Scientific Journals of INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria)
Not a member yet
3042 research outputs found
Sort by
Short communication: Farmers’ opinions on chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) supply chain development strategies: A case study in Central Italy
Get PDFAim of the study: To identify the priority strategy for the strengthening of the chestnut supply chain through a participatory approach.Area of study: Mugello-Val di Sieve inTuscany region (Italy).Material and methods: The data were collected by administering a questionnaire to a sample of 126 chestnut growers (83 chestnut growers enrolled and 43 not enrolled in the Consortium of “Marronedel Mugello Protected Geographical Indication”) to identify the priority objectives and activities to develop the chestnut supply chain.Main results: It is necessary to develop a diversified strategy to stimulate the chestnut production and simultaneously enhance the marketing of the product in order to revive the chestnut cultivation inTuscany region. The main activities to be pursued are the implementation of silvicultural treatments of chestnut orchards and the integrated fight against chestnut gall wasp to increase the productivity and strengthen the “Marronedel Mugello Protected Geographical Indication” brand.Research highlights: Participatory approach is a fundamental instrument to define a common strategy to strengthen chestnut supply chain at local level
A generic fuel moisture content attenuation factor for fire spread rate empirical models
Get PDFAim of study: To develop a fuel moisture content (FMC) attenuation factor for empirical forest fire spread rate (ROS) models in general fire propagation conditions.Methods: The development builds on the assumption that the main FMC-damping effect is a function of fuel ignition energy needs.Main results: The generic FMC attenuation factor was successfully used to derive ROS models from laboratory tests (n = 282) of fire spread in no-wind and no-slope, slope-, and wind-aided conditions. The ability to incorporate the FMC attenuation factor in existing field-based ROS models for shrubland fires and grassland wildfires (n = 123) was also positively assessed.Research highlights: Establishing a priori the FMC-effect in field fires benefits the proper assessment of the remaining variables influence, which is normally eluded by heterogeneity in fuel bed properties and correlated fuel descriptors
Effect of environmental factors on the composition of terrestrial bryophyte and lichen species in Scots pine forests on fixed sand dunes
Get PDFAim of the study: To investigate terrestrial bryophyte and lichen species richness and environmental factors affecting the composition of species.
Area of the study: Four Boreal zone fixed dunes were selected in the coastal area of the Baltic Sea in southwest Estonia.
Material and methods: Non-metric multidimensional scaling was performed to analyse distribution patterns and environmental factors like canopy cover, photosynthetically active radiation, soil organic horizon thickness and decomposition rates, soil volumetric water content, soil pH and electrical conductivity and soil nutrients correlated with bryophyte and lichen species composition.
Main results: Thirty bryophytes and 22 lichens were found on 232 sample plots, the most frequent species were Pleurozium schreberi (Willd. ex Brid.) Mitt., Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum polysetum Sw. ex anon., Cladonia arbuscula (Wallr.) Flot. and Cladonia furcata (Huds.) Schrad. The lichen species richness was highest on the slopes of the dunes and decreased towards the bottoms and tops; bryophyte species richness was higher on the bottoms and decreased towards the tops of the dunes.
Research highlights: The composition of bryophytes and lichens is significantly influenced by the aspect and the location on the dune, light conditions, soil pH, soil salinity (measured as electrical conductivity) and volumetric water content, thickness of moderately decomposed organic horizon and vascular plant species cover.
Keywords
Inland dunes; terrestrial bryophyte and lichen communities; environmental factors; topography
Stand types discrimination comparing machine-learning algorithms in Monteverde, Canary Islands.
Get PDFAim of study: The main objective is to determine the best machine-learning algorithm to classify the stand types of Monteverde forests combining LiDAR, orthophotography, and Sentinel-2 data, thus providing an easy and cheap method to classify Monteverde stand types.Area of study: 1500 ha forest in Monteverde, North Tenerife, Canary Islands.Material and methods: RF, SVML, SVMR and ANN algorithms are used to classify the three Monteverde stand types. Before training the model, feature selection of LiDAR, orthophotography, and Sentinel-2 data through VSURF was carried out. Comparison of its accuracy was performed.Main results: Five LiDAR variables were found to be the most efficient for classifying each object, while only one Sentinel-2 index and one Sentinel-2 band was valuable. Additionally, standard deviation and mean of the Red orthophotography colour band, and ratio between Red and Green bands were also found to be suitable. SVML is confirmed as the most accurate algorithm (0.904, 0.041 SD) while ANN showed the lowest value of 0.891 (0.073 SD). SVMR and RF obtain 0.902 (0.060 SD) and 0.904 (0.056 SD) respectively. SVML was found to be the best method given its low standard deviation.Research highlights: The similar high accuracy values among models confirm the importance of taking into account diverse machine-learning methods for stand types classification purposes and different explanatory variables. Although differences between errors may not seem relevant at a first glance, due to the limited size of the study area with only three plus two categories, such differences could be highly important when working at large scales with more stand types.ADDITIONAL KEY WORDSRF algorithm, SVML algorithm, SVMR algorithm, ANN algorithm, LiDAR, orthophotography, Sentinel-2ABBREVIATIONS USEDANN, artificial neural networks algorithm; Band04, Sentinel-2 band 04 image data; BR, brezal; DTHM, digital tree height model; DTHM-2016, digital tree height model based on 2016 LiDAR data; DTM, digital terrain model; DTM-2016, digital terrain model based on 2016 LiDAR data; FBA, fayal-brezal-acebiñal; FCC, canopy cover; HEIGHT-2009, maximum height based on 2009 LiDAR data; HGR, height growth based on 2009 and 2016 LiDAR data; LA, laurisilva; NDVI705, Sentinel-2 index image data; NMF, non-Monteverde forest; NMG, non-Monteverde ground; P95-2016, height percentile 95 based on 2016 LiDAR data; RATIO R/G, ratio between Red and Green bands orthophotograph data; RED, Red band orthophotograph data; Red-SD, standard deviation of the Red band orthophotograph data; RF, random forest algorithm; SVM, support vector machine algorithm; SVML, linear support vector machine algorithm; SVMR, radial support vector machine algorithm; VSURF, variable selection using random forest.
Long-term monitoring of thinning for silvopastoral purposes in Nothofagus antarctica forests of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Get PDFAim of the study: To analyse the effectiveness of thinning on tree growth, forest structure and microclimatic variables along seven years after cuttings in a secondary Nothofagus antarctica forest in Southern Patagonia.Area of study: Five hectares of homogeneous stand of secondary forests (54º15’46” SL, 66º59’41” WL) in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.Material and methods: One control and two thinning levels were established, and forest structure, growth, crown dynamic and microclimate variables in long-term permanent plots were evaluated. Main comparisons were made using multiple ANOVAs.Main results: Intensive thinning in secondary forests allowed to increase tree individual growth rates by doubling the radiation levels at the understory level that enhances the silvopastoral management. These forests showed a desirable resilience to the forest interventions and natural disturbances (e.g. heavy defoliator attack), with a rapid reaction in the canopy cover growth.Research highlights: Monitoring of thinning for silvopastoral management must include easy and cheap measuring variables, e.g. diameter growth as a proxy for timber production objectives and hemispherical photos (crown cover and radiation) as a proxy for pasture production. Long-term monitoring allowed to identify reliable indicators that assist new sustainable management alternatives
Sweet chestnut agroforestry systems in North-western Spain: Classification, spatial distribution and an ecosystem services assessment
Get PDFAim of study: Agroforestry systems of Castanea sativa have specific forest structures, which are different from other ecosystems of sweet chestnut. They have provided several ecosystems services (ES) to local inhabitants for centuries including relevant pastoral use. However on present times, have isolated distribution ranges and declining trends. The chestnut trees are their main components but occur at low densities. They are cultivated by using different treatments to improve specific features and maximize different types of production.Area of study: North-western of Iberian Peninsula.Material and methods: We used a large database (>750 field plots) to classify C. sativa dominated-stands into different ecosystems typology (including traditional agroforestry systems), and to assess their most relevant ES. We used field data to define their spatial distribution and discriminant analysis to determine the classification accuracy. Finally we also defined a set of qualitative and quantitative ES indicators for different groups to compare different trends.Main results: We successfully classified these ecosystems and found that the traditional agroforestry systems are of major importance in providing ES, as food provision or cultural services, but showed isolated distribution patterns. Moreover, other types of chestnut-dominated ecosystems, supply important ES such as biomass provision and climate regulation.Research highlights: The relevance of the C. sativa agroforestry systems from ES point of view was pointed out in this work, but also their declining dynamic. Further analysis, based on temporal trends, could help to a better understanding of their status and to define conservation and management strategies
Emergence and morphophysiology of Sunki mandarin and other citrus genotypes seedlings under saline stress
Get PDFThe scarcity of good quality water is a limiting factor for irrigated agriculture, especially in arid and semiarid regions, where water sources generally contain high concentrations of ions. In such conditions, it is essential to cultivate genotypes with economic potential and tolerance to salinity. Considering the importance of citrus and the need to identify genetic materials that adapt to saline stress, this study evaluates the salinity tolerance of 10 genotypes with rootstock potential. For the irrigation water, five levels of electrical conductivity (ECw: 0.8, 1.6, 2.4, 3.2 and 4.0 dS/m at 25 °C) were used in a randomized block design with three replications, and seed germination and growth variables, as well as physiological plant parameters, were evaluated. The germination rate of the hybrid TSKC × CTARG – 019 was the best under salt conditions, as it was the genotype with the highest tolerance to salinity in the germination stage. Salinity reduced the growth of the citrus genotypes, with the possibility of using water with EC of up to 1.6 dS/m in the rootstock formation stage. Salt stress affected the photosynthetic rate of the genotypes ‘San Diego’ citrandarin and TSKC × CTSW – 018 by reducing the stomatal conductance, restricting the diffusion of CO2 into the substomatal camera. The genotypes TSKC × CTARG – 019, TSKC × CTTR – 012 and TSKC × TRBK – 007 have the greatest potential for growth and photosynthetic apparatus efficiency when subjected to salinity
Vicia narbonensis-Avena strigosa mixture, a viable alternative in rainfed cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions
Get PDFThe demand of vegetable protein for animal feed and the need to diversify the crop rotation in rainfed Mediterranean climates has led to study the viability as new forage crop of the Vicia narbonensis-Avena strigosa mixture. Therefore, a 3-year field trial was conducted at two different and representative locations of the area to evaluate the capacity of both species to form a balanced mixture and to define its potential for high yield and forage quality. Different seeding ratios (65:35, 50:50 and 35:65) were compared with their pure stands and the standard mixture Avena sativa-Vicia sativa (65:35). Forage mixtures establishment and growth varied according to the environmental conditions with a negative influence of a dry year 1 for legumes (<300 mm) and a wet year 2 for oats (>630 mm). However, competition ratio indicated that there were not significant differences between mixed treatments, displaying intermediate ground coverage values, dry matter yield and crude protein regarding pure stands. Higher dry matter yield than control mixture in addition to similar crude protein, acid-detergent fibre, neutral-detergent fibre and digestible dry matter values, were produced at 35:65 in dry years and 65:35 and 50:50 in rainy years with loamy and clay soils, respectively. The appropriate development of both species in the mixture at different soil and rainfall conditions, as well as a good yield often higher than control mixture and a great forage quality, confirm to the narbon bean-black oat mixture as a viable and profitable crop alternative in rainfed cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions
Penetration and post-infection development of root-knot nematodes in watermelon
Get PDFMeloidogyne javanica has showed less reproductive success than M. incognita in watermelon genotypes. This study was conducted to elucidate the low reproduction of M. javanica in watermelon. The post-infection development of M. javanica in watermelon ‘Sugar Baby’ was determined at progressively higher initial population (Pi) levels at two time points during the life cycle. Plants were inoculated with 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 300 second-stage juveniles (J2)/plant. The increase in Pi was correlated with the penetration rates (R2= 0.603, p<0.001) and total numbers of nematodes in the root (R2 =0.963, p< 0.001) but there was no correlation between the Pi and the reproduction factor (eggs/plant/Pi). The population in the roots at 26 days post-inoculation (dpi) consisted primarily of third-stage juveniles (J3) with a small presence of J2 and fourth stages, and egg-laying females. The dominance of the J3, when egg-laying females are expected, point to the malfunction of the feeding sites that failed to support nematode development beyond the J3 stage. The similarities in egg-laying females at 26 and 60 dpi imply the disruption of the life cycle. Watermelon compensated for M. javanica parasitism by increasing vine length (19% to 33%) and dry top weight (40%) in comparison with the non-inoculated plants. The area under the vine length progress curve was significantly larger as the Pi progressively increased (R²=0.417, p<0.001). Physiological variation was detected between the M. incognita populations. M. arenaria had less ability to invade watermelon roots than did M. incognita and M. javanica