionic Water Surfactant in Lettuce Fertigation for Optimizing Water Use, Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Increasing Crop Quality." Water 10, no. 5: 613.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2018 in Agricultural Water Management
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In a time of resource reduction and climate variability, water conservation is critical to improve agroecosystem sustainability. Non-ionic surfactants were recently hypothesized as irrigation adjuvants, but so far researchers obtained contrasting results. The first objective of this work was to evaluate the capillary adsorption properties of organosilicone surfactants by providing two robust tests on standard porous media. Results showed smaller capillary mobility and higher wetting power (“superspreading”) compared to pure water. An innovative non-ionic surfactant formulation, the organosilicone PET (PolyEther-modified Trisiloxane), was then investigated as irrigation adjuvant in a pot trial on lettuce in absence of fertilization. Overall, the system was characterized by an improvement in the processes of resource acquisition, i.e. water and nutrients. Results indicated higher lettuce leaf area, reduced root dry weight and root:shoot ratio and a positive main effect on the uptake, availability and/or use efficiency of P, K and some micronutrients. The N use efficiency and recovery increased 3–15%, with higher N concentration and content against changes in plant weight. Fresh yield data showed a particularly high irrigation use efficiency (+77–60%), and the adjuvant productivity (variation of lettuce yield due to PET) increased by 12–26%. Our experimental findings can be explained by hypothesizing that PET affected both capillary and adsorption processes during water diffusion along concentration gradients, which constitute the main driving force for solutes movement towards the roots. A theoretical model is provided to explain how PET improved the thickening and interconnection of conductive adsorbed water film in soil.

ACS Style

Valentina Baratella; Alessandra Trinchera. Organosilicone surfactants as innovative irrigation adjuvants: Can they improve water use efficiency and nutrient uptake in crop production? Agricultural Water Management 2018, 204, 149 -161.

AMA Style

Valentina Baratella, Alessandra Trinchera. Organosilicone surfactants as innovative irrigation adjuvants: Can they improve water use efficiency and nutrient uptake in crop production? Agricultural Water Management. 2018; 204 ():149-161.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Valentina Baratella; Alessandra Trinchera. 2018. "Organosilicone surfactants as innovative irrigation adjuvants: Can they improve water use efficiency and nutrient uptake in crop production?" Agricultural Water Management 204, no. : 149-161.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2016 in Acta Horticulturae
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ISHS IX International Symposium on Artichoke, Cardoon and Their Wild Relatives Grafting of artichoke for the sustainable management of verticillium wilt

ACS Style

G. Pandozy; A. Trinchera; S. Rinaldi; E. Rea; F. Saccardo; P. Crinò. Grafting of artichoke for the sustainable management of verticillium wilt. Acta Horticulturae 2016, 265 -270.

AMA Style

G. Pandozy, A. Trinchera, S. Rinaldi, E. Rea, F. Saccardo, P. Crinò. Grafting of artichoke for the sustainable management of verticillium wilt. Acta Horticulturae. 2016; (1147):265-270.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Pandozy; A. Trinchera; S. Rinaldi; E. Rea; F. Saccardo; P. Crinò. 2016. "Grafting of artichoke for the sustainable management of verticillium wilt." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1147: 265-270.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2016 in Acta Horticulturae
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ACS Style

A. Trinchera; E. Testani; C. Ciaccia; G. Campanelli; F. Leteo; S. Canali. Rhizosphere interactions in an organic horticultural cropping system: effect of living mulch on artichoke mycorrhization. Acta Horticulturae 2016, 11 -18.

AMA Style

A. Trinchera, E. Testani, C. Ciaccia, G. Campanelli, F. Leteo, S. Canali. Rhizosphere interactions in an organic horticultural cropping system: effect of living mulch on artichoke mycorrhization. Acta Horticulturae. 2016; (1137):11-18.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Trinchera; E. Testani; C. Ciaccia; G. Campanelli; F. Leteo; S. Canali. 2016. "Rhizosphere interactions in an organic horticultural cropping system: effect of living mulch on artichoke mycorrhization." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1137: 11-18.

Journal article
Published: 10 June 2016 in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems
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The plant root apparatus and the surrounding micro-environment is strongly influenced by specific abiotic and biotic conditions which occur in the plant rhizosphere system. The hypothesis of the reported research was that, in an organically managed horticultural system, the use of living mulch (LM) promotes the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization among neighboring roots, because of the coexistence of different plants roots in confined soil spaces. This effect determines nutrient uptake optimization, although roots belong to different plant species. In the reported 2-yr field experiment (2012–2013), two Italian artichoke cultivars [Cynara cardunculusL. var.scolymus(L.),Jesinocv. andMazzaferratacv.] were intercropped with a LM mixture of plant species and compared with a no LM control. Every year, the effect of LM on artichoke root morphology and AMF colonization was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, in order to assess abiotic and biotic rhizosphere interactions, as affected by artichoke cultivars. Also the artichoke yield, the soil available phosphorus (P) and rhizosphere P were determined. Results showed that the LM did not reduce yield of both the artichoke cultivars, when compared with the no LM ones. Furthermore, LM has: (i) induced structural changes in artichoke roots by proliferation of root hairs resulting in an increase of effective absorbing surface; (ii) promoted the rhizosphere mycorrhizal infection which improved P uptake. The modified rhizosphere interactions were found to be cultivar-dependent, being recorded only inJesinoartichoke.

ACS Style

A. Trinchera; Elena Testani; C. Ciaccia; G. Campanelli; Fabrizio Leteo; S. Canali. Effects induced by living mulch on rhizosphere interactions in organic artichoke: The cultivar's adaptive strategy. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 2016, 32, 214 -223.

AMA Style

A. Trinchera, Elena Testani, C. Ciaccia, G. Campanelli, Fabrizio Leteo, S. Canali. Effects induced by living mulch on rhizosphere interactions in organic artichoke: The cultivar's adaptive strategy. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 2016; 32 (3):214-223.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Trinchera; Elena Testani; C. Ciaccia; G. Campanelli; Fabrizio Leteo; S. Canali. 2016. "Effects induced by living mulch on rhizosphere interactions in organic artichoke: The cultivar's adaptive strategy." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 32, no. 3: 214-223.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Acta Horticulturae
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ISHS XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposia on Innovative Plant Protection in Horticulture, Biosecurity, Quarantine Pests, and Market Access May barley and rye extracts have an allelopathic inhibition effect on weed seedling root development by suppressing mycorrhization?

ACS Style

A. Trinchera; E. Testani; C. Ciaccia; F. Tittarelli; S. Canali. May barley and rye extracts have an allelopathic inhibition effect on weed seedling root development by suppressing mycorrhization? Acta Horticulturae 2015, 361 -368.

AMA Style

A. Trinchera, E. Testani, C. Ciaccia, F. Tittarelli, S. Canali. May barley and rye extracts have an allelopathic inhibition effect on weed seedling root development by suppressing mycorrhization? Acta Horticulturae. 2015; (1105):361-368.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Trinchera; E. Testani; C. Ciaccia; F. Tittarelli; S. Canali. 2015. "May barley and rye extracts have an allelopathic inhibition effect on weed seedling root development by suppressing mycorrhization?" Acta Horticulturae , no. 1105: 361-368.

Original articles
Published: 11 September 2015 in Journal of Plant Nutrition
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Glass matrix based fertilizers (GMF) are new mineral fertilizers, able to release nutrients on the basis of plant demand: they are soluble only in metal complexing solutions, such as those exuded by plant roots. Moreover, nutrient release could be increased by mixing the glass-matrix fertilizer to different organic biomasses, such as leather meal, digested vine vinasse, etc. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted for assessing the effect of an organo-mineral fertilizer, obtained by mixing GMF with increasing percentages of digested vine vinasse [DVV, at 5% (GMF95), 20% (GMF80) and 50% (GMF50) w/w], on the root and shoot biomass and nutritional status of Zea mays L. seedlings. Among tested fertilizers, the formulations GMF80 and GMF50 gave the best results as shoot/root ratio. The treatments with GMF, GMF95 and GMF80 gave rise to a significant increase of both shoot and root biomass and a tendency to increase the macro and micronutrients availability.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Carlos Mario Rivera; Elvira Rea; Francesco Intrigliolo; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Anna Salerno. Nutritional response ofZea maysL. seedlings to “on plant demand” fertilizer: A vector analysis approach. Journal of Plant Nutrition 2015, 39, 895 -903.

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Carlos Mario Rivera, Elvira Rea, Francesco Intrigliolo, Giancarlo Roccuzzo, Anna Salerno. Nutritional response ofZea maysL. seedlings to “on plant demand” fertilizer: A vector analysis approach. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 2015; 39 (7):895-903.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Carlos Mario Rivera; Elvira Rea; Francesco Intrigliolo; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Anna Salerno. 2015. "Nutritional response ofZea maysL. seedlings to “on plant demand” fertilizer: A vector analysis approach." Journal of Plant Nutrition 39, no. 7: 895-903.

Journal article
Published: 21 January 2015 in Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali
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In the Castelporziano Reserved Area (Tyrrhenian coast near Rome, Italy), the organic horizons of 14 forest sites were chemically characterized to assess the European reference base of humus classification in Mediterranean ecosystems and evaluate the impacts of typical ecological disturbances on humification processes. Soils were sampled in three diagnostic horizons OL (litter), OF (fulvic) and OH (humic), and the biological type of humus were investigated on a morpho-functional basis and assigned to the taxonomic levels Mull, Amphi and Moder. For each diagnostic horizon, the total organic carbon (TOC%), the C/N ratio, the extractable carbon (TEC%), the humic and fulvic acids carbon (CHA%, CFA%), the degree (DH%) and the index of humification were determined. All data were statistically analyzed (ANOVA, post hoc HSD Tukey’s). In the OF horizon of some OL/OF sites, the CHA values were found very high, indicating the presence of a not-detected OH horizon. Conversely, part of the sites sampled with a complete humus profile, did not show differences between OF and OH, which should thus be grouped into a single diagnostic horizon. The humification parameters showed a fairly good correlation with the humus forms, limited to the first taxonomic level and the OF horizon. Overall, several discrepancies were found between humus classification and the chemical fingerprint of the humic profiles. In this regard, the use of screening analytical methods, i.e., the chemical characterization of OM, may provide a powerful support in modeling the morpho-functional references of humus forms on the peculiar features of Mediterranean forest environments.

ACS Style

Valentina Baratella; Marco Renzaglia; Alessandra Trinchera. Chemical characterization of soil organic profiles for assessing the European morphogenetic reference base of humus forms in Mediterranean environments. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2015, 26, 461 -472.

AMA Style

Valentina Baratella, Marco Renzaglia, Alessandra Trinchera. Chemical characterization of soil organic profiles for assessing the European morphogenetic reference base of humus forms in Mediterranean environments. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2015; 26 (3):461-472.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Valentina Baratella; Marco Renzaglia; Alessandra Trinchera. 2015. "Chemical characterization of soil organic profiles for assessing the European morphogenetic reference base of humus forms in Mediterranean environments." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 26, no. 3: 461-472.

Journal article
Published: 18 January 2015 in Organic Agriculture
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Cover crops provide a wide range of ecological benefits, so to be defined as Ecological Service providing Crops (ESCs). Accordingly, different ESCs could influence both weed density and biomass due to: (i) allelopathic effects, (ii) increased cash crop-weed competitiveness. In order to test this hypothesis, a field experiment was carried out in Central Italy, comparing different autumn-winter cereal ESCs (wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and their mixture), preceding melon crop, with a control (no ESC). Weed performances were evaluated during both the ESC and melon cropping cycles. At flowering stage, the ESCs were flattened by a roller crimper, obtaining a mulch layer in which the melon was transplanted. The competitive weed-crop relationship was assessed by means of indices of competition. Bioassay tests were performed to evaluate the allelopathic potential of the ESCs on target weed. The results obtained from both the open field and the laboratory tests demonstrated that the different ESC species significantly affected weed density before and after flattening, although no difference on ESC biomasses was recorded at termination. At melon harvest, weed biomass was significantly lower in ESC treatments than in control one, and crop biomasses did not show any difference among all treatments. Nevertheless, the melon competitive ability was significantly higher in the rye and barley mulch compared to control. The bioassay test showed lower root germination and growth in the tested ESC extracts with respect to the control. By this, the ESC species showed a role in weed management both during their cycle and after termination, giving a competitive advantage to the cash crop, probably due also to active allelopathic compounds released by the ESCs.

ACS Style

C. Ciaccia; Elena Testani; Gabriele Campanelli; Sara Sestili; Fabrizio Leteo; Fabio Tittarelli; F. Riva; Stefano Canali; Alessandra Trinchera. Ecological service providing crops effect on melon-weed competition and allelopathic interactions. Organic Agriculture 2015, 5, 199 -207.

AMA Style

C. Ciaccia, Elena Testani, Gabriele Campanelli, Sara Sestili, Fabrizio Leteo, Fabio Tittarelli, F. Riva, Stefano Canali, Alessandra Trinchera. Ecological service providing crops effect on melon-weed competition and allelopathic interactions. Organic Agriculture. 2015; 5 (3):199-207.

Chicago/Turabian Style

C. Ciaccia; Elena Testani; Gabriele Campanelli; Sara Sestili; Fabrizio Leteo; Fabio Tittarelli; F. Riva; Stefano Canali; Alessandra Trinchera. 2015. "Ecological service providing crops effect on melon-weed competition and allelopathic interactions." Organic Agriculture 5, no. 3: 199-207.

Journal article
Published: 11 January 2015 in Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali
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From 1995 to the present time, the Working Group “Soil”, led by the “Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura—Centro di ricerca per lo studio delle Relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo”, has promoted and performed the continual monitoring of the soil quality in the reserved area of Castelporziano, with the aim to identify specific indicators able to describe the biological fertility of forest and agricultural soils. Particularly, quantitative and qualitative investigations were performed on the soil organic matter to assess the relationships between changes in activity, composition and biodiversity of soil microbial biomass and the turnover of organic matter, by comparing pairs of sites that, while insisting on the same soil substrate, were managed in different ways for long time. This review summarizes the results obtained in about 10 years of monitoring of different soil sites in Castelporziano, which were representative of a wide variety of environments such as sandy dunes, retro-dune wetlands zones, Mediterranean high and low pseudo-steppe, Mediterranean lowland mixed forests, cork oak forests, pine forests, meadows for grazing wild boars, anthropic environments. In this sense, the Castelporziano experience, as a kind of “research gym”, can be taken as primary reference for the Mediterranean ecosystems in their entirety.

ACS Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Valentina Baratella; Anna Benedetti. Defining soil quality by different soil bio-indexes: the Castelporziano reserved area experience. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2015, 26, 483 -492.

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Valentina Baratella, Anna Benedetti. Defining soil quality by different soil bio-indexes: the Castelporziano reserved area experience. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2015; 26 (3):483-492.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Valentina Baratella; Anna Benedetti. 2015. "Defining soil quality by different soil bio-indexes: the Castelporziano reserved area experience." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 26, no. 3: 483-492.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Acta Horticulturae
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Alessandra Trinchera; Biagio Torrisi; Maria Allegra; Simona Rinaldi; Elvira Rea; Francesco Intrigliolo; Giancarlo Roccuzzo. EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION ON SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND ROOT MORPHOLOGY AND DENSITY OF ORANGE TREES. Acta Horticulturae 2015, 1807 -1813.

AMA Style

Alessandra Trinchera, Biagio Torrisi, Maria Allegra, Simona Rinaldi, Elvira Rea, Francesco Intrigliolo, Giancarlo Roccuzzo. EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION ON SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND ROOT MORPHOLOGY AND DENSITY OF ORANGE TREES. Acta Horticulturae. 2015; (1065):1807-1813.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra Trinchera; Biagio Torrisi; Maria Allegra; Simona Rinaldi; Elvira Rea; Francesco Intrigliolo; Giancarlo Roccuzzo. 2015. "EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION ON SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND ROOT MORPHOLOGY AND DENSITY OF ORANGE TREES." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1065: 1807-1813.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Acta Horticulturae
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ACS Style

Biagio Torrisi; Alessandra Trinchera; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Maria Allegra; Paolo Sequi; Rosanna Epifani; Andrea Marcucci; Francesco Intrigliolo; Elvira Rea. A NEW APPROACH TO FRONT CITRUS IRON CHLOROSIS: ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZERS FROM GLASS-MATRIX AND ORGANIC BIOMASSES. Acta Horticulturae 2015, 1731 -1738.

AMA Style

Biagio Torrisi, Alessandra Trinchera, Giancarlo Roccuzzo, Maria Allegra, Paolo Sequi, Rosanna Epifani, Andrea Marcucci, Francesco Intrigliolo, Elvira Rea. A NEW APPROACH TO FRONT CITRUS IRON CHLOROSIS: ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZERS FROM GLASS-MATRIX AND ORGANIC BIOMASSES. Acta Horticulturae. 2015; (1065):1731-1738.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Biagio Torrisi; Alessandra Trinchera; Giancarlo Roccuzzo; Maria Allegra; Paolo Sequi; Rosanna Epifani; Andrea Marcucci; Francesco Intrigliolo; Elvira Rea. 2015. "A NEW APPROACH TO FRONT CITRUS IRON CHLOROSIS: ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZERS FROM GLASS-MATRIX AND ORGANIC BIOMASSES." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1065: 1731-1738.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2014 in Acta Horticulturae
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ACS Style

A. Trinchera; V. Baratella; S. Rinaldi; M. Renzaglia; A. Marcucci; E. Rea. GREENHOUSE LETTUCE: ASSESSING NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY OF DIGESTED LIVESTOCK MANURE AS ORGANIC N-FERTILISER. Acta Horticulturae 2014, 63 -69.

AMA Style

A. Trinchera, V. Baratella, S. Rinaldi, M. Renzaglia, A. Marcucci, E. Rea. GREENHOUSE LETTUCE: ASSESSING NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY OF DIGESTED LIVESTOCK MANURE AS ORGANIC N-FERTILISER. Acta Horticulturae. 2014; (1041):63-69.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Trinchera; V. Baratella; S. Rinaldi; M. Renzaglia; A. Marcucci; E. Rea. 2014. "GREENHOUSE LETTUCE: ASSESSING NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY OF DIGESTED LIVESTOCK MANURE AS ORGANIC N-FERTILISER." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1041: 63-69.