Assunta Maria Palese

• PhD
• University of Basilicata

Living soil cover (living mulch, green manure), no-till; organic matter additions (treated urban wastewater), chemical and mineral fertilization (fertigation), soil water management (drip irrigation).

The aim of the present study was to characterize the physical-chemical and microbiological features of aerated compost teas (CTs) extracted with dechlorinated tap water and with two different additives, molasses and whey, in increasing doses. Plant pathogen suppression properties of CTs were also taken into account. Total nitrogen in CTs increased...

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of people, as well as the production and economic systems throughout the world. The flow of raw materials and products, the supply of labor and manpower, and the purchasing power have all been changed to the detriment of individual health and well-being. Such a situation requires placing even...

Olive is a widespread crop within Mediterranean area and Italy is one of the biggest producer of olives and oil in the world. From an environmental point of view, centered on carbon (C) sequestration, managing olive orchards sustainably is an urgent and actual issue. This trial was done in a 2-ha olive orchard (Olea europaea L., cv. ‘Maiatica’; 70-...

Agricultural crop production can generate significant residues and their management is generally a disposal problem. Composting can be a solution. It is essentially an efficient bioconversion technique to process organic wastes (manure, food, crop and forestry residues, solid digestate) into humus-like substances destined to different uses (soil am...

The livestock sector plays a fundamental role in human beings’ livelihood all over the world. However, significant changes have occurred in the last decades, transforming the livestock sector into a highly intensive economic activity with negative impacts on human health and the environment. Such a reality requires the identification of easy method...

Olive oil is a widely used consumer product, so producers and consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable productions. The olive-oil production chain requires continuous improvements to gradually replace the most environmentally impactful practices with others that are more sustainable. This research aimed to evaluate the environmental impac...

Horticultural farms are faced with the problem of disposing of huge amounts of agricultural by-products whose management requires sustainable solutions. Composting means to recycle organic waste to make compost—a high agronomic value product—able to positively affect soil quality: A good occasion to switch definitively from a conventional agricultu...

This work was designed to investigate the effect of mechanical tillage on glomalin content, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) abundance and diversity, and the concentration of water stable aggregates (WSA), in two adjacent olive groves located in Basilicata (Italy) that were managed over the course of 11 years in accordance with different horticul...

Aglianicone is an autochthonous variety of black berried wine grape cultivated exclusively in southern Italy, but with limited information on the molecular composition of its grapes. HRMAS NMR spectroscopy was used to identify the primary metabolome of Aglianicone grape pulp from two different vineyards and the observed metabolomic changes reflecte...

Compost tea (CT) is an organic liquid product derived from quality compost carrying useful microorganism and molecules capable to protect and stimulate growth of the plants. It is gaining a lot of interest for improving productivity of conventional and/or organic vegetable crops. In this research, the effects of an aerated water-extracted CT obtain...

I l manuale, organizzato in schede, è diviso in due sezioni. La prima (Sezione A) fornisce una valutazione della qualità del suolo in base all'analisi in campo di pochi parametri fisici, chimici e biologici tramite test visivi e quantitativi. La seconda (Sezione B) comprende determinazioni aggiuntive, alcune più complesse o strumentali, che consent...

Compost, as stabilized organic matter, can be virtuously used for the recovery of degraded soils and their fertility restoring, carbon sequestration in the soil and the reduction in the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, fuel) resulting in the decrease of production costs and negative environmental impacts. Additionally, compost can b...

Livestock effluents “surplus” is a very sensitive issue for farmers who have several difficulties to manage them and ensure their safe disposal. In this regard, composting is a very strategic way to break down environmental impacts associated with manure management. This study was aimed at assessing the production sustainability of one ton of compo...

Compost teas are compost-derived liquid products that may potentially induce positive effects on treated crops, including disease suppressiveness and biostimulation of the overall improved plant status. In this work four teas, produced from agricultural and municipal waste compost, were applied in a processing tomato cropping system to gain sustain...

The aim of this study was to characterize phyllosphere and carposphere bacterial communities of olive trees subjected for 13 years to two different soil management systems (sustainable and conventional) in a mature olive grove located in Southern Italy. Amplified DNA fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA eubacterial gene (16S rRNA) of bacteria living...

Total soil respiration (TSR) is the major component of the CO2 global flux. The knowledge of the temporal-spatial variability of TSR allows for a better interpretation of a critical component of global greenhouse gas flux measurements. The objective of the research was to evaluate the TSR dynamic over a long measurement period in a vineyard in the...

Non-invasive geophysical methods, such as EMI (Electromagnetic Induction), are innovative tools to study soil biological parameters. This work was carried out to assess correlations between soil earthworm abundance and biomass and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by means of a Profiler GSSI EMP-400. The trial was performed in a...

The most recent and recognised standards for carbon footprint (CFP) ISO 14067:2013 requires the inclusion of land based emissions (CO2 fluxes from soil organic carbon change and field emissions from fertilization) into greenhouse gas accounting. These two categories of emissions are often disregarded from CFP studies of fruit products. In the prese...

Background: The use of compost may relieve the factors that limit productivity in intensive agricultural systems, such as soil organic matter depletion and soil sickness. Concomitantly, the practice of on-farm composting allows the recycle of cropping green residues into new productive processes. Results: We produced four vegetable composts by usin...

Soil erosion in olive groves is a widespread phenomenon in the Mediterranean Basin. Many studies have investigated the effects of tillage and herbaceous ground cover (spontaneous or seeded) in their effectiveness to reduce soil erosion in a wide range of Mediterranean sites under different pedoclimatic and topographic conditions. The present study...

Non-invasive geophysical methods, such as EMI (Electromagnetic Induction), are innovative tools to study soil biological parameters. This work was carried out to assess correlations between soil earthworm abundance and biomass and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by means of a Profiler GSSI EMP-400. The trial was performed in a...

Land management causes changes in soil physical, chemical and biological properties that in turn affect soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. The estimation of SOC stocks is necessary to assess the impact of land management practices on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). As a matter of fact, SOC showed an important spatial and temporal variation...

The use of compost tea (CT) is becoming interesting for applications in organic agriculture. CTs are oxygenated extracts of compost that give positive effects on the crops because contain bioactive molecules and microorganisms that improve plant growth and health. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of CTs applied as foliar spray and...

Sustainable soil management of fruit orchards can have positive effects on both soils and crop yields due to increases in microbial biomass, activity and complexity. The aim of the present study was to investigate medium-term effects (12 yr) of two different management practices termed ‘sustainable’ (ST) and ‘conventional’ (CT) on soil microbial co...

The water footprint is an indicator of the consumers' (or producers') water consumption. It can be a useful tool to plan appropriate water management strategies within a territory. This 4-year (2005-2008) study provides an assessment of the water footprint of an irrigated (I) olive orchard against a rainfed (non-irrigated, NI) one. Olive trees were...

Trials were carried out for six years in a mature olive orchard (cv Maiatica, dual purpose variety - tree spacing 8x8 m) in Southern Italy. Wastewater treated by a pilot unit using simplified processes was distributed by drip irrigation in part of the orchard (0.66 ha). A nearby non-irrigated and tilled plot, having plants with similar features, wa...

The objective of this study was to test a more productive and sustainable system compared to the traditional approach to manage olive orchards at risk of abandonment placed on hilly and mountainous areas of semi-arid environments. The main sustainable features include the use of treated urban wastewater for drip irrigation and the exploitation of e...

Non-invasive geophysical methods, such as EMI (Electromagnetic Induction), are innovative tools to study soil biological parameters. This work was carried out to assess correlations between soil earthworm abundance and biomass and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by means of a Profiler GSSI EMP-400. The trial was performed in a...

Traditional olive growing can survive only by improving olive farmer income and recognizing its multifunctional role. In this study, we propose a sustainable management model which entails the recycling of urban wastewater and its distribution by drip irrigation and the use of soil management techniques based on the recycling of polygenic carbon so...

The abandonment of olive orchards is a phenomenon of great importance triggered mainly by economic and social causes. The aim of this study was to investigate some chemical, biochemical, and microbiological properties in a soil of a southern olive grove abandoned for 25 years. In order to define the effect of the long-term land abandonment on soil...

Riassunto Si riportano i risultati di una ricerca volta a valutare gli effetti di due diverse modalità di gestione dell'oliveto, finalizzate alla conservazione o al reintegro della sostanza organica (s.o.) nel terreno. La prima basata sull'adozione di tecniche conservative alternative alle lavorazioni: un sistema di gestione sostenibile (inerbiment...

The purpose of this study was to assess the medium-term impact (2000-07) of drip irrigation with treated wastewater on total and bioavailable (DTPA-extractable) contents of Cd, Ni, Pb, Cu, and Zn in a sandy loam soil of a mature olive orchard in Southern Italy. Heavy metals analyses were performed on wastewater and topsoil samples (0-30 cm) collect...

The traditional management of extensive olive groves in semi-arid hilly areas within Matera Province is characterized by a marked alternation of production. The objective of this research was to develop, on an experimental basis, an alternative management system by introducing more intensive and conservative agricultural practices. This alternative...

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is a non-invasive geophysical technique for studying the physical and chemical features of soil distribution. This paper focuses on the relations of the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of soil, measured using a Profiler GSSI EMP-400, with soil abiotic and biotic parameters: volumetric water content, pH, electr...

The effect of several pollination combinations of the olive cultivars Ascolana Tenera, Carolea, Leccino, and Picholine on seed quality and seed number and drupe and seed features were evaluated in 2007 and in 2008 in central Italy. The well-known pattern in olive fruit was confirmed by the high percentage of drupes (71.8%, on average) containing on...

L’elettromagnetismo indotto (EMI) è una tecnica geofisica non invasiva per lo studio della distribuzione spaziale delle proprietà fisico-chimiche del suolo. Questo lavoro si basa sulle relazioni della conduttività elettrica apparente (ECa) del suolo, misurata usando un Profiler GSSI EMP-400, con i parametri abiotici e biotici del suolo (lombrichi)....

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is a non-invasive geophysical technique for studying the physical and chemical features of soil distribution. This paper focuses on the relations of the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of soil, measured using a Profiler GSSI EMP-400, with soil abiotic and biotic parameters: volumetric water content, pH, electr...

Drought stress is the main cause of reduced fruit tree growth and productivity in Mediterranean semi-arid regions and causes a complex of responses at molecular, cellular, physiological and developmental level. In particular, the response of fruit trees to water scarcity is a species- and cultivar-dependent and a series of studies have been carried...

Use of compost-teas as biopesti-cides and biostimulants in horticulture Ab stra c t. Composting is a biological process where biodegradable organic compounds are transformed into compost. In the last years, in agriculture , the use of new products derived from compost, such as compost-tea (CT) is increasing, due to their positive effects on the cro...

The productive performance of an olive orchard is strongly affected by the olive grower capacity in choosing, combining, and properly performing the several agronomical practices, such asfertilization, soil management, irrigation, also taking into account their environmental impact. On the other hand, such expertise is taken into consideration by t...

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of drip irrigation with treated wastewater on total and bioavailable (DTPA-extractable)

Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) was performed in southern Italy, under semi-arid climate, on a Haplic Calcisol soil of two rainfed olive orchards managed according to different soil management (Tillage – T, and Cover Cropping – CC), applied for 8 years. The main aim was to test the usefulness of such geoelectrical method for the assessment of...

An experiment was carried out in a young high-density olive grove (556 plants ha−1—Olea europaea L., cv Coratina) located in Southern Italy to evaluate the effect of different soil water availability on the vegetative and productive performances of olive trees also looking into the quality of the resulting oils. Trials were carried out over a 3-yea...

A geo-electrical survey, combined with direct measurements on soil samples, was performed to study spatial relationships among electrical resistivity (ρ), hydropedological parameters, and root characteristics. The trial was carried out on the soil (WRB: Haplic Regosols) of an apricot orchard grown in a semi-arid climate, covercropped, and micro-irr...

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effects of two soil management systems so called sustainable treatment (ST) and conventional treatment (CT) on the composition and on genetic, functional, and metabolic diversity of soil microbial communities in a Mediterranean olive orchard. The ST system included no-tillage, integrated chemical fert...

The olive oil industry in Europe produces a significant amount of olive mill wastewater (OMW) which poses a serious environmental threat if its disposal is not carried out correctly. At the same time, OMW is an important source of useful substances for several activities (e.g. for food, chemical and energy industries; in agriculture as a fertiliser...

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) on the quality parameters of “Chemlali” olive oil through two crop seasons (2004/2005 and 2006/2007). The results showed that irrigation with TWW did not affect the examined oil quality indices (free acidity, specific ultraviolet absorbance K 232 and K 270...

The use of municipal wastewater in agriculture requires a careful monitoring of a range of hygiene parameters. Yearly hygienic impact assessments on soil and fruit were made between 2000 and 2006 in an olive (Olea europaea L.) grove established near a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Southern Italy (Ferrandina–Basilicata region, 40°29′ N, 16...

An experiment was performed for a 3-year period in a mature rainfed olive grove located in Southern Italy to evaluate the effect of different soil management techniques on Soil Water Content (SWC). Since 2000, two different treatments were compared: Sustainable System - SS (no-tillage, spontaneous vegetation cover, annual recycling of pruning mater...

From 2003 to 2006, a consortium of six European partners analysed the future of olive production systems on sloping land in the Mediterranean basin. Olive production on such land dates back to pre-Roman times, but the production systems (known by the acronym SMOPS, for “Sloping and Mountainous Olive Production Systems”), are under threat. Many are...

In semi-arid regions crop yields are primarily water-limited. As reported by many authors, water supply can improve olive yield, while, on the other hand, the influence of soil water availability on olive oil quality it is not well understood. This study was conducted to determine whether soil water availability could have an effect on yield and so...