This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Prof. Dr. Domenico Ronga
Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali - CRPA S.p.A.

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Fertilizers
0 Sustainability
0 Agronomy and Agricultural Research
0 Biostimulants
0 Precision and Digital Agriculture

Fingerprints

Sustainability
Fertilizers
Biostimulants

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 29 July 2021 in Molecules
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) is a biennal forage legume originated from the Mediterranean basin and used for animal feeding due to its high forage quality and palatability. Several species of Hedysarum have been considered for their nutritional, pharmaceutical, and biological properties, and different applications have been reported, both for human consumption and animal nutrition. Although a systematic investigation of the chemical constituents of Hedysarum spp. has been performed in order to provide chemotaxonomic evidences for the genus and to support the pharmacological application of several species within the genus, few data are available on the chemical constituents of H. coronarium, and only the content of condensed tannins and flavonoids in leaves has been previously reported. In the present paper, results from a detailed chemical analysis of the extracts from the leaves and flowers of H. coronarium grown wild in southern Italy are presented. Identification of the main specialized metabolites within the chemical classes of flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and saponins, is described, including considerations on their content in the two plant organs. Information acquired from this study expands the knowledge on H. coronarium as a source of valuable phytochemicals for different applications in human and animal health and nutrition.

ACS Style

Aldo Tava; Elisa Biazzi; Domenico Ronga; Mariella Mella; Filippo Doria; Trifone D’Addabbo; Vincenzo Candido; Pinarosa Avato. Chemical Identification of Specialized Metabolites from Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) Collected in Southern Italy. Molecules 2021, 26, 4606 .

AMA Style

Aldo Tava, Elisa Biazzi, Domenico Ronga, Mariella Mella, Filippo Doria, Trifone D’Addabbo, Vincenzo Candido, Pinarosa Avato. Chemical Identification of Specialized Metabolites from Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) Collected in Southern Italy. Molecules. 2021; 26 (15):4606.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aldo Tava; Elisa Biazzi; Domenico Ronga; Mariella Mella; Filippo Doria; Trifone D’Addabbo; Vincenzo Candido; Pinarosa Avato. 2021. "Chemical Identification of Specialized Metabolites from Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) Collected in Southern Italy." Molecules 26, no. 15: 4606.

Article
Published: 24 July 2021 in Potato Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In modern agriculture, the reduction of environmental impact, ensuring both high and stable yield and high quality, is a primary goal. To avoid an excessive use of external inputs, without compromising crop performance, the increase of soil nutrient availability and nutrient use efficiency is fundamental in a sustainable potato production. In this framework, the use of plant biostimulants, such as humic substances, seaweed and microalgal extracts, hydrolysed proteins and amino acids and microorganisms, could give a great help to farmers. Due to the agronomic importance and the keen interest in these substances, the aim of this review was to survey and summarise the outputs derived from scientific published studies on the combination of potato and plant biostimulants. In the literature, several in vitro, growth chamber, glasshouse and field experiments were reported. Field experiments were conducted in different environmental conditions, using different genotypes, and all the applied plant biostimulants showed beneficial effects on both productive and qualitative potato parameters. Seaweed extract and humic substances could also reduce the normal dose of fertiliser without reducing yield. Among quality features, tuber size, contents of protein, vitamin C, starch and phenols are the principal parameters influenced by plant biostimulants. Weaknesses related to the use of plant biostimulants were shown and were related to different effectiveness of products due to their origin, production process and microbial species. In addition, product/strain-genotype interactions have been shown. Environmental factor, agricultural practice and timing of treatment can influence the effectiveness of both microbial and non-microbial plant biostimulants.

ACS Style

Federica Caradonia; Domenico Ronga; Aldo Tava; Enrico Francia. Plant Biostimulants in Sustainable Potato Production: an Overview. Potato Research 2021, 1 -22.

AMA Style

Federica Caradonia, Domenico Ronga, Aldo Tava, Enrico Francia. Plant Biostimulants in Sustainable Potato Production: an Overview. Potato Research. 2021; ():1-22.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Federica Caradonia; Domenico Ronga; Aldo Tava; Enrico Francia. 2021. "Plant Biostimulants in Sustainable Potato Production: an Overview." Potato Research , no. : 1-22.

Journal article
Published: 17 June 2021 in Italian Journal of Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Plants due to the high content of various bioactive compounds are the main raw material for production of valuable, and useful bio-products (e.g., food, cosmetics, medicines, biostimulants, biopesticides, and feed). Different plant parts, for instance: seeds, fruits, flowers, stems, leaves, and roots can be used for their manufacture. Nowadays, there is a clear need to develop new, efficient, and environmentally safe methods of stimulation of plant, growth and crop protection. Plant-based extracts are new, natural, and multi-compounds products that could be used for these purposes. They possess antifungal, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antioxidant, medicinal, aromatic, and anti-inflammatory properties. This group of natural products has the potential to become a new generation of bio-products suitable for use in sustainable agriculture. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature describing the impact of plant-derived extracts/biostimulants (PDBs) on crops grown in controlled, and real conditions as well as under various abiotic and biotic stresses; the extraction methods used to obtain PDBs, and the specific constituents responsible for their biostimulating activity. The application of these bio-products could be beneficial for sustainable production, due to several advantages, such as low toxicity to humans and the environment, enhanced resistance of cultivated plants to biotic and abiotic stress, increased yields and quality of crops, as well as the reduction in the use of mineral fertilisers and pesticides. However, deeper cooperation between industrial and academic research is required to accelerate the development of new environmentally safe solutions for future agriculture. Highlights - Higher plants constitute a rich source of various bioactive compounds for the production of useful natural products. - The importance of the proper choice of extraction method and solvent to process and preserve the desired substances.- Plant extracts as biostimulants and plant protection products for use in modern and sustainable agriculture. - The positive effects of plant-based extracts on plants cultivated under normal and unfavourable conditions.- Plant extracts as a new generation of eco-friendly products for the increment of the production of high-quality food.

ACS Style

Katarzyna Godlewska; Domenico Ronga; Izabela Michalak. Plant extracts - importance in sustainable agriculture. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2021, 16, 1 .

AMA Style

Katarzyna Godlewska, Domenico Ronga, Izabela Michalak. Plant extracts - importance in sustainable agriculture. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2021; 16 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Katarzyna Godlewska; Domenico Ronga; Izabela Michalak. 2021. "Plant extracts - importance in sustainable agriculture." Italian Journal of Agronomy 16, no. 2: 1.

Review
Published: 26 March 2021 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Currently, vegetable production systems have been changed to improve yield and quality, leading to an improvement in sustainability. In horticultural cultivation, one of the most important sectors is the seedling production in nurseries. In the past, horticultural seedlings were produced directly by farmers. Nowadays, industrialized nurseries provide seedlings characterized by a uniform growth and an early and contemporaneous development. In addition, consumer concern about the impact of food production on the environment is driving an increased demand for organic vegetables with a consequent increase of agricultural land cultivated by organic methods. Hence, there is a need to produce high-quality seedlings suitable to be cultivated in the organic farming system. Root zone management, for improving seedling quality of organic horticultural crops, remains largely unexploited, such that this review highlights some of the current research and future development priorities, providing useful information to nursery growers. In particular, we reviewed all the scientific and modern knowledge on the production of organic, healthy and vigorous seedlings including the use of: (1) compost and compost tea; (2) agroindustrial byproducts; (3) microbial and non-microbial plant biostimulants; (4) beneficial microorganisms.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Antonella Vitti; Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Federica Caradonia; Mariateresa Cardarelli; Giuseppe Colla; Youssef Rouphael. Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops. Agronomy 2021, 11, 630 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Antonella Vitti, Massimo Zaccardelli, Catello Pane, Federica Caradonia, Mariateresa Cardarelli, Giuseppe Colla, Youssef Rouphael. Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (4):630.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Antonella Vitti; Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Federica Caradonia; Mariateresa Cardarelli; Giuseppe Colla; Youssef Rouphael. 2021. "Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops." Agronomy 11, no. 4: 630.

Journal article
Published: 22 March 2021 in Italian Journal of Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Municipal waste compost was evaluated under open field conditions for replacing synthetic fertilizers in a vegetable three-year succession. Three compost rates, 45 t ha–1, 30 t ha–1 and 15 t ha–1 (dry matter), and compost at 15 t ha–1 combined with 25%, and 50% of the full synthetic nitrogen rate, were compared to full and none synthetic nitrogen fertilizations. Crop succession was: tomato followed by endive in the first year; eggplant and, then, broccoli in the second year; tomato and, then, endive/broccoli, in the third year. The application of compost at a dose of at least 30 t ha–1 or at 15 t ha–1 with the addition of 25% of the full synthetic nitrogen rate, in Spring-Summer cycle, sustained growth and yield at levels comparable with those of synthetic nitrogen fertilization. However, only a very poor residual effect of the compost soil treatment on the yield of Autumn-Winter crops, was observed. Monitoring of nitrate content into the soil during cropping seasons, a reduction of the risk of groundwater pollution was displayed due to nitrates released by compost, respect to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. The cumulative effects of compost application on soil properties were detected at the end of the field trials, registering changes in chemical parameters analysed, except for phosphorus and boron. Highlights - Municipal solid organic waste compost (MSWC) integrated with N fertilizers can sustain vegetable production. - MSWC (at least 30 t ha–1 d.w.) replaced synthetic fertilizers for tomato and eggplant productions. - N fertilizer integration to the compost residual effect is necessary to sustain endive and broccoli productions. - MSWC (at 15 t ha–1 d.w.) needs 25% of N integration to reduce the gap with plant only fertilized with N fertilizer. - MSWC preserved soil quality and avoided accumulation of undesired metals, such as Cu and Zn.

ACS Style

Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Ida Di Mola; Domenico Ronga; Mauro Mori. Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2021, 16, 1 .

AMA Style

Massimo Zaccardelli, Catello Pane, Ida Di Mola, Domenico Ronga, Mauro Mori. Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2021; 16 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Ida Di Mola; Domenico Ronga; Mauro Mori. 2021. "Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk." Italian Journal of Agronomy 16, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 15 February 2021 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The yield and fruit quality of processing tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) have increased markedly over the past decades. The aim of this work was to assess the effects of the organic (OFS) and conventional farming systems (CFS) on the main agronomic parameters involved in processing tomato yield components and fruit quality traits of heirloom and modern genotypes. Marketable yield increased from heirloom to modern genotypes, both in OFS and in CFS, showing a difference of ≈20 t per hectare in favor of CFS. Total fruit yield (TY) was not improved from heirloom to modern assessed genotypes, and a difference of ≈35 t per hectare was observed in favor of CFS. In both farming systems, the highest marketable yield of modern genotypes was due to a higher number of fruits per plant, harvest index, nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE), and fruit water productivity. Moreover, the main growth parameters involved in the yield differences between OFS and CFS were the number of leaves per plant, the average fruit weight, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and NAE. It is noteworthy that fruit quality improvement in terms of color and brix per hectare was paralleled by a decrease of tomato pH in both farming systems. According to our results, we conclude that to reduce the current yield gap between OFS and CFS, agronomic and breeding efforts should be undertaken to increase leaf area index, fruit number per plant, and NAE for better genotype adaptation to organic farming systems.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Federica Caradonia; Antonella Vitti; Enrico Francia. Agronomic Comparisons of Heirloom and Modern Processing Tomato Genotypes Cultivated in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems. Agronomy 2021, 11, 349 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Federica Caradonia, Antonella Vitti, Enrico Francia. Agronomic Comparisons of Heirloom and Modern Processing Tomato Genotypes Cultivated in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (2):349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Federica Caradonia; Antonella Vitti; Enrico Francia. 2021. "Agronomic Comparisons of Heirloom and Modern Processing Tomato Genotypes Cultivated in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems." Agronomy 11, no. 2: 349.

Journal article
Published: 23 September 2020 in Horticulturae
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The valorization of agro-industrial by-products is one of the key strategies to improve agricultural sustainability. In the present study, spent coffee grounds and biochar were used as pore forming agents in the realization of lightweight clay ceramic aggregates that were used as sustainable fertilizers, in addition to tailored glass fertilizer containing phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) and nitrogen (N) synthetic fertilizer, for nursery grapevine production. The obtained fertilizers were assessed in a pot experiment for the fertilization of bare-rooted vines. Unfertilized (T0) and fertilized plants (T1, using NPK-containing commercial fertilizer) were used as controls. Plants fertilized by spent coffee grounds and spent coffee grounds + biochar-containing lightweight aggregates and added with 30 wt% of the above-mentioned glass and N fertilizers (T2 and T3, respectively) recorded higher values of plant height, shoot diameter, leaf and node numbers. Moreover, T2 treatment induced the highest chlorophyll content, shoot and root dry weights. The present study shows that lightweight clay ceramic aggregates containing spent coffee grounds and glass and N fertilizers can be used for nursery grapevine production, in turn improving the agricultural sustainability.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Mario Parisi; Luisa Barbieri; Isabella Lancellotti; Fernanda Andreola; Cristina Bignami. Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds, Biochar and other residues to Produce Lightweight Clay Ceramic Aggregates Suitable for Nursery Grapevine Production. Horticulturae 2020, 6, 58 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Mario Parisi, Luisa Barbieri, Isabella Lancellotti, Fernanda Andreola, Cristina Bignami. Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds, Biochar and other residues to Produce Lightweight Clay Ceramic Aggregates Suitable for Nursery Grapevine Production. Horticulturae. 2020; 6 (4):58.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Mario Parisi; Luisa Barbieri; Isabella Lancellotti; Fernanda Andreola; Cristina Bignami. 2020. "Valorization of Spent Coffee Grounds, Biochar and other residues to Produce Lightweight Clay Ceramic Aggregates Suitable for Nursery Grapevine Production." Horticulturae 6, no. 4: 58.

Journal article
Published: 05 September 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Compost teas (CTs) are liquid organic formulates obtained by prolonged extraction, with or without aeration, of a quality compost into an aqueous medium. They can significantly improve plant growth and development likely through nutritive and/or biostimulant mechanisms. In nursery production chain of tomato, pepper and melon, the use of seven CTs was evaluated in order to substitute, totally or partially, chemical treatments with propamocarb-hydrochloride (47.3%) and fosetyl-Al (27.7%), a fungicide for the pathogenic oomycetes control. In general, CTs increased plant growth parameters, as suggested by measurements of root length (+9.1% and +8.1%, on average, on tomato and pepper, respectively), stem diameter (+12% on average, on tomato), number of leaves (+2.6% on average, on melon), and fresh biomass (+8.2% on average, on melon) in comparison with the chemical control. CT from artichoke and fennel composted residues have had the major impact on nursery performances of tomato, pepper and melon. After the first treatment of the polystyrene trays with the fungicide at sowing, our results indicated that CT may replace it in the following seedling production cycle, securing vegetative characteristics of nursery plants similar to the chemical control, that may incite fast starting of transplants in the field stage.

ACS Style

Domenica Villecco; Catello Pane; Domenico Ronga; Massimo Zaccardelli. Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1336 .

AMA Style

Domenica Villecco, Catello Pane, Domenico Ronga, Massimo Zaccardelli. Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (9):1336.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenica Villecco; Catello Pane; Domenico Ronga; Massimo Zaccardelli. 2020. "Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications." Agronomy 10, no. 9: 1336.

Journal article
Published: 20 August 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

While durum wheat is a major food source in Mediterranean countries, storage (i.e., gluten) proteins are however responsible for celiac disease (CD), a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed subjects. Different gluten epitopes—defined as “immunogenic” (IP) and “toxic” (TP) peptides—are involved in the pathology and their content in wheat grain depends on environmental and genetic factors. Detection of IP and TP is not trivial, and no work has been conducted so far to identify the genomic regions associated with their accumulation in wheat. In the present study, a genome-wide association study was performed on a durum wheat collection to identify marker–trait associations (MTAs) between 5730 high quality SNPs and the accumulation of CD-related peptides and gluten protein composition measured in two consecutive cropping seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017). High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) were more stable between the two years, and differences in total gluten proteins were mainly due to low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) and accumulation of gliadins. In the first instance, association tests were conducted on yellow pigment content (YP), a highly inheritable trait with a well-known genetic basis, and several significant MTAs were found corresponding to loci already known for being related to YP. These findings showed that MTAs found for the rest of the measured traits were reliable. In total, 28 significant MTAs were found for gluten composition, while 14 were found to be associated with IP and TP. Noteworthy, neither significant (−log10p > 4.7) nor suggestive (−log10p > 3.3) MTAs for the accumulation of CD-triggering epitopes were found on Gli-A1/Glu-A3 and Gli-B1/Glu-B3 loci, thus suggesting regulatory rather than structural gene effect. A PBF transcription factor on chromosome 5B, known to be involved in the regulation of the expression of CD-related peptides, was identified among the positional candidate genes in the LD-decay range around significant SNPs. Results obtained in the present study provide useful insights and resources for the long-term objective of selecting low-toxic durum wheat varieties while maintaining satisfactory gluten quality.

ACS Style

Francesca Taranto; Nunzio D’Agostino; Marcello Catellani; Luca Laviano; Domenico Ronga; Justyna Milc; Barbara Prandi; Fatma Boukid; Stefano Sforza; Sara Graziano; Mariolina Gullì; Giovanna Visioli; Nelson Marmiroli; Franz-W. Badeck; Anna Minervini; Ivano Pecorella; Nicola Pecchioni; Pasquale De Vita; Enrico Francia. Characterization of Celiac Disease-Related Epitopes and Gluten Fractions, and Identification of Associated Loci in Durum Wheat. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1231 .

AMA Style

Francesca Taranto, Nunzio D’Agostino, Marcello Catellani, Luca Laviano, Domenico Ronga, Justyna Milc, Barbara Prandi, Fatma Boukid, Stefano Sforza, Sara Graziano, Mariolina Gullì, Giovanna Visioli, Nelson Marmiroli, Franz-W. Badeck, Anna Minervini, Ivano Pecorella, Nicola Pecchioni, Pasquale De Vita, Enrico Francia. Characterization of Celiac Disease-Related Epitopes and Gluten Fractions, and Identification of Associated Loci in Durum Wheat. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (9):1231.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Taranto; Nunzio D’Agostino; Marcello Catellani; Luca Laviano; Domenico Ronga; Justyna Milc; Barbara Prandi; Fatma Boukid; Stefano Sforza; Sara Graziano; Mariolina Gullì; Giovanna Visioli; Nelson Marmiroli; Franz-W. Badeck; Anna Minervini; Ivano Pecorella; Nicola Pecchioni; Pasquale De Vita; Enrico Francia. 2020. "Characterization of Celiac Disease-Related Epitopes and Gluten Fractions, and Identification of Associated Loci in Durum Wheat." Agronomy 10, no. 9: 1231.

Communication
Published: 29 June 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

A protein-based film (PBF), obtained from black soldier fly prepupae proteins, was assessed for its agronomic performance as mulch. PBF was investigated in a potting experiment and compared with Mater-Bi (MB), polyethylene (PE) and bare soil. During the experiment, degraded surface area, weight and thickness of the film, water evaporated from the pot, and the soil microbiological content (SMC) were recorded. In addition, films were buried to assess their biodegradability and impact on SMC. During the mulching process, the PBF showed a significant degradation. In terms of evaporated water, the PBF performed similarly to MB and worse than PE. Regarding SMC, film of any nature caused an increase in the Clostridia spp. and a decrease of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi contents. When buried, only PBF recorded a faster biodegradability, showing a reduction of surface area, thickness and weight. PBF and MB highlighted a significant increase in contents of Clostridia spp., mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi. Our results reported, for the first time, the valorization of black soldier fly (BSF) prepupae proteins as a biodegradable film for mulching purposes. However, further study is needed to reduce the PBF biodegradability and allow it to be used for the most important mulched crops.

ACS Style

Leonardo Setti; Enrico Francia; Andrea Pulvirenti; Riccardo De Leo; Simone Martinelli; Lara Maistrello; Laura Ioana Macavei; Monia Montorsi; Silvia Barbi; Domenico Ronga. Bioplastic Film From Black Soldier Fly Prepupae Proteins Used As Mulch: Preliminary Results. Agronomy 2020, 10, 933 .

AMA Style

Leonardo Setti, Enrico Francia, Andrea Pulvirenti, Riccardo De Leo, Simone Martinelli, Lara Maistrello, Laura Ioana Macavei, Monia Montorsi, Silvia Barbi, Domenico Ronga. Bioplastic Film From Black Soldier Fly Prepupae Proteins Used As Mulch: Preliminary Results. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (7):933.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Leonardo Setti; Enrico Francia; Andrea Pulvirenti; Riccardo De Leo; Simone Martinelli; Lara Maistrello; Laura Ioana Macavei; Monia Montorsi; Silvia Barbi; Domenico Ronga. 2020. "Bioplastic Film From Black Soldier Fly Prepupae Proteins Used As Mulch: Preliminary Results." Agronomy 10, no. 7: 933.

Journal article
Published: 26 June 2020 in Agricultural Water Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a globally important vegetable recognized for its positive health benefits. As most of the vegetable production, tomato require significant amount of agronomic inputs. However, recent shifts in climate patterns in terms of timing and amount in rainfall, patterns in air temperature, and the associated extreme events have caused harm and disruption to the agricultural sector worldwide. The objective of this study was to: i) evaluate the ability of a crop simulation model to simulate yield and growth parameter of a processing tomato in South west Italy; ii) quantify the impacts of projected climate on business as usual agronomic practices; iii) understand the role of projected changes and increased CO2 on the water and nutrient efficiency. Field trials from an open field at Sele Valley (40°35′03.8″ N, 14°58′48.6″ E) (Salerno, South west Italy) during a two-year period (2004–2005) were used. Baseline climate data (1984–2018) were available and four contrasting projections were selected as function of their spread in terms of changes in growing season rainfall and temperature respect to the baseline. The crop model DSSAT (Decision Support System of Agrotechnology Transfer) was used for this study. The model was able to simulate tomato response to N fertilization with acceptable error levels respect to the ones reported in literature. The projected increase in air temperature and changes in rainfall caused a shortening ranging from 1.5 to 3 days in tomato phenology causing an overall 15 % reduction in tomato yield. To offset the negative impact of rainfall and temperature changes, additional irrigation water (from 85 to 110 mm) and nitrogen rate (from 20 to 30 kg N ha−1) is needed. However, the increase in irrigation water does not translate in significant yield increase and caused an increase in water and nitrogen use efficiency of less than 10 %.

ACS Style

D. Cammarano; D. Ronga; I. Di Mola; M. Mori; Mario Parisi. Impact of climate change on water and nitrogen use efficiencies of processing tomato cultivated in Italy. Agricultural Water Management 2020, 241, 106336 .

AMA Style

D. Cammarano, D. Ronga, I. Di Mola, M. Mori, Mario Parisi. Impact of climate change on water and nitrogen use efficiencies of processing tomato cultivated in Italy. Agricultural Water Management. 2020; 241 ():106336.

Chicago/Turabian Style

D. Cammarano; D. Ronga; I. Di Mola; M. Mori; Mario Parisi. 2020. "Impact of climate change on water and nitrogen use efficiencies of processing tomato cultivated in Italy." Agricultural Water Management 241, no. : 106336.

Journal article
Published: 26 June 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The aim of this work was to study the yield and nutritional characteristics of winter wheat hay. A selection of cultivars recommended for three main purposes: grain, whole plant (biomass) and dual purpose (grain and biomass) production were cultivated and harvested from heading to grain dough stages. Yield dry weight (YDW), dry matter (DM) and undigested neutral detergent fiber (uNDF) increased with advancing maturity, ranging from 9 t ha−1, 20 and 11% of DM to 16 t ha−1, 43 and 17% of DM, respectively; while crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) decreased from 11 and 59% of DM to 6 and 54% of DM, respectively. Our study showed that dual purpose winter wheat cultivars displayed similar performance of CP, NDF and net energy for lactation, when harvested at heading or grain milk stages. In addition, winter wheat recommended to be harvested as whole plant showed similar values of YDW, sugar and starch contents, when harvested at grain dough and milk stages. These characteristics are strategic in hay production, allowing a more flexible harvesting strategy. These results might be useful to improve the hay production, given useful information on harvest time and improving agricultural sustainability covering the soil in autumn and winter.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Aldo Dal Prà; Alessandra Immovilli; Fabrizio Ruozzi; Roberto Davolio; Maria Teresa Pacchioli. Effects of Harvest Time on the Yield and Quality of Winter Wheat Hay Produced in Northern Italy. Agronomy 2020, 10, 917 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Aldo Dal Prà, Alessandra Immovilli, Fabrizio Ruozzi, Roberto Davolio, Maria Teresa Pacchioli. Effects of Harvest Time on the Yield and Quality of Winter Wheat Hay Produced in Northern Italy. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (6):917.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Aldo Dal Prà; Alessandra Immovilli; Fabrizio Ruozzi; Roberto Davolio; Maria Teresa Pacchioli. 2020. "Effects of Harvest Time on the Yield and Quality of Winter Wheat Hay Produced in Northern Italy." Agronomy 10, no. 6: 917.

Journal article
Published: 29 May 2020 in Italian Journal of Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Nowadays one of the main challenges in agriculture is to increase crop yield and quality in a sustainable way. Organic farming system (OFS) is considered more eco-friendly than the conventional farming system (CFS). However, cash crops showed a reduced yield when cultivated in OFS, and among them processing tomato reported the highest yield gap between OFS and CFS. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate, both in greenhouse and field experiments, the combined effects of a cherry rootstock, genotype ‘Tomito’, and the applications of different microbial biostimulants (single species and consortia). The agronomic performance of a commercial processing tomato genotype, ‘H3402’, was assessed in order to increase fruit yield and quality in sustainable farming systems. In greenhouse experiment, the use of ‘Tomito’ as rootstock highlighted both the highest plant height (35 cm) and leaf chlorophyll content (25.20), while plants inoculated with A. brasiliensis showed the highest number of flowers (4.5). In field experiment, the combined use of grafting and microbial biostimulants increased marketable (on average 2.3 kg plant–1) and total yield (on average 2.5 kg plant–1) in comparison with the genotype ‘H3402’. All the investigated treatments reduced the number of fruits affected by blossom-end rot (on average –4.7 fruits plant–1), and A. brasiliensis also improved the fruit solid soluble content, recording values of 6.23 °Brix and 3.54 of Brix t ha–1.

ACS Style

Federica Caradonia; Domenico Ronga; Alessia Flore; Riccardo Barbieri; Lionel Moulin; Valeria Terzi; Enrico Francia. Biostimulants and cherry rootstock increased tomato fruit yield and quality in sustainable farming systems. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Federica Caradonia, Domenico Ronga, Alessia Flore, Riccardo Barbieri, Lionel Moulin, Valeria Terzi, Enrico Francia. Biostimulants and cherry rootstock increased tomato fruit yield and quality in sustainable farming systems. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Federica Caradonia; Domenico Ronga; Alessia Flore; Riccardo Barbieri; Lionel Moulin; Valeria Terzi; Enrico Francia. 2020. "Biostimulants and cherry rootstock increased tomato fruit yield and quality in sustainable farming systems." Italian Journal of Agronomy , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 16 May 2020 in Molecules
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The chemical composition of the volatile fraction from Galium verum L. (leaves and flowers) and Cruciata laevipes Opiz (whole plant), Rubiaceae, was investigated. Samples from these two plant species were collected at full bloom in Val di Susa (Western Alps, Turin, Italy), distilled in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. A total of more than 70 compounds were identified, making up 92%–98% of the total oil. Chemical investigation of their essential oils indicated a quite different composition between G. verum and C. laevipes, both in terms of the major constituents and the dominant chemical classes of the specialized metabolites. The most abundant compounds identified in the essential oils from G. verum were 2-methylbenzaldheyde (26.27%, corresponding to 11.59 μg/g of fresh plant material) in the leaves and germacrene D (27.70%; 61.63 μg/g) in the flowers. C. laevipes essential oils were instead characterized by two sesquiterpenes, namely β-caryophyllene (19.90%; 15.68 μg/g) and trans-muurola-4(15),5-diene (7.60%; 5.99 μg/g); two phenylpropanoids, benzyl alcohol (8.30%; 6.71 μg/g), and phenylacetaldehyde (7.74%; 6.26 μg/g); and the green-leaf alcohol cis-3-hexen-1-ol (9.69%; 7.84 μg/g). The ecological significance of the presence of such compounds is discussed.

ACS Style

Aldo Tava; Elisa Biazzi; Domenico Ronga; Pinarosa Avato. Identification of the Volatile Components of Galium verum L. and Cruciata leavipes Opiz from the Western Italian Alps. Molecules 2020, 25, 2333 .

AMA Style

Aldo Tava, Elisa Biazzi, Domenico Ronga, Pinarosa Avato. Identification of the Volatile Components of Galium verum L. and Cruciata leavipes Opiz from the Western Italian Alps. Molecules. 2020; 25 (10):2333.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aldo Tava; Elisa Biazzi; Domenico Ronga; Pinarosa Avato. 2020. "Identification of the Volatile Components of Galium verum L. and Cruciata leavipes Opiz from the Western Italian Alps." Molecules 25, no. 10: 2333.

Journal article
Published: 08 May 2020 in European Journal of Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The impact of environment, genetic selection and their interactions on grain yield of durum wheat genotypes has been extensively studied; however, limited information is available for their influence on gluten quality associated with effects on the amount and composition of glutenins, gliadins and celiac disease (CD)-triggering peptides. In this study, a set of six commonly cultivated durum wheat genotypes were assessed in a multi-environment trial of eight site-year combinations in different Italian regions during two consecutive harvest years (2016 and 2017). While high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) were more stable between years, differences in total gluten proteins were mainly due to low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) and gliadins accumulation. After mass separation and quantification, two gliadin proteins – γ-Gli-5 and α-GliA2-6 (41.1 and 33.8 kDa, respectively) – were further studied together with toxic (TP) and immunogenic (IP) celiac disease-triggering peptides obtained via simulated gastrointestinal digestion. While TP accumulation was strongly influenced by the genotypes, IP showed marked variation in the different sites with significant genotype-by-year and genotype-by-site interaction. Specific agrometeorological variables (i.e. growing degree days and aridity index) in different growing phases showed a strong negative correlation with α-GliA2-6 and CD-associated peptides. Statistical analysis revealed that the level of gliadins and TP/IP peptides were uncorrelated with grain protein content and yield. The selection of plant materials with good technological properties but with a low content of CD-triggering peptides should combine with ad hoc environment (e.g. site) selection and management practices reducing crop evapotranspiration in the vegetative phase.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Luca Laviano; Marcello Catellani; Justyna Milc; Barbara Prandi; Fatma Boukid; Stefano Sforza; Arnaldo Dossena; Sara Graziano; Mariolina Gullì; Giovanna Visioli; Nelson Marmiroli; Pasquale De Vita; Nicola Pecchioni; Enrico Francia. Influence of environmental and genetic factors on content of toxic and immunogenic wheat gluten peptides. European Journal of Agronomy 2020, 118, 126091 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Luca Laviano, Marcello Catellani, Justyna Milc, Barbara Prandi, Fatma Boukid, Stefano Sforza, Arnaldo Dossena, Sara Graziano, Mariolina Gullì, Giovanna Visioli, Nelson Marmiroli, Pasquale De Vita, Nicola Pecchioni, Enrico Francia. Influence of environmental and genetic factors on content of toxic and immunogenic wheat gluten peptides. European Journal of Agronomy. 2020; 118 ():126091.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Luca Laviano; Marcello Catellani; Justyna Milc; Barbara Prandi; Fatma Boukid; Stefano Sforza; Arnaldo Dossena; Sara Graziano; Mariolina Gullì; Giovanna Visioli; Nelson Marmiroli; Pasquale De Vita; Nicola Pecchioni; Enrico Francia. 2020. "Influence of environmental and genetic factors on content of toxic and immunogenic wheat gluten peptides." European Journal of Agronomy 118, no. : 126091.

Communication
Published: 08 May 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

An agronomic strategy to mitigate climate change impact can be the build-up of soil organic carbon. Among agronomic management approaches, the administration of organic fertilizers like livestock manure represents an effective strategy to increase soil organic carbon. However, livestock manure usually contains a high amount of water, reducing its sustainable delocalization and impacting on greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching. Furthermore, the possible presence of weed seeds and harmful microorganisms could reduce the agronomic value of the manure. To overcome these issues, the combined effects of dewatering, composting and pelleting were investigated on livestock manure to produce sustainable organic fertilizers. Our results showed that composting and pelleting can represent a feasible and sustainable solution to reduce the potential risks related to the presence of weed seeds and harmful bacteria, concentrating nutrients and allowing a sustainable valorization and delocalization of the livestock manure. In addition, the processed manures were assessed as fertilizers in the growing medium (GM), displaying an increase in water retention and nutrient availability and a decrease of GM temperature and weed seed emergences. However, further study is needed to validate, both in open field and greenhouse productions, the effects of the proposed fertilizers in real cropping systems.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Paolo Mantovi; Maria Teresa Pacchioli; Andrea Pulvirenti; Francesco Bigi; Giulio Allesina; Simone Pedrazzi; Aldo Tava; Aldo Dal Prà. Combined Effects of Dewatering, Composting and Pelleting to Valorize and Delocalize Livestock Manure, Improving Agricultural Sustainability. Agronomy 2020, 10, 661 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Paolo Mantovi, Maria Teresa Pacchioli, Andrea Pulvirenti, Francesco Bigi, Giulio Allesina, Simone Pedrazzi, Aldo Tava, Aldo Dal Prà. Combined Effects of Dewatering, Composting and Pelleting to Valorize and Delocalize Livestock Manure, Improving Agricultural Sustainability. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (5):661.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Paolo Mantovi; Maria Teresa Pacchioli; Andrea Pulvirenti; Francesco Bigi; Giulio Allesina; Simone Pedrazzi; Aldo Tava; Aldo Dal Prà. 2020. "Combined Effects of Dewatering, Composting and Pelleting to Valorize and Delocalize Livestock Manure, Improving Agricultural Sustainability." Agronomy 10, no. 5: 661.

Articles
Published: 06 May 2020 in Biological Agriculture & Horticulture
Reads 0
Downloads 0

At present, consumer concern about the impact of food production on the environment is driving increased demand for high quality and healthy tomatoes. However, the yield of processing tomatoes in organic systems are generally lower than that in conventional systems and only a limited number of genotypes suitable for low input or organic systems are available for farmers. The technique of grafting commercial genotypes onto selected rootstocks offers a faster alternative to the classic breeding process. Therefore, in this study, the use of the interspecific rootstock RS01658654 (RT1) was assessed, aiming to improve the marketable yield of processing tomatoes grown in an organic cropping system. The non-commercial processing tomato genotype TC266 was grafted onto the interspecific rootstock RT1 and the plants were then grown under organic conditions. In two growing seasons, morphological, physiological and agronomic performances of grafted processing tomato plants were compared to non-grafted and self-grafted plants. TC226 grafted onto RT1 had a higher number of flowers and leaves compared with the non-grafted and the self-grafted plants. In addition, the marketable yield (significant in 2017 only), the number of fruits and the fruit dry weight were higher for plants grown on the interspecific rootstock RT1, without affecting the quality of the fruit. The results of this study showed that the use of the interspecific rootstock RT1 could provide a good option for improving the production of processing tomatoes in organic farming.

ACS Style

Federica Caradonia; Enrico Francia; Riccardo Barbieri; Leonardo Setti; Djangsou Hagassou; Domenico Ronga. Interspecific rootstock can enhance yield of processing tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in organic farming. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 2020, 36, 156 -171.

AMA Style

Federica Caradonia, Enrico Francia, Riccardo Barbieri, Leonardo Setti, Djangsou Hagassou, Domenico Ronga. Interspecific rootstock can enhance yield of processing tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in organic farming. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture. 2020; 36 (3):156-171.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Federica Caradonia; Enrico Francia; Riccardo Barbieri; Leonardo Setti; Djangsou Hagassou; Domenico Ronga. 2020. "Interspecific rootstock can enhance yield of processing tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in organic farming." Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 36, no. 3: 156-171.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2020 in Plants
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Processing tomato is the second most important worldwide cash crop, generally produced in high-input systems. However, fruit yield and quality are affected by agronomic management, particularly nitrogen (N) fertilization, whose application to indeterminate growth genotypes for canning has yet to be investigated in depth. Hence, the objective of this work was to assess the effects of different N rates (0, 50, 125, 200, 275, and 350 kg ha−1) on fruit yield and quality characteristics of processing tomato ‘San Marzano’ landrace. The results of our study showed that 125 and 200 kg of N ha−1 are the most appropriate rates in soil with high fertility, ensuring the highest values of marketable yield and brix yield. However, plants fertilized with 125 kg of N ha−1 attained higher values of N efficiency and fruit K and P concentrations than plants fertilized with 200 kg of N ha−1. Our results suggest that overdoses of N supplies negatively affected fruit yield and quality of San Marzano landrace grown in high soil fertility conditions, also reducing the agricultural sustainability. Hence, specific agronomic protocol and extension services are required to optimally manage tomato crop systems.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Alfonso Pentangelo; Mario Parisi. Optimizing N Fertilization to Improve Yield, Technological and Nutritional Quality of Tomato Grown in High Fertility Soil Conditions. Plants 2020, 9, 575 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Alfonso Pentangelo, Mario Parisi. Optimizing N Fertilization to Improve Yield, Technological and Nutritional Quality of Tomato Grown in High Fertility Soil Conditions. Plants. 2020; 9 (5):575.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Alfonso Pentangelo; Mario Parisi. 2020. "Optimizing N Fertilization to Improve Yield, Technological and Nutritional Quality of Tomato Grown in High Fertility Soil Conditions." Plants 9, no. 5: 575.

Journal article
Published: 13 March 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Nitrogen fertilization is the most critical agronomic input affecting barley production and farm profitability. The strict quality requirements for malting barley are challenging to achieve for farmers. In addition, soil variability and weather conditions can affect barley yield and quality. Thus, the objectives of this study are to (a) quantify the variability of soil properties, and (b) use spatial data in a crop simulation model, quantifying the impacts of climate−soil interactions on the barley crop yield and grain quality. Based on historical yield maps, a commercial field was divided into different yield stability zone levels. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer model was used to evaluate soil and crop spatial data. The bulk density affected the soil water content and soil mineral N and hence the crop-growing conditions in each yield stability zone. Our observed and simulated results showed that 120 kg N ha−1 is the optimal rate to increase grain yield while still keeping within the grain N% requirements for malting quality. This study shows the great value of integrating crop modeling with on−farm experimental data for improving understanding of the factors which affect site−specific N fertilization of barley.

ACS Style

Davide Cammarano; Jonathan Holland; Domenico Ronga. Spatial and Temporal Variability of Spring Barley Yield and Quality Quantified by Crop Simulation Model. Agronomy 2020, 10, 393 .

AMA Style

Davide Cammarano, Jonathan Holland, Domenico Ronga. Spatial and Temporal Variability of Spring Barley Yield and Quality Quantified by Crop Simulation Model. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (3):393.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Davide Cammarano; Jonathan Holland; Domenico Ronga. 2020. "Spatial and Temporal Variability of Spring Barley Yield and Quality Quantified by Crop Simulation Model." Agronomy 10, no. 3: 393.

Journal article
Published: 17 January 2020 in Agronomy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The principal goal of the organic farming system (OFS) is to develop enterprises that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment. Unfortunately, the OFS yields fewer products per land than the non-organic farming system in many agricultural products. The objective of our study was to assess the effects of digestate and biochar fertilizers on yield and fruit quality of processing tomato produced under the OFS. The experiment was carried out in Po Valley, during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Liquid digestate (LD), LD + biochar (LD + BC) and pelleted digestate (PD) were evaluated and compared to biochar (BC) application and unfertilized control. The results showed that plants fertilized with LD + BC recorded the maximum marketable yield (72 t ha−1), followed by BC (67 t ha−1), PD (64 t ha−1) and LD (59 t ha−1); while the lowest production (47 t ha−1) was recorded in unfertilized plants. Over the two cropping seasons, LD + BC, BC, PD, and LD, increased fruit number per plant (+15%), fruit weight (+24%), Brix t ha−1 (+41%) and reduced Bostwick index (−16%), if compared to the untreated control. Considering the overall agronomic performances, digestate and biochar can be useful options for increasing yield and quality of processing tomato production in the OFS. Hence, these fertilizers can be assessed in future research both on other crops and farming systems.

ACS Style

Domenico Ronga; Federica Caradonia; Mario Parisi; Guido Bezzi; Bruno Parisi; Giulio Allesina; Simone Pedrazzi; Enrico Francia. Using Digestate and Biochar as Fertilizers to Improve Processing Tomato Production Sustainability. Agronomy 2020, 10, 138 .

AMA Style

Domenico Ronga, Federica Caradonia, Mario Parisi, Guido Bezzi, Bruno Parisi, Giulio Allesina, Simone Pedrazzi, Enrico Francia. Using Digestate and Biochar as Fertilizers to Improve Processing Tomato Production Sustainability. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (1):138.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Ronga; Federica Caradonia; Mario Parisi; Guido Bezzi; Bruno Parisi; Giulio Allesina; Simone Pedrazzi; Enrico Francia. 2020. "Using Digestate and Biochar as Fertilizers to Improve Processing Tomato Production Sustainability." Agronomy 10, no. 1: 138.