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Background and aims Higher plants represent an optimal tool to regenerate resources while producing food in Space. However, the configuration of fertile cultivation substrates based on extraterrestrial resources is still a challenge. We evaluated the adaptability of potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. ‘Colomba’) to the growth on six substrates: the MMS-1 Mars regolith simulant, alone (R100) and in mixture with 30% in vol. of green compost (R70C30), a fluvial sand, alone or mixed with 30% of compost (S100 and S70C30), a red soil from Sicily (RS), and a volcanic soil from Campania (VS). Methods We assessed the physicochemical properties of the substrates, and the physiological and biometric parameters of potato plants grown in pot on these substrates, in cold glasshouse. Results Both R100 and S100 were alkaline (pH ≥ 8.6) and coarse-textured, lacking organic matter and pivotal macronutrients. The amendment with compost significantly lowered their alkaline pH and improved the chemical fertility. The sandy-loam textured VS was sub-alkaline, slightly calcareous, with higher organic C and nutrient availability than RS. This latter was neutral-to-sub-alkaline, clay textured, poorly calcareous, with significantly higher CEC than VS. Leaf CO2 assimilation rate was higher in plants grown in terrestrial soils and S100. Plant growth was greater in VS, R70C30 and S70C30, while it was reduced on R100. Plants produced healthy tubers on all the substrates. Conclusion MMS-1 regolith simulant was found poor in nutrients and unsuitable to sustain adequately the plant growth. Amendment with organic compost improved MMS-1 physiochemical properties and fertility and plant performance.

Future long-term space exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit and long permanence of human colonies on solar system planets will depend on the development of specific technologies able to regenerate resources, while minimizing the waste production, and to exploit the resources available in-situ. Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs) are artificial ecosystems in which appropriately selected organisms are assembled by combining their metabolic routes in consecutive steps of recycling, to reconvert the crew wastes (carbon dioxide, faeces and urine) into edible biomass, oxygen and potable water. Higher plants represent an optimal tool to renew air through photosynthesis, to purify water through transpiration, and to recover waste products through mineral nutrition, while providing fresh food and health benefits to the astronauts. However, the configuration of fertile substrates for plant cultivation based on extra-terrestrial resources is still a challenge.Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a candidate crop for space cultivation, based on technical and dietary criteria, including productivity and nutrient composition (content of carbohydrates and proteins). We evaluated the adaptability of potato cv. ‘Colomba’ to the growth on six substrates: the MMS-1 Mars regolith simulant, alone (R100) and in mixture with 30% in vol. of green compost (R70C30), a fluvial sand, alone or mixed with 30% of compost (S100 and S70C30), a red soil from Sicily (RS), and a volcanic soil from Campania (VS). We assessed the physicochemical properties of the substrates, the physiological and biometric parameters, and the nutritional quality of tubers in potato plants grown in pot on in cold glasshouse.Both R100 and S100 were alkaline (pH ≥8.6) and coarse-textured, lacking organic matter and pivotal macronutrients. The amendment with compost significantly lowered their alkaline pH and improved the chemical fertility. The sandy-loam textured VS was sub-alkaline, slightly calcareous, with higher organic C and nutrient availability than RS. This latter was neutral-to-sub-alkaline, clay textured, poorly calcareous, with significantly higher CEC than VS.Leaf photosynthesis was higher in plants grown in terrestrial soils and S100. Plant growth was greater in VS, R70C30 and S70C30, while it was reduced on R100. Plants produced healthy tubers on all the substrates.MMS-1 regolith simulant was found poor in nutrients and unsuitable to sustain adequately the plant growth. Amendment with organic compost improved MMS-1 physiochemical properties and fertility and plant performance.Keywords: Solanum tuberosum L., controlled environment, Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs), in situ resource utilization (ISRU), MMS

The in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), in terms of native rocky materials and astronaut wastes, is crucial in contests of soil-based space-farming. Nevertheless, extra-terrestrial soils are very different from Earth soils, lacking any form of organic carbon and associated macro and micronutrients. In this research, we aimed to study and modify two commercially available Lunar and Martian regolith simulants (LHS-1 from Exolith Lab and MMS-1 from Martian Garden) to make them an adequate medium for plant growth. Lettuce was chosen as reference crop to guide the discussion on the results obtained. To reach this main objective, we added to simulants a commercially available monogastric-based organic manure chosen as a substitute of a possible organic amendment produced onboard. The simulant/manure mixture rates were 100:0, 90:10, 70:30, 50:50; w:w. As expected, an approximately linear increase of total and bioavailable contents of macro (N, S, P, Ca, K, Mg) and micro (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) nutrients with increasing manure addition to simulants was observed. On the other hand, the very high pH of manure (pH, 9.02) along with its salinity (EC, 6.7 dS m−1) and sodicity (Na, 5.3 g kg−1), did not correct the already high pH of simulants (very high for LHS-1), but rather raised their soluble salt content and sodium amount on the exchange complex. In addition, an increase of toxic soluble aluminium and heavy elements (Pb, Ni, Cr, V) was observed, mainly in the strongly alkaline lunar simulant/manure mixtures. The addition of an organic source also produced a generalised improvement of water retention and hydraulic conductivity of both regolith simulants, in proportion to the percentage of manure addiction. For both situations, the best mixture ratio was 70:30. In terms of water retained, the LHS-1 mixtures benefited more than the MMS-1 ones by manure addition since water was held more in the “dry” (between −100 and −600 cm of matric potential head) than in the “humid” (between −25 and −100 cm of matric potential head) region of water retention. This would make LHS-1 mixtures more useful for cultivation of lettuce, at least in terms of physico-hydraulic properties. Nevertheless, the overall characterisation of the mixtures unveiled that MMS-1-based substrates can ensure better agronomic performances than LHS-1 ones, mainly due to lower pHs and higher nutrient availability; this divergent fertility was particularly evident at 90:10 simulant/manure rate and tend to be mitigated by increasing the levels of manure.

Oven-dry soil bulk density (BD) is a key soil parameter in biophysical models. Yet, its direct determination for large-scale modeling applications is limited by excessive efforts required for labor-demanding, time-consuming, expensive field campaigns and laboratory-based measurements. To circumvent these shortcomings, BD can be estimated using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) that, however, offer their optimal prediction capability if calibrated and validated within the area of interest. In this study, we exploited the availability of a dataset comprising 3,316 soil samples collected in the farmlands of Campania (a region of southern Italy) to develop regional PTFs for predicting BD using the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. RF was executed considering different combinations of seven soil and three terrain attributes with a 10-fold cross-validation approach to avoid performance overestimation. In light of the RF-based results, we further developed two new PTFs based on multiple linear regression equations. The first regression-based PTF was multiparametric and employed eight features (i.e., six soil properties and two terrain features as environmental covariates), whereas the second PTF was parsimonious and based on three easily available soil predictors. Both regression-based PTFs consistently outperformed 62 existing published PTFs. We also enhanced PTF prediction capabilities by employing regionalization through a clustering approach by grouping soil samples in ten land system classes. Finally, transferability of our models was tested using an external large independent dataset of 12,019 soil samples extracted from the European EU-HYDI database. The parsimonious PTF proved satisfactory prediction performance by corroborating results found in the Campania dataset.

Heavy payloads in future shuttle journeys to Mars present limiting factors, making self-sustenance essential for future colonies. Therefore, in situ resources utilization (ISRU) is the path to successful and feasible space voyages. This research frames the concept of planting leafy vegetables on Mars regolith simulant, ameliorating this substrate&rsquo, s fertility by the addition of organic residues produced in situ. For this purpose, two butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata) cultivars (green and red Salanova&reg, ) were chosen to be cultivated in four different mixtures of MMS-1 Mojave Mars simulant:compost (0:100, 30:70, 70:30 and 100:0, v:v) in a phytotron open gas exchange growth chamber. The impact of compost rate on both crop performance and the nutritive value of green- and red-pigmented cultivars was assessed. The 30:70 mixture proved to be optimal in terms of crop performance, photosynthetic activity, intrinsic water use efficiency and quality traits of lettuce. In particular, red Salanova&reg, showed the best performance in terms of these quality traits, registering 32% more phenolic content in comparison to 100% simulant. Nonetheless, the 70:30 mixture represents a more realistic scenario when taking into consideration the sustainable use of compost as a limited resource in space farming, while still accepting a slight significant decline in yield and quality in comparison to the 30:70 mixture.

Plant cultivation systems for Bioregenerative Life-Support Systems in Space developed on Earth need to be tested in space, where reduced gravity alters the liquid and gas behavior both within the plant and between the plant and its surrounding environment, making the distribution of water and nutrients a critical issue. The ESA project "Precursor of Food Production Unit" (PFPU) aims to design a modular cultivation system for edible tuberous plants (such as potato and sweet potato) in microgravity, to be preliminary tested in ground conditions in the view of successive space application. Among the different modules of the PFPU demonstrator, the Root Module (RM) is the component physically hosting the plant and accommodating tubers and roots. This paper describes the step-by-step procedure adopted to realize the RM, including the design, the building, and the ground testing of its prototype. Specifically, the hydrological characterization of possible cultivation substrates, the set-up of the water distribution system, and the validation test of the assembled prototype in a tuber-to-tuber growing cycle of potato plants are described. Among six substrates tested, including three organic materials and three synthetic materials, cellulosic sponge was selected as the best one, based on the hydrological behavior in terms of air and water transport and water retention capacity. The water sensor WaterScout was successfully calibrated to monitor the water status in cellulosic sponge and to drive irrigation and fertigation management. The designed porous tubes-based distribution system, integrated with water sensors, was able to provide water or nutrient solution in a timely and uniform way in cellulosic sponge.

In this study, the performance of 63 existing pedotransfer functions (PTFs) is evaluated to estimate oven-dry soil bulk density (BD) by using a dataset of 3316 soil cores taken in the farmlands of Campania (southern Italy). As expected, the lack of direct calibration yields prediction accuracy from unsatisfactory to rather weak. Therefore, we advance the working hypothesis that the use of hierarchical soil mapping information can make the application of existing PTFs more reliable. We show that grouping data according to land-systems classes or soil groups considerably improves the prediction ability quantified through the root mean squared error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R2). An independent data set of 105 soil cores taken from two hillslopes in the Upper Alento River Catchment in southern Campania was used to verify our assumption. The validation step shows that the knowledge of a soil-landscape map is an efficient tool for improving the prediction of BD. This approach will be employed in a subsequent study to develop site-specific PTFs for the study region.

The present study examined the modulatory effects of natural fiber substrates (agave fiber, coconut fiber and peat moss) and synthetic alternatives (capillary mat and cellulose sponge) on the nutritive and phytochemical composition of select microgreens species (coriander, kohlrabi and pak choi) grown in a controlled environment. Polyphenols were analyzed by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS, major carotenoids by HPLC-DAD, and macro-minerals by ion chromatography. Microgreens grown on peat moss had outstanding fresh and dry yield but low dry matter content. Natural fiber substrates increased nitrate and overall macro-mineral concentrations in microgreens compared to synthetic substrates. The concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenoids and ascorbate were influenced primarily by species. On the contrary, variability in polyphenols content was wider between substrates than species. Out of twenty phenolic compounds identified, chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside were most abundant. Hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives accounted for 49.8% of mean phenolic content across species, flavonol glycosides for 48.4% and flavone glycosides for 1.8%. Peat moss provided optimal physicochemical conditions that enhanced microgreens growth rate and biomass production at the expense of phenolic content. In this respect, the application of controlled stress (eustress) on microgreens growing on peat moss warrants investigation as a means of enhancing phytochemical composition without substantial compromise in crop performance and production turnover. Finally, nitrate deprivation practices should be considered for microgreens grown on natural fiber substrates in order to minimize consumer exposure to nitrate.

The configuration of a biologically active and fertile substrate consisting mainly of Martian regolith to facilitate the growth of edible plants during long-term manned missions to Mars constitutes one of the main challenges in spatial research. Regolith amendment with compost derived from recycled crew effluent crop waste generated by bioregenerative life support systems constitutes a substrate that may contribute to upgrade crew autonomy and long-term survival in space. In this context, the present work aimed to: i) study the geochemical and mineralogical composition of MMS-1 Mars simulant and the physicochemical and hydraulic properties of mixtures obtained by mixing MMS-1 and green compost at varying rates (0:100, 30:70, 70:30, 100:0; v:v); ii) evaluate the potential use of MMS-1 as growing medium of two lettuce cultivars; iii) assess how compost addition may impact on sustainability of space agriculture exploiting local resources. MMS-1 is a coarse-textured alkaline substrate consisting mostly of plagioclase, amorphous material and, to a lesser extent, zeolite, hematite and smectites. Although it can be source of nutrients, it lacks of organic matter, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S), which may be supplied by compost. Both lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars were able to grow on all mixtures for 19 days under fertigation. Red Salanova lettuce produced a statistically-greater dry biomass, leaf area and number than green Salanova. Leaf area and plant dry biomass were higher on 30:70 simulant/compost mixture. The shoot/root ratio of plants decreased as simulant in growth substrate increased. Lack of biological fertility and possible salt stress negatively impacted on plants grown in non-amended simulant. Our results show that it is possible to grow crops in Martian simulants adequately amended and fertilized. However, many remaining issue warrant further investigation concerning the dynamics of compost production, standardization of supply during long-term manned missions and representativeness of simulants to real Martian regolith.

The configuration of a biologically fertile substrate for edible plant growth during long-term manned missions to Mars constitutes one of the main challenges in space research. Mars regolith amendment with compost derived from crew and crop waste in bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) may generate a substrate able to extend crew autonomy and long-term survival in space. In this context, the aim of our work was threefold: first, to study the geochemistry and mineralogy of Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS-1) and the physico-chemical and hydraulic properties of mixtures obtained by mixing MMS-1 and green compost at varying rates (0:100, 30:70, 70:30, 100:0; v:v); secondly, to evaluate the potential use of MMS-1 as a growing medium of two lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars; thirdly, to assess how compost addition may impact on sustainability of space agriculture by exploiting in situ resources. MMS-1 is a coarse-textured alkaline substrate consisting mostly of plagioclase, amorphous material and secondarily of zeolite, hematite and smectites. Although it can be a source of nutrients, it lacks organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, which may be supplied by compost. Both cultivars grew well on all mixtures for 19 days under fertigation. Red Salanova lettuce produced a statistically higher dry biomass, leaf number and area than Green Salanova. Leaf area and plant dry biomass were the highest on 30:70 simulant:compost mixture. Nevertheless, the 70:30 mixture was the best substrate in terms of pore-size distribution for water-plant relationship and the best compromise for plant growth and sustainable use of compost, a limited resource in BLSS. Many remaining issues warrant further investigation concerning the dynamics of compost production, standardisation of supply during space missions and representativeness of simulants to real Mars regolith.

During the second half of the 20th century farming systems in hilly and mountainous areas of Mediterranean Europe were progressively abandoned and the forest cover subsequently re-expanded. This paper investigates the environmental impacts of land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes on hydrological ecosystem functions (HEFs) in the Upper Alento River Catchment (UARC) in southern Italy. We document the human-driven post-war landscape in 1955 with its maximum expansion of pasture and crops. By 1998 forest cover had doubled and cropland had roughly halved due to decades of land abandonment and reduction in human pressure. In 2015 secondary forests occupied about 70% of the catchment and orchards about 20%. The 1998 land-use scenario was implemented within the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment (AGWA) model which was calibrated and validated by direct water yield measurements recorded in the period 1995–2004 in the water reservoir delimited by an earth-dam located at the UARC outlet. Numerical simulations, assumed under “steady” climate conditions, offer “pseudo-realistic” scenarios that help interpret differences in water budget and sediment transport when the 1998 land-use scenario is compared to those of 1955 and 2015. With reference to funding opportunities offered by the European Union in the recent decades, this study provides some practical guidance on the impact of cropland reconversion on HEFs and on measures to mitigate soil erosion in this Mediterranean area. Viewed from the demand-side perspective, natural re-expansion of forest and afforestation reduce water yield and increase actual evapotranspiration. However, our modeling results are framed also within a supply-side approach examining the sensitivity of water yield to precipitation characteristics.

Agricultural terraces are often subject to degradation issues related to water movement. A better understanding of the main hydrological processes that govern surface and subsurface water flow pathways and that are responsible for terrace failure and dry-stone wall collapse is essential for appropriate water resource management and rural landscape maintenance in terraced areas. However, a clear conceptualization of different hydrological functioning related to wall instability issues is still missing. In this study we monitored a terrace system in a hilly site of central Italy cultivated with vineyards. We adopted a multidisciplinary approach based on soil analysis, different geophysical techniques, hydrological monitoring, high-resolution grid terrain analysis and field experiments (infiltration and flooding tests) aiming to i) obtain new information of terrace soil and subsoil structure; ii) test the hypothesis on wall instability based on the formation of preferential flow and water accumulation behind the wall; and iii) develop a conceptual model of water circulation in agricultural terraces. Our results indicate that terrace soil was highly heterogeneous including discontinuities and piping systems that facilitated a rapid infiltration and the development of fast subsurface flow. Groundwater rise did not occur, as observed in other terraced sites, but infiltrated water accumulated behind dry-stone walls, increasing pore water pressure and inducing wall bulging and instability. Our findings provided new field evidences of water circulation and led to the definition of a novel paradigm of hydrological functioning of farming terraced systems for addressing more efficient management and maintenance issues in these vulnerable landscapes.

Negli ultimi vent’anni vi è stato un significativo sviluppo dei sistemi di gestione dell’acqua irrigua, principalmente grazie all’innovazione delle tecniche di misura in-situ e remote, integrate con i modelli matematici per la descrizione dei processi di scambio di massa e di energia nel continuum suolo-pianta-atmosfera. I modelli distribuiti di bilancio idrico del suolo, sviluppati già alla fine negli anni ’90 grazie al rapido sviluppo dei siste-mi di calcolo automatico, costituivano potenzialmente dei validi strumenti di supporto alla gestione delle risorse idriche in agricoltura. Tuttavia, la loro applicazione in aree va-ste risentiva di forti limitazioni dovute alla difficoltà di acquisire dati rappresentativi del-la variabilità spaziale e temporale delle forzanti meteorologiche, dello stato dei suoli e delle colture. La svolta in ambito applicativo si è avuta con la diffusione dei dati ottenuti mediante il telerilevamento da satellite a costi contenuti. Attraverso il telerilevamento è oggi possibile monitorare l’evoluzione dello stato delle colture con elevata risoluzione spaziale ed elevata frequenza temporale. Questi dati di origine satellitare possono essere assimilati nei modelli di bilancio idrologico del suolo, al fine di fornire previsioni più ac-curate del fabbisogno irriguo. Ulteriori progressi sono stati raggiunti di recente con l’introduzione dei dati di previsione dei modelli meteorologici numerici. Questi modelli offrono oggi una rappresentazione sufficientemente accurata delle variabili meteorologi-che di interesse al suolo, anche in forma probabilistica. Attraverso i dati di previsione meteorologica è possibile quindi anche produrre previsioni dei fabbisogni irrigui con un anticipo di diversi giorni, con una valutazione dell’incertezza associata alla previsione.

L’erosione idrica del suolo dipende sia da fattori naturali sia da azioni antropiche ed è notevolmente influenzata dalla aggressività della precipitazione (la cosiddetta erosività, R). Per valutazioni accurate di questo fattore climatico è necessario disporre di ampie serie storiche di dati di pioggia con aggregazione sub-oraria che, purtroppo, sono invece disponibili solo per un numero ridotto di stazioni, peraltro spesso distribuite in modo poco uniforme su un territorio di interesse. L’ammodernamento delle reti pluviometriche con sensori automatici ha reso più agevole disporre di tali informazioni, ma solo per gli ultimi 10-15 anni. Pertanto, soprattutto per scopi tecnico-applicativi, è necessario ricorrere a metodi di stima semplificati che utilizzano principalmente dati di pioggia giornaliera, solitamente più numerosi e rilevati in stazioni ben distribuite spazialmente. Dal punto di vista operativo, è altresì necessario fornire indicazioni circa il grado di incertezza associata all’uso di relazioni empiriche semplificate rispetto a metodi più rigorosi. In questo studio sono stati utilizzati dati di pioggia giornaliera in Regione Campania aggiornati al 2017 e sono state utilizzate tre diverse espressioni empiriche per stimare l’indice R. I risultati ottenuti sono stati confrontati con quelli che derivano da un metodo di stima più accurato e hanno confermato l’importanza di analizzare i caratteri di erosività in termini stagionali. Le analisi hanno anche consentito di identificare i periodi dell’anno in cui sono da attendersi maggiori incertezze nelle stime semplificate dell’aggressività della precipitazione.

Groundwater contamination is one of the major environmental problems throughout the world. This is partly because groundwater can transport a substance quite easily and even extensively toward a receptor. Agriculture is a weak link in this context since, for example, fresh produce irrigated with low-quality water is a major factor contributing to some human diseases. Apart from pathogenic microorganisms, a gross source of groundwater contamination is by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this paper, we present and discuss a monitoring activity of transport processes in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum to evaluate the effectiveness of a sprinkler irrigation system specifically-designed to reduce the COVs’ concentrations in a contaminated site. For phytoremediation purposes, this test site is planted with poplar trees.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the capability of hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides × Populus nigra) to reduce cadmium (Cd) concentrations in an experimental site of Campania Region (southern Italy) subjected to illegal deposit of industrial and household waste. We propose to evaluate the efficiency of poplar for Cd phytoextraction by coupling the use of a process-based, distributed hydrological model (HydroGeoSphere, HGS) with photogrammetric images acquired by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This scenario-based approach exploits in-situ measurements so as to be able to reproduce reliable near-real-world processes. The original bare soil (BS; unplanted reference location) is used as benchmark and compared to the situation where poplar trees are planted (PP) for bioremediation purposes. The ‘virtual’ positions of poplars were chosen by considering the expected Cd accumulation areas that are correlated to topographic indices retrieved from the high-resolution (0.03 × 0.03 m) digital elevation model (DEM) generated by UAV photogrammetric photos. Transfer and accumulation of Cd in the poplars were described by a time-variant sink term featuring the HGS transport equation. The numerical simulations show that poplar trees are able to reduce Cd concentrations by 15%, 36%, and 64% in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. Coupling an advanced 3D hydrological model with a high-resolution DEM generated by UAV-photogrammetry seems a promising and viable approach for assessing the efficiency of phytoremediation techniques.

This paper deals with the environmental characterization of a large and densely populated area, with a poor reputation for contamination, considering the contribution of environmental features (air, soil, soil hydraulic and groundwater) and the potential effects on human health. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) has made possible a georeferenced inventory and, by overlaying environmental information, an operational synthesis of comprehensive environmental conditions. The cumulative effects on environmental features were evaluated, taking into account superposition effects, by means of the spatial multicriteria decision analysis (S-MCDA). The application of the S-MCDA for converging the combination of heterogeneous factors, related to soil, land and water, deeply studied by heterogeneous groups of experts, constitutes the novelty of the paper. The results confirmed an overall higher potential of exposure to contaminants in the environment and higher mortality rates in the study area for some tumours, but hospital admissions for tumours were generally similar to the regional trend. Besides, mortality data may be strictly dependent on the poor socioeconomic conditions, quality of therapy and a lack of welfare in the area relative to the rest of Italy. Finally, as regards the possible relationship between presence of contaminants in the environment and health conditions of the population no definite conclusions can be drawn, although the present study encourages the use of the new proposed methods, that increase the possibilities for studying the combined effect of more environmental factors.

Cultivation of vegetables under plastic tunnels is a steadily growing farming system, nevertheless there are concerns about its environmental sustainability. This work tests a new cultivation system based on the application of photo-selective mulching films to the soil combined with beneficial microbes to improve crop yield, save irrigation water and enhance crop irrigation water productivity. A two-year project was carried out in three farms of southern Italy that practice cultivation in greenhouses with different soil characteristics. Photo-selective mulching films (PS) were used alone or in combination with microbial consortia (M) containing beneficial microbes (i.e. antagonistic fungi of the genus Trichoderma, mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Glomus and the plant growth promoting bacterium Bacillus subtilis) and compared with black plastic mulching (B). Soil temperature, soil water content, and irrigation water volumes were continuously monitored for eight cropping cycles including tomato, sweet pepper, lettuce, melon, and kohlrabi. Crop yields were assessed at the end of each cycle. PS films in combination with M significantly increased crop yields with respect to control, with the most positive effects on winter crops. Soil temperature under PS was consistently lower than that under B mulch. All mulching films allowed the saving of irrigation water compared with untreated control, but no difference was detected between PS and B. However, PS increases crop irrigation water productivity (CIWP) compared with B film in 25% of the experimental cases. In conclusion, our results indicate that combining PS films with beneficial microbes in cultivation under plastic tunnel greenhouses promotes crop yield and increases CIWP compared with control in 87.5% and 75% of the study cases, respectively.

Innovative experimental field designs and methods are instrumental for dissecting hydrological processes in hillslopes. However, experimental studies at the catchment scale are rarely affordable to most research groups, and laboratory flumes are oversimplified to reproduce natural phenomena. In this work, we present the innovative “hybrid” experimental plot of Cape Fear, which features controllable water fluxes and boundary conditions, but it is directly exposed to external atmospheric agents. We demonstrate the suitability of Cape Fear to study hydrological phenomena through a feasibility test, whereby the response of the plot to a natural storm is in line with the well-known hydrological response of natural hillslopes. Future studies will address the influence of the plot geometry parameters on rill formation.

This paper deals with the environmental characterization of a large and densely populated area, with a poor reputation for contamination, considering the contribution of environmental features (air, soil, soil hydraulic and groundwater) and the potential effects on human health. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) has made possible a georeferenced inventory and, by overlaying environmental information, an operational synthesis of comprehensive environmental conditions. The cumulative effects on environmental features were evaluated, taking into account superposition effects, by means of the Spatial MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (S-MCDA). The application of the S-MCDA for converging the combination of heterogeneous factors, related to soil, land and water, deeply studied by heterogeneous groups of experts, constitutes the novelty of the paper. The results confirmed an overall higher potential of exposure to contaminants in the environment and higher mortality rates in the study area for some tumours, but hospital admissions for tumours were generally similar to the regional trend. Besides, mortality data may be strictly dependent on the poor socioeconomic conditions, quality of therapy and a lack of welfare in the area relative to the rest of Italy. Finally, as regards the possible relationship between presence of contaminants in the environment and health conditions of the population no definite conclusions can be drawn, although the present study encourages the use of the new proposed methods, that increase the possibilities for studying the combined effect of more environmental factors.

Hillslope processes are fundamental for the comprehension of the hydrological response of natural systems. However, their complexity demands real time and continuous observations. In this paper, we assess the feasibility of studying streamflow generation processes at Cape Fear, a "hybrid" hillslope plot at University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. Cape Fear is a 7 × 7 m2 confined soil-filled wood-sided plot, whose water fluxes can be continuously monitored. The plot design is simple, yet versatile to test hypotheses on the hydrological response of hillslope areas. The suitability of the plot for investigating runoff generation and hillslope processes is presented through a demonstrative experiment in the case of a natural rainfall event. A combination of traditional and innovative measurement techniques confirms that runoff onset is due to saturation overland flow. Future studies will address the influence of diverse land covers and spatial pathways evolution on the response at the hillslope scale.

We investigate the potential impact of accounting for seasonal variations in the climatic forcing and using different methods to parameterize the soil water content at field capacity on the water balance components computed by a bucket model (BM). The single-layer BM of Guswa et al. (2002) is employed, whereas the Richards equation (RE) based Soil Water Atmosphere Plant (SWAP) model is used as a benchmark model. The results are analyzed for two differently-textured soils and for some synthetic runs under real-like seasonal weather conditions, using stochastically-generated daily rainfall data for a period of 100 years. Since transient soil-moisture dynamics and climatic seasonality play a key role in certain zones of the World, such as in Mediterranean land areas, a specific feature of this study is to test the prediction capability of the bucket model under a condition where seasonal variations in rainfall are not in phase with the variations in plant transpiration. Reference is made to a hydrologic year in which we have a rainy period (starting 1 November and lasting 151 days) where vegetation is basically assumed in a dormant stage, followed by a drier and rainless period with a vegetation regrowth phase. Better agreement between BM and RE-SWAP intercomparison results are obtained when BM is parameterized by a field capacity value determined through the drainage method proposed by Romano and Santini (2002). Depending on the vegetation regrowth or dormant seasons, rainfall variability within a season results in transpiration regimes and soil moisture fluctuations with distinctive features. During the vegetation regrowth season, transpiration exerts a key control on soil water budget with respect to rainfall. During the dormant season of vegetation, the precipitation regime becomes an important climate forcing. Simulations also highlight the occurrence of bimodality in the probability distribution of soil moisture during the season when plants are dormant, reflecting that soil, it being of coarser or finer texture, can be preferentially in either wetter or drier states over this period.

An efficient use of water for irrigation is a challenging task. From an agronomical point of view, it requires establishing the optimal amount of water to be supplied, at the correct time, based on phenological phase and water stress spatial distribution. Indeed, the knowledge of the actual water stress is essential for agronomic decisions, vineyards need to be managed to maintain a moderate water stress, thus allowing to optimize berries quality and quantity. Methods for quickly quantifying where, when and in what extent, vines begin to experience water stress are beneficial. Traditional point based methodologies, such those based on Scholander pressure chamber, even if well established are time expensive and do not give a comprehensive picture of the vineyard water deficit. Earth Observation (E.O.) based methodologies promise to achieve a synoptic overview of the water stress. Some E.O. data, indeed, sense the territory in the thermal part of the spectrum and, as it is well recognized, leaf radiometric temperature is related to the plant water status. However, current satellite sensors have not detailed enough spatial resolution to detect pure canopy pixels; thus, the pixel radiometric temperature characterizes the whole soil-vegetation system, and in variable proportions. On the other hand, due to limits in the actual crop dusters, there is no need to characterize the water stress distribution at plant scale, and a coarser spatial characterization would be sufficient. The research aims to assess to what extent: 1) E.O. based canopy radiometric temperature can be used, straightforwardly, to detected plant water status; 2) E.O. based canopy transpiration, would be more suitable (or not) to describe the spatial variability in plant water stress. To these aims: 1) radiometric canopy temperature measured in situ, and derived from a two-source energy balance model applied on airborne data, were compared with in situ leaf water potential from freshly cut leaves; 2) two source energy balance components were validated trough flux tower measures, then, the actual canopy latent heat flux is compared to in situ leaf water potential.

Characterization of soil hydraulic behavior at large scales using traditional methods is time-consuming and very costly. Efficient and cheap means of providing hydrological models with such information are procedures based on pedotransfer functions (PTFs) that estimate soil hydraulic parameters from easily measurable or already available soil physical data. Major objectives of this study are to compare the prediction performance of some published PTFs and to improve their predictive capability by accounting for certain landscape variables, such as slope, aspect, and wetness index, for example. This additional information can be easily extracted from a digital elevation model of the area under study. While topographic attributes have shown potential for mapping soil properties over a region with higher precision and simplifying estimation of some model parameters, the challenge is also to examine whether, and to what extent, ancillary data of this kind can specifically contribute to improve the predictions of soil hydraulic characteristics. Since the most recent distributed hydrological models rely even more on an accurate representation of landscape features, improving PTFs with the inclusion of topographic variables is in line with this tendency. Statistical indices of goodness-of-fit are calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. It is shown, for example, that systematic biases in water retention predictions from an original PTF can be conveniently corrected by adding some primary or compound terrain attributes. The results confirm the role of terrain variables in assessing the spatial patterns of soil hydraulic characteristics.

Within the framework of a research project examining the spatial variability of hydraulic characteristics of soil intended for irrigation, some of the more frequently used analytical expressions describing the laws linking diffusivity D to the water content of the soil 􀀅 were verified. By studying the flow field of soil samples tested in the laboratory, under one-dimensional wetting and drying cycles, it has been found that the laws of hydraulic diffusivity of the exponential types can be ascribed to them. Finally, a simplified laboratory method was proposed which, with the aid of nomographs, allows the definition of the law D(􀀅) to be easily arrived at.

Tree crops are representing one of most widespread agricultural systems in Mediterranean regions, thus contributing in a substantial way to the economy and productivity of primary sectors of the countries interested. Besides the aspects concerning their economical relevance, tree crops like vineyards, olive and orange orchards are also typical elements of the Mediterranean landscape, and their ecological role has been recently revitalised in consideration of their function as carbon sinks for the Kyoto agreement. The environmental and economical sustainability of these agricultural systems in arid and semi-arid zones has to cope with the availability and management of water resources for irrigation. During recent years there has been a substantial progress in understanding the evolution of evapotranspiration processes in cropping systems, and detailed models and measurement techniques have been set-up for describing the mass and energy exchanges in the soil-plant- atmosphere continuum. However, due to the complexity of rooting systems and aerial parts further steps are needed for a full comprehension of hydrological processes in tree crop systems, with special regard to water stress conditions. Within the research project P.R.I.N. 2008 “ Assessment of mass and energy fluxes for the irrigation management of Mediterranean tree crops ” different techniques for measuring evapotranspiration fluxes in tree crops will be developed and tested, from innovative methodologies based on remote sensing observations to in-situ observations (xylem-flow measurements and micro-meteorology). These data-sets have be interpreted by means of physical approaches, with a modelling perspective of the observed processes.

Neutropenia is a hematologic adverse event characterized by an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) lower than 1500 cells/mL. This reduction may be due to decreased neutrophil production, accelerated use, a shift in compartments of neutrophils, or a combination of these factors. Neutropenia is often associated with infections, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. In patients with multiple myeloma, the novel agents thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib have improved outcome, but chemotherapy-related neutropenia should be carefully considered. Chemotherapy-related high-risk factors for severe neutropenia include regimens with an expected neutropenia rate of > 50%, such as the 3-drug combinations including lenalidomide plus alkylating agents or doxorubicin, whereas low-risk regimens include combinations of the novel agents with dexamethasone alone. Patient characteristics, disease stage, type of current and previous treatment, and ANC < 1000 cells/mL at baseline are additional factors that define the risk of severe neutropenia. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) should be used to manage chemotherapy-related neutropenia so that patients may stay on treatment for a longer time and benefit from it. Primary G-CSF prophylaxis should be used when high-risk regimens are administered or when low/intermediate-risk regimens are used and additional risk factors are present. Reactive G-CSF treatment is indicated when patients undergoing low-risk chemotherapy experience grade 3/4 neutropenia. If ANC restores to > 1000 cells/mL, therapy can be resumed with no dose modifications. In case of persistence of severe neutropenia, treatment should be delayed until ANC reaches > 1000 cells/mL, and dose reductions are necessary.

Spatial and temporal information of soil water content is of essential importance for modelling of land surface processes in hydrological studies and applications for operative systems of irrigation management. In the last decades, several remote sensing domains have been considered in the context of soil water content monitoring, ranging from active and passive microwave to optical and thermal spectral bands. In the framework of an experimental campaign in Southern Italy in 2007, two innovative methodologies to retrieve soil water content information from airborne earth observation (E.O.) data were exploited: a) analyses of the dependence of surface temperature of vegetation with soil water content using thermal infrared radiometer (TIR), and b) estimation of superficial soil moisture content using reflectance in the visible and near infrared regions acquired from optical sensors. The first method (a) is applicable especially at surfaces completely covered with vegetation, whereas the second method is preferably applicable at surfaces without or with sparse vegetation. The synergy of both methods allows the establishment of maps of spatially distributed soil water content. Results of the analyses are presented and discussed, in particular in view of an operative context in irrigation studies.

In the context of agricultural applications, the knowledge of soil moisture availability is an essential aspect for irrigation management. The microwave waveband region (SAR) has been primarily used to estimate soil moisture from Earth Observation (E.O.) data. However, the optical domain (0.4 – 2.5 µm) may as well offer the possibility to get information about soil moisture since an overall decr ease of soil reflectance corres ponds to increasing surface soil water content. Data from two different experiments (ESA SPARC and AgriSAR) have been exploited aiming at estimating soil moisture from optical E.O. data by using the radiative transfer model PROSAILH. A soil scale factor ( D ) was introduced into the model and estimated using a LUT inversion technique. Relatively high negative relationships between the D factor and the measured soil water content (up to R 2 = 0.73) could be found for several crop types with low vegetation cover. The results of this study indicate the potential to retrieve surface soil moisture information from optical E.O. data for similar soil types. The method gives the advantage of retrieving simultaneously soil and canopy characteristics from the same E.O. data sources by using a physical method of parameter estimation. Keywords: Soil moisture, optical data, D - factor, model inversion, PROSAILH

[1] Basic soil properties have long been used to predict unsaturated soil hydraulic properties with pedotransfer function (PTFs). Implementation of such PTFs is usually not feasible for catchment-scale studies because of the experimental effort that would be required. On the other hand, topographical attributes are often readily available. This study therefore examines how well PTFs perform that use both basic soil properties and topographical attributes for a hillslope in Basilicata, Italy. Basic soil properties and hydraulic data were determined on soil samples taken at 50-m intervals along a 5-km hillslope transect. Topographical attributes were determined from a digital elevation model. Spearman coefficients showed that elevation (z) was positively correlated with organic carbon (OC) and silt contents (0.62 and 0.59, respectively) and negatively with bulk density (ρb) and sand fraction (−0.34 and −0.37). Retention parameters were somewhat correlated with topographical attributes z, slope (β), aspect (cosϕ), and potential solar radiation. Water contents were correlated most strongly with elevation (coefficient between 0.38 and 0.48) and aspect during “wet” conditions. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were developed for 21 different sets of predictors to estimate retention parameters, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), and water contents at capillary heads h = 50 cm and 12 bar (103 cm). The prediction of retention parameters could be improved with 10% by including topography (RMSE = 0.0327 cm3 cm−3) using textural fractions, ρb, OC, z, and β as predictors. Furthermore, OC became a better predictor when the PTF also used z as predictor. The water content at h = 50 cm could be predicted 26% more accurately (RMSE = 0.0231 cm3cm−3) using texture, ρb, OC, z, β, and potential solar radiation as input. Predictions of ANNs with and without topographical attributes were most accurate in the wet range (0 < h < 250 cm). Semivariograms of the hydraulic parameters and their residuals showed that the ANNs could explain part of the (spatial) variability. The results of this study confirm the utility of topographical attributes such as z, β, cosϕ, and potential solar radiation as predictors for PTFs when basic soil properties are available. A next step would be the use of topographical attributes when no or limited other predictors are available.

Scarce water resources frequently limit crop production in semi-arid lands. Drip irrigation may constitute a method for sagacious management of water resources, but there is still limited information on its use for sugar beet crop in Mediterranean environments. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of irrigation on sucrose accumulation and root yield, as well as on sugar beet physiological responses, and to compare drip and low-pressure sprinkler (high efficiency) irrigation performances for sugar quality. As the main scope of the study was to give indications to allow water saving, the comparison focused on the best irrigation method when a similar amount of water was applied. Sugar beets were grown in an experimental field site in southern Italy (Molise Region) for two consecutive growing seasons (1999/2000 and 2000/2001). The water applied ranged from 50, 75, and 100% of the estimated evapotranspiration (ET); unirrigated sugar beets were taken as control plants. In both years, harvest was completed in two periods. Increasing volume of water replaced was advantageous for crop performances, and yield and physiological responses of sugar beets drip irrigated with 75% of estimated ET matched in most cases those of low-pressure sprinkler irrigated with 100% of estimated ET, resulting in potential 25% of water volume saving. In general, drip irrigation influenced positively many of the considered physiological and technological parameters, as compared to low-pressure sprinkler irrigation. Differences in root production and sugar quality between the two harvest periods were not significant. Results indicate that (1) increasing the amount of water applied gives benefits in terms of sugar beet root yield and sucrose accumulation, (2) drip irrigation (even applied every-other-furrow) appears to be consistently advantageous with respect to low-pressure sprinkler irrigation for sugar beet performances in semi-arid environments, (3) there are indications that suggest sugar beet growers should harvest in advance (of traditional harvest dates).

International Conference, University of Naples (ITA), 2008/06/16-17; absent