Anita Ierna

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute of BioEconomy IBE

BACKGROUND Potato is the most important non‐grain crop worldwide, whose quality characteristics are always affected by temporal and spatial variability. Knowledge of the performance consistency of quality characteristics over long periods could prove very important to identify which quality traits are less variable over time, and therefore provide...

Light intensity and spectrum have a direct effect on the growth and development of plants and on the qualitative characteristics of their productions. LED technology seems to offer interesting prospects for its possible use in confined environments (growth chambers, bioreactors, greenhouses, etc). On the basis of these considerations, we tested the...

A comprehensive study on both the eco-physiological and productive response of potatoes to dynamic deficit irrigation is lacking. Therefore, the aim was to study, over two growing seasons and on two potato cultivars—Arinda and Timate, the effects of five irrigation regimes (I0–dry control, I1—irrigated control, I2—supply 100% of the maximum evapotr...

Potato is the most important non-grain crop worldwide, whose quality characteristics are always affected by genotype × environment interaction (GEI). Knowledge about the influence of GEI on potato quality could be very important to develop new or existing potato genotypes with high quality characteristics coupled with stability at varying environme...

The potato crop is extremely sensitive to water stress, from both inadequate and excess water, resulting in reductions in tuber yield, grade and quality. Effective water management to alleviate water deficit stress without contributing to soil water excess is a challenge. This chapter gives an overview on potato water requirements, irrigation sched...

In the Mediterranean Basin, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major staple crop, the yield performance of which can vary dramatically based on pedo-climatic conditions and genotype. Hence, dissecting the genotype × environment interaction (GEI) in this region is mandatory for the setup of high-yielding and stable potato genotypes, also considering...

Apart from some works dealing with potato tuber growth and nutritional composition in response to water supply, no study on the effects of irrigation water saving strategies has been found in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the effects of four irrigation regimes: I0 dry control, I1 irrigation during the whole cycle, I2 irrigation fr...

Understanding the nature of the perceived quality advantage of organically-grown early crop potatoes over conventionally-grown ones is of relevance given the expansion in demand for foodstuffs produced by environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The effect of the cultivation system (organic vs. conventional) on physicochemical (skin color,...

The primary objective of any cropping system continues to be increasing the productivity and profitability of crops [...]

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is essential for adequate earliness and the commercial attractiveness of carrots, but its excess could generate fast decay during postharvest, mostly in bunched carrots exhibiting their highly perishable leaves. A field experiment was conducted over the 2016–2017 growing season to address the effects of two N fertilizatio...

Agronomic fortification with microelement as well as macronutrients has been used in recent years with increasing frequency to improve the nutritional quality of plant products for human consumption. Here the influence of pre-harvest foliar micronutrients fertilization (Micro+) including B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn compared to control (Micro−) on mine...

Cynara cardunculus is a perennial plant that adapts well to Mediterranean climate conditions. The possibility of cultivating C. cardunculus with low or zero input and in low productivity or marginal lands makes it one of the most promising crops for bioenergy production in the Mediterranean areas. The objective of the research was to study the effe...

Since water is increasingly becoming an expensive and limited resource, it is necessary to improve crop water use efficiency (WUE) to save water while maintaining high yields. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of moderate water stress compared to well-watered conditions (supplying 50 or 100% of the maximum evapotranspiratio...

The bio-agronomical response, along with the arsenic (As) translocation and partitioning were investigated in self-grafted melon ′’Proteo′’, or grafted onto three interspecific (’‘RS841′’, ‘‘Shintoza′’, and ′’Strong Tosa′’) and two intraspecific hybrids (′’Dinero′’ and ′’Magnus′’). Plants were grown in a soilless system and exposed to two As concen...

Nitrogen fertilization is indispensable to improving potato crop productivity, but there is a need to manage it suitably by looking at environmental sustainability. In a three-season experiment, we studied the effects of five nitrogen (N) fertilization rates: 0 (N0), 100 (N100), 200 (N200), 300 (N300) and 400 (N400) kg N ha−1 on crop N uptake, appa...

To achieve improvement in irrigation management and maximize water productivity (WP), knowledge on potato crop growth and seasonal crop evapotranspiration (ETc) in relation to combined irrigation and fertilization, are needed. In a two-year experiment conducted in Sicily (South Italy), the combined effects of 3 irrigation levels [irrigation only at...

Micronutrient fertilization may affect quality characteristics of potatoes. Here, compared to control (Micro−), the influence of pre-harvest foliar micronutrients fertilization (Micro+) including B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn on both quality of raw potatoes and of minimally processed potato tubers of cv Bellini was investigated. In raw tubers physico-ch...

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in bio-based compostable packaging also for fresh fruits and vegetables. We evaluated the influence of two different packaging: a bio-based compostable film (BIO) and a conventional coextruded polyamide/polyethylene (CONV), combined with 3 anti-browning solutions (sterile water - SW, 0.2 g kg⁻¹ sodium bisulphit...

In recent decades, consumer demand for convenient, ready-to-use or ready-to-eat food products, with a safe and fresh-like quality, has increased. Raw pre-peeled potatoes represent minimally processed ready-to-cook potatoes. However, their shelf-life is limited to 5-7 days at 4-5 °C, due to microbiological, sensory and nutritional deteriorations. On...

Limited information is available concerning the influence of nitrogen fertilization jointly on yield response, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and grain quality of durum wheat under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. The study focused on evaluating, through a systematic study, over three seasons in southern Italy the effects of three nitrogen fertil...

The influence of genotype and harvest time was investigated on tuber ascorbic acid (AA) and total phenolics contents of early potatoes in two growing seasons (winter-spring and summer-autumn crops) in the Mediterranean area. Genotypes included 4 advanced breeding clones suitable for early potato production and 3 commercial cultivars: 'Marabel', 'Ni...

Intensive applications of farming inputs are generally associated to potato cultivation in several Mediterranean countries for “early” potato production. Recently, the enhanced interest for environmentally sustainable production systems has led to a major expansion in the organic farming sector. With the aim to identify cultivars which can be suita...

Further developments in artichoke cultivation in south Italy could be achieved by extending the use of new genotypes which might broaden and better organize the harvest period of heads and differentiate the quality of the product. During the harvest period weather conditions change and could influence the quality characteristics of heads. This rese...

Further developments in artichoke cultivation in south Italy could be achieved by extending the use of new genotypes which might broaden and better organize the harvest period of heads and differentiate the quality of the product. During the harvest period weather conditions change and could influence the quality characteristics of heads. This rese...

Excessive amounts of irrigation water are often utilized for early potato cultivated in the Mediterranean basin. Given that water is an expensive and limited resource in semi-arid areas, it is crucial to provide a better irrigation management and/or irrigation technologies that facilitate its efficient and effective use, in turn leading to savings...

Efficient fertilization is a central topic in sustainable agriculture since fertilization strongly influences both crop performances and environmental impact. In several Mediterranean regions, globe artichoke fertilization is still empirically oriented toward nitrogen overdressing and insufficient phosphorus supply. To date, there is a lack of syst...

Il 19 gennaio 2010, presso il Dipartimento Agroalimentare del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Roma, si è costituita la Piattaforma Tecnologica Italiana in Agricoltura Biologica (PTBio Italia). Il Programma Nazionale della Ricerca 2011-2013 riconosce alle Piattaforme Tecnologiche Nazionali il ruolo di strumento innovativo, sviluppato a livello...

Excessive amounts of irrigation water and fertilizers are often utilized for early potato cultivation in the Mediterranean basin. Given that water is expensive and limited in the semi-arid areas and that fertilizers above a threshold level often prove inefficacious for production purposes but still risk nitrate and phosphorous pollution of groundwa...

The influence of pre-sowing treatments in a solution of potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate (0.118 M KNO 3 + 0.090 M K 3PO 4; K + K) at -1.0 MPa for 5 d, or in 1,500 mg l -1 gibberellic acid (GA 3) for 1 d, on the characteristics of emergence and on seedling growth in 12 true potato seed (TPS) crosses was studied.The trials were carried out a...

Previous studies indicate biomass and grain production for energy purposes as potential utilizations of the three Cynara cardunculus botanical varieties (globe artichoke, cultivated cardoon, and wild cardoon). In this work, the results of C. cardunculus biomass and grain yield under Sicilian (south Italy) low input conditions are shown. Over a 3 ye...

There is little research on evaluating the compatibility of potatoes for double cropping in southern Italy. The aim of this investigation was to assess tuber yield and some qualitative traits of tubers such as skin colour, tuber dry matter content and tuber nitrate content, both in winter-spring and in summer-autumn crops, as influenced by genotype...

The influence of potato variety and harvest date was investigated on tuber nitrate content for off-season production in three varieties: Arinda (mid-early), Spunta (mid-late) and Mondial (late). Samples of tubers were harvested at 90, 105 and 120 days after planting in winter–spring crop and at 80, 95 and 110 days after planting in summer–autumn cr...

Field experiments were conducted in Sicily (south Italy) during two seasons to characterize by chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence four genotypes (Spunta, Sieglinde, Daytona, and Ninfa) of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) for off-season production during plant aging and to analyse the possible relation between Chl parameters and tuber yield. Chl fluorescen...

La solarizzazione, detta anche pacciamatura riscaldante o pastorizzazione solare del terreno, è una agrotecnica innovativa ed ecocompatibile che consiste nel sottoporre il terreno, opportunamente lavorato, amminutato, irrigato fino alla capacità di campo e pacciamato con film plastico trasparente, alla radiazione solare per un congruo numero di gio...

Recent studies indicate that Southern Italy and Sicily are thought to be the origin of globe artichoke domestication from its ancestor wild cardoon. Indeed, Italy has the richest globe artichoke primary cultivated gene pool and harbours many distinct clonal varietal groups classified on the basis of capitulum appearance or harvest time. At present...

Flowers of wild cardoon [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. sylvestris (Lamk) Fiori] represent a milk-clotting agent for production of typical cheeses in some countries (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Italy). Considering that during the production of globe artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Fiori], a number of small unmarketable heads are l...

The aim of research was to evaluate heads yield and quality characteristics of 8 globe artichoke genotypes, some of them recently introduced for cultivation: 5 with autumnal production (‘Violetto di Sicilia’, ‘Violetto di Provenza’, ‘Tema 2000’, ‘Spinoso di Palermo’ and ‘Spinoso Sardo’) and 3 with spring production (‘Romanesco’ clone ‘C3’, ‘Blanc H...

The aim of research was to evaluate heads yield and quality characteristics of 8 globe artichoke genotypes, some of them recently introduced for cultivation: 5 with autumnal production (‘Violetto di Sicilia’, ‘Violetto di Provenza’, ‘Tema 2000’, ‘Spinoso di Palermo’ and ‘Spinoso Sardo’) and 3 with spring production (‘Romanesco’ clone ‘C3’, ‘Blanc H...

The aim of research was to evaluate heads yield and quality characteristics of 8 globe artichoke genotypes, some of them recently introduced for cultivation: 5 with autumnal production (‘Violetto di Sicilia’, ‘Violetto di Provenza’, ‘Tema 2000’, ‘Spinoso di Palermo’ and ‘Spinoso Sardo’) and 3 with spring production (‘Romanesco’ clone ‘C3’, ‘Blanc H...

Field experiments were conducted in Sicily (south Italy) to assess chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence parameters in response of potato crop to nitrogen dose, to variation in genotype and in plant age, and to detect relationships between Chl content, fluorescence parameter Fv/Fm, and tuber yield. The experiment included five nitrogen doses (0, 10, 20, 3...

Since the Mediterranean climate allows for off-season production, potatoes are commonly planted in the autumn-early winter and harvested in the spring. During this growing period, the crop experiences low temperature and short day length, and periodic soil water deficit, all of which may modify the physiological responses, and consequently the grow...

Few and insufficient attempts have been made until now to study globe artichoke crop response to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization. In particular, to our knowledge no information is available for recently developed seed-grown cultivars. The aim of this paper was to study the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on yield and harvest...

Physiological processes of globe artichoke plants irrigated with saline water both in the field and in greenhouse conditions were studied. Plants of cv. 'Orlando' were irrigated with water of EC 1.6 (control) 2,4,6,8 and 10 dS/m in field while plants of cvs. Orlando and Violet de Provence were irrigated with water of EC 0.73 (control) and 10.0 dS/m...

The effects of two sowing times and two rates of irrigation (50% and 100 % recovery of crop ET) were evaluated on dry matter and carbohydrates accumulation in tubers of two potato varieties (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. 'Spunta' and 'Sieglinde') in early cultivation in Sicily. 'Sieglinde' showed a slightly higher dry matter content, and more variations...

The positive influence of low temperatures during the vegetative phase on bolting time of globe artichoke has been demonstrated. The aim of this work, conducted in Sicily (south Italy), was to compare the growth and yield responses of plantlets of clone ‘9/8’ of ‘Violetto di Sicilia’ produced on the coastal plain (Siracusa, 15 m above sea level) an...

The conventional method for globe artichoke propagation is based on the use of offshoots, ovoli (underground dried shoots with apical and lateral buds), portion of stump, etc. There is no special technique, in fact, they are harvested in commercial field for head production. The effectiveness of this procedure is obviously very limited and constitu...

The purpose this of study was to evaluate the possibility of reducing the negative impact of late sowing seed-grown globe artichoke on harvest time and yield by vernalization and gibberellic acido In two experiments utilizing four hybrids F}, three vernalization procedures [seed and seedling not vernalized, seed vernalization (12 days in moist peat...

The three botanical varieties of Cynara cardunculus (globe artichoke, cultivated and wild cardoon) can be utilized for several uses. Since the cropping system necessitates a good stand to obtain high yield, additional information on seed germination is required. The purpose of this research was to quantify the effects of temperature on the germinat...

Previous studies indicate as possible utilization of the three Cynara carduncu/us botanical varieties (globe artichoke, cultivated cardoon and wild cardoon) for biomass and grain production. However, further studies in this field were needed to assess the potential of C. carduncu/us grown as perennial cropping system under low input in a hot and dr...

The aim of this paper was to analyse and to compare the head (inflorescence) growth of different globe artichoke cultivars and time of head initiation. The study was conducted in a field along the coastal plain area south of Siracusa (Sicily) using five cultivars: Violetto Margot, 'Violetto di Sicilia clone MO 10' and 'Terom' with long shaped heads...

The clone C3 of cultivar Romanesco obtained by in vitro micropropagation recently became available to Italian globe artichoke producers. The new type is sufficiently different from traditional cv. Romanesco in plant form, earliness and other characteristics. The information on this plant type with regard to different cultural practices is limited....

Since the environment of the Mediterranean regions allows offseason production, potatoes are planted in autumn-winter and harvested in spring. During this period, potatoes are subjected to low temperatures and short day lengths which modify the growth characteristics of plants. For this reason, our analysis of competition response was conducted to...

Shifting harvest period from spring to autumn-winter-spring of seed-grown globe artichoke varieties, by a correct combination between sowing date and gibberellic acid-(GA3) applications, may have effects on the suitability of heads (capitules) for the market. A two-year-study was carried out in Sicily (Southern Italy) to check the effects of harves...

The effect of furrow and drip irrigation giving 0, 33, 66, 100 and 133% of the maximum evapotranspiration (ETM) was studied on leaf transpiration, stomatal resistance, tuber growth, yield and yield response of cv. Spunta. The research was carried out in Sicily in 1988 and 1989 on early potato crops grown during the winter/spring cycle. Increased w...

A 2 year research project was carried out in Sicily (south Italy), in order to study the effects of gibberellic acid (GA(3)) (0, 1, 2 or 3 plant applications at 60 ppm) and sowing date (from 1 July to 10 August) on the timing of production and head yield of globe artichoke variety Orlando, a new seed-grown F-1 hybrid. Regardless of sowing date, unt...