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Author Rusu, T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Energy efficiency and soil conservation in conventional, minimum tillage and no-tillage Type Journal Article
  Year 2014 Publication (up) International Soil and Water Conservation Research Abbreviated Journal International Soil and Water Conservation Research  
  Volume 2 Issue 4 Pages 42-49  
  Keywords No-tillage; Minimum tillage; Yield; Energy efficiency; Soil conservation  
  Abstract The objective of this research was to determine the capacity of a soil tillage system in soil conservation, in productivity and in energy efficiency. The minimum tillage and no-tillage systems represent good alternatives to the conventional (plough) system of soil tillage, due to their conservation effects on soil and to the good production of crops (Maize, 96%-98% of conventional tillage for minimum tillage, and 99.8% of conventional tillage for no till; Soybeans, 103%-112% of conventional tillage for minimum tillage and 117% of conventional tillage for no till; Wheat, 93%-97% of conventional tillage for minimum tillage and 117% of conventional tillage for no till. The choice of the right soil tillage system for crops in rotation help reduce energy consumption, thus for maize: 97%-98% energy consumption of conventional tillage when using minimum tillage and 91% when using no-tillage; for soybeans: 98% energy consumption of conventional tillage when using minimum tillage and 93 when using no-tillage; for wheat: 97%-98% energy consumption of conventional tillage when using minimum tillage and 92% when using no-tillage. Energy efficiency is in relation to reductions in energy use, but also might include the efficiency and impact of the tillage system on the cultivated plant. For all crops in rotation, energy efficiency (energy produced from 1 MJ consumed) was the best in no-tillage — 10.44 MJ ha− 1 for maize, 6.49 MJ ha− 1 for soybean, and 5.66 MJ ha− 1 for wheat. An analysis of energy-efficiency in agricultural systems includes the energy consumed-energy produced-energy yield comparisons, but must be supplemented by soil energy efficiency, based on the conservative effect of the agricultural system. Only then will the agricultural system be sustainable, durable in agronomic, economic and ecological terms. The implementation of minimum and no-tillage soil systems has increased the organic matter content from 2% to 7.6% and water stable aggregate content from 5.6% to 9.6%, at 0–30 cm depth, as compared to the conventional system. Accumulated water supply was higher (with 12.4%-15%) for all minimum and no-tillage systems and increased bulk density values by 0.01%-0.03% (no significant difference) While the soil fertility and the wet aggregate stability have initially been low, the effect of conservation practices on the soil characteristics led to a positive impact on the water permeability in the soil. Availability of soil moisture during the crop growth period led to a better plant watering condition. Subsequent release of conserved soil water regulated the plant water condition and soil structure.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2095-6339 ISBN Medium Article  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no  
  Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4637  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Perego, A.; Giussani, A.; Fumagalli, M.; Sanna, M.; Chiodini, M.; Carozzi, M.; Alfieri, L.; Brenna, S.; Acutis, M. openurl 
  Title Crop rotation, fertilizer types and application timing affecting nitrogen leaching in nitrate vulnerable zones in Po Valley Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication (up) Italian Journal of Agrometeorology Abbreviated Journal Italian Journal of Agrometeorology  
  Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 39-50  
  Keywords nitrogen fertilization; crop simulation model; nitrate leaching; crop rotation; reduce ammonia losses; 4 cultivation systems; mineral nitrogen; maize; soil; slurry; simulation; model; water; groundwater  
  Abstract A critical analysis was performed to evaluate the potential risk of nitrate leaching towards groundwater in three Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) of the Lombardia plain by applying the ARMOSA crop simulation model over a 20 years period (1988-2007). Each studied area was characterized by (i) two representative soil types, (ii) a meteorological data set, (iii) four crop rotations according to the regional land use, (iv) organic N load, calculated on the basis of livestock density. We simulated 3 scenarios defined by different fertilization time and amount of mineral and organic fertilizers. The A scenario involved no limitation in organic N application, while under the B and C scenarios the N organic amount was 170 and 250 kg N ha(-1)y(-1), respectively. The C scenario was compliant with the requirement of the 2012 Italian derogation, allowing only the use of organic manure with an efficiency greater than 65%. The model results highlighted that nitrate leaching was significantly reduced passing from the A scenario to the B and C ones (p<0.01); on average nitrogen losses decreased by up to 53% from A to B and up to 75% from A to C.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2038-5625 ISBN Medium Article  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no  
  Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4611  
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Author Perego, A.; Giussani, A.; Sanna, M.; Fumagalli, M.; Carozzi, M.; Alfieri, L.; Brenna, S.; Acutis, M. openurl 
  Title The ARMOSA simulation crop model: overall features, calibration and validation results Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication (up) Italian Journal of Agrometeorology Abbreviated Journal Italian Journal of Agrometeorology  
  Volume 3 Issue Pages 23-38  
  Keywords simulation model; crop growth; water dynamics; nitrogen leaching; performance assessment; nitrogen dilution curve; field-scale; soil; systems; maize; water; dynamics; growth; winter; evaporation  
  Abstract ARMOSA is a dynamic simulation model which was developed to simulate crop growth and development, water and nitrogen dynamics under different pedoclimatic conditions and cropping systems in the arable land. The model is meant to be a tool for the evaluation of the impact of different crop management practices on soil nitrogen and carbon cycles and groundwater nitrate pollution. A large data set collected over three to six years from six monitoring sites in Lombardia plain was used to calibrate and validate the model parameters. Measured meteorological data, soil chemical and physical characterizations, crop-related data of different cropping systems allowed for a proper parameterization. Fit indexes showed the reliability of the model in adequately predicting crop-related variables, such as above ground biomass (RRMSE=11.18, EF=0.94, r=0.97), Leaf Area Index maximum value (RRMSE=8.24, EF=0.37, r=0.72), harvest index (RRMSE=19.4, EF=0.32, r=0.74), and crop N uptake (RRMSE=20.25, EF=0.69, r=0.85). Using two different one-year data set from each monitoring site, the model was calibrated and validated, getting to encouraging results: RRMSE=6.28, EF=0.52, r=0.68 for soil water content at different depths, and RRMSE=34.89, EF=0.59, r=0.75 for soil NO3-N content along soil profile. The simulated N leaching was in full agreement with measured data (RRMSE=26.62, EF=0.88, r=0.98).  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2038-5625 ISBN Medium Article  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no  
  Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4612  
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Author Sollitto, D.; De Benedetto, D.; Castrignanò, A.; Crescimanno, G.; Provenzano, G.; Ventrella, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Spatial data fusion and analysis for soil characterization: a case study in a coastal basin of south-western Sicily (southern Italy) Type Journal Article
  Year 2012 Publication (up) Italian Journal of Agronomy Abbreviated Journal Ital. J. Agron.  
  Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 4  
  Keywords salinization risk; soil retention curve; geostatistics; factor Kriging; intrinsic random funciton  
  Abstract Salinization is one of the most serious problems confronting sustainable agriculture in semi-arid and arid regions. Accurate mapping of soil salinization and the associated risk represent a fundamental step in planning agricultural and remediation activities. Geostatistical analysis is very useful for soil quality assessment because it makes it possible to determine the spatial relationships between selected variables and to produce synthetic maps of spatial variation. The main objective of this paper was to map the soil salinization risk in the Delia-Nivolelli alluvial basin (south-western Sicily, southern Italy), using multivariate geostatistical techniques and a set of topographical, physical and soil hydraulic properties. Elevation data were collected from existing topographic maps and analysed preliminarily to improve the estimate precision of sparsely sampled primary variables. For interpolation multi-collocated cokriging was applied to the dataset, including textural and hydraulic properties and electrical conductivity measurements carried out on 128 collected soil samples, using elevation data as auxiliary variable. Spatial dependence among elevation and physical soil properties was explored with factorial kriging analysis (FKA) that could isolate and display the sources of variation acting at different spatial scales. FKA isolated significant regionalised factors which give a concise description of the complex soil physical variability at the different selected spatial scales. These factors mapped, allowed the delineation of zones at different salinisation risk to be managed separately to control and prevent salinization risk. The proposed methodology could be a valid support for land use and soil remediation planning at regional scale.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2039-6805 1125-4718 ISBN Medium Article  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no  
  Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4595  
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Author Leogrande, R.; Lopedota, O.; Montemurro, F.; Vitti, C.; Ventrella, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Effects of irrigation regime and salinity on soil characteristics and yield of tomato Type Journal Article
  Year 2012 Publication (up) Italian Journal of Agronomy Abbreviated Journal Ital. J. Agron.  
  Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 8  
  Keywords saline water; irrigation volume; Lycopersicon esculentum; soil solution  
  Abstract A field experiment was conducted in Mediterranean conditions to evaluate the effects of different irrigation volumes and water quality on yield performance of tomato crop. The tomato crop was irrigated reestablishing 50 (I1), 75 (I2) and 100% (I3) of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) with two water quality: fresh water with EC 0.9 dS m-1 (FW) and saline water with EC 6 dSm-1 (SW). At harvest, total and marketable yield, weight, number, total soluble solids (TSS) and dry matter of fruit were calculated, The results showed no statistical differences among the three different irrigation volumes on tomato yield and quality. The salinity treatment did not affect yield, probably because the soil salinity in the root zone on average remained below the threshold of tomato salt tolerance. Instead, salinity improved fruit quality parameters as dry matter and TSS by 13 and 8%, respectively. After the first field application of saline water, soil saturated extract cations (SSEC), electrical conductivity of soil paste extract (ECe), sodium absorption ratio (SAR) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) cations increased; the largest increase of cations, in particular of Na, occurred in the top layer. At the end of the experiment, the absolute value of SSEC, ECe and SAR, for all the effects studied, were lower than those recorded in 2007. This behavior was suitable to the reduced volumes of treatments administered in 2009 in respect to the 2007. Furthermore, the higher total rainfall recorded in 2009 increased the leaching and downward movement of salts out of the sampling depth.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2039-6805 ISBN Medium Article  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no  
  Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4476  
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