Livia Martinetti

• University of Milan

This work is based on the study of 150 majolica vases dated back to the mid XVII century that once preserved medicinal remedies prepared in the ancient Pharmacy annexed to the Ospedale Maggiore Ca’ Granda in Milan (Lombardy, Italy). The Hortus simplicium was created in 1641 as a source of plant-based ingredients for those remedies. The main objecti...

The use of peat in n ursery media has a high environmental impact and the finding of alternative materials is quite advisable. In order to evaluate the possibility of replacing peat with biochar and green compost, a growing trial has been performed using two types of biochar, obtained from residues of olive tree pruning or from olive pomace, respec...

Green roof technology is widespread and has been around for some time. In this technology the substrate plays a decisive role in guaranteeing performance in terms of vegetation and stormwater management; the main and most significant regulations governing this topic (FLL:2008, UNI 11235:2015, MT 3700:2017) provide precise indications on the chemica...

Weeds may be a serious problem in the extensive green roofs since they usually are very competitive with the cultivated plants. This is especially true in the adverse conditions of the Mediterranean roofs. Over the years weeds can threaten the cultivated species often substituting them. Of particular concern are the species with a strong tap root s...

Green roof technology is influenced by temperate North European experiences, especially when it comes to plant selection. The Mediterranean climate is quite particular and the use of native plants o n green roofs could prove more appropriate. T rial s with Cerastium bie bersteinii and Potentilla neum an niana were carried out to test their performa...

Many studies have shown that green roofs provide a number of benefits to urban areas. Flood mitigation is one of such benefits, due to the potential of green roofs to absorb and retain precipitation. The volume of water retained by the substrate influences runoff. The depth and water content of the substrate also contribute to the extent by which f...

Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella olitoria L. (Valerianella locusta (L.) Laterr.)) is one of the most important leafy vegetables used in the minimally processed industry. The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality changes of lamb's lettuce harvested from two different greenhouses in which organic fertilization was performed one or two years before...

In the last 50 years or so, Europe has undergone a massive change both in the demographic as well as in the environmental picture. There has been a sustained drive towards urbanisation with the result that large tracts of land have been urbanised. This has resulted in the increase in population density and the reduction of urban ecology. The lack o...

Weeds may be a serious problem in extensive green roofs since they usually are very competitive with the cultivated plants, especially in the adverse conditions of the Mediterranean roofs. The monitoring of weed infestation on an extensive green roof with six flora species (Armeria maritima, Cerastium biebersteinii, Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Dian...

Green roofs in the urban areas may give important environmental and energetic benefits, because they reduce heat island effect and air pollution, ameliorate storm water management and retention capabilities reducing run off and flooding, increase biodiversity and the energy efficiency of buildings. Green roofs are not widespread in the Mediterranea...

Perilla frutescens is very rich in antioxidants and it can have a healthy effect in the human diet. In this work the potential use of perilla as a new minimally processed leafy vegetable was investigated. Three genotypes of perilla were grown in greenhouse. During storage total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenols, anthocyanins, perillaketone, and oth...

Le problematiche connesse all’impatto ambientale delle pratiche agricole hanno portato alla crescente diffusione di prodotti biostimolanti e bioattivatori, in grado di favorire l’attività dei microrganismi presenti nel suolo, il metabolismo vegetale e lo sviluppo radicale, aumentare la resistenza alle avversità biotiche ed abiotiche, migliorare la...

The Euro-Mediterranean area is the seat of a relevant greenhouse activity, meeting the needs of important markets. A quantitative assessment of greenhouse energy consumption and of its variability in space and time is an important decision support tool for both greenhouse-sector policies and farmers. A mathematical model of greenhouse energy balanc...

In recent years there was a large spread of photovoltaic (PV) greenhouses, in spite of some agronomic problems caused by micrometeorological limitations for the underlying crops during cold season. To evaluate the effects of PV panels situated on the roof of a greenhouse, Air Temperature (AT) and Global Solar Radiation (GSR) were monitored in a PV...

Le tecniche agronomiche stanno evolvendo verso metodi di coltivazione organici, sostenibili e a basso impatto ambientale. Lo scopo dell’agricoltura oggi è quello di ridurre gli input senza diminuire le produzioni e la loro qualità. I biostimolanti contengono composti bioattivi, in gran parte ancora sconosciuti, e sono in grado di aumentare la “nutr...

Copyrigh (c) 2014, Intersezioni, ISSN 2280-689X. Editor by Ordine dei dottori agronomi e dei dottori forestali di Milano. Via G. Pacini 13, 20131 Milano (http://www.intersezioni.eu/index.php).

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of two biodegradable mulches on weed control in container-grown Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin' and their effect on evaporation and substrate temperature. The experiment was repeated in 2008 and 2009. Two biodegradable mulching materials were tested and compared with both chemical control (o...

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt., widely used in Asian countries both as culinary and medicinal plant, is reported to be very rich in phenolic compounds that are beneficial for human health. Since perilla is almost unknown in Italy, we investigated the suitability of this species to be grown in our environments. At first, we estimated the antioxidant...

The leafy vegetables used for minimally processed products have a limited shelf life usually 5- 6 days. The quality of the vegetables is generally represented by antioxidant compounds, vitamins and leaf pigments that all together contribute to the aesthetical and nutritional quality. During storage the quality declines and atmosphere modification i...

The quality of fresh-cut or minimally processed or ready-to-eat vegetables depend from many internal and external parameters. Some are very labile (i.e. vitamin C) while others, instead, are very stable and do not significantly change during the shelf life even if the appearance of the product is compromised. Quality changes are mainly due to the p...

Consumers are oriented towards fresh-cut vegetables that provide phytonutrients useful for preventing stress-related diseases. The aim of this work was to evaluate the cut operations on the quality changes of lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella olitoria L.) cv. Trofy during storage at 4 °C for 8 days. Results showed that chlorophyll and carotenoids reduct...

The greenhouse production has been evolving more and more towards sustainable or environmental friendly systems. However, the yield and the quality of vegetables must be preserved. The reduction of fertilisers should be obtained without compromising the marketable produce. Floating systems for minimally leafy vegetables production have been increas...

The experiment was aimed to evaluate the effect of a biofertiliser containing the purple nonsulfur anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus (Ores, PSBIO System, Italy) on the growth of two poinsettia cultivars, 'Peterstar' and 'Maren', in comparison with the usual nitrogen fertigation. The plants were grown in a PMMA covered greenho...

The study was aimed at evaluating the response of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) to drip or subirrigation in the spring-summer typical growing conditions of the Mediterranean area, where salty water is often used. Four F1-hybrids (Talina, Nilo, Birgah and Black Bell) were grown into pots in trough benches in a recirculating water system. The EC va...

-The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of macronutrient concentrations of culture solution on the yield and quality of baby leaves of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants grown in floating system in September-October (2007-2008) under the typical greenhouse conditions of Northern Italy. Three macronutrient concentrations of the cultur...

In the years 2001-2003 two cultivars of rosemary ("Majorka pink" and "Montfort form") were grown in peat and perlite (4:1 v/v) into plastic pots with a diameter of 22 cm. We tested the combined application of three doses of N (0-100-200 mg/plant), three of P2O5 (0-40-80 mg/plant) and three of K2O (0-100-200 mg/plant), each applied every 20 days (25...

Zucchini squash is classified as a high-fertilized vegetable, because of its ability to produce a lot of biomass. The aim of this work was to compare with control the following fertilization treatments, each with 250 kg N, 280 kg P2O5 and 250 kg K2O per hectare: organic fertiliser (pelletted farmyard manure) preplant; slow release fertiliser (15-9-...

The potato is one of the world's most important food crops. It produces more nutritious food from less land in a shorter time than any other major crop. Therefore advances in the production of new potato varieties will greatly contribute to the world's food supply. The book outlines strategies used in the breeding and testing of potato varieties. I...

– In this study two new mulching materials were tested for weed control in container cul-tivation of Acer platanoides, Prunus laurocerasus and Thuja plicata nursery stocks: a biodegradable film composed by viscose fibre (90%) and polyvinyl alcohol (10%), and a mineral mixture that solidifies and forms a compact layer permeable to air and water. For...