1,720,961 research outputs found
Bringing spontaneous plants to cultivation: issues and constraints for medicinal and aromatic plants
No full textIn many places on Earth, MAPs have been representing for centuries the basic sources for food and medicines for local populations. In their traditional utilization form, they were collected from the wild, a sustainable practice only until it is not too massive. Many studies demonstrate that when the needs from market and industry overpass a definite threshold, only specialized cultivation can guarantee high-quality and abundant quantities of plant biomass to address to industrial purposes. However, large sections of public and buyers are deeply convinced that herbal products keep their maximum activity level only when collected from the wild, as the wild product holds a “naturality” feature that is often not perceived when the same product is obtained by cultivation. As a matter of fact, there is no actual reason to believe that a cultivated plant could gain a lower quantity or quality of active principles with respect to wild plants. Examples from Hypericum perforatum and H. perfoliatum, as well as Thymus spinulosus and T. longicaulis, confirm that in these species no significant decrease occurs in the most representative phytochemicals detected, after the shifting from wild to cultivated. It is true, instead, that a finely tuned cropping technique can in some case enhance the level of some metabolites of interest. However, many issues arise in this transition, mostly due to several morphological and biological features of MAPs that can represent significant constraints to an efficient large- and medium-scale cultivation, such as (i) the shattering of fruits/seeds, (ii) the simultaneous presence of reproductive parts at different development stages, and (iii) a non-optimal reaction to the major agronomic inputs (i.e. irrigation or fertilization) that often induces an unwelcome production of plant biomass rather than seeds (as often recorded in many Apiaceae, e.g., coriander or fennel)
Phenological Assessment of Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) Grown in Semi-Arid and Subtropical Climates Through BBCH Scale and a Thermal-Based Growth Model
Full text linkAlthough usually studied as separate processes, plant growth and plant development are strictly interrelated. The BBCH scale (“Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, and CHemical industry”) has become one of the primary classification systems for documenting the growth and developmental stages of many plant species. Specifically, the BBCH scale for hops (Humulus lupulus L.) separately describes growth and development during the vegetative stage. This study aims to develop an integrated approach to better understand the interaction between vertical growth rates and vegetative development in hops. Growth rates and development patterns of the Cascade hop cultivar were assessed in semi-arid (Sicily, Italy) and subtropical (Florida, USA) climates. The Gompertz model accurately described vertical growth, while a modified Gaussian model effectively captured hop growth rates (HGRs). A strong correlation between growth and developmental stages was identified, allowing for the inference of growth dynamics from developmental observations during the vegetative phase. Growth and developmental stages showed a 71% match across both environments, with minor phase shifts influenced by growing conditions. From an applied perspective, understanding the growth characteristics associated with developmental stages is crucial for addressing challenges posed by pests and diseases in emerging hop-growing regions. This integrated approach offers valuable insights into optimizing cultivation practices for diverse environmental conditions
Adapting American Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) Varieties to Mediterranean Sustainable Agriculture: A Trellis Height Exploration
Full text linkIn recent years, Italy’s craft beer industry has seen remarkable growth, fostering the local production of key ingredients, notably hops. However, a research gap exists in exploring open-field hop productivity in typical Mediterranean climates using low-trellis systems. This study addressed this gap by evaluating the productive performances of “Cascade” and “Chinook” hop varieties on “V” trellis systems at different heights (2.60, 3.60, and 4.60 m above ground) in inner Sicily’s Mediterranean climate and soil conditions. The results highlighted the significant impact of trellis height on various parameters, with Cascade displaying exceptional adaptability to low-trellis farming. Key factors like stem and leaf weight emerged as crucial drivers of cone yield, emphasizing their significance in hop cultivation. The distinct responses of Cascade and Chinook varieties to varying trellis heights underscored the need for tailored approaches, offering valuable insights for optimizing hop cultivation practices in semi-arid climates
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.): Suitability of Traditional Cultivars to a Low-Trellis Farming System in a Semiarid Environment
Full text linkHumulus lupulus is a dioecious twining herb, with an outstanding vertical development capacity. Hop plants are usually grown on trellises up to 4.5 to 6.0 m high, whose management requires intense use of water, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor. In semiarid Mediterranean areas, where native resources are often scarce, the adoption of low-trellis farming systems could be a sustainable option for hop cultiva-tion. With the aim of evaluating hop suitability to low-trellis cultivation in a Mediter-ranean environment, in 2018 and 2019 three traditional hop genotypes ('Cascade', 'Chinook', and 'Nugget') were grown, and their development rate was evaluated and put in relation with the plants' cone, root, and biomass yield. Moreover, organic (fragmented pine bark) and synthetic [black polyethylene (PE) plastic film] mulches were applied on the same cultivars, and both epigeal and hypogeal development were evaluated. The results showed that the faster the growth in the first two phases of plant elongation (up to 50% of the height of the upper wire), the lower the yield in both cones and total epigeal biomass. A fast growth rate was instead associated with a higher hypogeal biomass production. Mulching was able to significantly affect the hypogeal biomass, specifically for cv. Cascade, where the use of synthetic mulching allowed significant root biomass increases. The analysis of the results obtained showed that hop's suitability to a low-trellis farming system is highly variable among varieties in the semiarid Mediterranean environment
L.) in a Mediterranean environment
No full textIn the modern brewing industry hops are an essential element for the characterization of the brewing product. Although several works have been addressed to evaluate the yield performance of hop in Northern Italian environments, scarce information is available about the suitability of hop to the semi-arid Mediterranean areas, where this crop could represent a valuable resource for farmers. Hop being a perennial crop, a major issue is the lack of knowledge about the mechanisms underlying the development of the hypogeal system related to cones yield. An experimentation was conducted in Sicily in 2018 and 2019, to test the growth and yield performance of three hop cultivars (‘Cascade’, ‘Chinook’, and ‘Nugget’). Biometrical characteristics, phenological stages, and plants’ development rates were evaluated, and put in relation to heat accumulation (GDD; °C). Furthermore, organic (fragmented pine bark) and synthetic (PE plastic film) mulches were applied. Finally, sensory analysis of the cones collected was carried out, by using them to brew small batches of beer. The results showed a high variability of yields and biometrical characteristics of the tested hop varieties according to the cropping management. Indeed, the cultivation technique was able to influence the accumulation trends of the hypogeal biomass, but this effect proved genotype-dependent. The development rates had a direct influence on the hypogeal biomass accumulation, even though they could not be considered a reliable indicator of productivity: the faster the growth in the first two phases of plants’ elongation, the lower the yield in both cones and total epigeal biomass. The sensory analyses assessed the excellent organoleptic characteristics of Sicilian hops, as well as of beers produced. Hop demonstrates to be a promising crop for semi-arid Mediterranean environments although a proper choice of the variety demonstrated crucial
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
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
L.) populations
Full text linkDue to its rusticity and feasibility of use, oat (Avena sativa L.) represents a crucial agronomic and economic resource for many semiarid environments. Presently, the recourse to new commercial varieties has caused a dramatic lowering of areas covered with the traditional local genotypes, and a severe risk of genetic erosion is emerging. To deepen the knowledge about the autochthonous oat populations, an activity of collection and cataloging across semiarid cropping areas was carried out. Sixteen oat populations were collected from different areas of Sicily and put in a field study for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) in the experimental farm “Sparacia” (Cammarata, Italy). In both years and all populations, 21 morphological characters, related to different aspects of the whole plant or plant parts, were measured as described in the guidelines Community Plant Variety Office—Office Communautaire des Varietes Vegetales (CPVO-OCVV) (rif. CPVO-TP/020/2). Multivariate analysis (MA) was applied to assess the similarity/dissimilarity level among populations, also evaluating the relative discriminatory importance of each selected plant character. Although a strong variability between years did not allow perfect discrimination among genotypes, an association between oat groups emerged based on their prevalent utilization form. Among categorical characters, measurements on glumes and grain provided the best characterization of the populations in both years
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