Federica Rossi

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute for Biometeorology IBIMET

Understanding climate change awareness and its related risks is crucial to plan efficient climate-smart strategies. An online survey was conducted on Italian consumers with the aim to understand consumers’ inclination toward food products obtained with climate-smart strategies. Specifically, consumers’ awareness about climate change and willingness...

While a substantial reduction of GHG (greenhouse gases) is urged, large-scale mitigation implies a detailed and holistic knowledge on the role of specific cropping systems, including the effect of management choices and local factors on the final balance between emissions and removals, this last typical of cropping systems. Here, a conventionally m...

To test the efficacy and sustainability of evaporative cooling, two blocks of a commercial ‘Fuji’ apple orchard in Medelana (Ferrara, Italy) were subjected to two irrigation regimes: drip irrigation alone (DRI) or, between July and August (the hottest period of the year), supplemented by overcanopy irrigation (OCI). Stem/leaf water potential, leaf...

The overexploitation of fishmeal and soy for the feedstuff industry has provided an opportunity to employ insects as an unconventional and more environmental friendly protein source. The evaluation of the nutritive properties of different insect species has consequently become a priority. The present study compares the pupal nutritive composition o...

Natural biomaterials are more and more used for the development of high technology solutions, setting the scene for a bio-based material economy that responds to the increasing demand of environmentally friendly products. Among natural biomaterials, silk fibre protein called silk fibroin (SF) produced by the Bombyx mori L. insect, recently found a...

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial lignocellulosic crop that has gained large interest as a feedstock for advanced biofuels. Using an eddy‐covariance system, we monitored the net ecosystem gas exchange in a five‐ha rainfed switchgrass crop located in the Po River Valley for four consecutive years after land‐use change from annual food...

Climate variability and change are recognised as a major threat for West African agriculture, particularly for smallholder farmers. Moreover, population pressure, poverty, and food insecurity, are worsening the vulnerability of production systems to climate risks. Application of Climate Services in agriculture, specifically Agrometeorological Servi...

Purpose The third age can be a period of major food consumption changes. Either voluntary or imposed by health issues, they may be accompanied by alterations in sensory acuity. This research investigated how lifelong food habits, health-age issues affect food choice at a later age, with the aim of developing strategies to direct aged people toward...

Climate change and increasing extreme events are a major threat to West African farmers, affecting crop production and exacerbating food insecurity. Climate Services, including weather and climate forecasts, are acknowledged as a valuable innovation to support Climate Smart Agriculture. The hypothesis is that agrometeorological information and serv...

In a context of increased land and natural resources scarcity, the possibilities for local authorities and stakeholders of anticipating evolutions or testing the impact of envisaged developments through scenario simulation are new challenges. PRECOS's approach integrates data pertaining to the fields of water and soil resources, agronomy, urbanizat...

This paper presents the first results of a ten-year METAGRI project, implemented by WMO and its national partners in West Africa, to deliver weather and climate information and advisory services to effectively support farmer decision-making and risk management under a changing climate. Here the evaluation of the impacts of the METAGRI approach on f...

Equations based on surface renewal (SR) analysis to estimate the sensible heat flux (H) require as input the mean ramp amplitude and period observed in the ramp-like pattern of the air temperature measured at high frequency. A SR-based method to estimate sensible heat flux (HSR-LST) requiring only low-frequency measurements of the air temperature,...

The use of doped silk fibroin (SF) films and substrates from Bombyx mori cocoons for green nanotechnology and biomedical applications has been recently highlighted. Cocoons from coloured strains of B. mori, such as Golden-Yellow, contain high levels of pigments that could have a huge potential for the fabrication of SF based biomaterials targeted t...

An educational activity, aimed at highlighting the benefits of Mediterranean Diet, compared to less healthy eating patterns, can encourage the adoption and maintenance of a mindful approach to food choice. This is especially important when a progressive shift towards a non-Mediterranean dietary pattern can be observed, even in Mediterranean countri...

Silk is a natural fibre obtained from the Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons that can be used in a wide range of fields thanks to its inherent multifunctionality. Post-production steps are necessary to impart colour to the fibres to employ the material for optics and photonic applications, such as in fluorescence-based optofluidic devices in lab-on-a-chi...

Silk fibroin is a natural protein that constitutes the core fibre of the silkworm cocoon. Recently, a great deal of attention is being paid to the use of the regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) solution that can be obtained by water-processing of the cocoon fibre. Indeed, thanks to its chemical and physical properties it has been shown that substrates o...

This paper is based on the analysis of a long-term mass (carbon dioxide, hydrogen oxide) and energy (solar radiation) balance monitoring programme carried out during years 2010 and 2012 in an irrigated orange orchard in Sicily, using the Eddy Covariance (EC) method. Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide and its evergr...

Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural biocompatible material that can be integrated in a variety of photonic systems and optoelectronics: i.e. organic lasing from dye-doped nano-structured silk film. In this context, biological incorporation of doping molecules into SF by means of feeding silk worms with dyes to their diet could be an innovative and eco-s...

This work aims to analyze the traditional agricultural technique of the Giardino Pantesco, typical of the isle of Pantelleria (Sicily, Italy). With this particular technique a single citrus tree is encircled by a drywall of volcanic rocks allowing it to grow even in the island's unfavorable meteorological conditions. This technique has been analyze...

This paper is based on the analysis of a long-term mass (carbon dioxide, water vapour) and energy (solar radiation) balance monitoring programme carried out during years 2010 and 2012 in an irrigated orange orchard in Sicily, using the Eddy Covariance (EC) method. Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide and its evergree...

Several irrigation models made available within the COST 718 action are compared from the point of view of algorithms, input requirements and output usability. A cali- bration and verification of each is presented based on field data collected by the Uni- versity of Bologna. An experiment of application of the models in the operational framework of...

The Global Framework on Climate Services (GFCS) will guide the development of climate services that link science-based climate information and predictions with climate-risk management and adaptation to climate change. GFCS structure is made up of 5 pillars; Observations/Monitoring (OBS), Research/ Modeling/ Prediction (RES), Climate Services Inform...

Literature reports that agriculture emits about 14% of the global anthropogenic greenhouse gas, but many uncertainties exist about the quantification of the amount of CO2 captured and sequestered in biomass and soil by the various agricultural systems. Reliable long-term continuous monitoring of C fluxes are possible via micrimeteorological methods...

The aim of this study was to measure carbon fluxes using the eddy covariance approach of a large field of switchgrass starting from the field establishment of the crop. The eddy covariance approach, based on the covariance between fluctuations of vertical wind velocity and CO2 and vapour mixing ratios, has been largely used to determine the Net Eco...

Eddy covariance technique is able to determine at the same time crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and carbon fixation over a large kind of agricultural and natural ecosystem. Switchgrass is recognized as a feedstock for biofuel production and for their capability to assimilate CO2 from the atmosphere and consequently to act as sink of greenhouse gas (G...

At present, research activities on the role of orchard systems in sequestering atmospheric CO2 remain scarce. This paper aimed to contribute to assessing the carbon balance of a Mediterranean olive (Olea europea) orchard. The net ecosystem exchange, the ecosystem respiration and the gross primary production were computed for two consecutive years t...

Natural fibres are increasingly used for non-textile application with high technological content for the possibility to create a bio-based material and then respond to the growing request for environmentally friendly products. Together with bast fibre broadly used for bio-composites materials, silk fibre produced by the Bombyx mori L. insect also f...

Riassunto Obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di inserire la coltura dell'arancio all'interno del modello di bilancio idrico Criteria, estendendo quindi l'attuale gamma di applicazione del modello, che comprende colture erbacee e tra le arboree drupacee e rosacee. Grazie a una campagna di misure micrometeorologiche, effettuata in ambito AgroScenari...

Evapotranspiration estimation by micrometeorological techniques through the assessment of mass and energy exchanges in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) is a very active research area, involving both well-known and novel measurement techniques. A crucial aspect in validating experimental results is the integration of independent measuremen...

Late frost events in the Emilia-Romagna region can damage significantly the horticultural production. Modelling tools can be of great importance in addressing the proper explanation when in presence of damages to the cultures and to provide diagnosis of the evolution of the event. The diagnostic model MODAMB, here presented, was developed at IBIMET...

The present work concerns the development and the application of a methodology to compute the surface radiative balance components and the cloud fraction index. The obtained results, regarding the cloud effects on surface available energy, give an idea of the great importance of this kind of studies. As a matter of fact, through this analysis, it i...

Knowledge about ecophysiological attitudes at tree level is basic for a correct knowledge of the performance of each species in different environments, and for the comprehension of the mitigation and compensation aspects that urban vegetation may exert. Data on photosynthesis and stomata conductance may be obtained from measurements at single leaf...

Information systems are now widely used to support irrigation management in many Countries Interactive information systems facilitate the operation and management of irrigation systems and offer personalized forecasting to farmers, who are advised about the amount and timing of water supply to the different crops grown in their farms. This paper re...

To date, projections of European crop yields under climate change have been based almost entirely on the outputs of crop-growth models. While this strategy can provide good estimates of the effects of climatic factors, soil conditions and management on crop yield, these models usually do not capture all of the important aspects related to crop mana...

The studies on anthropogenic climate change performed in the last decade over Europe show consistent projections of increases in temperature and different patterns of precipitation with widespread increases in northern Europe and decreases over parts of southern and eastern Europe. In many countries and in recent years there is a tendency towards c...

The simulation of gross primary production (GPP) at various spatial and temporal scales remains a major challenge for quantifying the global carbon cycle. We developed a light use efficiency model, called EC-LUE, driven by only four variables: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), air temperature,...

The spring–summer photosynthetic behaviour of Pistacia lentiscus, a spontaneous evergreen bush of the Mediterranean macchia, was followed during two consecutive years. Outdoor measurements were carried out monthly in the period from May to September in the years 2004 and 2005. Mean values of net photosynthesis (P N) of external tests show a typical...

Understanding the relationships between climate and carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems is critical to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of the potential accelerating effects of positive climate–carbon cycle feedbacks. However, directly observed relationships between climate and terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmo...

A comparison of water consumption evaluated at tree and orchard level was carried out in a commercial olive orchard located in Sicily using up-scaled sap-flow evapotranspiration estimations and eddy covariance measurements. Sap flow probes were installed on olive trees placed in one of the four plots characterizing a heterogeneous orchard. Trees we...

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

A. Matzarakis(1)(*), T. Georgiadis(2) and F. Rossi(2) (1) Meteorological Institute, University of Freiburg -Werthmannstrasse 10, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany (2) IBIMET -Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy (ricevuto il 23 Ottobre 2007; revisionato il 22 Gennaio 2008; approvato il 28 Gennaio 2008; pubblicato online il 3 Luglio 2008) Summary. — Therma...

This study reports the seasonal assessment of energy balance components and carbon dioxides fluxes over a drip irrigated kiwifruit orchard, with a Leaf Area Index (LAI) of 3 at full canopy development. The most remarkable amount of energy partitioning throughout the whole season was due to latent heat flux that had values approximating to those of...

La funzionalità delle colture legnose arboree da frutto sull’assorbimento della CO2 atmosferica, e l’ammontare dello stoccaggio del carbonio che queste mettono in atto è stato scarsamente studiato rispetto a quanto sia stato analizzato negli ecosistemi forestali. Gli studi estensivi sull’efficienza degli impianti arborei ad agire come sink di carbo...

An orchard carbon fixation between 5-11 μmol m-2 s -1 was recorded through the eddy covariance technique during the summer for a table grape in southern Italy. The total daily ecosystem exchange was equal to 2.07 g C/m2/day in 2001 and 1.68 in 2002, which was warmer. The latent heat of evapotranspiration was 40% Rn in 2001 and about 30% in 2002. Ed...

This study reports the seasonal assessment of energy balance components and carbon dioxides fluxes over a drip irrigated kiwifruit orchard, with a Leaf Area Index (LAI) of 3 at full canopy development. The most remarkable amount of energy partitioning throughout the whole season was due to latent heat flux that had values approximating to those of...

Morphogenic and growth processes were studied in relation to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and red, far red and blue spectral bands monitored at three different heights of a peach canopy during the vegetative season. The PAR intercepted by the bottom of the tree was significantly lower than that at the top, and blue fluence rate change...

Experiments designed to study the effect of light quality and quantity and their possible interaction with benzyladenine (BA) in the control of in vitro proliferation of Prunus insititia Schneider GF 655–2 microcuttings are reported. The action of BA as a promoting factor of shoot formation was expressed only in the presence of light. The concentra...

The carbon balance of an afforested area in the Emilia-Romagna floodplain has been monitored for a 4-year period. Detailed measurements covering both above- and below-ground components of biomass production and accumulation were complemented by eddy-covariance measurements at the ecosystem level. Experimental results have been extrapolated in time...

We present carbon stable isotope, d13C, results from air and organic matter samples collected during 98 individual field campaigns across a network of Carboeuroflux forest sites in 2001 (14 sites) and 2002 (16 sites). Using these data, we tested the hypothesis that d13C values derived from large-scale atmospheric measurements and models, which are...

The relationship between spectral light reflectance and leaf water content has been established for several species, giving a sound basis to the use of remote sensing technologies in water stress detection for natural vegetation and crops. Nevertheless, few data are available about fruit tree species. The leaf and canopy reflectance features as ind...

[1] Field-chamber measurements of soil respiration from 17 different forest and shrubland sites in Europe and North America were summarized and analyzed with the goal to develop a model describing seasonal, interannual and spatial variability of soil respiration as affected by water availability, temperature, and site properties. The analysis was p...

Because of these peculiar properties, a micrometeorological based index can be usefully utilized to represent and forecast conditions for complex terrain structures and textures as well as for early warning systems and operations (i.e. potential fire spreads for channeling conditions between adjacent hills with different kind of vegetative coverage...

Late frost are dangerous climatic hazards that can be responsible of fruit trees yield losses. Late frost potential hazard is, in particular, increased by the enhancement of low-temperature episodes in spring and to the concomitant early-blooming consequent to higher winter temperatures induced by the earth global warming.This paper reports observa...