This study assesses the reliability of a non-destructive method for determining the in situ distribution of tree coarse roots within a scaled distance 6-fold the DBH by comparing the results with the actual 3D root architecture revealed by invasive methods. The root architecture of 22-year-old olive trees was determined non-destructively with a Root Detector device (Fakopp Enterprise Bt) using sonic speed and directly by a 3D digitizer (Fastrak, Polhemus) after soil removal. The radial and vertical distributions of the coarse root biomass and diameter in the soil as determined by the 3D digitizer were correlated with the root map detected by sonic speed. A highly significant correlation was observed between the coarse root biomass distribution and the sonic speed within 30 cm of soil depth, but this correlation decreased with increasing distance from the trunk, up to 120 cm. No correlations were observed between sonic speed and root diameter. The Root Detector was able to map the coarse roots of the olive tree in the soil environment, but only under certain conditions. First, root detection was more efficient within 30 cm of soil depth, provided that more than 35% of the total biomass of lateral roots occurs within this depth range. Second, the distance of 120 cm from the trunk, scaled as 6-fold the DBH, may be considered the threshold over which the sonic speed and the detection of roots markedly decreased. Third, Root Detector technology is unable to detect root size in terms of geometric parameters such as root diameter.

Concerns about climate change and food productivity have spurred interest in biochar, a form of charred organic material, typically applied in agriculture to improve soil productivity and as mean of carbon sequestration. An innovative approach in agriculture is the use of agro-industrial waste for the production of soil fertilizers for agricultural purposes and as a source of energy. A common agricultural practice is to burn crop residues in the field to produce ashes that can be used as soil fertilizers. This approach is able to supply plants with certain nutrients such as Ca, Na, K, Mg, B, S and Mo. However the lack of N and P in the ashes, together with the occasional presence of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cd, Se, Al, etc.), has a negative effect on soil and therefore crop productivity. This work describes the opportunity to create an innovative supply chain from agricultural waste biomass. Olive (Olea europaea L.) and hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) pruning residues represent a major component of biomass waste in the area of Viterbo (Italy). In this study, we evaluated the production of biochar from these residues. Furthermore, a physico-chemical characterization of the produced biochar was performed to assess the quality of the two biochars according to the standards of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC). The results of this study indicate the cost-effective production of high- quality biochars from olive and hazelnuts biomass residues

Protected crops are intensive production systems characterized by high vegetation density, high temperatures, and high moisture, making them favorable environments for the development of pests and diseases. Consequently, these systems often require several interventions with agrochemicals to maintain profitable yields and high produce quality. However, the application of plant protection products (PPPs) in such systems is not efficient and poses environmental concerns. This study aims at analysing spray behaviour, particularly in terms of foliar deposition and losses to the ground according to spraying equipment and foliage height, focusing on a specifically designed and developed system for agrochemical application in protected crops, and comparing it with a commonly used spraying system, namely, the cannon sprayer. Such a system consists in a fixed net of tubing and anti-drip nozzles positioned at the top of the greenhouse’s apex, connected to a pneumatic sprayer ‘Special Serre 2000’ outside the greenhouse. Findings revealed a significant effect of the spraying system (Kruskal–Wallis χ² = 12.239, df = 1, and p-value = 0.0004681) on normalized foliar deposition, with higher values obtained using the fixed spraying system. In addition, a simulation of the spatial distribution based on the principle of inverse distance weighting (IDW) was performed for qualitative spray assessment, confirming the heterogeneity of foliar deposition over the greenhouse with both of the used equipment. In addition, losses to the ground were affected by both spraying equipment and captor position.