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Anthracnose is one of the primary diseases that affect olive production before and after harvest, causing severe damage and economic losses. The objective of this work is to detect this disease in the early stages, using hyperspectral images and advanced modelling techniques of Deep Learning (DL) and convolutional neural networks (CNN). The olives were artificially inoculated with the fungus. Hyperspectral images (450–1050 nm) of each olive were acquired until visual symptoms of the disease were observed, in some cases up to 9 days. The olives were classified into two classes: control, inoculated with water, and fungi composed of olives inoculated with the fungus. The ResNet101 architecture was chosen and adapted to process 61-band hyperspectral images with only two classes. The result showed that the applied model is very effective in detecting infected olives since the sensitivity of the method was very high from the beginning (85% on day 3 and 100% onwards). From a commercial point of view, these results align with the need to detect the maximum number of infected fruits.
Antonio Fazari; Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero; Juan Gómez-Sanchıs; Bruno Bernardi; Sergio Cubero; Souraya Benalia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Jose Blasco. Application of deep convolutional neural networks for the detection of anthracnose in olives using VIS/NIR hyperspectral images. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2021, 187, 106252 .
AMA StyleAntonio Fazari, Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero, Juan Gómez-Sanchıs, Bruno Bernardi, Sergio Cubero, Souraya Benalia, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Jose Blasco. Application of deep convolutional neural networks for the detection of anthracnose in olives using VIS/NIR hyperspectral images. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2021; 187 ():106252.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Fazari; Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero; Juan Gómez-Sanchıs; Bruno Bernardi; Sergio Cubero; Souraya Benalia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Jose Blasco. 2021. "Application of deep convolutional neural networks for the detection of anthracnose in olives using VIS/NIR hyperspectral images." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 187, no. : 106252.
Anaerobic codigestion of olive mill wastewater for renewable energy production constitutes a promising process to overcome management and environmental issues due to their conventional disposal. The present study aims at assessing biogas and biomethane production from olive mill wastewater by performing biochemical methane potential tests. Hence, mixtures containing 0% (blank), 20% and 30% olive mill wastewater, in volume, were experimented on under mesophilic conditions. In addition, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing were performed for sustainability analysis. Particularly, life cycle assessment allowed assessing the potential environmental impact resulting from the tested process, while life cycle costing in conjunction with specific economic indicators allowed performing the economic feasibility analysis. The research highlighted reliable outcomes: higher amounts of biogas (80.22 ± 24.49 NL.kgSV −1) and methane (47.68 ± 17.55 NL.kgSV −1) were obtained when implementing a higher amount of olive mill wastewater (30%) (v/v) in the batch reactors. According to life cycle assessment, the biogas ecoprofile was better when using 20% (v/v) olive mill wastewater. Similarly, the economic results demonstrated the profitability of the process, with better performances when using 20% (v/v) olive mill wastewater. These findings confirm the advantages from using farm and food industry by-products for the production of renewable energy as well as organic fertilizers, which could be used in situ to enhance farm sustainability.
Souraya Benalia; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Anna De Luca; Alfio Strano; Giovanni Gulisano; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi. Increasing the Content of Olive Mill Wastewater in Biogas Reactors for a Sustainable Recovery: Methane Productivity and Life Cycle Analyses of the Process. Foods 2021, 10, 1029 .
AMA StyleSouraya Benalia, Giacomo Falcone, Teodora Stillitano, Anna De Luca, Alfio Strano, Giovanni Gulisano, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Bruno Bernardi. Increasing the Content of Olive Mill Wastewater in Biogas Reactors for a Sustainable Recovery: Methane Productivity and Life Cycle Analyses of the Process. Foods. 2021; 10 (5):1029.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSouraya Benalia; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Anna De Luca; Alfio Strano; Giovanni Gulisano; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi. 2021. "Increasing the Content of Olive Mill Wastewater in Biogas Reactors for a Sustainable Recovery: Methane Productivity and Life Cycle Analyses of the Process." Foods 10, no. 5: 1029.
Monitoring some of the parameters that affect the quality of table olives for green processing is fundamental in a farmer's decision making. This work develops an affordable system for in-the-field evaluation of fruit calibre, ripeness and bruise index. The system consists of an illuminated cube that acquires images of fruit samples and generates an instantaneous report, using computer vision techniques implemented in software. To do this, it was necessary to determine models of fruit weight and size and also the colour regions (RGB colour space) involved in olive maturity indexes. Moreover, supervised training models were created to perform image segmentation (background and bruising areas). Error in the estimation of fruit weight was very low (R2 = 0.9), and prediction of the maturity index (MI) was quite good, with an accuracy of 0.66 and 0.91 for manually sorted olives in MI0 and MI1 respectively (green processing). Prediction of MI2 had lower precision (0.48) when the fruit was changing to black-purple and the bruising spots were confused with fruit area because of determined similarities in colour. The error in the estimated bruise index was lower for MI0 (RMSE = 2.42) than for MI1 (RMSE = 3.78), both of which are suitable for an estimation of quality in the field. Overall, the system's performance reveals promising results for a quick, easy and accurate evaluation of the external parameters that define the quality of olives. The models obtained could be useful for other purposes.
Rafael R. Sola-Guirado; Sergio Bayano-Tejero; Fernando Aragón-Rodríguez; Bruno Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; Sergio Castro-García. A smart system for the automatic evaluation of green olives visual quality in the field. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2020, 179, 105858 .
AMA StyleRafael R. Sola-Guirado, Sergio Bayano-Tejero, Fernando Aragón-Rodríguez, Bruno Bernardi, Souraya Benalia, Sergio Castro-García. A smart system for the automatic evaluation of green olives visual quality in the field. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2020; 179 ():105858.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRafael R. Sola-Guirado; Sergio Bayano-Tejero; Fernando Aragón-Rodríguez; Bruno Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; Sergio Castro-García. 2020. "A smart system for the automatic evaluation of green olives visual quality in the field." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 179, no. : 105858.
In the olive production sector, which is increasingly expanding beyond the borders of the Mediterranean basin, harvesting is the most demanding phase, from both an economic and organisational point of view. Traditional olive orchards are still predominant, with centuries-old and large plants, and are characterised by the gradual ripening of drupes and irregular planting patterns. Even though the structural conversion of these olive orchards into more modern cultivations may be difficult owing to their historical, monumental, and landscaping importance, as well as the existing legal restrictions, supporting a “modernisation” process aimed at mechanising the main farming operations remains a priority. Technological innovation is, therefore, a primary objective for Mediterranean olive growing, as well as for the enhancement of its strengths. The present study aimed at assessing different olive harvesting sites, considering the technical, economic, and environmental aspects, to develop a better version of the “olive harvesting database”. The applied methodology, also called the “modular approach”, represents a useful tool to apply in unitary process assessment to obtain a comprehensive database of diverse agricultural operations. Eight olive harvesting systems were compared: six highly mechanised scenarios, one based on mechanical-aided harvesting, and the final one based on fully manual harvesting. The mechanised systems obtained a better performance in terms of working capacity, as only 3.5 h ha−1 were needed to harvest 12 t using a self-propelled trunk shaker. In addition, the economic results revealed that mechanical harvesting, diversely from manual or aided harvesting, is the only way to decrease production costs. From an environmental point of view, manual and mechanical-aided harvesting showed the best performance in terms of impact per hour. However, using the mass-based unit (1 kg of harvested olives), the results were the opposite and this could be very relevant for the ecoprofile of olive oil.
Bruno Bernardi; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Souraya Benalia; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Irene De Luca. Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation: Other principal cultivar. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 766, 142508 .
AMA StyleBruno Bernardi, Giacomo Falcone, Teodora Stillitano, Souraya Benalia, Jacopo Bacenetti, Anna Irene De Luca. Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation: Other principal cultivar. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 766 ():142508.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Bernardi; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Souraya Benalia; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Irene De Luca. 2020. "Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation: Other principal cultivar." Science of The Total Environment 766, no. : 142508.
Introduction: Weed control is one of the most important issues in the maintenance sectors of both agriculture and green areas. Small tools are employed for controlling grass and other growths on steep verges and river banks. This leads the operators being exposed to many risks among which...
Bruno Bernardi; Elisabeth Quendler; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Mantella; Giuseppe Zimbalatti. Occupational risks related to vibrations using a brush cutter for green area management. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 2018, 25, 255 -258.
AMA StyleBruno Bernardi, Elisabeth Quendler, Souraya Benalia, Antonio Mantella, Giuseppe Zimbalatti. Occupational risks related to vibrations using a brush cutter for green area management. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine. 2018; 25 (2):255-258.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Bernardi; Elisabeth Quendler; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Mantella; Giuseppe Zimbalatti. 2018. "Occupational risks related to vibrations using a brush cutter for green area management." Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 25, no. 2: 255-258.
The mechanization of farming operation plays an important role in improving the profitability of the agricultural sector by increasing work productivity and reducing production costs. However, the new challenges of agriculture also include the environmental issues. The choice between different alternatives to perform a determined agricultural practice should be based on reliable information, considering technical, economic and environmental aspects. Olive growing represents the most important agricultural production in the Mediterranean Basin and its mechanization, particularly harvesting, could have major impacts on the sustainability of this production. This study aims at assessing various olive-harvesting scenarios, while considering technical, economic and environmental aspects in order to build a beta version of the “olive-harvesting database”. The proposed methodology called “modular approach” could represent a useful tool to apply in unitary process assessment in order to obtain a comprehensive database of the diverse agricultural operations. The methodology was based on Life Cycle Assessment and production cost analysis. Technical performance evaluation showed that the recorded work capacities varied between 5 tons of harvested olives per day when employing mechanical harvest aids and 18 tons per day when employing trunk shakers. The economic evaluation highlighted that the harvesting costs are variable as a function of the given cost type (costs per hour, costs per kg of harvested olives and costs per hectare). The LCA revealed that mechanically aided techniques were the most sustainable ones when the functional unit is considered as one harvesting hour, although this FU is not the most suitable unit for choosing the best environmental solution. The surface and production mass units are more appropriate FUs in comparative studies, although they are strictly linked to the “work capacity”. A significant variation in the environmental performances depended on the FUs and on the average yields when the FU represented one kg of harvested olives.
Bruno Bernardi; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Souraya Benalia; Alfio Strano; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Irene De Luca. Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 625, 1446 -1458.
AMA StyleBruno Bernardi, Giacomo Falcone, Teodora Stillitano, Souraya Benalia, Alfio Strano, Jacopo Bacenetti, Anna Irene De Luca. Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 625 ():1446-1458.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Bernardi; Giacomo Falcone; Teodora Stillitano; Souraya Benalia; Alfio Strano; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Irene De Luca. 2018. "Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation." Science of The Total Environment 625, no. : 1446-1458.
B. Bernardi; S. Castro-García; G.L. Blanco-Roldán; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; G. Zimbalatti. A comparison between two materials for head-clamping pads of olive tree shakers: first trials. Acta Horticulturae 2018, 403 -408.
AMA StyleB. Bernardi, S. Castro-García, G.L. Blanco-Roldán, Souraya Benalia, Antonio Fazari, G. Zimbalatti. A comparison between two materials for head-clamping pads of olive tree shakers: first trials. Acta Horticulturae. 2018; (1199):403-408.
Chicago/Turabian StyleB. Bernardi; S. Castro-García; G.L. Blanco-Roldán; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; G. Zimbalatti. 2018. "A comparison between two materials for head-clamping pads of olive tree shakers: first trials." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1199: 403-408.
The present study analyses the transmission of vibrations generated from a multidirectional trunk shaker to olive tree structure considering both the aerial zone (trunk and branches) and the underground zone (the coarse root). The vibration characterization was conducted by measuring acceleration on several points of the tree during harvesting operations. The influence of two different heights of shaker head clamping was analysed. In addition, a dynamic probing was performed in order to evaluate soil compaction. The results showed that the vibration performed by the trunk shaker head, corresponding to an acceleration resultant of approximately 77 ms–2 with a dominant vibration frequency of 18 Hz, increased up to 106% in branches and decreased up to 90% in trunks. At root level, where the analysis was carried out at 1/3 and 2/3 of the coarse root length, the acceleration values diminished significantly to 17 ms–2 and 12 ms–2, respectively. Soil dynamic resistance was lower (36 kg cm–2) near the trees than between the trees (53 kg cm–2). The vibration transmission to the aerial and the underground parts diversely influences the dynamic behaviour of the olive tree, considering an operational frequency of a commercial trunk shaker. The assessment of vibration transmission to the aerial part could contribute to improve fruit detachment and reduce branch breaking and leaf detachment. While vibration transmission to the underground part rises new challenges considering soil compaction in olive groves.
Ruben R. Sola-Guirado; Bruno Bernardi; Sergio Castro-Garcia; Gregorio L. Blanco-Roldán; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Alessio Brescia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti. Assessment of aerial and underground vibration transmission in mechanically trunk shaken olive trees. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2018, 49, 191 -197.
AMA StyleRuben R. Sola-Guirado, Bruno Bernardi, Sergio Castro-Garcia, Gregorio L. Blanco-Roldán, Souraya Benalia, Antonio Fazari, Alessio Brescia, Giuseppe Zimbalatti. Assessment of aerial and underground vibration transmission in mechanically trunk shaken olive trees. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2018; 49 (3):191-197.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuben R. Sola-Guirado; Bruno Bernardi; Sergio Castro-Garcia; Gregorio L. Blanco-Roldán; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Alessio Brescia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti. 2018. "Assessment of aerial and underground vibration transmission in mechanically trunk shaken olive trees." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 49, no. 3: 191-197.
Experimental trials of anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater (OMW) blended with other agro-industrial by-products were carried out to evaluate biogas production and sensitivity of the process to inhibiting compounds. Blends containing different percentages of OMW, digested liquid manure, and citrus peel were subjected to a batch anaerobic digestion process under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The results showed that blends with percentages of OMW higher than 20% (v/v) had low methane yields due high concentrations of polyphenols (PPs) and/or volatile fatty acids (concentrations above 0.8 g kg–1 and 2.4 g L–1, respectively). The addition of other substrates such as citrus peel may have induced synergic inhibiting effects of PPs and essential oils (EO) on microbial growth. Thermophilic processes were more sensitive to these inhibiting compounds than mesophilic processes. The results of this study suggest that reducing PPs and EO concentrations in blends subject to anaerobic digestion below the inhibiting concentrations of 0.6 g L–1 and 0.5 g kg–1, respectively, is suitable. Additionally, it is advisable to maintain the volatile fatty acids content below 2 g L–1 to avoid its evident toxic effects on the growth of microorganisms in biochemical processes.
Demetrio Antonio Zema; Giovanni Zappia; Souraya Benalia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Enzo Perri; Elena Urso; Vincenzo Tamburino; Bruno Bernardi. Limiting factors for anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater blends under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2018, 49, 130 -137.
AMA StyleDemetrio Antonio Zema, Giovanni Zappia, Souraya Benalia, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Enzo Perri, Elena Urso, Vincenzo Tamburino, Bruno Bernardi. Limiting factors for anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater blends under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2018; 49 (2):130-137.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDemetrio Antonio Zema; Giovanni Zappia; Souraya Benalia; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Enzo Perri; Elena Urso; Vincenzo Tamburino; Bruno Bernardi. 2018. "Limiting factors for anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater blends under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 49, no. 2: 130-137.
B. Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; D.A. Zema; V. Tamburino; G. Zimbalatti; A.D. Zema. An automated medium scale prototype for anaerobic co-digestion of olive mill wastewater. Information Processing in Agriculture 2017, 4, 316 -320.
AMA StyleB. Bernardi, Souraya Benalia, D.A. Zema, V. Tamburino, G. Zimbalatti, A.D. Zema. An automated medium scale prototype for anaerobic co-digestion of olive mill wastewater. Information Processing in Agriculture. 2017; 4 (4):316-320.
Chicago/Turabian StyleB. Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; D.A. Zema; V. Tamburino; G. Zimbalatti; A.D. Zema. 2017. "An automated medium scale prototype for anaerobic co-digestion of olive mill wastewater." Information Processing in Agriculture 4, no. 4: 316-320.
ISHS International Symposium on New Technologies and Management for Greenhouses - GreenSys2015 Assessing the “Special-Serre” sprayer for pesticide application to a greenhouse chrysanthemum crop
B. Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; Maria Rosaria Savina Panuccio; G. Zimbalatti. Assessing the “Special-Serre” sprayer for pesticide application to a greenhouse chrysanthemum crop. Acta Horticulturae 2017, 603 -610.
AMA StyleB. Bernardi, Souraya Benalia, Maria Rosaria Savina Panuccio, G. Zimbalatti. Assessing the “Special-Serre” sprayer for pesticide application to a greenhouse chrysanthemum crop. Acta Horticulturae. 2017; (1170):603-610.
Chicago/Turabian StyleB. Bernardi; Souraya Benalia; Maria Rosaria Savina Panuccio; G. Zimbalatti. 2017. "Assessing the “Special-Serre” sprayer for pesticide application to a greenhouse chrysanthemum crop." Acta Horticulturae , no. 1170: 603-610.
Marco Fellin; M. Negri; G. Macrì; B. Bernardi; S. Benalia; G. Zimbalatti; R. Proto Andrea. Electricity from Wood: A Wood Quality and Energy Efficiency Approach to Small Scale Pyro-gasification. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 2016, 223, 783 -790.
AMA StyleMarco Fellin, M. Negri, G. Macrì, B. Bernardi, S. Benalia, G. Zimbalatti, R. Proto Andrea. Electricity from Wood: A Wood Quality and Energy Efficiency Approach to Small Scale Pyro-gasification. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2016; 223 ():783-790.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Fellin; M. Negri; G. Macrì; B. Bernardi; S. Benalia; G. Zimbalatti; R. Proto Andrea. 2016. "Electricity from Wood: A Wood Quality and Energy Efficiency Approach to Small Scale Pyro-gasification." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 223, no. : 783-790.
This work reports the development of automated systems based on computer vision to improve the quality control and sorting of dried figs of Cosenza (protected denomination of origin) focusing on two research issues. The first was based on qualitative discrimination of figs through colour assessment comparing the analysis of colour images obtained using a digital camera with those obtained according to conventional instrumental methods, i.e. colourimetry currently done in laboratories. Data were expressed in terms of CIE XYZ, CIELAB and HunterLab colour spaces, as well as the browning index measurement of each fruit, and then, analysed using PCA and PLS-DA based methods. The results showed that both chroma meter and image analysis allowed a complete distinction between high quality and deteriorated figs, according to colour attributes. The second research issue had the purpose of developing image processing algorithms to achieve real-time sorting of figs using an experimental prototype based on machine vision, simulating an industrial application. An extremely high 99.5% of deteriorated figs were classified correctly as well as 89.0% of light coloured good quality figs A lower percentage was obtained for dark good quality figs but results were acceptable since the most of the confusion was among the two classes of good product.
Souraya Benalia; Sergio Cubero; José Manuel Prats-Montalbán; Bruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Jose Blasco. Computer vision for automatic quality inspection of dried figs (Ficus carica L.) in real-time. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2016, 120, 17 -25.
AMA StyleSouraya Benalia, Sergio Cubero, José Manuel Prats-Montalbán, Bruno Bernardi, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Jose Blasco. Computer vision for automatic quality inspection of dried figs (Ficus carica L.) in real-time. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2016; 120 ():17-25.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSouraya Benalia; Sergio Cubero; José Manuel Prats-Montalbán; Bruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Jose Blasco. 2016. "Computer vision for automatic quality inspection of dried figs (Ficus carica L.) in real-time." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 120, no. : 17-25.
Doi 10.4129/2cis-arp-nuo Citazione/Citation Proto A.R., Zimbalatti G., Bernardi B., 2015 - Nuovi strumenti al servizio delle utilizzazioni forestali. In: Atti del II Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura. Progettare il futuro per il settore forestale, Firenze, 26-29 novembre 2014. Firenze: Accademia Italiana di Scienze Forestali. Vol. 1, p. 463-468. ISBN 978-88-87553-21-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.4129/2cis-arp-nuo Titolo: Nuovi strumenti al servizio delle utilizzazioni forestali Title: New…
Andrea Rosario Proto; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi. New tools at the service of forest utilization. Atti del Secondo Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura = Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Silviculture 2015, 1 .
AMA StyleAndrea Rosario Proto, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Bruno Bernardi. New tools at the service of forest utilization. Atti del Secondo Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura = Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Silviculture. 2015; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea Rosario Proto; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi. 2015. "New tools at the service of forest utilization." Atti del Secondo Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura = Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Silviculture , no. : 1.
Special strains are an occupational hazard often due to physical loads and inadequately designed work equipment. The aim of this pilot study was to determine occupational illnesses related to physical strains through an experimental design that assesses the associated working postures and oxygen uptake in apple harvesting.Three methods were applied to define the physical stress provoked by apple farming tasks. The experiments considered 5 labourers - 3 women and 2 men. The physical fatigue was assessed through oxygen consumption and heartbeat frequency according to UNI EN ISO 8996 standards. Measurements were conducted using a portable metabolimeter(COSMED). Working postures were determined according to Ovako Working Posture Analysis System(OWAS). An interview was conducted to record the labourers' subjective estimate of the stress. The interview results demonstrated neck and dorsal pains and fatigue causes for each operator. The VO₂ was equal to 82.33 ± 27.40 lO₂/h for women and 67.00 ± 27.60 lO₂/h for men, meaning that it was tiring for some men but for all women. The heart rates were of 115 ± 6.00 bpm for women and 113 ± 5.65 bpm for men. The VCO₂ was of 63.81 ± 21.45 lCO₂/h for women and 45.10 ± 25.53 lCO₂/h for men, while energetic equivalent and body surface area were similar for both genders, about 5.60W × h/l O₂ and 1,80 m(2) on average. Women's metabolic rate had a very high value - over 290W × m(-2), although for the men it was between 200-260W × m(-2). According to OWAS, low apple picking was ranked in class 2, high apple picking in class 1, and apple transportation belonged to class 3. conclusion. Related to VO₂ and VCO₂ consumption and the identified negative body postures, it is necessary to improve working conditions.
Paola Callea; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Elisabeth Quendler; Alfred Nimmerichter; Norbert Bachl; Bruno Bernardi; Dario Smorto; Souraya Benalia. Occupational illnesses related to physical strains in apple harvesting. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 2014, 21, 407 -411.
AMA StylePaola Callea, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Elisabeth Quendler, Alfred Nimmerichter, Norbert Bachl, Bruno Bernardi, Dario Smorto, Souraya Benalia. Occupational illnesses related to physical strains in apple harvesting. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine. 2014; 21 (2):407-411.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaola Callea; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Elisabeth Quendler; Alfred Nimmerichter; Norbert Bachl; Bruno Bernardi; Dario Smorto; Souraya Benalia. 2014. "Occupational illnesses related to physical strains in apple harvesting." Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 21, no. 2: 407-411.
The biomass for energy purposes, coming from agroforestry systems and timber industry, can provide various environmental and socio-economic benefits. Among all renewable energy sources, agroforestry biomass represents both an important alternative source to fossil fuels and an opportunity for the socio-economic development of various marginal areas in Italy. In particular, agroforestry is a collective name of land use systems in which woody perennials are grown in association with herbaceous plants and/or livestock in a spatial arrangements, a rotation, or both in which there are both ecological and economic interactions between the tree and the non-tree components of the system. Estimating availability of biomass resources is important to assess bioenergy production potential and so bioenergy contribution to annual energy demand. In the supply of biomass to energy use, the planning of operations is the basis for sustainable development of agroforest system. Most existing forest practice rules and recommendations did not anticipate this increased extraction of woody biomass and offer no specific guidance on how much removal is healthy for ecosystems. Intensification of biomass utilization, particularly for energy and fuel needs, presents a range of potential environmental risks. Therefore, the research focuses on development of guidelines for increasing a sustainable biomass supply chain at local scale, in order to facilitate energy planning that considers the local system carrying capacity and the potential of substitution of fossil fuels.
Andrea R. Proto; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Lorenzo Maria Massimo Abenavoli; Bruno Bernardi; Soraya Benalia. Biomass Production in Agroforestry Systems: V.E.Ri.For Project. Advanced Engineering Forum 2014, 11, 58 -63.
AMA StyleAndrea R. Proto, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Lorenzo Maria Massimo Abenavoli, Bruno Bernardi, Soraya Benalia. Biomass Production in Agroforestry Systems: V.E.Ri.For Project. Advanced Engineering Forum. 2014; 11 ():58-63.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea R. Proto; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Lorenzo Maria Massimo Abenavoli; Bruno Bernardi; Soraya Benalia. 2014. "Biomass Production in Agroforestry Systems: V.E.Ri.For Project." Advanced Engineering Forum 11, no. : 58-63.
The growing interest expressed by consumers toward food products quality as well as toward their linkage to the territory, has led producers to fit to the continuous rising demand for “typical products”, and to look for new and more efficient production and marketing strategies. An emblematic case is represented by Tropea red onion that, as a typical product, plays an important role in economical and rural development of the territory to which it is linked. The organoleptic features offered by “Tropea Red Onion”, PGI certified (Calabria), have to be associated as well to the quality of services that accompanies its processing. Technology application in post-harvest operations, has certainly contributed to make faster and less tiring all processing tasks. The main problem related to the mechanization of Tropea red onion post-harvest operations lies in the removal of the various layers of the external tunic, making it impossible for optical or electronic grader to achieve this task in a satisfactory way since the sensors are not able yet to separate the “bulb” from its involucre. In this context, the current study aims to assess the productivity of three different machines used for round Tropea red onion grading, and determine their work efficiency. The carried out analysis highlighted the ability of the studied machines to ensure a high work capacity, while maintaining a high level of precision during calibration process. Such precision allows to decrease laborer employment and increase processing chain speed, rising as well the annual use of the machines, allowing consequently processing cost savings. For a more profitable employment of such graders, it is, however, necessary from one hand, to properly form the technicians responsible of processing plants management, and from the other hand, to be able to take advantage of a technical assistance network, able to serve users in a short time.
Bruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Andrea Rosario Proto; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Paola Callea. Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleBruno Bernardi, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Andrea Rosario Proto, Souraya Benalia, Antonio Fazari, Paola Callea. Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Andrea Rosario Proto; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Paola Callea. 2013. "Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2: 1.
The Journal of Agricultural Engineering is the official journal of the Italian Society of Agricultural Engineering - AIIA
Bruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Andrea R. Proto; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Paola Callea. Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .
AMA StyleBruno Bernardi, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, Andrea R. Proto, Souraya Benalia, Antonio Fazari, Paola Callea. Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2s):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Bernardi; Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Andrea R. Proto; Souraya Benalia; Antonio Fazari; Paola Callea. 2013. "Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2s: 1.
Artificial reforestation of Corsican pine, carried out in Calabria in the 1950s and 1960s lacked the essential management phase following planting with the result that they are now in a precarious state of physical and biological balance. Therefore, given the present situation, it is necessary to intervene with a policy of rational management, based on re-naturalization, in order to best restore the structural and functional balance. Of the different tendings, thinning has a fundamental role in promoting such evolutive processes. The research, conducted in Aspromonte, examines a chain of forestry utilization engaged in selective thinning from below, carried out with varying intensities of intervention in order to assess their capacity and productivity. The results of the research show how, despite the low level of mechanization used, work productivity falls fully within the national average, and how these too often discontinued silvicultural operations instead prove to be fundamental in encouraging the growth in the efficiency of Calabrian forest systems.
Giuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi; Stefano Morabito. ANALYSIS OF THINNING OPERATIONS IN CORSICAN PINE ARTIFICIAL HIGH FORESTS IN CALABRIA (ITALY). Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2008, 39, 37-43 .
AMA StyleGiuseppe Zimbalatti, Bruno Bernardi, Stefano Morabito. ANALYSIS OF THINNING OPERATIONS IN CORSICAN PINE ARTIFICIAL HIGH FORESTS IN CALABRIA (ITALY). Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2008; 39 (2):37-43.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiuseppe Zimbalatti; Bruno Bernardi; Stefano Morabito. 2008. "ANALYSIS OF THINNING OPERATIONS IN CORSICAN PINE ARTIFICIAL HIGH FORESTS IN CALABRIA (ITALY)." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 39, no. 2: 37-43.