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Biochar, thanks to its porosity, can have a positive effect in water retention on sandy soils. In this work pellet from Arundo Donax L. was produced at the Biomass Research Centre of the University of Perugia (Italy), then it was used to produce biochar in a pyrolytic stove in the laboratories of the Institute of Biometeorology in Florence (Italy). This biochar was analyzed and characterized at the laboratory of MAC (Minoprio Analisi e Certificazioni) and Richard Pressure Plates were produced to test its action on water retention. Two forms of biochar were tested: pelletized biochar and biochar in powder. While the effect on soil water retention of biochar in powder has already been tested, the effect of pelletized biochar has not. The retention efficiency of biochar pellet was higher than that of the powder. In fact at field capacity an increase in water retention of 20% was measured with biochar in pellet, while the increase was about 4% with biochar in powder. This can bring important advantages to the crops cultivated with biochar as soil amendment, in terms of their water footprint., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1732-1736

Compressive Sensing (CS) is a novel signal acquisition technique that takes advantage from the feature of many natural signals of being sparse. The basic idea is that, if prior knowledge about the signal's sparsity is available, the signal can be reconstructed using fewer samples than those envisaged by Shannon's Theorem. The European Space Agency has funded a project to investigate the potential of CS-based optical systems for space applications, and to demonstrate the existence of substantial advantages - with respect to a traditional system - in terms of resources required for its development and its performance. In this paper we present the results of the first step of the project, which consisted in a general analysis and assessment of the possible use of CS technologies in optical instruments for space applications and the comparison of their performances with respect to those of traditional systems.

Biochar addition to soil is a promising option for climate change mitigation and is recognized to exert beneficial effects on soil fertility. However, recent meta-analysis documented controversial effects on soil-plant interactions and on crop yields response. The data presented in this paper are the results of a field experiment on a processing tomato crop aiming to enhance the knowledge on the real applicability of biochar at farm scale in a high fertility alkaline soil. The effects of two biochar types on soil properties and on quantitative and qualitative parameters of processing tomato were evaluated. Biochar application significantly increased the soil carbon content, the soil cation exchange capacity and the availability of NH4+, P and K. Moreover, it stimulated plant growth and N, P and base cation contents at harvest, reducing the leaf water potential in the warmer period. These results demonstrate that also intensive cultivations in fertile soil can benefit from biochar amendment.

The beneficial effects of biochar, obtained from the carbonization of orchard pruning residues were analyzed on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mil.) in a pot experiment with four substrates. Lettuce plants were grown in poor soil (PS), poor soil plus biochar (PSB), poor soil plus compost (PSC) and poor soil ((in term of carbon content and nitrogen content) plus compost and biochar (PSCB). Tomato plants were grown in poor soil (PS), poor soil plus biochar (PSB), rich soil (in term of carbon content and nitrogen content) (RS) and rich soil plus biochar (RSB). The effects of different substrates were assessed by chemical, physical and microbiological analysis of soil. Additionally, a first screening was done on the potential toxicity of biochar on plant seeds, using Lepidium sativum as model species, and earthworm (Lombricus terrestris) as bioindicator of the soil quality (Standard methods: ISO 17512-1:2008). To accomplish this aim, the main chemical parameters of the substrates were analyzed: moisture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), ash, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total nitrogen (N), total and available phosphorus (P) and organic carbon (Corg). The main nutritional traits (free sugar, phenols, protein content, etc) were determined in plants. The amounts of toxic elements were assessed in plants and substrates. In detail, sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and main polychlorinated biphenyls were analyzed after automated Soxhlet extraction using 1:1 (v/v) acetone/hexane (EPA methods 3541) and quantified by GC-MS. The heavy metal concentrations were analyzed by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (ISO 11466). For microbiological analysis, the activity of 19 hydrolytic enzymes was assessed by API-ZYM system together with the analysis of total aerobic viable, cellulolytic and spore-forming bacteria. Experimental results showed that biochar was not toxic to biotic soil communities (seeds and earthworms). The chemical analysis of PS lettuce plants indicated that biochar increased EC, OM, total N, Corg, total and available P in PSB and PSCB. However, the highest increments were obtained in PSBC. The chemical analysis of soil growing tomato plants demonstrated that the biochar addition increased EC, OM, Corg, total N and moisture in PSB and RSB; whereas total and available P increased in PSB and RSB, respectively. Again, the highest increments were obtained in RSB. No variations were recorded in Cd, Cr, Co and Pb content between the different treatments. Microbiological analysis confirmed that biochar increased the microbe biomass and the enzymatic activities. Analyses of substrate-microbe-plant system provide an experimental framework that help defining the benefit and toxicity of biochar addition on physical and chemical properties of PS and RS, as well as the interactions with microbial communities.

Nowadays, approximately four TB of image data are collected daily by instruments mounted on satellite platforms, not to mention the data produced by a myriad of specific campaigns carried out through airborne instruments. Very high-resolution (VHR) multispectral scanners, IKONOS, QuickBird, GeoEye, WorldView, Pl´eiades, just to mention the most popular, and especially the related monospectral panchromatic instruments are responsible for a large part of the amount. Imaging spectrometers with tens to hundreds of bands will significantly contribute after the launch of the upcoming PRISMA and EnMap missions. In parallel, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation systems, TerraSAR-X/Tandem-X, COSMO-SkyMed, RadarSat-2, and the upcoming RadarSat-3 and Sentinel-2 are taking high-resolution microwave images of the Earth with ever improved temporal repetition capabilities. The availability of image data with spectral diversity (visible, near infrared, short wave infrared, thermal infrared, X- and C-band microwaves with related polarizations) and complementary spectral-spatial resolution, together with the peculiar characteristics of each image set, have fostered the development of fusion techniques specifically tailored to remotely sensed images of the Earth. Fusion aims at producing an extra value with respect to those separately available from the individual datasets. Though the results of fusion are more often analyzed by human experts to solve specific tasks (detection of landslides, flooded and burned areas, just to mention a few examples), partially supervised and also fully automated systems, most notably thematic classifiers, have started benefiting from fused images instead of separate datasets. The most prominent fusion methodology specifically designed for remote sensing images is the so-called panchromatic sharpening or pansharpening, which in general requires the presence of a broadband in the visible or visible near-infrared (V-NIR) wavelengths, with ground resolution that is two to six times greater than that of the narrow spectral bands. Multispectral pansharpening can be brought back to the launch of the first SPOT instrument, which was first equipped with a panchromatic scanner together with the multispectral one. Recently, hyperspectral pansharpening has also started being investigated by an increasing number of scientists, with the goal, for example, of coupling spatial and spectral detection capabilities in a unique image. The fusion of images from heterogeneous datasets, that is, of images produced by independent modalities that do not share either wavelengths or imaging mechanisms is a further task, which is pursued in remote sensing applications. A notable example is the sharpening of thermal bands through simultaneous visible near-infrared observations. This issue has also been largely addressed outside the scope of remote sensing, for detection applications, both military and civilian. A more unconventional and specific topic is the fusion of optical and SAR image data. Several fusion methods, in which an optical image is enhanced by a SAR image, have been developed for specific applications. The all-weather acquisition capability of SAR systems, however, makes a product with opposite features to appear even more attractive. The availability of a SAR image spectrally and/or spatially enhanced by an optical observation with possible spectral diversity is invaluable, especially because the optical data may not always be available, particularly in the presence of cloud covers, while SAR platforms capture images regardless of sunlight and meteorological conditions.

Objectives and Materials and Methods Biochar soil amendment is globally recognized as a strategy to improve soil fertility and to mitigate climate change. However, recently published researches, highlighted as the biochar effects on crops are more dependent by the site characteristics (climate, soil and other environmental parameters), than the intrinsic biochar characteristics, chemical and physical. In this view, the soil fertility could constrain the expected beneficial biochar effects. In our research, we have applied different levels of soil fertility to assess the effects of the biochar amendment on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The experiment was done on pot in a greenhouse during summer 2014. Lettuce plants were grown on poor soil (in term of carbon content and nitrogen content) (PS), poor soil plus biochar (PSB), poor soil plus compost (PSC) and poor soil plus compost and biochar (PSCB). Tomato plants were grown on poor soil (PS), poor soil plus biochar (PSB), rich soil (in term of carbon content and nitrogen content) (RS) and rich soil plus biochar (RSB). Each treatment was replicated 10 times. The biochar was obtained from the carbonization of orchard pruning residues and it was applied at rate of 65 g kg-1 dry weight of soil. The compost used was a commercial product (composted olive mill wastes) and it was applied at rate of 50 g kg-1 dry weight of soil . The lettuce and tomato plants were fully irrigated through the experimentation until harvest, after 9 weeks. Morphological traits of six plants for each treatment were weekly recorded and analyzed by Image J software. In detail, for lettuce the following leaves parameters were taken: number, area, length, width and perimeter; for tomato the measurements were taken on number of leaflets and compound leaves, stem height and branching. At harvest, the following tomato fruits parameters were measured: number, length and diameter. At the end of experiment, stem and root biomass allocation (fresh and dry weights) of lattuce and tomato plants were determined. Leaf water potential, gas exchange and chlorophyll content were measured during the experimentation on five randomly selected plants for each treatment. Results and Conclusion The lettuce experiment demonstrated that the morphological plant traits, both above and below ground, increased in plants grown in PSB, PSC and PSCB, compared to PS. Ecophysiological traits indicated that the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, leaf assimilation rate potential and water leaf potential were significantly higher in PSB respect to PS, while no significant differences were found between PSC and PSCB. The tomato experiment demonstrated a not so evident biochar effects on morphological and ecophysiological plant traits among substrate treatments. Our results indicated that biochar added to non-fertile soil increase yield of lettuce, thus, biochar could effectively be used to implement low-input cropping systems. On the other hand, biochar shows neutral/negative effects on tomato yield, without adding benefits to high-inputs crops as recently observed in field experiment.

Il biochar o carbone vegetale è un materiale costituito da una grana fine e porosa 10-15 volte superiore alla porosità di un suolo ed è costituito prevalentemente da carbonio organico. La buona capacità di ritenzione delle sostanze nutritive e dell'acqua potrebbero fare del biochar un ammendante ideale per la coltivazione delle piante in vaso e, grazie al suo alto potere di adsorbimento di sali, potrebbe garantire l'impiego nel florovivaismo anche di acque di mediocre qualità (saline). I risultati di una prova svolta su lauroceraso (Prunus laurocerasus L.) e fillirea (Phillyrea latifolia L.), utilizzando substrati con diverse percentuali di biochar ed acque irrigue a diversa salinità (800 ?S/cm e 1800 ?S/cm) hanno dimostrato che l'aggiunta del biochar al substrato di coltivazione non ha influito sull'accrescimento delle piante e ha fortemente limitato i danni da salinità nella specie sensibile, il lauroceraso.

I sottoprodotti derivati dalla trasformazione delle olive sono costituiti da acqua di vegetazione (refluo liquido) e da sansa vergine (refluo solido). Le sanse vergini, che fino al recente passato sono state prevalentemente destinate ai sansifici per l'estrazione mediante solventi chimici dell'olio, possono essere impiegate, come ammendante, in agricoltura. A causa dell'elevato contenuto in acqua delle sanse, l'estrazione dell'olio residuo diventa difficile e costosa, richiedendo un preliminare processo di essiccamento o l'uso di macchine centrifughe, tanto che i sansifici sempre più frequentemente rifiutano queste sanse. Negli ultimi anni il problema è andato aggravandosi anche a causa della riduzione dei consumi, e quindi del valore commerciale, dell'olio di sansa. Di conseguenza, mentre in passato la sansa costituiva una fonte di reddito per il frantoiano, cosa che non ha stimolato la ricerca di impieghi alternativi, attualmente sta diventando, al pari delle acque di vegetazione, un sottoprodotto da smaltire, e quindi un onere. Recentemente, sono state intensificate le ricerche per trovare soluzioni alternative, con particolare riferimento all'utilizzazione agronomica diretta delle sanse o alla produzione di composti attraverso un processo di trasformazione biologica aerobica. L'utilizzazione delle sanse come ammendante su terreni agrari sembra offrire ottime prospettive ma, ovviamente, è necessario valutare, in relazione alle caratteristiche del tipo di refluo, tutte le implicazioni sul piano colturale e sul terreno per ottimizzarne l'uso ed evitare rischi ambientali. Le sanse hanno un pH acido, un elevato contenuto in polifenoli e in sostanze grasse. L'obiettivo della ricerca è stato quello di indagare sull'uso della sansa unita al Biochar (carbone vegetale) come possibile ammendante in campo agricolo. Il Biochar o carbone vegetale si ottiene dalla pirolisi di biomasse vegetali, come i residui ed i sottoprodotti agricoli, contiene dall'80 al 90% in carbonio, ha una lunga permanenza nel suolo ed un pH basico. La sperimentazione è stata condotta in vaso, su loietto (Lollium perenne L.). L'apporto è stato in tutte le tesi di 30 t ha-1 per vaso . Dai primi risultati della sperimentazione risulta che la produzione di loietto è aumentata in tutte e due le tesi con sansa e biochar confrontando i risultati con il controllo e con le tesi solo con sansa.I primi risultati hanno dimostrato inoltre l'inclusione di sansa e biochar al terreno ha determinato un incremento del peso dell'apparato radicale, senza influire sostanzialmente sul numero e sulla lunghezza delle radici.

The pyrolysis conversion of agricultural residues into biochar and its incorporation in agricultural soil, avoids CO2 emissions providing a safe long-term soil carbon sequestration. Furthermore, biochar application to soil seems to increase nutrient stocks in the rooting zone, to reduce nutrient leaching and to improve crop yields. This study re- ports some preliminary results obtained using biochar in two typical Italian agricultural crops. Two field experiments were made on durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) in Central Italy and maize (Zea mays L.) in Northern Italy. In both the field experiments, an increase in yields (+ 10% and + 6% in terms of grain production, respectively) was detected after a biochar application of 10 t ha-1. A further increase in grain production (+24%) was detected when biochar was added with maize residues. The biochar dose-effect curve was studied on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in a pot experiment. The highest increase of dry matter (+120%) was obtained at a biochar rate of 60 t ha-1 and above this threshold, a general reduction of biomass was observed. Results demonstrate the potential of biochar applications to improve in terms of dry matter production, while pointing out the needs for long-term field studies to better understand the effects of biochar on soil.