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Sviluppo di Fertilizzanti Innovativi Intelligenti
No full textLa produzione agricola è prevista in aumento a livello globale nel prossimo decennio, spinta dalla crescita della popolazione e del reddito. La produzione alimentare rappresenta fino al 49% della quota totale di output agricolo. Pertanto, poiché l'agricoltura convenzionale dipende fortemente dai fertilizzanti minerali, si prevede che anche la domanda globale di fertilizzanti aumenti. Inoltre, si stima che fino al 50% dell'azoto (N) applicato come fertilizzante minerale venga perso nell'ambiente attraverso il dilavamento, il deflusso e la vaporizzazione, il che può comportare effetti collaterali indesiderati, come l'eutrofizzazione delle acque, la contaminazione delle falde acquifere e le emissioni di gas serra.
In questo contesto, l'uso di biofertilizzanti (BF) – ingredienti di origine biologica impiegati come agenti fertilizzanti – ha il potenziale per rivoluzionare le pratiche di fertilizzazione in agricoltura, riducendo l'uso di fertilizzanti tradizionali e il loro impatto ambientale. Nonostante il loro potenziale riconosciuto, l'adozione diffusa dei biofertilizzanti rimane limitata.
Questo progetto mirava a progettare diversi tipi di BF, sviluppando sia bioformulazioni microbiche che non microbiche, per ridurre sia gli input di N che le perdite nell'ambiente. Pertanto, sono state esplorate l'efficacia e l'applicabilità delle formulazioni progettate per la fertilizzazione delle colture cerealicole, confrontandole con i fertilizzanti tradizionali.
Alla luce dei diversi fattori che contribuiscono al successo dell'applicazione dei BF nel suolo e nelle piante, la progettazione delle bioformulazioni può essere sfidante. Per queste ragioni, lo studio si è concentrato sull'ottimizzazione del design del prodotto per lo sviluppo di bioformulazioni scalabili e su misura. Basandosi sulle ultime conoscenze, il design del prodotto si è basato su (1) selezione di ceppi microbici con la funzione d'interesse, (2) selezione del supporto più appropriato e delle modalità di applicazione per consentire scalabilità e applicabilità e (3) test dell'efficacia agronomica delle bioformulazioni finali.
Le formulazioni non microbiche sono state assemblate sulla base della selezione di materiali con proprietà fisico-chimiche appropriate e caratteristiche di promozione della crescita delle piante. Le formulazioni microbiche sono state formulate attraverso l'isolamento di ceppi microbici e la successiva selezione dei batteri più competitivi e rhizo-competenti con tratti funzionali benefici per le piante.
I risultati suggeriscono che le formulazioni microbiche possono migliorare il contenuto di N nelle colture di grano in vaso. Sulla base di questi esperimenti, è stato possibile concludere che il contatto tra microbici e tessuti vegetali può influenzare le prestazioni dei BF e che la rhizo-competenza è una delle caratteristiche più rilevanti per un design di successo dei BF. D'altra parte, le formulazioni non microbiche hanno aumentato la resa del mais in condizioni di campo, migliorando la ritenzione di N nel suolo, aumentando l'efficienza d'uso dell'azoto da parte della pianta e riducendo le perdite di N.
Pertanto, i BF hanno il potenziale di ridurre gli input di N e i relativi impatti ambientali, aprendo la strada a un'agricoltura più sostenibile.Agricultural production is predicted to increase globally over the next decade, driven by both population and income growth. Food production for up to at 49% of the total share of agricultural output. Therefore, as conventional agriculture heavily depends on mineral fertilizers, the global fertilizer demand is also expected to increase. Moreover, it is estimated that up to 50% of nitrogen (N) applied as mineral fertilizer is lost in the environment by means of leaching, run off and vaporization, which may result in undesired side effects, such as eutrophication of water bodies, contamination of aquifers and greenhouse gas emissions.
In this context, the use of biofertilizers (BFs) – bio-derived ingredients employed as fertilizing agents – have the potential to revolutionize fertilization practices in agriculture, by reducing the input of traditional fertilizers and their related environmental impact. Despite its recognized potential, the widespread adoption of biofertilizers remains limited.
This project aimed at designing different types of BFs, by developing both microbial and non-microbial bioformulations, to reduce both N inputs and losses into the environment. Therefore, the efficacy and applicability of the designed formulations were explored for the fertilization of cereal crops and compared to traditional fertilizers.
In the light of the several factors contributing to determine the success of BFs application to soil and plants, the design of bioformulations can be challenging. For these reasons, the study focused on the optimization of product design for the development of scalable tailored bio-formulations. Based on latest knowledge, product design was based on (1) the selection of microbial strains with the function of interest, (2) the selection the most appropriate carrier and mode of application to enable scalability and applicability and (3) the test of agronomic efficacy of the final bio-formulations.
Non-microbial formulations were assembled based on the selection of materials with appropriate physico-chemical properties and plant-growth-promoting features. Microbial formulations were formulated via isolation of microbial strains, and further selection of the most competitive, rhizo-competent bacteria owning the plant-beneficial functional traits of interest.
Results suggested that microbial formulations can improve N content of wheat crops in pot. Based on these experiments, it was possible to conclude that the contact between microbes and plant tissues can influence the BFs performance, and that rhizo-competency is amongst the most relevant features for successful BFs design. On the other hand, non-microbial formulations increased the yield maize in field conditions, by increasing N retention in soil, improving nitrogen use efficiency of the plant and reducing N losses.
Thus, BFs own the potential to reduce N inputs and its related environmental impacts, paving the way to a more sustainable agriculture
Carbon-dots-conjugated semiconductors for enhanced solar-driven photocatalysis
Full text linkIn the last decades, the rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere have been increasingly attributed to the global warming effect. Photocatalysis, which exploits the energy of light and abundant semiconductor materials, may represent a promising method to enable more sustainable catalytic reactions. However, the current applicability is mainly hindered by the design of materials capable of efficiently harvesting solar light to conduct photo-catalytic reactions. In this context, the conjugation of carbon dots with semiconductor materials was studied as tool to increase the visible-light sensitivity of titanium oxide (TiO2) and barium titanate (BaTiO3). The hybrid materials were tested for their photo-activity in two distinct reactions and upon the irradiation of either UV or solar light. Two different deposition methods were studied as to provide a scalable strategy to the design of versatile photocatalyst. As results, although all the prepared materials were found to be active in both UV and visible-light irradiating conditions, only carbon-modified semiconductors were able to convert CO2 into methane upon solar light excitation. In addition, carbon-dots-BaTiO3 conjugates were proposed for the first time as valid alternative to TiO2-based photocatalysts, especially in the CO2 photo-reduction reactions. If properly designed, carbon dots may represent a way to overcome some of the current limitations to the application of photocatalytic processes for the development solar-powered technologies
The optimization of crop response to climatic stress through modulation of plant stress response mechanisms. Opportunities for biostimulants and plant hormones to meet climate challenges
Full text linkThis review discusses the use of agronomic management practices to enhance crop stress resilience to climate stress through the modulation of natural plant growth regulatory pathways. The use of biostimulants or plant hormones to improve crop resilience is subject to strict regulatory oversight if changes in the regulation of plant growth are implied. Climate change is a major threat to crop potential and is characterized by both long-term shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns as well as increased occurrence of extreme weather events, posing an immediate threat to agriculture. Breeding and exogenous inputs have been used to enhance cropping system resilience, although these management practices are either too slow or constrained by cost and availability, to address rapidly emerging climate challenges. Exogenous biostimulants, microbials and plant hormones have shown great promise as novel mechanisms to optimize natural plant resilience, resulting in immediate but non-permanent improvements in plant responses to climate-induced stresses, representing a powerful but underexplored approach to enhance crop productivity under climate stress. The use of these exogenous inputs is, however, constrained by outdated and scientifically unsound regulations that consider any such modification as pesticidal in nature. The failure to modernize regulatory frameworks for the use of biostimulants in agriculture will constrain the development of safe effective tools and deprive growers of means to respond to climate change. Here, we discuss the scientific rationale for eliminating the regulatory barriers governing biostimulants or products that modulate plant regulatory networks and propose a framework for enabling legislation to strengthen cropping system resilience
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
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
Enabling biological nitrogen fixation in agriculture: An eco-industrial perspective
Full text linkFood production, including cereal crops such as maize, rice, and wheat, and other products like oilseed, tubers, dairy, meat, fish and sugar, accounts for up to 50 % of global crop output and is projected to rise along with population and income growth. As industrial agriculture heavily relies on mineral fertilizers, for sustaining crop growth, the global fertilizer consumption is also projected to rise in the upcoming years. Nitrogen is the most critical nutrient for crops, so that N-based fertilizers are the most widely used worldwide. However, excessive N fertilization leads to remarkable environmental damage and economic losses annually. Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by aligning nitrogen supply with plant demand is crucial for more sustainable agriculture. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) presents a promising strategy to reduce synthetic N use. However, integrating BNF into industrial agriculture requires strategies that address both biological and technical challenges. This review discusses the limitations and feasibility of existing strategies to enable BNF in non-leguminous crops. Currently, issues such as consistency and scalability of microbial products, along with regulations, are amongst the main limitations to the adoption of BNF in agriculture. In addition, as the production of bioformulations has not been standardized yet, many products still lack reproducibility, stability and applicability. In this review, relevant factors contributing to the design of effective microbial formulations are discussed, and product design is proposed as alternative valuable strategy which – coupled with appropriate proof of agronomic efficacy – can enable BNF-based solutions as more sustainable fertilization practices. Therefore, the development of effective microbial formulations aiming at reducing N input, losses, and dependence on synthetic fertilizers, is described in the light of both industrial and ecological perspectives. The review remarks the potential of biofertilizers as tools to enable BNF in agriculture and how an eco-design can help developing more effective, stable and hence scalable products. On the other hand, beside the increasing market demand, the regulatory framework is still a major barrier, playing an important role in the identification and formulation of reliable protocols aimed at standardizing the production of microbial products for fertilizing purposes
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Effects of SiO2-based scaffolds in TiO2 photocatalyzed CO2 reduction
No full textCO2 photoreduction has claimed as appealing process to upgrade a waste gas into valuable fuels or chemicals. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most popular material used as catalyst for this reaction, having however a poor activity. The utilization of transparent, insulating and highly porous scaffolds to support a photoactive phase has been reported as one of the possible strategies to improve the performances of this material. In this work, two silica-based materials with different porosity type and level, were involved as support for the TiO2 and assessed in the gas-phase CO2 photoreduction with H2O. The morphological, structural and surface properties were then evaluated by means of different characterization techniques, aiming to correlate them with the catalytic activity and selectivity. The TiO2-SiO2 composites revealed a comparable activity compared to pure TiO2, despite the low fraction of photoactive phase due to improved light harvesting and reagents adsorption on the composites. The CO2 capture/photoconverting ability was evaluated, to explore the potentiality as multifunctional material
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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