Suchergebnisse

[SPA] Las leguminosas son el segundo cultivo con mayor producción mundial después de los cereales, por lo que su importancia para consumo animal y humano es crucial. El haba (Vicia faba), el guisante (Pisum sativum) y el caupí (Vigna unguiculata) son especies de leguminosas con interés agronómico en la Unión Europea. La selección de variedades de estas especies, mediante técnicas de genotipado, fenotipado y transcriptómica, permitirá la obtención de variedades con calidad nutricional (alto contenido en proteína) y buenas cualidades agronómicas (resistencia a estrés abiótico y biótico) óptimas para una producción sostenible y competitiva de proteínas en Europa. [ENG] Legumes are the second largest world crop production after cereals, demonstrating their importance for human and animal consumption. Faba bean (Vicia faba), pea (Pisum sativum) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) are legume species with agricultural interest in the European Union. The selection of varieties of these species through genotyping, phenotyping and transcriptomics, allows identifying varieties with nutritional quality (high protein content) and good agronomic qualities (resistance to abiotic and biotic stress) optimal for a sustainable and competitive production of protein crops in Europe. ; Al proyecto EUROLEGUME (EU FP7 Research Project No. 613781) por financiar este proyecto de tesis doctoral.

In Vertical Farms with Artificial Lighting (VFALs), optimal light management is a crucial determinant of both economic and environmental viability. Applications of LED technologies to plant cultivation are still recent, and research has to date mainly targeted the definition of optimal spectral and light intensity features. On the other hand, despite the relevant implications on production costs, literature on optimal photoperiod management is to date limited. Indeed, the number of hours per day correlates with the total light supplied to the crop - expressed as Daily Light Integral (DLI) - and the associated energetic costs. The present study aims at defining how photoperiods of 16 h d-1 (DLI= 14.4 mol m-2 d-1), 20 h d-1 (DLI= 18 mol m-2 d-1) and 24 h d-1 (DLI= 21.6 mol m-2 d-1)of light affect growth performances and resource use efficiency in leafy vegetables and herbs, represented by lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.). Plants were cultivated indoor under a red (R) and blue (B) LED light (RB=3, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD)=250 µmol m-2 s-1). Photoperiod variations' effects differed according to the considered plant species. In lettuce and chicory, the adoption of a DLI of 14.4 mol m-2 d-1 at 16 h d-1 photoperiod resulted in a greater plants fresh biomass and leaf area, which also contributed to generally obtain higher energy use efficiency (fresh biomass per unit of electricity input), light use efficiency (dry biomass per unit of light input) and, in chicory, also water use efficiency (fresh biomass per liter of water consumed). Contrarily, although photoperiod variations did not affect basil and rocket growth parameters (e.g., fresh biomass and leaf area) and the plant capacity to transform resources (e.g., water use efficiency and light use efficiency), energy use efficiency in basil also presented a downward trend in response to growing DLI. Accordingly, the adoption of a DLI of 14.4 mol m-2 d-1 at 16 h d-1 photoperiod resulted to be the optimal option among the ones tested in the presented research. ; The research leading to this publication has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 862663. The publication reflects the authors views . The research Executive Agency (REA) is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Notwithstanding that indoor farming is claimed to reduce the environmental pressures of food systems, electricity needs are elevated and mainly associated with lighting. To date, however, no studies have quantified the environmental and economic profile of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting in indoor farming systems. The goal of this study is to quantify the effect of varying the red (R) and blue (B) LED spectral components (RB ratios of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4) on the eco-effciency of indoor production of lettuce, chicory, rocket and sweet basil from a life cycle perspective. The functional unit of the assessment was 1 kg of harvested fresh plant edible product, and the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) method was employed for impact assessment. Even though most of the materials of the LED lamp and electronic elements were imported from long distances (14,400 km), electricity consumption was the largest contributor to the environmental impacts (with the LED lamps being the main electricity consumers, approximately 70%), apart from the resources use indicator, where the materials of the lamps and the mineral nutrients were also relevant. RB0.5 was the most energy-effcient light treatment but had the lowest eco-effciency scores due to the lower crop yields. ; This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 708672. The elaboration of the manuscript was also supported by a grant from the Fundacion Séneca (reference 20555/IV/18, Call for Fellowships for Guest Researcher Stays at Universities and OPIS of the Region of Murcia) awarded to Francesco Orsini.

Urban gardens are spreading in many cities across Europe, with community gardening being a fundamental form of urban agriculture. While the literature reveals the essential role that community gardens can play in terms of learning and education, no studies have investigated the training needs for participants in community gardens to ensure their successful development. The goal of this article is to evaluate the training requirements of urban community gardens to ensure their successful implementation and their contribution to sustainability in European cities. Two questionnaires of users' needs analysis were designed and implemented in Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, and Cartagena. The results unveiled the need to re-enforce the training in the formation and community building phases of community gardens towards ensuring the creation of an engaged gardening community to maintain activity, particularly for top-down activities (e.g., research-related gardens). Users claimed their need for being trained on crop management skills (e.g., maintenance, bed preparation, organic practices) and on communication skills to further disseminate their activity, thereby increasing the potential for citizen engagement. Such requirements could be overcome with the creation of urban gardens networks, where experiences and knowledge are shared among practitioners. Policy recommendations are provided based on the outputs of this study. ; This research was funded by the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), sub-programme Grundtvig for adults learning: 526476-LLP-1-2012-1-IT-GRUNDTVIGGM, 2012-2014. This research has received funding from the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), sub-programme Grundtvig for adults learning: 526476-LLP-1-2012-1-IT-GRUNDTVIGGM, 2012–2014.