1,720,978 research outputs found
Co-application of wood distillate and biochar improves soil quality and plant growth in basil (Ocimum basilicum)
No full textBackground: Nowadays, an ever-increasing attention toward eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural practices, such as the use of biological fertilizers that do not alter the ecological balance of soil, has been grown worldwide. Aim: To evaluate the effect of wood distillate (WD), biochar (B), and their combination (BWD) in increasing soil biomass, soil biological activities, and plant growth in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) by determination of plant biomass. Methods: Plants of basil were cultivated in greenhouse with three different amendments. WD was applied at a 1% dilution through fertigation. B was applied at a rate of 2% (w/w) corresponding to 34 t ha–1. Organic carbon (OC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), soil microbial biomass carbon (MB-C), and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase, and urease) were determined at the end of the cultivation period (4 weeks) in bulk soil and in the rhizospheric soil. The alteration index three (AI3), which calculates the balances between three enzymes and potentially allows to quantify in relative terms the differences between soils due to different management practices, was also determined. Results: WD and B significantly increased OC and MB-C content, whereas B preferentially retains soil DOC species and the organic substance of the WD in the BWD treatment. Phosphatase and urease activities were the most increased with the combination of the two amendments. AI3 in controls suggests that the application of WD and B at the right doses promotes the activity of soil microorganisms, enhancing the soil biological quality. Conclusion: The presence of the two organic sources increased the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus, with a positive response in terms of basil dry biomass. WD and B have been confirmed as suitable and sustainable amendments for potential application in crops cultivation
Studio clinico: effetti di un food supplement a base di harpagophytum procumbens DC e di boswellia serrata Roxb. Nei confronti della capacità antiossidante totale di pazienti affetti da osteoartrite.
No full textEffects of combined biochar and vermicompost solution on leachate characterization and nitrogen balance from a greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation soil
No full textBoth biochar (B) and vermicompost (V) can provide the soil with soluble organic matter. We evaluated the effect of B in reducing nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from soil via leaching together with the effect of B combined with V solution (vermiwash) in increasing the efficiency of plant nitrogen. Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) were cultivated in a greenhouse with soil under three different amendments (B, V and a mix BV). B was applied at a rate of 2% w/w corresponding to 34 t ha−1. V was applied at 25 mg per plant through fertigation. Leachate and soil were monitored in terms of nitrates and DOC throughout the trial (120 days), and plants and fruits were monitored in terms of nitrogen balance index (NBI) and dry matter biomass. B and BV significantly decreased NO3–_N content in the leachate in all recovered times by 66.8% and 71.3%, respectively. In contrast, the absence of biochar in the V treatment led to a 38.1% increase in NO3–_N concentration. Similar results were found for DOC content. The dry biomass of plants increased in B and BV treatments by 19.5 and 28.7%, respectively. The dry biomass of tomato fruits was enhanced by 18.5, 12.1, and 37% in V, B and BV treatments, respectively. Synergisms were found between the char material and complex organic compounds derived from the vermicompost process in terms of safeguarding the quality of the soil, the underground water, and the sustainability of crops. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
A monitoring campaign introducing the indoor driving temperature to assess the building envelope performance
No full textIn the last decade, residential buildings have significantly contributed to global energy demand, leading European countries to implement incentive policies promoting energy retrofitting, such as Italy's Superbonous 110 % scheme. Consequently, numerous studies have strived to elucidate the diverse impacts of building retrofitting by analysing various thermal parameters. To advance this knowledge, a methodology to assess the effect of envelope renovation by monitoring and investigating the indoor temperature fluctuations at various dwellings' nodes during the heating season is presented. The methodology adopts a data-driven approach and is applied to an insulated and a non-insulated building selected across the same neighbourhood as a case study. The experimental approach discriminated the indoor temperatures from the temperatures near the external walls, affected by radiator activation and heat transfer through the vertical envelope. Finally, the collected data are formulated to account for the building envelope performance also presenting a new devoted index. The results obtained for the case study indicate that envelope insulation reduces thermal energy use between 19 % and 56 %, while it increases the average room temperature up to 3 °C more than the standard setting, offering a further potential for energy saving up to 10 % driven by users' behaviour. These findings hold crucial implications for energy policies of retrofit strategies, providing essential information and evidence for considering possible consequences of building envelope renovation
Esca symptoms appearance in Vitis vinifera L.: influence of climate pedo-climatic conditions and rootstock/cultivar combination.
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
The importance of root interactions in field bean/triticale intercrops
Full text linkTo highlight the contribution of belowground interactions to biomass and N and P yields,
field bean and triticale were grown in a P-poor soil as sole crops and as replacement intercrops at two
N levels. The shoots were always in contact, while the roots of adjacent rows were free to interact
or were completely separated. This allowed simultaneous testing the intraspecific and interspecific
competition between rows, which to our knowledge has not been studied before. Root biomass,
distribution in soil, morphometry, and functional traits were determined, together with the nodule
number and biomass. The Land Equivalent Ratio for shoot biomass and N and P yield were higher
than 1 when roots were in contact, and markedly lower when they were separated. This demonstrates
the positive contribution of root interactions, which in field bean, consisted of increased root elongation
without changes in biomass and nutrient status; in triticale, of increased N and P uptake eciency and
reduced biomass partitioning to roots. The soil-plant processes underlying intercrop advantage led to
complementarity in N sources with low N inputs and facilitated N and P uptake with high N inputs,
which demonstrates that intercropping could be profitable in both low and high input agriculture
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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