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Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Agricultural chemistry, pedology and agricultural genetics

Chemical, biochemical, physiological and pedological approaches to study the interactions among soil, water, nutrients and plant in agricultural/forestry ecosystems. Genomics and plant breeding for a sustainable agriculture and high-quality agro-food products.

Keywords: Biostimulants, Breeding, Environment, Fertilizers, Genomics, Nutrients, Pedogenesis, Plant, QTL, Quality, Remediation, Resilience, Rhizosphere, Soil, Water

Main research fields

  • Agricultural Chemistry

Agricultural reuse of agro-industrial byproducts for soil fertility

Characterization of organic substances of soils and biosolids

Elements of fertility and plant nutrition

Environmentally friendly techniques for soil, sediments and water decontamination

Physical, chemical and biochemical indexes of soil quality

  • Pedology

Carbon and nutrients stocks in soils

Hydromorphic and subaqueous soils: monitoring of water, sediment and soil interactions

Pedological studies in historical and cultural contexts and paleopedology

Soil genesis, evolution and conservation in natural, agricultural and human-impacted systems

  • Agricultural Genetics

Applications of mutagenesis in crop molecular genetics and breeding

Characterization of genetic resources of crops

Molecular basis of disease resistance and plant-pathogen interaction in cereals

Molecular genetics of root system architecture and flowering time in cereals

QTL analysis and statistical genomics for the dissection of complex traits

People

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Guido Baldoni

Associate Professor

keywords: CO2 Sequestration, Waste recycling, Long-term experiments, Crop rotation, cropping techniques, N use efficiency, Crop
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Ilaria Braschi

Associate Professor

keywords: Pesticides, PTE, antibiotics, (bio)plastics, Pollutants in soil, water & plant, Eco-friendly remediation
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Matteo Brecchia

Research fellow

keywords: Pollutants in soil, water & plant: Eco-friendly remediation
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Luciano Cavani

Associate Professor

keywords: Soil fertility, Soil biochemistry, Fertilizers, Use of agro-industrial by-products in agriculture
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Claudio Ciavatta

Full Professor

keywords: Soil chemistry and biochemistry, Soil fertility, Fertilisers, Organic matter, Humic substances, Organic-based
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Andrea Ciurli

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

keywords: agrochemistry, nanofertilizers, fertilizers, plant nutrition, soil chemistry, soil biochemistry
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Mauro De Feudis

Fixed-term Researcher in Tenure Track L. 79/2022

keywords: rizosphere soil, forest soils, soil organic matter, soil biochemical processes, soil health
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Marcello Di Bonito

Associate Professor

keywords: Soil protection and conservation, GIS applications and models, Ecosystem services and functions, Sustainable resource
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Gloria Falsone

Associate Professor

keywords: pedogenic processes and factors, soil structure, biophysical properties, soil organic dynamics, soil carbon

Muhammad Awais Farooq

Research fellow

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Ornella Francioso

Associate Professor

keywords: anaerobic digestion, Biomass Recycling and Use, Soil organic matter, FTIR, Raman, NMR, CF-IRMS, TG-DTA, Biostimulants,
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Elisabetta Frascaroli

Associate Professor

keywords: plant breeding methods, maize and field crops, tolerance abiotic stress, phenotypic plasticity, genetic resources
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Giulia Galeone

Research fellow

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Marco Grigatti

Associate Professor

keywords: Composting, Anaerobic digestion, Organic matter stability
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Sona Hajiyeva

PhD Student

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Marco Maccaferri

Associate Professor

keywords: Genomics, Agricultural Genetics, Miglioramento Genetico delle Piante Agrarie, Molecular Biology applied to Plant
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Claudio Marzadori

Full Professor

keywords: nitrogen mineralization, toxic metals, nutritional stresses, soil biomasses reuse, extra-cellular enzymes, root
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Martina Mazzon

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: enzymatic activities, soil functionality, soil biochemical indexes, agronomic managements effects on soil quality
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Anna Paesano

PhD Student

Teaching tutor

keywords: agricultural chemistry, soil biochemistry, soil quality indices, organic matter, management of compostable bioplastic
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Silvio Salvi

Full Professor

keywords: molecular markers, maize, QTL, Molecular genetics of plant development, barley, mutagenesis
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Alberto Tassinari

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

keywords: maize, maize root architecture, QTL, gene expression
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William Trenti

PhD Student

keywords: forest soils, soil organic matter, soil health, soil quality, mountain ecosystems, pedodiversity, ecosystem services
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Veneramaria Urso

Research fellow

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Livia Vittori Antisari

Full Professor

keywords: soil map, sediment quality, water quality, Biofertility Index, heavy metal, organic matter, forest soil
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Veronica Zuffi

PhD Student

keywords: Agro-wastes valorization, Circular economy, Myco-valorization, Spent Mushroom Substrate, Mushroom growing substrates,