35 research outputs found
Strategies for optimization of the production of rosmarinic acid in Salvia officinalis L. and Salvia dolomitica Codd biomass with several biotechnological approaches
No full textRosmarinic acid (RA) is a caffeic acid ester widely used by pharmaceutical and food industry. Its presence in several medicinal plant species and herb has been correlated with their biological activities and health beneficial effects. RA is widely used as additive to preserve foods, and because the chemical synthesis, even possible, remains time consuming and cost inefficient, there is a growing interest in development of biotechnological strategies to produce this compound. RA is abundant within the Lamiaceae family, particularly in plants belonging to genus Salvia. The use of plant tissues and cell cultures may represent an alternative strategy for the production of highly valuable plant metabolites and could be even adopted by pharmaceutical industries to develop new drugs and formulations. Protocols for shoots and calli regeneration, as well as cell cultures have been already established for Salvia officinalis and Salvia dolomitica with the aim to evaluate the content of RA in various tissues at different growth conditions. In particular, S. dolomitica Codd has been shown to be a good model for tissue culture studies due to its flexible propagation under in vitro conditions. The hydroxyphenylpyruvate reductase, SoHPPR, gene encoding a hydroxyphenylpyruvate reductase, a key biosynthetic enzyme of RA pathway, has been characterized in cell cultures of S. officinalis, representing a good target for metabolic engineering strategies
Hydraulic-based fixed spray delivery system: preliminary result of apple scab management in Italy
No full textPPP exposure models for 3‐D orchards considering spraying technologies in Southern Europe
No full textTreeorchards like citrus, olives, apricot, peach and nuts, also known as 3D orchards, aretypicalcrops of southern Europe (SEU) andpresentdifferent vegetation characteristics (tree size, tree shape, foliar density, etc) and distinctivetraining systems androw and tree spacing in comparison with the ones used in apple and pear orchards in Central and Northern Europe, which are 3D orchards more typical of these zones. Furthermore, plant protection products(PPP)application techniques and their setting up aredifferentas well. Moreover, the climatic conditions between North and South of Europe are pretty dissimilar.This could result in very different PPP exposure scenarios to those currently applied for risk assessment of pesticides where models developed for agro-climatic conditions typical of northern Europe are used. The multidisciplinarityand the specificity of the topic, in one hand related to registration but also to pesticide application equipment and training system of crops, have been addressed by a consortium with the appropriate expertise in the related fields. The present project characterised distribution of 3-D cropsin Europe, addressing the ones present just in SEU and gathered information on equipment use, training system of crops andpesticide practicesthrough dedicated surveys to farmers, sprayer inspection stationsand manufacturers. A literature search was also performed to check whether studies specifically designed for 3-D orchards,in agro-climatic conditions of Southern Europe aboutdrift and exposure models,are available in the public literature. From the few articles assessed as relevant to this project, some discrepancies between what is currently used and what is measured in those 3-D orchardsof Southern use were identified, tackling the “worst-case” approach. The other key point raised by the literature search, which can greatly impact risk assessment procedures, is the importance of measuring not just sedimenting drift but also airborne spray drift: several studies report higher values for airborne drift compared to those found at ground level for the same downwind sampling distance. Overall, the results of this project providevaluable information to better addressrisk assessment of PPP in 3-D orchards, identifying major data gaps for exposure assessment that require further work and areas that require harmonisation
Characterization of irrigator emitter to be used as solid set canopy delivery system: which is best for which role in the vineyard?
No full textProposal of a methodology for the functional inspection of a fixed spray delivery system
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L'innovazione tecnologica nelle macchine per la distribuzione dei prodotti fitosanitari: primi risultati del progetto H2020 INNOSETA
No full textProposal of a methodology for the functional inspection of a fixed spray delivery system
No full textA Fixed Spray Delivery System (FSDS) is a new pesticide system derived from a drip irrigation system. Briefly, it consists of a series of emitters (nozzles) - mounted on a pipeline positioned within the plant canopy - and a pumping station, that can be either fixed or mobile. The FSDS can be used for applying pesticide in bush and tree crops and offers several advantages for farmers such as the possibility to spray at the most appropriate conditions (e.g., low wind speed, right temperature/humidity, and immediately after a rain, etc.), the drastic reduction of tractors use and of related manpower. The adoption of this system could be of primary importance in steep slope areas, where it can represent an alternative to conventional spray application techniques, it can mitigate workers’ exposure to pesticides (e.g., when spray application is carried out manually due to inaccessibility of the area with tractors) and avoid safety risks for tractor drivers (e.g., where spray applications are carried out using sprayers connected to tracked tractors and risk of overturning is high). FSDS operates at a pressure and flow rate close to the drip irrigation one, resulting in reduced energy use, compared to conventional Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE), and significantly contributing to carbon footprint mitigation. Due to these positive aspects, the interest in FSDS increased across EU Countries. Since these systems are PAE, they shall comply with the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (2009/128/EC), article 8, and shall be subjected to a periodical mandatory inspection for their functionality. At present, no specific EN or ISO Standards concerning the requirements and methods for the functional inspection of FSDS are available. Trying to cover this gap, a first draft proposal about the components of this system that deserves to be subjected to functional inspection has been made. Furthermore, the required functional limits for the different components and the methods to carry out their inspection were investigated and proposed. The present document is intended to provide a first draft set of technical indications about the steps to be followed for carrying out a functional inspection of FSDS. When possible, the harmonized standard EN ISO 16122 for general (part 1) and specific (part 4) components were followed
Soluzioni e tecnologie per una maggiore sicurezza in vigneto evidenziate nel progetto Perfect Life
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