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L’invenzione è un impianto di irrigazione automatico per pareti e tetti verdi che si auto-regola sulla base di sensori ambientali che inviano segnali ad un software che attiva la cessione di acqua sulla base delle reali necessità delle piante. Tale sistema è attualmente concepito in una ambito in cui è richiesta un’elevata tecnologia per via delle difficili condizioni di crescita delle piante ma può trovare applicazione anche nell’orticoltura convenzionale e nell’hobbistica. L’impianto di irrigazione permette di cedere acqua senza che si debba intervenire manualmente oppure senza la necessità di avvalersi di una centralina elettronica programmabile. Il sistema è composto da diversi sensori che leggono in real-time i valori in parete e si interfacciano con un software che ne rileva il dato acquisito e controlla quindi in automatico l’apertura e la chiusura di elettrovalvole per la distribuzione di acqua sulla base delle reali necessità del substrato. In questo modo la parete o il tetto verde è continuamente monitorato e ne viene garantita la costante condizione fisiologica ottimale. ’invenzione ha la peculiarità di rilevare autonomamente, ad intervalli di tempo stabiliti, la condizione di idratazione del substrato radicante ed apportare correttivi real-time mediante processi regolati da un software che permette di aprire e chiudere le fonti di distribuzione di acqua e nutrienti. Tale sistema permette quindi di allevare in condizioni ottimali le pareti o i tetti verdi che spesso soffrono la mancanza d’acqua nei periodi più caldi della giornata in quanto gli impianti di irrigazione convenzionali non rilevano le condizioni pedoclimatiche istantanee. Questi aspetti determinano una serie di vantaggi: - Tecnici: facile installazione, compatibile con tutte le pareti, tetti verdi e orticoltura hobbistica; - Economici: di semplice realizzazione, può essere costruito in materiali plastici normalmente utilizzati negli impianti di irrigazione; - Produttivi: permette di dosare correttamente il fertilizzante e l’acqua senza che vi siano sprechi o stress da mancanza di idratazione in quanto regolato real-time dal processore dati. The invention is an automated ferti-irrigation system for green walls and roofs that optimize water release on the basis of real needs of the plants, thanks to humidity sensors that send signals to a software that elaborates them. Such a system is adopted in a field which requires high-technology levels because of the particular plant growth conditions. The irrigation system allows to release water with no need to intervene manually or with a programmable electronic control unit.The system is composed by various sensors for real-time acquisition data and a software interface. Such software elaborates the acquired data and automatically controls the opening and closing of valves for water distribution, released on the basis of substrate real needs.In this way the green wall or roof is continuously monitored, and the optimum physiological condition is constantly guaranteed.Green walls or roofs often suffer from lack of water in the hottest periods of the day, because the conventional irrigation systems do not detect the soil and climatic conditions variations.The invention relates to a system that continuously monitors the hydration conditions of the rhizosphere and manages the real-time release of water thanks to a specific algorithm. Thus, this system allows to maintain the green walls or roofs in optimal conditions.Furthermore, the invention guarantees a set of advantages:- Easy installation: compatible with all the green walls and roofs;- Easy construction: it can be built in plastic materials normally used in conventional irrigation systems;- System doses the water and fertilizer avoiding water waste and soil stress.

L’invenzione concerne una composizione e un metodo per promuovere la crescita di piante erbacee, in particolare piante erbacee comprese in tappeti erbosi per uso sportivo o ornamentale e in terreni agricoli, e favorire un accumulo di sostanza organica nel terreno in cui vivono e crescono le suddette piante erbacee.

The growing substrate of the putting greens is considered a key factor for a healthy turf ecosystem. Actually detailed study on the effects of growth promoting bacteria and biostimulants on a professional sport turf are very limited. This thesis aimed to study the effectiveness of different microorganisms and biostimulants in order to improve the knowledge relative to the relationship between the beneficial microflora and root apparatus of sport turfs. The research project was divided in three principal steps: Initially, commercial products based on biostimulants and microorganisms were tested on a Lolium perenne L. essence grown in a controlled-environment. The principal evaluations were the study of the habitus of plants, biomass production and length of leaves and roots. Were studied the capacity of colonization of microorganisms within root tissues and rhizosphere. In the second step were developed two different biostimulant solutions based on effective microorganisms, mycorrhizae and humic acids. This test was conducted both on an Agrostis stolonifera putting green (Modena Golf & Country Club) in a semi-field condition and within a growth chamber on a Lolium perenne L. essence. Fungicide and chemicals applications were suspended in order to assess the effectiveness of the inoculants for nutrition and control of pests. In the last step, different microorganism mixes and biostimulants were tested on an experimental putting green in the Turf Research Center (TRC) (Virginia Tech, United States) in a real managing situation. The effects of different treatments were studied maintaining all chemicals and mechanicals managements scheduled during a sport season. Both growth-chamber and field results confirmed the capacity of microorganisms based biostimulants to promote the physiologic conditions of the plants, improve the growth of the roots and enhance the aesthetic performance of the turf. Molecular analysis confirmed the capacity of microorganisms to colonize the root tissues.

It raises a great deal of recent interest that organic wheat constitutes valuable nutraceutical raw material for healthy food production and special dietary uses. In particular, khorasan wheat (T. turgidum ssp. turanicum) has attracted great attention because of its specific nutritional and functional properties (antioxidant, antitumoral and prebiotic activities). Currently, few data about fibre and antioxidant composition of organically grown Kamut® brand grains is available in literature and, as far as we know, the changes of their amounts as a function of cropping year and growing location have never been investigated. Moreover, this is the first study in which an organically grown crop is investigated in a region of such broad expanse, including several different environments, covering an area of approximately 180,000 km2 . The aim of the research was to provide an overview of the health- -promoting properties of Kamut® brand grains produced at different locations (Canada and USA) and to contribute to the understanding of the environmental dynamics affecting the phytochemical profile. A collection consisting of 109 samples of organic Kamut® brand grains harvested in different farms of North America in 2010, was characterized for agronomic traits, antioxidant compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids) and fibre components (soluble and insoluble dietary fibres, resistant starch). As regards the agronomic performance, the results demonstrated a high heterogeneity among samples. Yield, test weight and protein content varied within the intervals 0.30–1.69 t/ha, 49.2–61.1 kg/hl and 12.6– –16.6 g/100 g, respectively. As previously reported in literature, the content of health-promoting compounds is strongly influenced by environmental conditions. In fact, the investigated wheat grains showed great variability for the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents (133.6–223.4 and 28.6– –63.6 mg/100g, respectively). The insoluble fibre content varied between 12.55 and 20.25 g/100 g, while the soluble dietary fraction showed less heterogeneity(2.70–4.31 g/100 g). Concerning starch, statistically significant differences were observed between farms for the amounts of both the resistant and the total starch (0.22–1.5 and 57.7–66.4 g/100 g, respectively). The results of the research were computed using Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop quality maps that showed the variability of the phytochemical amounts among the North American farms and allowed the identification of areas in which bioactive compounds had accumulated at a higher level in the wheat grains. According to the present results, the choice of a growing location in which the accumulation of health-promoting compounds (i.e. polyphenols, fibres) is stimulated by specific climatic conditions may be a key factor for the production of organic wheat foodstuff as a functional food.

I tappeti erbosi progettati per attività sportive e ricreative hanno anche benefici effetti ambientali, come la prevenzione dell’erosione del suolo. I principali problemi di queste superfici sono la predisposizione allo strappo e allo sviluppo di malattie fungine. In questo lavoro si è cercato di investigare se una tecnologia a basso impatto ambientale basata sull’impiego di microrganismi, alternativa ai trattamenti chimici, possa essere usata per migliorare la crescita delle piante e lo sviluppo radicale di Lolium perenne L. E’ stato quindi utilizzato un prodotto commerciale contenente microrganismi (EM•1®; Punto EM, Sanremo, Italy) per il trattamento di L. perenne L. cresciuto in coltura idroponica e i risultati ottenuti sono stati paragonati a quelli derivanti dalla somministrazione dello stesso prodotto sottoposto a filtrazione per eliminare i microrganismi, di una soluzione commerciale contenete fitormoni e di un controllo non trattato. Le piante sono state fatte crescere per 5 settimane, la parte fogliare è stata tagliata, misurata e pesata ad intervalli di una settimana. Alla fine della sperimentazione, sono stati prelevati campioni di radici. Dopo lavaggio, è stato valutato il peso e la lunghezza delle radici. E’ stata inoltre valutata la resistenza allo strappo. Sono stati anche caratterizzati i principali gruppi microbici presenti nel prodotto commerciale attraverso una combinazione di analisi microbiologiche e molecolari. Infine, è stata utilizzata l’analisi PCR-DGGE, accoppiata al sequenziamento delle principali bande, di campioni di suolo e radici per analizzare i profili microbici derivanti da tutti i trattamenti applicati. Le piante trattate col prodotto commerciale contenente microrganismi hanno evidenziato un’aumentata resistenza allo strappo rispetto a quelle sottoposte agli altri trattamento o al controllo e, inoltre, le radici risultano di lunghezza maggiore rispetto al controllo. Entrambe queste caratteristiche sono particolarmente favorevoli per tappeti erbosi progettati per attività sportive e ricreative. La caratterizzazione dei microrganismi presenti nel prodotto ha evidenziato la presenza di specie batteriche e di lieviti che, in letteratura, risultano essere in grado di promuovere la crescita delle piante, come ad esempio Stenothrophomanas maltophilia. Candida utilis e altre specie afferenti al genere Lactobacillus, isolate dal prodotto, si sono rilevate in grado di colonizzare le radici delle piante di L. perenne L. Si può quindi concludere che i trattamenti con microrganismi “efficaci” ha un grosso potenziale per il mantenimento e le performance dei tappeti erbosi.

The mycotoxin contamination of flours is an important concern of the organic sector, in which no fungicide can be applied to the crop. The most common toxin occurring in wheat flours is deoxynivalenol (DON) that belongs to the trichothecene class and is produced by several fungi of the Fusarium genus (mainly F. culmorum and F. graminearum). Two different field experimental trials were set up for two subsequent growing seasons (2009/2010; 2010/2011): 1) comparison between 1 modern (Palesio) and 5 old (Inallettabile, Andriolo, Gentil Rosso, Verna, Frassineto) common wheat varieties under organic farming; 2) comparison between one old durum-type (Kamut®Khorasan) and one modern durum wheat variety (Claudio) under organic farming. Different DON accumulation in the grains was observed comparing the two cropping years as a result of changing weather conditions: wheat varieties grown during the first cropping season presented higher mycotoxin levels (0.19 and 1.19 mg/kg for common and durum wheat, respectively) as compared to those observed in the second year (0.02 and 0.33 mg/kg for common and durum wheat, respectively). The higher DON levels of Kamut and Claudio flours confirmed the higher susceptibility of durum-type wheat to Fusarium head blight, but no differences were observed among genotypes for each wheat species. Interestingly, despite of the interdiction in using fungicides, in common wheat cultivars grown according to organic farming the mycotoxin content was lower than the legislative limits set for all the food categories, as indicated in the current EU regulation (EC N. 1126/2007).

Lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and various yeasts are worldwide known as probiotic microorganisms. They are part of the natural gut microbiota of both humans and animals, they have a long history of consumption and they are present in almost all fermented foods. Recently they have been also exploited as “Effective Microorganisms” (EM) for the production of bio-fertilizers to promote plant growth and control diseases in sustainable agriculture systems. This work focuses on the effect of inoculation of a commercial product, containing lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, yeasts and aerobic bacteria on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), hydroponically grown for five weeks. Perennial ryegrass is a cool-season turfgrass species that is widely used on home lawns, sports fields, and golf courses due to its rapid establishment and superior traffic tolerance. Following an activation process to revitalize the microorganisms, the inoculation was performed via the irrigation system, combined or not with seeds imbibitions with the same product. Six different treatments were compared: 1- EM combined with seed imbibition: 2- EM without seed imbibition ; 3- filtered EM combined with seed imbibition; 4- filtered EM without seeds imbibition; 5- control (mineral Hoagland solution), 6- commercial plant hormones rich solution. Data on aboveground and underground biomass were collected with special regard to root development representing a critical issue for the maintenance of lawns and sport fields. Soil and root microbiota have been studied by DGGE analysis. qPCR has been performed to assess the Lactobacillus colonization of the radical tissues. In all experimental conditions no significant effect of different treatments was observed at the leaf level, while EM and phytohormone treatments induced significant effects on root development, with an average increase of total root length equal to 35% and 70%, respectively. Among treatments significant differences in root fresh weight were observed, while the effects of treatments on root dry weight were negligible. As regards microbiological data, DGGE evidenced different microbial profiles in EM treated plants compared to control and phytohormone treatment, which were comparable. EM seed imbibition induced the greatest microbial diversity at the root level. qPCR revealed a significant increase of Lactobacillus spp. in EM treated roots. A potential colonization of this microbial group at root level could be an important feature to improve plant resistance against pathogens. In conclusion, considering these preliminary results, a potential use of EM as bio-fertilizer could be hypothesized: open field trials are necessary to assess the robustness of the obtained results.

Research on the efficacy of innovative, ecofriendly biostimulants in sport turf management is scarce, with less information available from open-field experiments, and even less pertaining to thatch control-related problems. The objective was to investigate the open-field effectiveness of a commercial product, EM-1, and two newly developed products, ExpA and ExpB, in improving both rhizosphere and turfgrass, Agrostis stoloniferous L., characteristics on a golf green. ExpA and ExpB, identical in microbial composition, were equally effective in significantly increasing chlorophyll synthesis and visual turf quality, as well as in resistance to tearing out, compared to the untreated control 56 days after treatment (DAT). EM-1 showed intermediate trends between the control and novel biostimulants. The inclusion of humic acids and mycorrhizal fungi to the microbial composition in ExpB significantly improved some rhizosphere properties 56 DAT relative to the control. Results on ExpB evidenced a significant decrease in the thatch layer thickness and fresh leaf weight, associated with a significant increase in the humus thickness, organic matter decomposition and evapotranspiration efficiency. An increased dry leaf biomass was also shown. ExpA and EM-1 showed either marginal or intermediate improvements relative to the control. ExpB represents a promising alternative to alleviate negative environmental impacts associated with turf maintenance-related activities.

Improving the awareness of the responsibility of our actions is the basis of achieving the ambitious aim of waste management and prevention established by the European Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/CE and the most recent Circular Economy Package. Circular Economy is connected both to improve manufacturing technologies and also educate people towards responsible consumption and waste reduction. Due to its educational and institutional role, universities provide a context to rethink not only at our technological system through the adoption of eco-innovation, but also to reconsider the entire system of our values through the education of the society in many aspects of sustainability. Most sustainability education courses co-generate knowledge in an explorative way through inter- and trans-disciplinary methodologies. A Living-lab of sustainability called Terracini in Transizione is ongoing at the School of Engineering and Architecture of University of Bologna. This Living-lab offers new opportunities and useful feedback to research and teaching, as well as contributing to the engagement of engineering students. As a result of the Living-lab, various experimental green technologies for Urban Resilience have been co-designed by students, researchers and professors. In order to strengthen the sustainability of the proposed solutions, some of them are being constructed using recycled materials. The aim is to close the cycle of utilized materials, and the hereby presented experiment focuses on testing the water and rooting capacity of innovative recycled materials as substrates for edible plants cultivation in innovative green technologies (e.g. soilless cultivation). Tested substrates include a control (mix of perlitevermiculite) and recycled substrates, either made of crushed plasterboard panels, synthetic wadding or panels of rockwool. The present study addresses the definition of the hydraulic properties of the substrates and their effect on the yield of hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa).