1,720,980 research outputs found
Factors affecting soil organic matter conservation in Mediterranean hilly cropping systems: a case study on 43 cropping systems in Tuscany (Italy)
No full textSoil organic carbon sequestration and tillage systems in the Mediterranean basin: a data mining approach
No full textThis study has reviewed 66 long-term experimental comparisons on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) andtillage systems inMediterranean arable crops (from 15 sites located in Greece, Italy, Morocco and Spain), with the aim to identify the biophysical and agronomic variables most associated with C sequestration rate. Data were organized in a dataset containing basic environmental descriptors (elevation, temperature, rainfall), information on soil tillage system (conventional, minimum, no-tillage), soil attributes (ph, particle size distribution and texture), crop rotation, fertilization, time length of the experiment, initial and
final SOC stocks. The collected information were analyzed using a data mining approach including Spearman non-parametric correlations, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering and step-wise multiple regression. Tillage, crop rotation, and fertilization were the most significant factors
affecting C sequestration rate. Non-parametric correlations reported negative coefficients for initial SOC stock, length of the experiment, mineral fertilization,
tillage and production system. C sequestration rate increased significantly under no-tillage. Hierarchical clustering indicates that geographical proximity reflect
Long-term influence of Ramie [Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud.] cultivation on soil chemical properties under Mediterranean conditions
No full textAssessing “4 per 1000” soil organic carbon storage rates under Mediterranean climate. A comprehensive data analysis
No full textSoil Organic Carbon (SOC) is considered a proxy of soil health, contributing to food production, mitigation, and adaptation to climate change and other ecosystem services. Implementing Recommended Management Practices (RMPs) may increase SOC stocks, contributing to achieve the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st Conference of the Parties agreements reached in Paris, France. In this framework, the “4 per 1000” initiative invites partners implementing practical actions to reach a SOC stock annual growth of 4‰. For the first time, we assessed the achievement of 4‰ objective in Mediterranean agricultural soils, aiming at (i) analyzing a representative data collection assessing edaphoclimatic variables and SOC stocks from field experiments under different managements in arable and woody crops, (ii) providing evidence on SOC storage potential, (iii) identifying the biophysical and management variables associated with SOC storage, and (iv) recommending a set of mitigation strategies for global change. Average storage rates amounted to 15 and 80 Mg C ha−1 year−1 × 1000 in arable and woody crops, respectively. Results show that application of organic amendments led to significantly higher SOC storage rates than conventional management, with average values about 1.5 times higher in woody than in arable crops (93 vs. 63 Mg C ha−1 year−1 × 1000). Results were influenced by the initial SOC content, experiment duration, soil texture, and climate regime. The relatively lower levels of SOC in Mediterranean soils, and the high surface covered by woody crops, may reflect the high potential of these regions to achieving significant increases in SOC storage at the global scale
Greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural phase of wine production in the Maremma rural district (Tuscany, Italy)
No full textIn recent years, there has been an increasing interest from retailers, industries and environmental associations in estimating the life cycle of greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere from everyday products and services, also known as carbon footprint (CF). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the most common methodology used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product. This approach was largely used in many industrial sectors and was also recently applied to quantify the environmental impact of the agri-food chain. Within agri-food products, wine is one of the most analysed, both for its importance in economic production and in the world distribution market. The present study is a part of the Carbon Label Project carried out in the wine production chain in the Maremma rural district (Tuscany, Italy). The project assessed the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wine production for labelling purposes. Here, we evaluated the environmental performances of four high quality wines for carbon labelling. The international standards ISO 14040, ISO 14044, and the Product Category Rules (PCR) Wine from Fresh Grapes (except sparkling wine) and Grape Must for the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification, specifically for Climate Declaration, were used in order to carry out our analyses. The functional unit (FU) used here was one 0.75 L bottle of wine. The system boundaries were set from the vineyard planting to the distribution and waste disposal. The global warming potential (GWP) of four investigated wines was found to lie between 0.6 and 1.3 kg CO 2-eq./bottle, showing a value comparable with literature. With all the four wines analysed, the agricultural phase covered, on average, 22% of the total GWP/bottle, while the main impact was in the production of the glass bottle. The results showed that the vineyard-planting phase has a significant impact on the wine CF, thus it has to be considered in the life cycle, while in literature it is frequently omitted. On the contrary, the pre-production phase did not present a relevant impact. The use of nitrogen fertilisers, the grapes' yield and N 2O emissions were the parameters that mostly affected the carbon footprint in the agricultural phase, as underlined by the sensitivity analysis
Le emissioni dei gas serra nella fase agricola della filiera dei prodotti agro-alimentari: il caso del vino nel distretto rurale della Maremma.
No full textMulti-parameter approach to assess short-and long-term effect of olive mill waste water land spreading on soil quality
No full textThe disposal of olive mill waste water (OMW) represents a relevant issue in Mediterranean countries,
where the production of olive oil is large and concentrated in a short-lasting period. OMW can be used
as an organic amendment in cultivated soils due to its high content of organic compounds and plant
mineral nutrients. Therefore, OMW field spreading may represent a low cost and a contribution to
crop irrigation in arid or semiarid climatic conditions. However, from an environmental point of view,
the chemical composition of OMW might cause soil and/or water contamination
Soil organic matter accounting in the carbon footprint analysis of the wine chain
No full textConcerns about global warming led to the calculation of the carbon footprint (CF) left by human activities. The agricultural sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, though cropland soils can also act as sinks. So far, most LCA studies on agricultural products have not considered changes in soil organic matter (SOM). This paper aimed to: (1) integrate the H,nin-Dupuis SOM model into the CF study and (2) outline the impacts of different vineyard soil management scenarios on the overall CF.
A representative wine chain in the Maremma Rural District, Tuscany (Italy), made up of a cooperative winery and nine of its associated farms, was selected to investigate the production of a non-aged, high-quality red wine. The system boundary was established from vineyard planting to waste management after use. The functional unit (FU) chosen for this study was a 0.75-L bottle of wine, and all data refer to the year 2009. The SOM balance, based on H,nin-Dupuis' equation, was integrated and run using GaBi4 software. A sensitivity analysis was performed, and four scenarios were developed to assess the impact of vineyard soil management types with decreasing levels of organic matter inputs.
SOM accounting reduced the overall CF of one wine bottle from 0.663 to 0.531 kg CO2-eq/FU. The vineyard planting sub-phase produced a loss of SOM while, in the pre-production and production sub-phases, the loss/accumulation of SOM was related to the soil management practices. On average, soil management in the production sub-phase led to a net accumulation of SOM, and the overall vineyard phase was a sink of CO2. Residue incorporation and grassing were identified as the main factors affecting changes in SOM in vineyard soils.
Our results showed that incorporating SOM accounting into the wine chain's CF analysis changed the vineyard phase from a GHG source to a modest net GHG sink. These results highlighted the need to include soil C dynamics in the CF of the agricultural product. Here, the SOM balance method proposed was sensitive to changes in management practices and was site specific. Moreover, we were also able to define a minimum data set for SOM accounting.
The EU recognises soil carbon sequestration as one of the major European strategies for mitigation. However, specific measures have yet to be included in the CAP 2020. It would be desirable to include soil in the new ISO 14067-Carbon Footprint of Products
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