Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are simple tools used for rapid measurement of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and potassium (K) concentrations in plant sap. With the development of best management practices (BMPs), interest exists in using ISEs for soil leachate and soil and fertilizer solutions. Nitrate N and K concentrations in the 0 to 10,000 mg L–1 ISE working range were measured in diluted solutions of common salts to assess ionic interference of calcium (Ca2+), ammonium (NH4+), chloride (Cl–), and sulfate (SO42–). The effects of meter (replication) were unexpectedly significant in one out of three ranges for NO3-N and K (P values of 0.50, 0.72, and 0.01 for NO3-N and 0.99, 0.01, and 0.74 for K, for the 0–100, 100–1,000 and 1,000–10,000 mg L–1 ranges, respectively). The responses of calculated NO3-N and K concentrations to measured NO3-N and K concentrations were linear, but slopes ranged from 0.85 to 1.54, from 0.24 to 2.72, and from 0.93 to 5.48 for NO3-N and from 0.80 to 1.01, from 0.71 to 1.39, and from 0.93 to 2.21 for K for the 0–100, 100–1,000, and 1,000–10,000 mg L–1 measuring ranges, respectively. All slopes were significantly different from zero, and several were significantly different from each other and the 1:1 line. Pairwise slope comparisons conducted with covariance analysis showed that SO42– alone interfered with NO3-N measurements at concentrations ranging from 34 to 171 mg L–1, which was less than the manufacturer’s information, and by its presence in combination with K+, NH4+, Ca2+, and Cl– within the medium and high concentration ranges. Potassium measurements were not subject to interference from the ions tested for all three concentration ranges. These results highlight the importance of using quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) samples in the set of unknown samples to detect inacceptable departure from linearity in routine analysis. The increase in measurement variability from one range to the next showed the importance of keeping measurements within a single concentration range by using dilutions. Hence, ISEs may be used for field measurements of NO3-N and K concentrations in soil leachate as well as soil and nutrient solutions and are therefore a practical BMP tool. However, ISEs should not be used as substitutes for the laboratory methods when official measurements are needed.

The biodiversity in vegetable crops is composed by the genetic diversity, as species diversity (interspecific diversity) and as diversity of genes within a species (intraspecific diversity) referring to the vegetable grown varieties, and by the diversity of agro-ecosystems (agrobiodiversity). Intraspecific diversity is very ample in vegetable crops and is not reflected, at least not to the same extent, in other groups of crops. The labour operated by farmers over centuries of selection has led to the creation of a plurality of local varieties, following domestication of cultivated forms, and wide agro-biodiversity, a precious heritage both from a genetic and a cultural-historical point of view. The Italian National Statistical Institute (ISTAT) takes into account in its annual survey about forty vegetable crops. Intraspecific diversity in vegetables can also be analyzed by examining the information contained in the common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species. The 27 EU Countries as a whole had entered 19,576 varieties of vegetables in the common catalogue as of August 2011. The Netherlands, which represents 8% of total vegetable production in the EU, has registered 7826 varieties. Italy and Spain, which predominate in Europe for the production of vegetables, have registered only 8% (1513) and 9% (1672) of the total varieties, respectively. As a whole 54% of the European varieties entered in the catalogue are hybrids. Puglia, which contributes with about 22% to the Italian vegetable growing area, is among the leading regions for the productions of broccoli raab, celery, parsley, processing tomato, artichoke, endive and escarole, cabbage, fennel, lettuce, cucumber, cauliflower and broccoli, early potato, and asparagus (all with more than 20% of the national area). The region is particularly rich in local vegetable varieties, obtained by farmers themselves after repeated simple selection procedures generation after generation. The local varieties for which there is a strong link with the Puglia traditions and which are described in this review are: carota di Polignano (Polignano carrot) and carota di sant’Ippazio (saint Ippazio carrot) (Apiaceae), cipolla di Acquaviva delle Fonti”(Acquaviva delle Fonti onion) and cipolla bianca di Margherita (Margherita white onion) (Liliaceae), cima di rapa (broccoli raab) (Brassicaceae), unripe melon - carosello, barattiere, meloncella, etc. (Cucurbitaceae), catalogna chicory - cicoria di Molfetta e cicoria di Galatina (Molfetta’s chicory and Galatina’s chicory) (Asteraceae).

Closed cycle soilless techniques can be adopted to minimize water and fertilizer losses in greenhouse cultivation. There is a general lack of information regarding the soilless cultivation of vegetables with closed cycle subirrigation techniques, specifically when using saline water. In this study, a trough bench subirrigation system (SUB), with two fertilizer concentrations (‘‘100%’’, containing 9.8 mol m-3 N-NO3, 1.6 mol m-3 P-H2PO4, 8.7 mol m-3 K+, 2.8 mol m-3 Ca+, 1.8 mol m-3 Mg+, 4 mol m-3 S-SO4, and ‘‘70%’’, containing 70% of the macronutrient concentration) in the nutrient solution (NS), was compared with open cycle drip-irrigation (DRIP with ‘‘100%’’ NS). For all the three treatments, NS was prepared using rain water (0.05 dS m-1) and adding NaCl (1 g L-1), in order to simulate moderate saline irrigation water. The effect of the treatments on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant growth, yield, fruit quality, water use efficiency (WUE) and fertilizer consumption was evaluated. Substrate and recirculating NS composition were also studied. Subirrigation, regardless of NS concentration, reduced plant height (by 30 cm), leaf area (by 1411 cm2), total fresh and dry weight (by 429 and 48.5 g plant-1, respectively) but not dry matter percentage of the whole plant, with respect to DRIP. Yield was reduced when plants were subirrigated with the higher concentrated NS, but no differences with open cycle DRIP were recorded when the lower NS concentration was used in SUB. Fruit quality was not affected by irrigation system or NS concentration. The higher WUE was obtained with subirrigation. NaCl accumulated similarly over the crop cycle in recirculating NS of both SUB treatments and in growing substrates of all the three treatments. Higher salt concentration was found in subirrigated substrates, in particular in the upper part of the substrate profile. Fertilizers accumulated in the subirrigated substrates when the higher NS concentration was used, but not when the NS concentration was reduced by 30%. The results of this study indicate that tomato can be grown successfully in a closed cycle subirrigation system, using saline water, by reducing the fertilizer NS concentration normally used with traditional open cycle systems.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

Residues of the marine plant posidonia (Posidonia oceanica, PO) beached in tourist zones represent a great environmental, economical, social and hygienic problem in the Mediterranean Basin, in general, and in the Apulia Region in particular, because of the great disturb to the bathers and population, and the high costs that the administrations have to bear for their removal and disposal.In the present paper, Authors determined the heating values of leaves and fibres of PO, the main offshore residues found on beaches, and, meantime, composted those residues with mowing and olive pruning wood. The final composts were characterized for pH, electrical conductivity, elemental composition, dynamic respiration index, phytotoxicity, fluorescence and infrared spectroscopic fingerprints.The aim of the paper was to investigate the composting and energy recovery of PO leaves and fibres in order to suggest alternative solutions to the landfill when offshore residues have to be removed from recreational beaches.The fibrous portion of PO residues showed heating values close to those of other biofuels, thus suggesting a possible utilization as source of energy.At the same time, compost obtained from both PO wastes showed high quality features on condition that the electrical conductivity and Na content are lowered by a correct management of wetting during the composting.

In this study, carrot jams were developed using either precooked vegetable (common method) or short cooking times (mild method). Jams were prepared using four carrot types: a commercial one and three local landraces (orange, purple and yellow). The parameters assessed were total phenols, antioxidant activity, b-carotene, potassium content, color and sensory evaluation. Mild method caused lower color differences than common method, when comparing the jams to raw carrots. Antioxidant activity, total phenols and potassium content loss were also lower in mild method. Both methods improved b-carotene retention in jams. Following sensory analysis, products obtained by mild method showed the best scores for taste and overall acceptability, with the highest scores being registered for purple jam. In particular, high correlations between antioxidant activity, total phenols and purple products (both raw products and jams) were emphasized by principal component analysis. In conclusion, the mild method described in this paper helps to preserve the overall quality of perishable vegetables, such as local carrots.

In the Puglia region, a multicolor landrace called the yellow-purple Polignano carrot has been cultivated since 1940 by local smallholder farmers and has been added to the Slow Food list of traditional products. Composition analyses of these carrots were carried out including carbohydrate assay, inorganic cations, nitrate content, and dry weight of each colour. Besides, antioxidant activity, β-carotene, total phenols and carotenoid content on the full carrots and on the cortex and inner core separated tissues were determined. The same analyses were performed on a commercial carrot cultivar. On average, total glucose, fructose, and saccharose content was 22% lower in the yellow-purple Polignano carrot than in the commercial one. In addition, the highest contributor to the relative sweetness in the yellow-purple Polignano carrot was fructose (43.5%), which affects its wellknown taste, as well as its glycemic index. As for the nutritional parameters, purple carrots showed the highest content in antioxidant activity, total phenols, carotenoids and β-carotene, mainly detected in the cortex.

Vegetables constitute a major dietary source of nitrate, contributing to the daily dietary intake for a percentage ranging from 30 to 94%. Although nitrate itself is relatively non-toxic, or even beneficial, the possible harmful effects of nitrate derived compounds on human health arouse public concern and have led to the development of government regulations and monitoring programs aimed at protecting the public health. In this perspective, have been set an acceptable daily intake for nitrates and maximum levels of nitrate content for several vegetables, paying particular attention to some leafy vegetables, characterized by a high capacity to accumulate nitrates. This chapter focuses on the main factors concerning nitrate accumulation in vegetables and their contribution to nitrate intake in the human diet, taking into account the recent EU Regulation No. 1258/2011 and the Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food chain (CONTAM) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The disposal of seaweed [Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile] residues represents an environmental and economic problem in the Mediterranean Basin. In this study, two composts (Cp20 and Cp60) were prepared using posidonia residues mixed at different rates [20% or 60% (w/w) on a fresh weight (FW) basis, respectively] with grapevine prunings and vegetable waste.The feasibility of their use as partial substitutes for peat in the growing media used during transplant production of melon and tomato seedlings was assessed. Growing media were prepared by mixing Cp20 or Cp60 with commercial peat at rates of 25%, 50%, or 75% (v/v). Peat at 100% (v/v) was also tested as a control.The main physical and chemical properties of these seven growing media on shoot and root FWs and dry weights (DWs), leaf areas, root morphology, and the mineral composition of shoot tissues were determined. The six growing media obtained using posidonia-based composts had adequate physical and physico-chemical properties. In particular, those based on Cp20 showed higher easily-available water (EAW) values than those containing Cp60 and improved mineral nutrient (K, Fe, Mn and Zn) levels. In general, the growth of melon and tomato seedlings was not affected, or was positively affected, by the presence of either posidonia-based compost in the mixture. Cp20 was a more suitable compost to be added for seedling production, probably due to its lower content of boron (B) and improved physical properties. Tomato seedlings showed a better capacity than melon seedlings to adapt to high B levels. Posidonia-based composts, especially Cp20, may be considered as valuable alternatives (peat substitutes) in growing media used for seedling production.

Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. [L.] scolymus Hayek), summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) are widely cultivated for their immature inflorescences, fruits and seeds, respectively. Nevertheless, in some areas of Puglia (Southern Italy), other organs of these species are traditionally used as vegetables, instead of being considered as by-products. Offshoots (so-called cardoni or carducci) of globe artichoke, produced during the vegetative growing cycle and removed by common cultural procedures, are used like to the cultivated cardoons (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC). The stems, petioles, flowers and smaller leaves of summer squash are used as greens (so-called cime di zucchini), like other leafy vegetables such as chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.). Also the plant apex of faba bean, about 5–10 cm long, obtained from the green pruning, are used as greens (so-called cime di fava) like spinach leaves. Moreover, crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forssk.), a root parasite plant that produces devastating effects on many crops (mostly legumes), is used like asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) to prepare several traditional dishes. In this study ethnobotanical surveys and quality assessment of these unconventional vegetables were performed. For their content of fiber, offshoots of globe artichokes can be considered a useful food to bowel. Summer squash greens could be recommended as a vegetable to use especially in the case of hypoglycemic diets considering both content and composition of their carbohydrates. For their low content of nitrate, faba greens could be recommended as a substitute of nitrate-rich leafy vegetables. Crenate broomrape shows a high antioxidant activity and may be considered as a very nutritious agri-food product. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that offshoots of globe artichoke, summer squash greens, faba greens and crenate broomrape have good potential as novel foods, being nutritious and refined products. Their exploitation aiming to the obtainment of labeled and/or new potential ready-to-eat retail products could satisfy the demand for local functional foods.

In this review, the technique of soil-less cultivation of horticultural crops is analysed, the main differences between this and traditional cultivation techniques are described, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method in relation to the others are identified. Soilless cultivation has revolutionised various sectors of vegetable and floriculture production, and recent years have also seen interest being shown by Italian fruit crop producers, particularly those involved in table grape viticulture. The various issues related to the use of this technique are described in relation to the needs of the substrate, water management, and mineral nutrition of the different species, and to the fact that not all species are suitable for the application of soil-less cultivation. Finally, since the soil-less system is strongly influenced by Man and is increasingly conditioned by this, the links between the final product and the territory where it is grown appear to be very limited. This is particularly true in Italy where, for certain protected geographical indication food products, soil-less cultivation is prohibited.

Two greenhouse experiments were carried out to analyze the shoot sodium (Na+) partitioning, yield, and fruit quality of ‘Cuore di Bue’, a salt-sensitive heirloom tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), ungrafted or grafted onto interspecific tomato hybrid rootstocks (S. lycopersicum 3 S. habrochaites) ‘Maxifort’ and ‘Arnold’ in 2009, ‘Arnold’ and ‘Armstrong’ in 2010, grown at different salinity stress (SS) levels (0, 20, and 40mM of NaCl in 2009; 0 and 20 mM of NaCl in 2010). In both experiments, an interaction was observed between grafting combinations and SS levels in terms of fruit yield, and fruit juice Na+ content. Under no SS conditions, plant grafted onto ‘Maxifort’ and ‘Armstrong’ provided the highest yield in 2009 and 2010 experiments, respectively. In the presence of 20 mM of NaCl, plants grafted onto ‘Arnold’ provided a marketable yield 23.5% (on average) higher than plants grafted onto ‘Maxifort’ or ungrafted in 2009 and 33% (on average) higher than plants grafted onto ‘Armstrong’ or ungrafted in 2010. The further increase of SS to 40 mM of NaCl considerably reduced the productivity of all grafting combinations. At 20 mM of NaCl, plants grafted onto ‘Arnold’ showed also a higher capacity to modulate shoot Na+ partitioning with respect to ungrafted plants by increasing Na+ accumulation in older leaves (52%) and reducing Na+ content in younger and most active leaves (24%), thus enabling the maintenance of higher K+/Na+, Ca2+/Na+, and Mg2+/Na+ ratios compared with ungrafted plants. Fruit total soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and dry matter were unaffected by grafting at any SS level, whereas under SS, the fruit juice Na+ content of grafted plants was consistently lower (from 19% up to 68%) than that of ungrafted plants. Under moderate SS conditions (20mM of NaCl), the use of rootstock genotypes such as ‘Arnold’ having a particular ability to reduce Na+ accumulation in younger and most active leaves may increase tomato yield and enhance tomato nutritional value by reducing the fruit juice Na+ content.

Posidonia oceanica (L.). Del. is the main marine seagrass endemic of the Mediterranean Sea. From September on, leaves and rhizomes detach off the marine plant and accumulate on beaches in huge amount. Offshore residues represent an environmental, economical, social and hygienic problem because of the great disturb to the bathers and citizens and high costs that the public administrations have to support for managing them. Nowadays, current Italian legislation (D. L. n. 75/2010) allows the use of posidonia residues as raw material for the production of compost even though at a rate of 20% by weight. In an experiment posidonia residues have been used to produce green compost. This was used as a substrate for the cultivation of tomatoes in soilless subirrigation system. Plants grown on compost showed a lower production (18%) compared to perlite: peat (control), but fruits had the same quality characteristics (as dry matter and soluble solids). On the other hand, the same compost represented a viable alternative to peat when used for the production of lettuce transplants. In particular, lettuce seedlings grown on compost showed higher fresh and dry weight of leaves and roots, length and volume of the root system, and leaf area, if compared with those grown on peat alone.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

Heirloom tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) such as ‘Cuore di Bue’ are highly appreciated by consumers for their outstanding quality and flavour. Nowadays, they are often grafted onto vigorous rootstocks in order to overcome several soil-borne diseases. The present study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 in Southern Italy. Plants of ‘Cuore di Bue’, an heirloom ‘oxheart’ tomato, were grown in a greenhouse either as non-grafted plants, or grafted onto two interspecific (S. lycopersicum x S. habrochaites) rootstocks (‘Beaufort F1’ and ‘Maxifort F1’) in order to evaluate their effects on vegetative growth, marketable yield, fruit quality, and the sensory properties of ‘Cuore di Bue’ tomato fruit. Growth analysis revealed that ‘Maxifort F1’ enhanced plant growth, particularly in terms of leaf area and leaf fresh weight. Grafted plants had higher leaf area ratios (by 13%) and higher leaf dry weight fractions (by 18%) compared to non-grafted ‘Cuore di Bue’ plants. Marketable yields increased by 20 – 25% in grafted plants in both years. However, total soluble solids (TSS) contents, titratable acidity (TA), and TSS/TA ratios were not significantly affected by grafting. Vitamin C contents decreased by 14 – 20% in both years in the fruit of plants grafted onto either rootstock. The sensory profiles of fruit were not modified by grafting, although taste panelists expressed a higher preference for purchasing fruit from plants grafted onto ‘Maxifort F1’. These results confirm that, when using the appropriate rootstock/scion combination, grafting can improve plant growth and the marketable yield of heirloom tomato fruit without reducing the sensory quality of the fruit or its biochemical parameters. However, grafting can reduce vitamin C contents and, thus, nutritional quality.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica [L.] Delile) is a marine phanerogam endemic of the Mediterranean basin. Senescent plant parts periodically detach from and accumulate along Mediterranean beaches, forcing the coastal municipalities to remove and manage somehow the large amount of beached biomass. In this research, a posidonia based compost (posidonia, 63% by volume - olive tree pruning residues, 21% - green waste, 16%) has been used as growing media component at different ratios (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%), as a complement to a peat based commercial substrate, for nursery lettuce seedlings production. Growing media with increasing compost percentage showed higher pH, EC, air capacity and nutrients availability, but lower water holding capacity. The overall growth of the seedlings was enhanced by the compost presence in the substrate, with positively evidences for both roots and leaves. Posidonia based compost could represent an interesting alternative to peat as horticultural growing media component.

Besides the variety of colours and flavours, microgreens show interesting nutritional properties, mainly regarding their contents of mineral nutrients and bioactive compounds. To date, the literature has prevalently focused on the individual nutritional features of microgreens usually belonging to Brassicaceae. The present study reports an articulated nutritional profile of six genotypes of microgreens, belonging to three species and two families: chicory (Cichorium intybus L., Puglia's local variety 'Molfetta', CM, and cultivar 'Italico a costa rossa', CR) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. Group crispa, cultivar 'Bionda da taglio', LB, and 'Trocadero', LT), from Asteraceae; and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Group italica Plenk, Puglia's local variety 'Mugnuli', BM, and cultivar 'Natalino', BN) from Brassicaceae. All the microgreens, except LB, can be considered good sources of Ca, whilst LT and CM also showed considerable amounts of K. As regards bioactive compounds, Brassica microgreens were the richest in phenolic antioxidants. The microgreens also presented higher amounts of α-tocopherol and carotenoids compared to mature vegetables. In particular, broccoli microgreens and LB showed the highest amounts of vitamin E, while Asteraceae microgreens presented the highest levels of carotenoids. Due to their delicate tissues, fresh cut microgreens showed a shelf life not exceeding ten days at 5 °C. The results obtained highlight the possibility to exploit genetic biodiversity in order to obtain tailored microgreens with the desired nutritional profiles, with particular regard to mineral nutrients and bioactive compounds. Appropriate pre- and post-harvest strategies should be developed, so as to allow microgreens to retain as long as possible their nutritional value.

tClosed-cycle management of soilless cultivation is one of the promising strategies to prevent pollution,while increasing the efficiency of water and fertilizer use. However, in order to encourage the adoptionof closed-cycle cultivation even in countries characterized by a low-tech greenhouse industry, effectiveeasy-management systems need to be developed.A greenhouse experiment was carried out to determine the influence of two irrigation methods (dripirrigation open-cycle and subirrigation closed-cycle) and two nutrient solution (NS) concentrations (100and 80% of the macro-element concentration normally used for soilless cultivation) on substrate electricalconductivity (EC), plant growth, gas exchange, yield, fruit quality, and water-use efficiency of green bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. Saporro).Subirrigated plants showed higher substrate EC and higher Na+and Cl−concentrations, especially inthe upper layer of the growing medium, while moisture distribution throughout the substrate profileshowed an opposite trend and was more uniform in drip irrigation. The total fresh and dry biomass ofthe drip-irrigated plants were higher than in those grown in subirrigation, while whole plant dry matterpercentage was lower. Differences in terms of plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, root growth,chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were recorded,with higher values in drip-irrigated plants. With closed-cycle subirrigation, green bean total and mar-ketable yield (598 and 574 g plant−1, respectively) were, on average, 33% lower than for drip irrigation, butfruit quality was higher in terms of “extra class” number of pods (93.6 vs 88.3%) and dry matter percent-ages. On average, both total and marketable yield were 9% higher with NS 80%, with a 13% higher waterconsumption, while slight or no effects were observed on net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance andshoot growth. The highest WUE (11.2 kg m−3) was obtained with subirrigation, where recirculating NSwas never discharged, compared to drip irrigation (8.5 kg m−3). The green bean response to closed-cyclesubirrigation showed a general decrease in productive performance. Detrimental effects were reducedby reducing the NS concentration. Lower yield could be compensated by savings of water and fertilizersand lower environmental impact.

There is a need for sustainable fertilizers because common mineral fertilizers are increasingly costly and often induce water and air pollution. For instance, seagrass compost could be used as fertilizer in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, thus also solving the issue of beached residues. Here, we studied organic fertilization by application of seagrass-based compost in a tomato and lettuce crop succession. Composts were made of posidonia and yard wastes at 1/4 w/w fresh weight ratio. Compost was applied at two concentrations: 10 and 20 Mg/ha fresh weight. Fresh leaves of posidonia were also tested directly as organic mulch in plots treated with conventional fertilizers. A control treatment involved mineral fertilization without mulching soil. Herbicide applications were performed in non-mulched plots immediately before transplanting of tomato and lettuce for controlling the weeds, while mulched treatments did not receive any herbicide application. Results show that 20 Mg ha−1 of posidonia-based compost is equivalent to the inorganic fertilization because the nutritional status and yield of tomato and lettuce were statistically similar. No phytotoxicity symptoms were observed in any of the tomato and lettuce plants mulched with posidonia. The same growth rate was observed for tomato and lettuce growing under conventional management practices: mineral fertilizer and herbicide applications. Overall, our findings show that seagrass-based compost is a promising, sustainable fertilizer for tomato and lettuce.

BACKGROUND: Peat is the main component of growing media but is also a non-renewable resource; therefore European policy strongly encourages the use of peat alternatives such as compost. Posidonia is a Mediterranean seagrass that produces very conspicuous onshore deposits that can be composted. In this study, a commercial green compost and a Posidonia residue-based compost were tested in order to assess their potential use as substitutes or complements to peat. RESULTS: All macro and micro-element concentrations of the substrates were positively and significantly related to the percentage of composts in the growing media. Plant grown on peat showed higher content of P, Ca, K, Na, Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe, and a slightly higher biomass production in comparison to compost-based growing media. In contrast, plants grown on compost-based substrates showed lower uptake of Cd and Cr than peat. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that both composts can be used as a complement to the peat for substrate preparation, especially at a rate of 30%. The Posidonia-based compost showed better productive results in Comparison to the green one. Basil grown on the two compost-based media showed reduced absorption level of potentially toxic metals in comparison to peat.

High quality compost could be used as an environmentally friendly and renewable component for soilless growing media. Beached residues of posidonia (Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile), a marine phanerogam endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, can be used as raw material for compost production. The aim of this study was to evaluate a posidonia-based compost as a soilless growing medium component for the cultivation of tomato. Beached residues of posidonia (20% in weight) and green wastes were composted. The compost, alone (Compost 100%) or mixed with perlite at the rate of 50% in volume (Per-Comp 50:50), was used as growing medium and compared with traditional perlite (Perlite 100%). Tomato plants (cv. ‘Ikram’ ungrafted, ‘Ikram’ grafted onto ‘Beaufort’ and ‘Ikram’ grafted onto ‘Arnold’) were grown in the three growing media. A complete nutrient solution (EC = 1.7 dS/m; pH = 5.0) was used for fertigation. A system composed by EC5 soil moisture sensors, a data logger and a rely controller, and tensiometers to check water potential was used to manage fertigation, with the aim to maintain easily available water. Forty five days after transplanting, the plants grown in 100% compost as well as in the compost/perlite mix resulted in higher growth. Leaf area, total fresh and dry weight increased with increasing amounts of compost in the substrate. The tomato yield in Compost 100% and Per-Comp 50:50 treatments resulted higher than Perlite 100%, in terms of weight and number of fruits (15 and 7%, respectively). Grafted plants, regardless of the rootstock, showed a higher total yield if compared with ungrafted plants (11%, on average). The quality profile of fruits was only slightly influenced by growing media, while was not by the grafting combination. The results show that the compost-based posidonia could be successfully used as soilless substrate component for growing tomato.

Posidonia [Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile] is a marine phanerogam endemic of the Mediterranean Sea that grows all along the coast forming extensive underwater meadows. Senescent posidonia leaves, together with fibers (residues of rhizomes and decomposed leaves), periodically accumulate along Mediterranean beaches, covering vast areas of coast. Removal and disposal of these large volumes of plant biomasses represent a high cost for local administrations. Therefore, in this experiment, beached residues of posidonia were composted with olive pruning and green wastes with the objective to assess the efficacy of posidonia-based compost (63% on a volume basis) as a peat replacement. The compost was then mixed with a peat-based commercial substrate at rates of 0% (C0, pure peat-based commercial substrate tested as control), 25% (C25), 50% (C50), 75% (C75), and 100% (C100, pure posidonia-based compost) v/v. Mixtures were used as growing media to produce lettuce seedlings for transplant. Two lettuce cultivars (8511RZ and Satine) were tested. Main physical and chemical properties of the five growing media, shoot and root fresh and dry weight, leaf area, root morphology, and elemental leaf tissue composition were studied. Growing media containing posidoniabased compost, C25 and C50 in particular, showed good physical properties. Increasing compost proportions in the mixtures resulted in enhanced: 1) availability of macro- and micronutrients in the growing media; and 2) overall growth parameters of lettuce seedlings, in particular for the cultivar Satine. In conclusion, posidonia-based compost shows a considerable potential as a peat substitute in horticultural substrates; posidonia residues are a low-cost renewable material. In growing media for lettuce seedlings production, posidonia-based compost could be used as a complement to peat at a rate of 25% or 50% to obtain optimal physical properties and to limit the negative effects of high B content, which are typical of posidonia residues.

BACKGROUND: Soilless growth systems, developed mainly for vegetables and ornamental crops, have also been used recently as an alternative to soil culture for table grape in order to achieve optimal production performance. In this study, sensory, physical and chemical parameters were analysed in table grapes obtained from soil and soilless growth systems at harvest and during storage in air or modified atmosphere. RESULTS: At harvest, soilless-grown berries were 30% firmer than those grown in soil. Moreover, they showed 60% higher antioxidant activity and total phenol content than soil-grown fruits. Modified atmosphere storage resulted in a better quality of table grapes comparedwith those stored in air. Furthermore, soilless growth wasmore suitable than soil growth for preserving visual quality and controlling rachis browning and weight loss. CONCLUSION: Since the soilless system produces berries that are cleaner and of higher quality than those grown in soil, the implementation of soilless growth for the production of health-promoting and convenience fruits is suggested.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

The “Carota di Polignano” (Polignano Carrot – PC, Daucus carota L.) is a multi-colored landrace, cultivated in the Southern Italy, whose colors range from yellow to purple. Iodine is an essential micronutrient for humans, since it is a key component of thyroid hormones, which regulate the growth and development of the human body. The main source for iodine assumption is represented by diet, but its concentration in the vegetables is usually limited with respect to human needs. To this purpose, two experimental trials (in open field and in greenhouse with a soil-less system) were carried out to enrich PC with iodine. Three levels of iodine (control treatment, C – 0 mg·L−1; low, L – 50 mg·L−1; and high, H – 500 mg·L−1), distributed with foliar spray fertilizations (in both open field and greenhouse) or with nutrient solution (in greenhouse, at the level of 50 mg·L−1) in the form of KIO3 were compared. In open field, the H treatment showed a biofortification that was double and triple respect to L and C treatments, respectively, without influencing color and biometric parameters, such as the fresh and dry weight of roots and DM percentage. In greenhouse, the biofortification done with foliar spray fertilization followed the same trend of open field, while the biofortification by means of nutrient solution was more effective but reached very high levels that had toxic effects on the plants and could be too high for human nutrition. However, the concentrations of iodine into biofortified carrots in open field can allow to satisfy the recommended daily allowance (RDA) by consuming 100 and 200 g of fresh product for the treatment H and L, respectively. Regarding the greenhouse biofortification, the RDA would be satisfied by consuming 200 g of fresh carrots (with the high level of foliar fertilization).

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is a common weed that grows all over the world and is one of the most widespread weed species in summer crops. However, it has great potential to become a new crop since its identification as one of the best plant sources ofω-3 fatty acid, α-linolenic acid, as well as some antioxidants (α-tocopherol, β-carotene, ascorbic acid, and glutathione). Several other features distinguish this species: high content of crude protein, water-soluble polysaccharides useful as gums, and good tolerance to salinity. This review summarizes purslane’s origin, botanical, and physiological features while its nutritional and medical properties are reported in reference to several studies carried out on its chemical properties. Finally, its cultivation potential is discussed and future uses are proposed for this species, mainly as a component in ready-to-use vegetables (especially in mixed packaging) but also for other cultivation purposes.

BACKGROUND: Chicory stems, appreciated both raw and cooked, represent a nutritious and refined food. In this study the effects on the quality of stems cooked by conventional (boiling, steaming and microwaving) and innovative (sous vide)methods were analysed. Several physical, chemical and sensory traits were compared using two local varieties (Galatina and Molfettese) of southern Italy (Puglia region). RESULTS: Independently of the variety, the sous vide method did not significantly affect (redness, yellowness and hue angle) or had the least impact on (lightness and total colour difference) quality parameters among the four methods as compared with the raw product. Following sensory analysis, the sous vide product always showed the highest score among the cooking methods. Moreover, this innovative method did not affect total phenol (TP) content and antioxidant activity (AA) compared with uncooked stems of both varieties.Microwaving increased TP content and AA (though associated with higher weight loss), while different responses depending on the chicory variety were observed after boiling and steaming. CONCLUSION: The results indicate the sous vide technique as optimal to preserve several traits, including organoleptic ones, for the quality of cook-chilled chicory stems. They also provide product-specific information usually required for cooking process strategies in the industrial sector of ready-to-eat vegetables.

In the latest years the Social Media (or more generally the Web 2.0 tools) have become increasingly important in several aspects of everyday life and, thanks to their pervasiveness, they are used in various areas, including the scientific and academic ones. The importance of such tools have been underlined by several authors. The Social Media, in fact, are used in different activities: academic courses, spreading the results of research projects, informing citizens about initiatives, extracting data from the User Generated Content for particular purpose like, e.g., identify the places of greatest spread of certain diseases, etc. In the context of the our research projects about agrobiodiversity, we are using several Social Media services to disseminate our work and to inform the public. Anyway, the term Social Media points out to all the online technologies and practices used to share content, text, images, video and audio, referring to a plethora of tools. In our case, we refer to Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and Google Fusion Tables. In this paper, we introduce such tools and discuss the advantages and the opportunities they offer to the academic/scientific community. For Wikipedia, after an introduction about its advantages/ disadvantages, we report how such platform is actually used for academic/scientific purposes, and later we show: i) how it can be used to write/edit entries about species at risk of genetic erosion; ii) in which manner such platform can improve the visits toward a website (referral effect) and iii) how it is possible to create online and printed books (Wikibooks) starting from the entries of Wikipedia platform. For Facebook and Twitter, first we argue about such tools can be used in spreading information about agrobiodiversity, and later we discuss how we are using them and which are the parameters that can provide interesting information in order to see if the communication is done effectively. Finally, we furnish some indications about Google Fusion Tables, an innovative cloud-based tool from Google that allow to create and manage big data online, which does not appear as a traditional database, as it focuses on the sharing and collaboration providing innovative ways to display data on a map. At last, we illustrate how we are using them in order to give greater emphasis to the information and communication about the results of our projects, since the importance of Social Media has recent ly been under l ined by the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.

A soilless closed system experiment was conducted at MAIB greenhouse during the 2008 spring using subirrigation (trough bench system) for growing green bean. The effects of two substrates (peat+perlite and peat+sand 1:3, v/v) and two nutrient solution (NS) concentrations (100% and 50% of the macro-elements concentration normally used for growing this crop in soilless conditions) on yield, pod quality (categories, mineral composition), water use efficiency, and nutrients concentration into substrate and NS of two cultivars (‘Saporro’ and ‘Venda’) were evaluated. Trough bench technique allowed the realization of a continuous closed system with a major stability of the chemical parameters of the NS. It proved to be more effective than open soilless system since it saved water and fertilizers, allowing to obtain yield comparable to that obtained with traditional techniques (22 t/ha, on average). The reduction of the NS concentration (50% of the fertilizer concentration) reduced plant growth and consequently the total production by 15%. The use of different substrates did not affect the cultivars productivity. Concerning quality, ‘Saporro’ plants produced a high percentage of pods in the category “Extra” than ‘Venda’ plants (92 % vs. 89%, respectively). Sand can be an alternative of perlite given that it costs 30 times less.

Soilless culture, widely used for vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants, can be an effective technique to grow table grape and to overcome several issues of the current vineyard production system (i.e. to facilitate variety change, no use of rootstock, extra-seasonal production and improved fruit quality). In this research two greenhouse experiments were carried out in Southern Italy, in a typical area for table grape cultivation, to determine the water consumption, vegetative growth, yield, and quality traits of table grapes grown in a soilless system. The first experiment was a simple comparison of two cultivars Cardinal and Victoria, whereas in the second experiment two cultivars (‘Black Magic’ and ‘Victoria’) were grown by using four nutrient solutions characterized by different macronutrient concentrations (100% Hoagland solution type vs 30%-reduced Hoagland: less N and P, or less N, P, Ca and Mg, or less N, P, K, Ca and Mg). In the first experiment, on average, at harvest the yield was 21.7 t ha-1, with a cluster weight of 419 g and 14.9 °Brix. In the second experiment, yield and cluster weight were, on average, 29.4 t ha-1 and 686 g, respectively, and were not affected either by nutrient solution composition or by the cultivar. In both experiments the mean cluster weight and all the organoleptic characteristics were above the European Commission rule n. 2137/2002 limits. These results show that the soilless culture provides table grapes with quality traits completely suitable for international market quality standards, and it is possible to reduce the nutrient concentration of the nutrient solution without negative effects on yield and quality of soilless table grapes.

Automatic irrigation scheduling based on real-time measurement of soilless substrate water status has been recognized as a promising approach for efficient greenhouse irrigation management. Identification of proper irrigation set points is crucial for optimal crop performance, both in terms of yield and quality, and optimal use of water resources. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of irrigation management based on matric potential control on growth, plant–water relations, yield, fruit quality traits, and water-use efficiency of subirrigated (through bench system) soilless tomato. Tensiometers were used for automatic irrigation control. Two cultivars, “Kabiria” (cocktail type) and “Diana” (intermediate type), and substrate water potential set-points (−30 and −60 hPa, for “Diana,” and −30, −60, and −90 hPa for “Kabiria”), were compared. Compared with −30 hPa, water stress (corresponding to a −60 hPa irrigation set-point) reduced water consumption (14%), leaf area (18%), specific leaf area (19%), total yield (10%), and mean fruit weight (13%), irrespective of the cultivars. At −60 hPa, leaf-water status of plants, irrespective of the cultivars, showed an osmotic adjustment corresponding to a 9%average osmotic potential decrease. Total yield,mean fruit weight, plant water, and osmotic potential decreased linearly when −30, −60, and −90 hPa irrigation set-points were used in “Kabiria.” Unmarketable yield in “Diana” increased when water stress was imposed (187 vs. 349 g·plant−1, respectively, at −30 and −60 hPa), whereas the opposite effect was observed in “Kabiria,” where marketable yield loss decreased linearly [by 1.05 g·plant−1 per unit of substrate water potential (in the tested range from −30 to −90 hPa)]. In the second cluster, total soluble solids of the fruit and dry matter increased irrespective of the cultivars. In the seventh cluster, in “Diana,” only a slight increase was observed from −30 vs. −60 hPa (3.3 and 1.3%, respectively, for TSS and dry matter), whereas in “Kabiria,” the increase was more pronounced (8.7 and 12.0%, respectively, for TSS and dry matter), and further reduction in matric potential from −60 to −90 hPa confirmed the linear increase for both parameters. Both glucose and fructose concentrations increased linearly in “Kabiria” fruits on decreasing the substrate matric potential, whereas in “Diana,” there was no increase. It is feasible to act on matric potential irrigation set-points to control plant response in terms of fruit quality parameters. Precise control of substrate water status may offer the possibility to steer crop response by enhancing different crop-performance components, namely yield and fruit quality, in subirrigated tomato. Small-sized fruit varieties benefit more from controlled water stress in terms of reduced unmarketable yield loss and fruit quality improvements.

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is the main marine seagrass endemic of the Mediterranean Sea. From September on, leaves and rhizomes detach off the marine plant and accumulate on beaches in huge amounts, forming banks on the foreshore and backshore of beaches. Offshore residues represent an environmental, economical, social and hygienic problem, because of the great disturbance to the touristic activities, citizens life in urban areas and high costs that the public administrations have to support for managing them (beach cleaning, transport and disposal of such a biomass). Nowadays, current Italian legislation (n. 75/2010) allows the use of posidonia residues as raw material for the production of compost although at a maximum rate of 20% by fresh weight of the composting mixture. High presence of sand mixed to residues after removing from beaches and high salinity levels represent at the moment the main obstacles to the large use of this biomass as raw material for composting. Studies have been conducted, in the framework of the Life09 “Posidonia Residues Integrated Management for Eco-sustainability” (P.R.I.M.E.) project, with the aim to increase the application of posidonia residues for compost production, demonstrating the possibility to effectively separate the sand from the organic material and reduce the salinity levels. Several tests have been carried out with the objective to assess the posidonia-based compost quality. Posidonia-based compost proved to be a good peat substitute for lettuce transplant production and a good growing media component for green-house tomato and lettuce in soilless conditions. According to our studies, beached posidonia wastes could represent a low cost and renewable raw material for com-posting. Posidonia-based compost presents interesting properties and can be used as horticultural growing media component.

Peat is a non-renewable resource and its extraction contributes to the degradation of wetland ecosystems. In order to reduce the peat use in nursery, two composts prepared from yard wastes were evaluated as a substrate component for producing vegetable seedlings for transplantation. Two experiments with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars ‘Naxos’ and ‘TCP 9147’ and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars ‘Solero’ and ‘Logos’ were set up in a greenhouse. In each experiment two composts were tested: “Cp”, obtained from yard wastes + beached residues of marine plant posidonia [Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile – 20% of total fresh weight], and “C”, obtained only from yard wastes. Each compost was mixed with commercial peat in the amount of 0 (control), 25, 50, 75 and 100% (v/v). Results from the study suggest that, for both species, the best yield was obtained with the substrate prepared by mixing the peat with 25% of Cp.

In order to help conserve genetic resources in agriculture, the Puglia Regional Administration (Southern Italy) planned two specific actions under its 2007–2013 Rural Development Programme. This led to several activities being carried out for some local varieties, including the so-called ‘‘yellow–purple Polignano carrot’’, a multi-coloured landrace grown by a handful of old farmers who act as seed savers. The roots of this landrace, which is grown without fertilizer near the sea, have interesting visual, sensorial and nutritional traits as well as great potential for culinary applications and promising uses as raw material for new food products. However, this interesting landrace is grown on only a few hectares and is regarded as a vegetable at risk of genetic erosion. This note contains information on the yellow–purple Polignano carrot, with the aim of safeguarding some of the indigenous knowledge on the landrace and stimulating research activities that may lead to breeding programmes or commercial production improvement.

“Microgreens: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Mipaaf - Decree n. 93824 of December, 30th 2014), according to article 9 of the announcement of the public selection for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the Association ‘ORTINNOVA’ and some researchers of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science of the University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’. The project MicroGREENS aims to broadcast and increase the public awareness on the importance and value of the great heritage of biodiversity of the Italian and Apulian vegetables, revealing how such richness can be exploited to develop novel, fresh, functional and high value food products such as microgreens.

The dissemination of knowledge about (agro)biodiversity is a strategic factor in communicating the urgent need to defend and protect biological diversity. Although this can be carried out with various media, in recent years social media (or “Web 2.0”) have begun to assume a prominent role. Of the Web 2.0 services, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, CA) is one of the most powerful and interesting tools, for several reasons, being collaborative by nature, free of charge, multilingual, and accessible online; in addition, anyone can update the materials therein. Within the framework of the regional project “Rural Development Programme 2007-2013,” our research group, responsible of the collection of historical information and morphological characterization of several vegetable crops considered to be at risk of genetic erosion, proposed the use of Wikipedia as a dissemination tool. The objective of this study was to show how to add/modify articles in Wikipedia for online divulgation and to demonstrate its validity by analyzing some data (pageviews, editing history, and the impact of Wikipedia as a referral toward the project’s institutional website) related to the Wikipedia articles that were added/modified. The article about the landrace variety Carota di Polignano carrot (Daucus carota), created from scratch, received more than 15,000 pageviews in less than 2 years. Referrals from Wikipedia increased the visits to the institutional website by 30%, whereas the bounce rate decreased by 15%. Wikipedia may be a good tool to improve the dissemination of knowledge about (agro)biodiversity either online or offline, and the addition in Wikipedia’s pages of scientific journal references and of links to projects’ website may strengthen the diffusion of scientific knowledge.