Agronomy and field, vegetable, ornamental crops

Main focuses of the division are:

a) all aspects of non-food and food crops, including vegetables, and ornamentals;
b) agroecology and agro-ecosystem science and management, from both sides of up-date agronomic practices and evolution under climate change and other scenarios.

Main research fields

Lignocellulosic crops for advanced biofuels including aviation and maritime fuels
Oilseed and specialty crops for bio-based industries
Innovative cropping systems and hydroponics
Responses to abiotic stress in field and horticultural crops
Compositional, technological and sensory quality of food crops
Local and global food production systems
Exploration and evaluation of crop productive and quality traits, with focus on health metabolites as a function of environmental conditions and agricultural practices
Urban agriculture, vertical farms and plant factories with artificial lighting
Growing of ornamental plants for pot plant, cut flower and landscape
Variety selection for xeriscaping and low maintenance green areas
Precision agriculture and horticulture with focus on: irrigation, agro-chemicals, diagnostic sensors and dynamic crop and field management
Effects in the long run (>30 years) of organic and inorganic fertilizers, tillage and crop successions
Interactions between cropping techniques and economical-environmental aspects
Soil ecology and soil water dynamics
Seed technology
Hydrological, thermal and mechanical properties of agricultural soils.

Keywords: Agroecology, agrometereology, bioenergy, biorefinery, food, greenhouse, hydroponics, non-food, nutraceutical, organic farming, ornamental, precision agriculture, turf, vegetables, Z-farming

People

Cesare Accinelli

Full Professor

keywords: AG Applications, Seed Treatment, Aflatoxin contamination in corn

Guido Baldoni

Associate Professor

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

Lorenzo Barbanti

Associate Professor

keywords: Biomass sorghum, Water use efficiency, Energy balance, Bio-energy, Energy crops

Sara Berzuini

Adjunct professor

Research fellow

Marco Bittelli

Associate Professor

keywords: soil physics, hydrology, dielectric spectroscopy, agrometeorology, mathematical models

Sara Bosi

Associate Professor

keywords: organic agriculture, Resilient crops, Cereals, Pulses, nutritional and nutraceutical quality, Plant secondary metabolism

Veronica Bruno

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

keywords: AG Applications, Seed Treatment, Aflatoxin Contamination in Corn

Vito Aurelio Cerasola

PhD Student

Research fellow

Mattia Chiarini

PhD Student

keywords: Wireworms

Giovanni Dinelli

Full Professor

keywords: Organic farming, Crop physiology, Functional and nutraceutical compounds, Quality of crop productions, Cereals and

Michele D'Ostuni

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Urban Agriculture, Integrated hydroponic systems, Sustainable urban planning, Building-integrated Agriculture

Guido Evangelista

PhD Student

keywords: hydroponics, life cycle assessment, urban agriculture, greenhouse gases, circular economy

Erika Facciolla

Research fellow

keywords: oil, cropsbiomass, cropsnatural, foodsustainable cropping systemsbio-based,

Giulia Galeone

Research fellow

Maria Eva Giorgioni

Associate Professor

keywords: Ornamental herbaceous and shrubby plant, green roofs, indoor landscaping, artificial lighting, compost, landscaping

Ilaria Marotti

Associate Professor

keywords: medicinal and aromatic plants, crop quality, cereals, grain legumes, plant bioactive compounds

Mariana Paola Mazzei

Research fellow

Alberto Minelli

Assistant professor

keywords: stability, urban landscape, planning, invalid people, TREES

Ana Belen Mira Garcia

Research fellow

Andrea Monti

Full Professor

keywords: Industrial crops, Advanced Biofuels, Food and non-food integrated systems

Chiara Morena

PhD Student

Enrico Noli

Assistant professor

keywords: real time PCR, Repair systems in seeds, Seed vigour, Molecular traceability, Molecular Markers, Seed deterioration,

Marianna Olivadese

PhD Student

keywords: Entomology, green systems, historic gardens, sustainability, Environmental Humanities

Francesco Orsini

Full Professor

keywords: Vegetable Crops, Urban Horticulture, Vertical Farming

Giuseppina Pennisi

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Vegetable crops, LED lighting, Indoor cultivation, Urban agriculture, Plant physiology

Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto

Full Professor

keywords: greenhouse management, drought and salt stress, urban agriculture, soilless crops, quality of vegetables, mineral

Ernesto Rossini

PhD Student

keywords: Agroecology, Artificial Intelligence, Soilless Systems

Francesca Ventura

Associate Professor

keywords: Climate change, Agrometeorology, Plant phenology, Precision agricolture, Adaptation and mitigation, Evapotranspiration

Giuliano Vitali

Assistant professor

keywords: sustainability, hydrology, theoretical ecology

Federica Zanetti

Associate Professor

keywords: oil crops, biomass crops, natural rubber, non food, sustainable cropping systems, bio-based products, protein crops

Walter Zegada Lizarazu

Associate Professor

keywords: Biomass and energy crops; Cropping systems; Ecophysiology; Soil-root-canopy interactions; Carbon dynamics of energy