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Prof. Dr. Silvana Nicola
Università degli Studi di Torino

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0 Herbs
0 Hydroponics
0 Plant Nutrition
0 Agronomy and Agricultural Research
0 Horticultural science

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postharvest
Soilless Culture
Aromatic plants
Herbs
Medicinal and Aromatic plants
Cultivation Systems
vegetable crops

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Review
Published: 26 May 2021 in Horticulturae
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The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many victims worldwide and has generated a serious economic crisis. Substantial changes have occurred in the food and ornamental production chains. The aim of the present review has been to summarize some of the main effects that the pandemic is having on horticulture and on the new habits of people. Infections and quarantine measures have prevented the regular flow of certain goods and of connected services. Cases of shortages and/or surpluses, a lack of the availability of labor, and a reduction in demand for some food products and flowers have occurred. New food production approaches have emerged and a reconnection between farmers and consumers has been spreading, thereby facilitating product distribution. Moreover, during the forced isolation, people have had to face periods of stress. The benefits that can be derived from leisure activities related to flowers and ornamental plants, and from access to nature and urban green spaces are increasingly being recognized as relevant. The seriousness of the pandemic will inevitably lead to lasting changes. Therefore, the vulnerability of the pre-COVID-19 distribution chains should be considered and a new food production chain should be drawn up, to increase the resilience of such systems.

ACS Style

Roberta Bulgari; Alice Petrini; Giacomo Cocetta; Carlo Nicoletto; Andrea Ertani; Paolo Sambo; Antonio Ferrante; Silvana Nicola. The Impact of COVID-19 on Horticulture: Critical Issues and Opportunities Derived from an Unexpected Occurrence. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 124 .

AMA Style

Roberta Bulgari, Alice Petrini, Giacomo Cocetta, Carlo Nicoletto, Andrea Ertani, Paolo Sambo, Antonio Ferrante, Silvana Nicola. The Impact of COVID-19 on Horticulture: Critical Issues and Opportunities Derived from an Unexpected Occurrence. Horticulturae. 2021; 7 (6):124.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roberta Bulgari; Alice Petrini; Giacomo Cocetta; Carlo Nicoletto; Andrea Ertani; Paolo Sambo; Antonio Ferrante; Silvana Nicola. 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Horticulture: Critical Issues and Opportunities Derived from an Unexpected Occurrence." Horticulturae 7, no. 6: 124.

Journal article
Published: 27 April 2021 in Horticulturae
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New cultural techniques have been developed to improve the yield and raw material quality at harvest, and enhance the postharvest shelf life, by standardizing the growing system. Among the different Soilless Cultivation Systems, the New Growing System (NGS®) is a closed-recirculating system that was designed for open fields and protected cultivations. The aim of this work was to investigate the structural setting of the system and its functioning to harness the full potentiality of NGS®. A lab-scale pilot plant (LSPP) was designed with NGS® technology and the technical aspects have been set up to have a standardized and reproducible growing system. The trials were conducted on growing mature-leaf vegetable species; that is, on both head and multi-leaf vegetables, and on culinary herbs at high plant densities. Positive yield results were found for culinary herbs and leafy vegetables. Mints showed high yields for the two re-growths carried out after the first harvest. The LSPP can also be used in a series of reliable experiments and enable researches to test several species, substrates, hydroponic nutrient solutions, and fertigation scheduling.

ACS Style

Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Manuela Casale; Saeid Hazrati; Andrea Ertani. Setting Up a Lab-Scale Pilot Plant to Study the New Growing System (NGS®) for Leafy Vegetable and Culinary Herb Growth. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 90 .

AMA Style

Silvana Nicola, Giuseppe Pignata, Manuela Casale, Saeid Hazrati, Andrea Ertani. Setting Up a Lab-Scale Pilot Plant to Study the New Growing System (NGS®) for Leafy Vegetable and Culinary Herb Growth. Horticulturae. 2021; 7 (5):90.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Manuela Casale; Saeid Hazrati; Andrea Ertani. 2021. "Setting Up a Lab-Scale Pilot Plant to Study the New Growing System (NGS®) for Leafy Vegetable and Culinary Herb Growth." Horticulturae 7, no. 5: 90.

Chapter
Published: 10 April 2021 in Advances in Research on Fertilization Management of Vegetable Crops
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Vegetables are known as protective foods as they are rich in micronutrients, vitamins and health benefiting compounds. Now a days, our climate is changing which effects both quality and production of most of the vegetable crops worldwide. Vegetables are very perishable and highly sensitive to climate variability and high temperature during growing is the major cause of low yields and will be further magnified by climate change. Other climatic factors like low temperature, flooding, water stress, drought, rainfall and salinity would be major limiting factors in increasing vegetable productivity. But various management practices have developed which raise the yield and quality grown under different climatic situations. Improvement of vegetable crops through biotechnology, genetic engineering, protected cultivation, grafting are an appropriate adaptation strategies to cope with climate change. Various agronomic practices like organic farming, conservation tillage, mulching and cropping system are able to reduce the challenges of climate change. The population of various insect and pest are also increasing due to change in climate.

ACS Style

Shashank Shekhar Solankey; Meenakshi Kumari; Manoj Kumar; Silvana Nicola. The Role of Research for Vegetable Production Under a Changing Climate Future Trends and Goals. Advances in Research on Fertilization Management of Vegetable Crops 2021, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Shashank Shekhar Solankey, Meenakshi Kumari, Manoj Kumar, Silvana Nicola. The Role of Research for Vegetable Production Under a Changing Climate Future Trends and Goals. Advances in Research on Fertilization Management of Vegetable Crops. 2021; ():1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shashank Shekhar Solankey; Meenakshi Kumari; Manoj Kumar; Silvana Nicola. 2021. "The Role of Research for Vegetable Production Under a Changing Climate Future Trends and Goals." Advances in Research on Fertilization Management of Vegetable Crops , no. : 1-12.

Original research
Published: 28 September 2020 in Food Science & Nutrition
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Heracleum persicum, commonly named Persian hogweed, is a principal native medicinal plant in Iran. Collecting H. persicum at the most appropriate growing stage is the key factor to achieve the high phytochemical quality to meet consumer's needs. In the present experiment, the aerial parts of this plant were harvested at up to six different developmental stages during the growing season to determine the phytochemical profiles. Our results indicated that the highest essential oil content was obtained in the mid‐mature seed stage (3.5%). The most elevated extract content was recorded in the floral budding stage (10.4%). In the vegetative stage, limonene (18.1%), in floral budding stage, caryophyllene (14.1%), anethole (14.6%), and β‐bisabolene (12.7%), in the full flowering stage, myristicin (15.0%), and hexyl butyrate (9.1%), in the early development of seeds stage, hexyl butyrate (32.1%), and octyl acetate (11.7%), in the mid‐mature seeds stage hexyl butyrate (38.8%), octyl acetate (14.5%), in the late‐mature/ripe seeds stage, hexyl butyrate (23.6%), and octyl acetate (10.5%) are recorded as the main components. The highest phenolic acids content was obtained in the floral budding stage (287.40 mg/g dried extract). The analysis of phenolic acids demonstrated cinnamic acid (8.0–225.3 mg/g extract), p‐coumaric acid (1.7–39.2 mg/g extract), p‐hydroxybenzoic acid (0.8–16.8 mg/g extract), and ferulic acid (2.4–15.8 mg/g extract) as the main phenolic acids. Cinnamic acid was found as the major phenolic compound in the vegetative stage following by floral budding, the full flowering stage, the early development of seeds, and late‐mature/ripe seeds stages. P‐coumaric acid was the most abundant phenolic compounds in the mid‐mature seeds stage. In this regard, the harvest time of H. persicum aerial parts can be selected to achieve the highest secondary metabolites of interest. The results of this study can be used as a guideline for grower to obtain the highest possible amount of desirable metabolites, beneficial in both food and pharmaceutical industries as well as their undeniable economical benefits.

ACS Style

Saeid Hazrati; Saeed Mollaei; Hossein Rabbi Angourani; Seyyed Jaber Hosseini; Mojde Sedaghat; Silvana Nicola. How do essential oil composition and phenolic acid profile of Heracleum persicum fluctuate at different phenological stages? Food Science & Nutrition 2020, 8, 6192 -6206.

AMA Style

Saeid Hazrati, Saeed Mollaei, Hossein Rabbi Angourani, Seyyed Jaber Hosseini, Mojde Sedaghat, Silvana Nicola. How do essential oil composition and phenolic acid profile of Heracleum persicum fluctuate at different phenological stages? Food Science & Nutrition. 2020; 8 (11):6192-6206.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Saeid Hazrati; Saeed Mollaei; Hossein Rabbi Angourani; Seyyed Jaber Hosseini; Mojde Sedaghat; Silvana Nicola. 2020. "How do essential oil composition and phenolic acid profile of Heracleum persicum fluctuate at different phenological stages?" Food Science & Nutrition 8, no. 11: 6192-6206.

Journal article
Published: 09 June 2020 in Scientia Horticulturae
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Indoor plant cultivation systems are gaining increasing popularity because of their ability to meet the needs of producing food in unfavourable climatic contexts and in urban environments, allowing high yield, high quality, and great efficiency in the use of resources such as water and nutrients. While light is one of the most important environmental factors affecting plant development and morphology, electricity costs can limit the widespread adoption of indoor plant cultivation systems at a commercial scale. LED lighting technologies for plant cultivation are also rapidly evolving, and lamps for indoor cultivation are often designed to optimize their light emissions in the photosynthetically active spectrum (i.e. red and blue), in order to reduce energetic requirements for satisfactory yield. Under these light regimens, however, little information is available in literature about minimum photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) for indoor production of leafy vegetables and herbs, while existing literature often adopts light intensities from 100 to 300 μmol m-2 s-1. This study aims at defining the optimal PPFD for indoor cultivation of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), by linking resource use efficiency to physiological responses and biomass production under different light intensities. Basil and lettuce plants were cultivated at 24 °C and 450 μmol mol-1 CO2 under red and blue light (with red:blue ratio of 3) and a photoperiod of 16 h d-1 of light in growth chambers using five PPFD (100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 μmol m-2 s-1, resulting in daily light integrals, DLI, of 5.8, 8.6, 11.5, 14.4 and 17.3 mol m-2 d-1, respectively). A progressive increase of biomass production for both lettuce and basil up to a PPFD of 250 μmol m-2 s-1 was observed, whereas no further yield increases were associated with higher PPFD (300 μmol m-2 s-1). Despite the highest stomatal conductance associated to a PPFD of 250 μmol m-2 s-1 in lettuce and to a PPFD ≥ 200 μmol m-2 s-1 in basil, water use efficiency was maximized under a PPFD ≥ 200 μmol m-2 s-1 in lettuce and PPFD ≥ 250 μmol m-2 s-1 in basil. Energy and light use efficiencies were increased under a PPFD of 200 and 250 μmol m-2 s-1 in lettuce and under a PPFD of 250 μmol m-2 s-1 in basil. Furthermore, in lettuce grown under 250 μmol m-2 s-1 antioxidant capacity, phenolics and flavonoids were higher as compared with plants supplied with PPFD ≤ 150 μmol m-2 s-1. Accordingly, a PPFD of 250 μmol m-2 s-1 seems suitable for optimizing yield and resource use efficiency in red and blue LED lighting for indoor cultivation of lettuce and basil under the prevailing conditions of the used indoor farming set-up.

ACS Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Alessandro Pistillo; Francesco Orsini; Antonio Cellini; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernández; Andrea Crepaldi; Giorgio Gianquinto; Leo F.M. Marcelis. Optimal light intensity for sustainable water and energy use in indoor cultivation of lettuce and basil under red and blue LEDs. Scientia Horticulturae 2020, 272, 109508 .

AMA Style

Giuseppina Pennisi, Alessandro Pistillo, Francesco Orsini, Antonio Cellini, Francesco Spinelli, Silvana Nicola, Juan A. Fernández, Andrea Crepaldi, Giorgio Gianquinto, Leo F.M. Marcelis. Optimal light intensity for sustainable water and energy use in indoor cultivation of lettuce and basil under red and blue LEDs. Scientia Horticulturae. 2020; 272 ():109508.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Alessandro Pistillo; Francesco Orsini; Antonio Cellini; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernández; Andrea Crepaldi; Giorgio Gianquinto; Leo F.M. Marcelis. 2020. "Optimal light intensity for sustainable water and energy use in indoor cultivation of lettuce and basil under red and blue LEDs." Scientia Horticulturae 272, no. : 109508.

Editorial
Published: 03 April 2020 in Frontiers in Plant Science
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Editorial: Soilless Cultivation Through an Intensive Crop Production Scheme. Management Strategies, Challenges and Future Directions

ACS Style

Nikolaos Tzortzakis; Silvana Nicola; Dimitrios Savvas; Wim Voogt. Editorial: Soilless Cultivation Through an Intensive Crop Production Scheme. Management Strategies, Challenges and Future Directions. Frontiers in Plant Science 2020, 11, 1 .

AMA Style

Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Silvana Nicola, Dimitrios Savvas, Wim Voogt. Editorial: Soilless Cultivation Through an Intensive Crop Production Scheme. Management Strategies, Challenges and Future Directions. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020; 11 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nikolaos Tzortzakis; Silvana Nicola; Dimitrios Savvas; Wim Voogt. 2020. "Editorial: Soilless Cultivation Through an Intensive Crop Production Scheme. Management Strategies, Challenges and Future Directions." Frontiers in Plant Science 11, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 26 March 2020 in Agricultural and Food Science
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different mixtures of two fresh-cut baby lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa cv. Lollo Bionda [LB] and cv. Lollo Rossa [LR]) cultivars on lettuce phytochemical composition during postharvest. Lettuces were grown in a soilless culture system with continuous flotation (FL) in a greenhouse, mixed at harvest and packaged in polypropylene bags and stored at 4 °C for 9 days (d9). Mixes were made of 100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% of LB, respectively. The results showed that the phytochemicals were preserved during storage. In specific, 25LB had the highest pigment content on d1, while 50LB and 25LB had the highest inherent quality on d1.FL led to a reduced microbial contamination, thus, limiting its growth during storage. The results have revealed that high quality and microbiologically safe baby leaf vegetables (BLV), can be obtained by means of FL. The adopting a mix of lettuce cultivars could represent a positive postharvest practice to preserve the phytochemicals of BLV throughout their shelf life.

ACS Style

Giuseppe Pignata; Andrea Ertani; Manuela Casale; Serenella Piano; Silvana Nicola. Mixing fresh-cut baby green and red leaf lettuce from soilless cultivation preserves phytochemical content and safety. Agricultural and Food Science 2020, 29, 55–65 -55–65.

AMA Style

Giuseppe Pignata, Andrea Ertani, Manuela Casale, Serenella Piano, Silvana Nicola. Mixing fresh-cut baby green and red leaf lettuce from soilless cultivation preserves phytochemical content and safety. Agricultural and Food Science. 2020; 29 (1):55–65-55–65.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppe Pignata; Andrea Ertani; Manuela Casale; Serenella Piano; Silvana Nicola. 2020. "Mixing fresh-cut baby green and red leaf lettuce from soilless cultivation preserves phytochemical content and safety." Agricultural and Food Science 29, no. 1: 55–65-55–65.

Review
Published: 11 March 2020 in Phytotherapy Research
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The family Arecaceae includes 181 genera and 2,600 species with a high diversity in physical characteristics. Areca plants, commonly palms, which are able to grow in nearly every type of habitat, prefer tropical and subtropical climates. The most studied species Areca catechu L. contains phytochemicals as phenolics and alkaloids with biological properties. The phenolics are mainly distributed in roots followed by fresh unripe fruits, leaves, spikes, and veins, while the contents of alkaloids are in the order of roots, fresh unripe fruits, spikes, leaves, and veins. This species has been reputed to provide health effects on the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, metabolic, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems. However, in many developing countries, quid from this species has been associated with side effects, which include the destruction of the teeth, impairment of oral hygiene, bronchial asthma, or oral cancer. Despite these side effects, which are also mentioned in this work, the present review collects the main results of biological properties of the phytochemicals in A. catechu. This study emphasizes the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and clinical effectiveness in humans. In this sense, A. catechu have demonstrated effectiveness in several reports through in vitro and in vivo experiments on disorders such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, or anticancer. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that this species presents clinical effectiveness on neurological disorders. Hence, A. catechu extracts could be used as a bioactive ingredient for functional food, nutraceuticals, or cosmeceuticals. However, further studies, especially extensive and comprehensive clinical trials, are recommended for the use of Areca in the treatment of diseases.

ACS Style

Bahare Salehi; Dmitry A. Konovalov; Pascaline Fru; Petrina Kapewangolo; Gregorio Peron; Mileski S. Ksenija; Susana M. Cardoso; Olivia R. Pereira; Manisha Nigam; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Simona Rapposelli; Simona Sestito; Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar; María De La Luz Cádiz‐Gurrea; Antonio Segura‐Carretero; Abhay P. Mishra; Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad; William C. Cho; Yasaman Taheri; William N. Setzer; Javad Sharifi‐Rad. Areca catechu —From farm to food and biomedical applications. Phytotherapy Research 2020, 34, 2140 -2158.

AMA Style

Bahare Salehi, Dmitry A. Konovalov, Pascaline Fru, Petrina Kapewangolo, Gregorio Peron, Mileski S. Ksenija, Susana M. Cardoso, Olivia R. Pereira, Manisha Nigam, Silvana Nicola, Giuseppe Pignata, Simona Rapposelli, Simona Sestito, Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar, María De La Luz Cádiz‐Gurrea, Antonio Segura‐Carretero, Abhay P. Mishra, Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad, William C. Cho, Yasaman Taheri, William N. Setzer, Javad Sharifi‐Rad. Areca catechu —From farm to food and biomedical applications. Phytotherapy Research. 2020; 34 (9):2140-2158.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bahare Salehi; Dmitry A. Konovalov; Pascaline Fru; Petrina Kapewangolo; Gregorio Peron; Mileski S. Ksenija; Susana M. Cardoso; Olivia R. Pereira; Manisha Nigam; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Simona Rapposelli; Simona Sestito; Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar; María De La Luz Cádiz‐Gurrea; Antonio Segura‐Carretero; Abhay P. Mishra; Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad; William C. Cho; Yasaman Taheri; William N. Setzer; Javad Sharifi‐Rad. 2020. "Areca catechu —From farm to food and biomedical applications." Phytotherapy Research 34, no. 9: 2140-2158.

Review
Published: 14 February 2020 in Phytotherapy Research
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Rosmarinus species are aromatic plants that mainly grow in the Mediterranean region. They are widely used in folk medicine, food, and flavor industries and represent a valuable source of biologically active compounds (e.g., terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids). The extraction of rosemary essential oil is being done using three main methods: carbon dioxide supercritical extraction, steam distillation, and hydrodistillation. Furthermore, interesting antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antileishmanial, anthelmintic, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antidepressant, and antiamnesic effects have also been broadly recognized for rosemary plant extracts. Thus the present review summarized data on economically important Rosmarinus officinalis species, including isolation, extraction techniques, chemical composition, pharmaceutical, and food applications.

ACS Style

Javad Sharifi‐Rad; Shahira M. Ezzat; Mahitab El Bishbishy; Dima Mnayer; Farukh Sharopov; Ceyda Sibel Kılıç; Monica Neagu; Carolina Constantin; Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad; Maria Atanassova; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Bahare Salehi; Patrick V. T. Fokou; Natália Martins. Rosmarinus plants: Key farm concepts towards food applications. Phytotherapy Research 2020, 34, 1474 -1518.

AMA Style

Javad Sharifi‐Rad, Shahira M. Ezzat, Mahitab El Bishbishy, Dima Mnayer, Farukh Sharopov, Ceyda Sibel Kılıç, Monica Neagu, Carolina Constantin, Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad, Maria Atanassova, Silvana Nicola, Giuseppe Pignata, Bahare Salehi, Patrick V. T. Fokou, Natália Martins. Rosmarinus plants: Key farm concepts towards food applications. Phytotherapy Research. 2020; 34 (7):1474-1518.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Javad Sharifi‐Rad; Shahira M. Ezzat; Mahitab El Bishbishy; Dima Mnayer; Farukh Sharopov; Ceyda Sibel Kılıç; Monica Neagu; Carolina Constantin; Mehdi Sharifi‐Rad; Maria Atanassova; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Bahare Salehi; Patrick V. T. Fokou; Natália Martins. 2020. "Rosmarinus plants: Key farm concepts towards food applications." Phytotherapy Research 34, no. 7: 1474-1518.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2020 in Acta Horticulturae
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ACS Style

G. Pennisi; A. Pistillo; F. Orsini; G. Gianquinto; J.A. Fernandez; A. Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola. Improved red and blue ratio in LED lighting for indoor cultivation of basil. Acta Horticulturae 2020, 115 -118.

AMA Style

G. Pennisi, A. Pistillo, F. Orsini, G. Gianquinto, J.A. Fernandez, A. Crepaldi, Silvana Nicola. Improved red and blue ratio in LED lighting for indoor cultivation of basil. Acta Horticulturae. 2020; (1271):115-118.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Pennisi; A. Pistillo; F. Orsini; G. Gianquinto; J.A. Fernandez; A. Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola. 2020. "Improved red and blue ratio in LED lighting for indoor cultivation of basil." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1271: 115-118.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2019 in Scientific Reports
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LED lighting in indoor farming systems allows to modulate the spectrum to fit plant needs. Red (R) and blue (B) lights are often used, being highly active for photosynthesis. The effect of R and B spectral components on lettuce plant physiology and biochemistry and resource use efficiency were studied. Five red:blue (RB) ratios (0.5-1-2-3-4) supplied by LED and a fluorescent control (RB = 1) were tested in six experiments in controlled conditions (PPFD = 215 μmol m−2 s−1, daylength 16 h). LED lighting increased yield (1.6 folds) and energy use efficiency (2.8 folds) as compared with fluorescent lamps. Adoption of RB = 3 maximised yield (by 2 folds as compared with RB = 0.5), also increasing leaf chlorophyll and flavonoids concentrations and the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. As the red portion of the spectrum increased, photosystem II quantum efficiency decreased but transpiration decreased more rapidly, resulting in increased water use efficiency up to RB = 3 (75 g FW L−1 H2O). The transpiration decrease was accompanied by lower stomatal conductance, which was associated to lower stomatal density, despite an increased stomatal size. Both energy and land surface use efficiency were highest at RB ≥ 3. We hereby suggest a RB ratio of 3 for sustainable indoor lettuce cultivation.

ACS Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Francesco Orsini; Sonia Blasioli; Antonio Cellini; Andrea Crepaldi; Ilaria Braschi; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernandez; Cecilia Stanghellini; Giorgio Gianquinto; Leo F. M. Marcelis. Resource use efficiency of indoor lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivation as affected by red:blue ratio provided by LED lighting. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 1 -11.

AMA Style

Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini, Sonia Blasioli, Antonio Cellini, Andrea Crepaldi, Ilaria Braschi, Francesco Spinelli, Silvana Nicola, Juan A. Fernandez, Cecilia Stanghellini, Giorgio Gianquinto, Leo F. M. Marcelis. Resource use efficiency of indoor lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivation as affected by red:blue ratio provided by LED lighting. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):1-11.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Francesco Orsini; Sonia Blasioli; Antonio Cellini; Andrea Crepaldi; Ilaria Braschi; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernandez; Cecilia Stanghellini; Giorgio Gianquinto; Leo F. M. Marcelis. 2019. "Resource use efficiency of indoor lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivation as affected by red:blue ratio provided by LED lighting." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 1-11.

Journal article
Published: 27 July 2019 in Sustainability
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Notwithstanding that indoor farming is claimed to reduce the environmental pressures of food systems, electricity needs are elevated and mainly associated with lighting. To date, however, no studies have quantified the environmental and economic profile of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting in indoor farming systems. The goal of this study is to quantify the effect of varying the red (R) and blue (B) LED spectral components (RB ratios of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4) on the eco-efficiency of indoor production of lettuce, chicory, rocket and sweet basil from a life cycle perspective. The functional unit of the assessment was 1 kg of harvested fresh plant edible product, and the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) method was employed for impact assessment. Even though most of the materials of the LED lamp and electronic elements were imported from long distances (14,400 km), electricity consumption was the largest contributor to the environmental impacts (with the LED lamps being the main electricity consumers, approximately 70%), apart from the resources use indicator, where the materials of the lamps and the mineral nutrients were also relevant. RB0.5 was the most energy-efficient light treatment but had the lowest eco-efficiency scores due to the lower crop yields.

ACS Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Andrea Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola; Jesús Ochoa; Juan Fernandez; Giorgio Gianquinto. Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4063 .

AMA Style

Giuseppina Pennisi, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Andrea Crepaldi, Silvana Nicola, Jesús Ochoa, Juan Fernandez, Giorgio Gianquinto. Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (15):4063.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Andrea Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola; Jesús Ochoa; Juan Fernandez; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2019. "Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting." Sustainability 11, no. 15: 4063.

Journal article
Published: 22 July 2019 in Grasas y Aceites
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Chrozophora tinctoria L., usually known as dyer’s Croton, Turnsole or Giradol, has been used in various medicinal and food products for many years. However, no comprehensive research has been undertaken to assess its potential as a new seed oil crop. Therefore, the current study examined the fatty acid composition, physico-chemical properties and antioxidant activity of C. tinctoria seeds, grown in the southwest of Iran. The seed oil content was found to be 26.40%. The extracted oil was analyzed for fatty acid composition using gas chromatography (GC). The results showed that unsaturated fatty acids accounted for almost 91% of the total fatty acids. Linoleic acid was the dominant fatty acid (76.68%), followed by oleic acid (13.99%) and palmitic acid (5.32%). δ-tocopherol was the major tocopherol in the oil, representing 70 mg/100 g oil. The total phenolic content (151.70 mg GAE per 100 g oil) and total flavonoid content (1.17 mg QE oil) were also determined in the extracted oil. The antioxidant activity was measured by a DPPH assay and expressed as 45% of the seed oil. Due to its high oil yield and high unsaturated fatty acid content, C. tinctoria could be regarded as a new source of edible oil.

ACS Style

S. Hazrati; S. Nicola; S. Khurizadeh; A. Alirezalu; H. Mohammadi. Physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of Chrozophora tinctoria seeds as a new oil source. Grasas y Aceites 2019, 70, 328 .

AMA Style

S. Hazrati, S. Nicola, S. Khurizadeh, A. Alirezalu, H. Mohammadi. Physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of Chrozophora tinctoria seeds as a new oil source. Grasas y Aceites. 2019; 70 (4):328.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Hazrati; S. Nicola; S. Khurizadeh; A. Alirezalu; H. Mohammadi. 2019. "Physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of Chrozophora tinctoria seeds as a new oil source." Grasas y Aceites 70, no. 4: 328.

Review
Published: 04 July 2019 in Molecules
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The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.

ACS Style

Bahare Salehi; Mangalpady Shivaprasad Shetty; Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar; Jelena Živković; Daniela Calina; Anca Oana Docea; Simin Emamzadeh-Yazdi; Ceyda Sibel Kılıç; Tamar Goloshvili; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Farukh Sharopov; María Del Mar Contreras; William C. Cho; Natália Martins; Javad Sharifi-Rad. Veronica Plants—Drifting from Farm to Traditional Healing, Food Application, and Phytopharmacology. Molecules 2019, 24, 2454 .

AMA Style

Bahare Salehi, Mangalpady Shivaprasad Shetty, Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar, Jelena Živković, Daniela Calina, Anca Oana Docea, Simin Emamzadeh-Yazdi, Ceyda Sibel Kılıç, Tamar Goloshvili, Silvana Nicola, Giuseppe Pignata, Farukh Sharopov, María Del Mar Contreras, William C. Cho, Natália Martins, Javad Sharifi-Rad. Veronica Plants—Drifting from Farm to Traditional Healing, Food Application, and Phytopharmacology. Molecules. 2019; 24 (13):2454.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bahare Salehi; Mangalpady Shivaprasad Shetty; Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar; Jelena Živković; Daniela Calina; Anca Oana Docea; Simin Emamzadeh-Yazdi; Ceyda Sibel Kılıç; Tamar Goloshvili; Silvana Nicola; Giuseppe Pignata; Farukh Sharopov; María Del Mar Contreras; William C. Cho; Natália Martins; Javad Sharifi-Rad. 2019. "Veronica Plants—Drifting from Farm to Traditional Healing, Food Application, and Phytopharmacology." Molecules 24, no. 13: 2454.

Original research article
Published: 13 March 2019 in Frontiers in Plant Science
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Indoor plant cultivation can result in significantly improved resource use efficiency (surface, water, and nutrients) as compared to traditional growing systems, but illumination costs are still high. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are gaining attention for indoor cultivation because of their ability to provide light of different spectra. In the light spectrum, red and blue regions are often considered the major plants’ energy sources for photosynthetic CO2 assimilation. This study aims at identifying the role played by red:blue (R:B) ratio on the resource use efficiency of indoor basil cultivation, linking the physiological response to light to changes in yield and nutritional properties. Basil plants were cultivated in growth chambers under five LED light regimens characterized by different R:B ratios ranging from 0.5 to 4 (respectively, RB0.5, RB1, RB2, RB3, and RB4), using fluorescent lamps as control (CK1). A photosynthetic photon flux density of 215 μmol m−2 s−1 was provided for 16 h per day. The greatest biomass production was associated with LED lighting as compared with fluorescent lamp. Despite a reduction in both stomatal conductance and PSII quantum efficiency, adoption of RB3 resulted in higher yield and chlorophyll content, leading to improved use efficiency for water and energy. Antioxidant activity followed a spectral-response function, with optimum associated with RB3. A low RB ratio (0.5) reduced the relative content of several volatiles, as compared to CK1 and RB ≥ 2. Moreover, mineral leaf concentration (g g−1 DW) and total content in plant (g plant−1) were influences by light quality, resulting in greater N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe accumulation in plants cultivated with RB3. Contrarily, nutrient use efficiency was increased in RB ≤ 1. From this study it can be concluded that a RB ratio of 3 provides optimal growing conditions for indoor cultivation of basil, fostering improved performances in terms of growth, physiological and metabolic functions, and resources use efficiency.

ACS Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Sonia Blasioli; Antonio Cellini; Lorenzo Maia; Andrea Crepaldi; Ilaria Braschi; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernández; Cecilia Stanghellini; Leo F. M. Marcelis; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Unraveling the Role of Red:Blue LED Lights on Resource Use Efficiency and Nutritional Properties of Indoor Grown Sweet Basil. Frontiers in Plant Science 2019, 10, 305 .

AMA Style

Giuseppina Pennisi, Sonia Blasioli, Antonio Cellini, Lorenzo Maia, Andrea Crepaldi, Ilaria Braschi, Francesco Spinelli, Silvana Nicola, Juan A. Fernández, Cecilia Stanghellini, Leo F. M. Marcelis, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Unraveling the Role of Red:Blue LED Lights on Resource Use Efficiency and Nutritional Properties of Indoor Grown Sweet Basil. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2019; 10 ():305.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppina Pennisi; Sonia Blasioli; Antonio Cellini; Lorenzo Maia; Andrea Crepaldi; Ilaria Braschi; Francesco Spinelli; Silvana Nicola; Juan A. Fernández; Cecilia Stanghellini; Leo F. M. Marcelis; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. 2019. "Unraveling the Role of Red:Blue LED Lights on Resource Use Efficiency and Nutritional Properties of Indoor Grown Sweet Basil." Frontiers in Plant Science 10, no. : 305.

Evaluation study
Published: 13 January 2019 in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
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BACKGROUND Edible flowers have great nutritional value and sensory appeal, however their shelf‐life is limited to a few days as they are highly perishable. RESULTS The impact of postharvest ethanol (ET) treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on quality and storage of edible flowers collected from short‐term salt‐stressed plants was tested. Hydroponically grown petunia (Petunia x hybrita L.) plants were subjected to salinity (0‐50‐100 mM NaCl), and harvested flowers were stored up to 14 d in MAP and/ET vapours. Salinity of 100 mM NaCl decreased plant biomass and affected negatively physiological processes due to stomata closure. Flowers polyphenols, antioxidants, carotenoids and anthocyanins increased with 50 mM of NaCl indicating higher flowers nutritional value. Short‐term exposure of petunia to salinity decreased the flower N, K and Ca concentrations. During storage for 7 d, salinity deteriorated flowers showing browning due to tissue break down while CO2 production and weight losses were unaffected by salinity. After 14 d of storage, salinity decreased flowers respiration and increased weight losses while the ET application completely destroyed the flowers. Carotenoids and anthocyanins were decreased by the combination of salinity and ET. Petunia flowers revealed induction in both non‐enzymatic (i.e. proline content) and enzymatic (catalase) mechanisms to overcome stress caused by salinity at harvest stage and/or ethanol at storage. CONCLUSIONS Our results have demonstrated that short‐stress salinity of 50 mM NaCl can be used for petunia growth and flowers of nutritional value can be stored up to 7 d while ET application failed to preserve petunias flowers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ACS Style

Antonios Chrysargyris; Andreas Tzionis; Panayiota Xylia; Silvana Nicola; Nikos Tzortzakis. Physiochemical properties of petunia edible flowers grown under saline conditions and their postharvest performance under modified atmosphere packaging and ethanol application. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2019, 99, 3644 -3652.

AMA Style

Antonios Chrysargyris, Andreas Tzionis, Panayiota Xylia, Silvana Nicola, Nikos Tzortzakis. Physiochemical properties of petunia edible flowers grown under saline conditions and their postharvest performance under modified atmosphere packaging and ethanol application. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2019; 99 (7):3644-3652.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonios Chrysargyris; Andreas Tzionis; Panayiota Xylia; Silvana Nicola; Nikos Tzortzakis. 2019. "Physiochemical properties of petunia edible flowers grown under saline conditions and their postharvest performance under modified atmosphere packaging and ethanol application." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 99, no. 7: 3644-3652.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in The Horticulture Journal
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“Baby-leaf vegetables” is a new category of leafy vegetables that are used in juvenile stage mixtures of different types of leafy vegetables. They include Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, and other crops. The emergence periods, growing periods, total cultivation periods, from sowing to harvest, as well as the yields, SPAD values, ascorbic acid and nitrate concentrations, leaf characteristics and post-harvest shelf lives of 22 baby-leaf crops were investigated in April 2010 and April 2011. A principal component analysis, based on the total cultivation periods, yields, SPAD values, as well as the ascorbic acid and nitrate concentrations, indicated three main groups: Brassicaceae crops, which had short total cultivation periods and high ascorbic acid concentrations; Asteraceae crops (except for ‘Italian Red’ chicory), which had long total cultivation periods and low ascorbic acid concentrations; Amaranthaceae crops, which had comparatively high yields and low nitrate concentrations. ‘Italian Red’ chicory did not fall into any of these three groups. The yield had very limited effects on the grouping. The higher-yield crops tended to have more leaves and lower dry matter ratios, and the crops with higher SPAD values tended to have thicker leaves. An ideal assortment of baby-leaf crops was proposed based on an evaluation of the yield, external appearance and internal quality of each crop.

ACS Style

Masayoshi Takahama; Koji Kawagishi; Akito Sugawara; Kazuya Araki; Shinya Munekata; Silvana Nicola; Hajime Araki. Classification and Screening of Baby-leaf Vegetables on the Basis of Their Yield, External Appearance and Internal Quality. The Horticulture Journal 2019, 88, 387 -400.

AMA Style

Masayoshi Takahama, Koji Kawagishi, Akito Sugawara, Kazuya Araki, Shinya Munekata, Silvana Nicola, Hajime Araki. Classification and Screening of Baby-leaf Vegetables on the Basis of Their Yield, External Appearance and Internal Quality. The Horticulture Journal. 2019; 88 (3):387-400.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Masayoshi Takahama; Koji Kawagishi; Akito Sugawara; Kazuya Araki; Shinya Munekata; Silvana Nicola; Hajime Araki. 2019. "Classification and Screening of Baby-leaf Vegetables on the Basis of Their Yield, External Appearance and Internal Quality." The Horticulture Journal 88, no. 3: 387-400.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2018 in Acta Horticulturae
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S. Nicola; G. Pignata; G. Tibaldi. Fresh-cut chain for soilless grown ‘Mara des Bois’ strawberries: the cutting process reduces the shelf-life of the produce. Acta Horticulturae 2018, 129 -134.

AMA Style

S. Nicola, G. Pignata, G. Tibaldi. Fresh-cut chain for soilless grown ‘Mara des Bois’ strawberries: the cutting process reduces the shelf-life of the produce. Acta Horticulturae. 2018; (1209):129-134.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Nicola; G. Pignata; G. Tibaldi. 2018. "Fresh-cut chain for soilless grown ‘Mara des Bois’ strawberries: the cutting process reduces the shelf-life of the produce." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1209: 129-134.

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

G. Pignata; G. Tibaldi; W. Gaino; S. Nicola. Mixing and dipping fresh-cut ‘Gala Brookfield’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apples. Acta Horticulturae 2018, 409 -416.

AMA Style

G. Pignata, G. Tibaldi, W. Gaino, S. Nicola. Mixing and dipping fresh-cut ‘Gala Brookfield’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apples. Acta Horticulturae. 2018; (1209):409-416.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Pignata; G. Tibaldi; W. Gaino; S. Nicola. 2018. "Mixing and dipping fresh-cut ‘Gala Brookfield’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apples." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1209: 409-416.

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

S. Nicola; G. Tibaldi; G. Pignata. Potentiality of mint leaves as a ready-to-use product: postharvest evaluation. Acta Horticulturae 2018, 109 -114.

AMA Style

S. Nicola, G. Tibaldi, G. Pignata. Potentiality of mint leaves as a ready-to-use product: postharvest evaluation. Acta Horticulturae. 2018; (1209):109-114.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Nicola; G. Tibaldi; G. Pignata. 2018. "Potentiality of mint leaves as a ready-to-use product: postharvest evaluation." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1209: 109-114.