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

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Cesare Accinelli

Full Professor

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

Associate Professor

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

Adjunct professor

Research fellow

Marco Bittelli

Associate Professor

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

Associate Professor

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

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

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

Vito Aurelio Cerasola

PhD Student

Research fellow

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Mattia Chiarini

PhD Student

keywords: Wireworms
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Giovanni Dinelli

Full Professor

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

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Urban Agriculture, Integrated hydroponic systems, Sustainable urban planning, Building-integrated Agriculture
keywords: hydroponics, life cycle assessment, urban agriculture, greenhouse gases, circular economy
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Erika Facciolla

Research fellow

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

Elena Ferro

PhD Student

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Giulia Galeone

Research fellow

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Maria Eva Giorgioni

Associate Professor

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

Associate Professor

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

Research fellow

Alberto Minelli

Assistant professor

keywords: Monumental tree management, urban technical landscape, Sport landscaping, Technical landscaping, Ornamental tree
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Ana Belen Mira Garcia

Research fellow

Andrea Monti

Full Professor

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

PhD Student

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Enrico Noli

Assistant professor

keywords: real time PCR, Repair systems in seeds, Seed vigour, Molecular traceability, Molecular Markers, Seed deterioration,
keywords: Entomology, green systems, historic gardens, sustainability, Environmental Humanities
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Francesco Orsini

Full Professor

keywords: Vegetable Crops, Urban Horticulture, Vertical Farming
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Giuseppina Pennisi

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

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

PhD Student

Research fellow

keywords: Industrial Crops, Phytomanagement, Marginal Lands
keywords: greenhouse management, drought and salt stress, urban agriculture, soilless crops, quality of vegetables, mineral
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Ernesto Rossini

PhD Student

keywords: Agroecology, Artificial Intelligence, Soilless Systems
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Francesca Ventura

Associate Professor

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

Assistant professor

keywords: sustainability, hydrology, theoretical ecology
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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