Papers by Stefano Tavoletti
Agronomy for sustainable development, Jun 25, 2024
Modern "intensive" agriculture drives the biodiversity-climate crisis but is also central to glob... more Modern "intensive" agriculture drives the biodiversity-climate crisis but is also central to global food security. Future farming needs management approaches that maintain (or even enhance) food production while reducing negative climate and biodiversity impacts. Intercrops could provide part of the solution, increasing biodiversity and boosting production with fewer inputs. However, barriers remain to their wide-scale uptake, in particular tailoring intercrops to local equipment, management practice, and environment. We analyze data from multiple trials of cereal-legume intercrops conducted on farms across Europe between 2018 and 2021. Our study is the first attempt, to our knowledge, to quantify the yield benefits of cereal-legume intercropping undertaken at commercially relevant scales for farms across Europe. We used crop performance ratio (CPR)-the ratio of the observed intercrop yield compared to the expected yield based on monoculture yields-as our metric of intercrop performance. Using CPR, we found a roughly 30% yield gain across all sites. However, CPR was modulated by a number of factors. CPR was not strongly affected by management except for the negative effects of direct drilling and the positive effects of organic fertilizer addition. CPR also depended on intercrop composition (number and identity of components), background yields (being highest where yields were lower), and rainfall (being higher with higher rainfall). Our findings allow us to reduce uncertainty about how intercrops will perform in realistic local farm conditions, give guidance for tailoring intercrops to local farming conditions, and provide key goals for further work to integrate intercrops into sustainable farming systems.
Scientific Reports
Two field trials (2017 and 2018) evaluated the performance of barley–pea mixed cropping by compar... more Two field trials (2017 and 2018) evaluated the performance of barley–pea mixed cropping by comparing different sowing densities (replacement design) and tailoring N fertilization on barley sowing density (split-plot design). High and Low N inputs were applied to whole plots whereas barley and pea, as pure and in mixed crops, were applied to subplots. The 2017 trial suggested the occurrence of an interaction between soil physical properties and N fertilization. Therefore, in 2018 a pedological survey allowed the soil effect to be included in the ANOVA model applied to evaluate crop performance parameters, showing that N fertilization positively affected barley performance only in the soil unit located downslope. A significantly lower presence of weeds was observed in mixed crops rather than in pea pure crops. Overall, increasing pea density and reducing barley density in mixed crops, and tailoring N fertilization were effective approaches to obtain a more balanced mixed grain at harv...
Purpose Hilly soils of central Italy are characterized by high variability of physicochemical pro... more Purpose Hilly soils of central Italy are characterized by high variability of physicochemical properties that influence standard agronomic practices. Moreover, cereal-grain legume mixed cropping is a strategy to improve agricultural sustainability. This study aimed to i) evaluate if soil variability could affect grain yield in barley-pea mixed cropping, and ii) improve the overall performance of barley-pea by modifying the relative cereal-legume crop densities. Methods Two field trials were performed to evaluate differential N fertilization effects on grain yield of barley-pea replacement design combinations. High and Low N inputs were designed by adjusting N levels based on barley density. Moreover, the 2017 trial let us to suppose the occurrence of an interaction between soil physical properties and N fertilization. Therefore, in 2018, based on a pedological survey subsequently evaluated by principal component analysis, the soil effect was included in ANOVA models applied to evalu...
Agriculture, 2022
Increasing sustainability in agriculture is an imperative target for whole food and feed producti... more Increasing sustainability in agriculture is an imperative target for whole food and feed production and transformation chains [...]
Field Crops Research, 2021
Cereal-legume intercropping can increase yields, reduce fertilizer input and improve soil quality... more Cereal-legume intercropping can increase yields, reduce fertilizer input and improve soil quality compared with pure culture. Designing intercropping systems requires the integration of plant species trait selection with choice of crop configuration and management. Crop growth models can facilitate the understanding and prediction of the interactions between plant traits, crop configuration and management. However, currently no existing crop growth model has been calibrated and tested for cereal-legume intercrops throughout Europea. We calibrated the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) for pure cultures of wheat and faba bean using data from Dutch field trials, and determined the phenological parameters to simulate pure cultures and intercrops from seven field experiments across Europe. APSIM successfully reproduced aboveground dry matters and, for wheat only, grain yields in pure cultures. In intercrops, APSIM systematically overestimated the aboveground dry matter and grain yield of faba bean and underestimated those of wheat. APSIM was reasonably capable of simulating plant heights in pure cultures, but respectively overestimated and underestimated the height of faba bean and wheat in intercrops. In order to simulate wheat-faba bean intercrops better, APSIM should be improved regarding the calculation of biomass partitioning to grains in faba bean and of height growth in both species.
Agriculture, 2021
The intercropping of two or more crop species on the same piece of land at a given time has been ... more The intercropping of two or more crop species on the same piece of land at a given time has been hypothesized to enhance crop yield stability. To address this hypothesis, we assessed the grain yield stability of various barley-pea and wheat-faba bean mixtures grown in seven experimental field trials (locations) across Europe during two years with contrasting weather (2017 and 2018). Three different yield stability measures were used, all based on the expected yield variability of the mixture components grown as sole crops, and the corresponding observed yield variability of the same components grown in 50:50 mixtures in a replacement design. Stability indices were calculated as ratios between the expected and observed variabilities, with values > 1 indicating greater stability of the intercrops. Mean grain yields tended to be higher in intercrops than sole crops. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, the observed (intercrop) yield stability was similar or lower than the expecte...
Journal of Cereal Science, 2018
Comparison between fatty acid profiles of old and modern varieties of T. turgidum and T. aestivum... more Comparison between fatty acid profiles of old and modern varieties of T. turgidum and T. aestivum: a case study in Central Italy.
Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022
Plant breeding for intercropping is lagging because most varieties currently available in the mar... more Plant breeding for intercropping is lagging because most varieties currently available in the market are selected for sole cropping systems. The present study analyzed the response of durum wheat (12 varieties) and faba bean (3 varieties) in pure and mixed cropping. Field trials were conducted in 2019 and 2020. The performance of each variety in mixed and pure cropping was evaluated using both univariate and multivariate analyses of the grain yield and land equivalent ratio (LER). For durum wheat, grain protein content was also evaluated. Durum wheat varieties were characterized by good performance in both years, whereas faba bean varieties were more affected by the growing season, suggesting that much breeding effort is warranted to improve the latter as a pure and mixed crop. Moreover, the relative performance of all varieties was affected by their combination in mixed cropping, as evaluated based on the ratio (LERratio) between LER for wheat (LERw) and LER for faba bean (LERfb). ...
Plant Breeding, Jul 9, 2007
Levels of genetic similarity characterizing 20 grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) populations collect... more Levels of genetic similarity characterizing 20 grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) populations collected in central Italy (17 populations in the Marche region and three populations in the Abruzzo region) were analysed with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers. Two main clusters were found: one included large-seeded populations from farms that were not market-oriented (named Household populations) and the second, small-seeded populations, cultivated in market-oriented farms (named Commercial populations). Relationships among populations collected in different regions were found, although one population of the Abruzzo region was placed between the two main clusters, suggesting a possible further genetic differentiation within this grasspea germplasm collection. Principal component analysis based on AFLP marker frequency was effective in identifying polymorphic markers showing high discriminating ability between clusters H and C. In particular, seven markers showing high positive and three markers with low negative PC1 scores showed an almost cluster-specific distribution. These results will be useful for enhancing Italian grasspea germplasm use in plant-breeding programmes and for extending grasspea cultivation within the sustainable agricultural systems of central Italy.
Soybean - Bio-Active Compounds, 2013
European Food Research and Technology, 2009
This research developed a simple and not expensive DNA method for the qualitative identiWcation o... more This research developed a simple and not expensive DNA method for the qualitative identiWcation of plant raw materials used as feed mixtures. SpeciWc simple sequence tagged (STS) markers were developed to detect faba bean (Lectin A gene), Weld pea (Convicilin A gene), grain sorghum (UDP-glucosyltransferase gene) and barley (Hordoindoline-a gene), whereas identiWcation of durum and common wheat (lipid transfer protein gene), soybean (Gly m Bd 30K allergen gene) and maize (invertase gene) was carried out using markers available from the literature. Cross-reactivity of the primer pairs was also checked against oat, rye, kidney bean and lentil. The method was eVectively applied to the analysis of Xour mixtures and extruded feedstuV. It could be included in traceability and certiWcation of animal feeding systems within high quality animal production chains which are strictly related to the production area by the valorisation of locally grown raw materials.
CSSA Special Publication, 1998
Italian Journal of Animal Science
RIASSUNTO – Effetto della parziale sostituzione della soia con cicerchia (Lathyrus sativus L.) su... more RIASSUNTO – Effetto della parziale sostituzione della soia con cicerchia (Lathyrus sativus L.) sulle performance del suino pesante – Dodici maiali sono stati alimentati, seguendo uno sche-ma sperimentale a quadrato latino, con tre diete diverse: controllo e due diete sperimentali che prevedevano la parziale sostituzione della soia con la cicerchia in misura del 10 e del 20% in modo tale da essere isoproteiche ed isoenergetiche. La sostituzione della soia con la cicerchia non ha influenzato né le performance d'allevamento né le caratteristiche qualitative della carcassa, valutate al momento della macellazione. INTRODUCTION – The ban of raw GMO materials for preparation of feedstuff (Law 422 29/12/00) has steered the animal productive system to find alternative grain of legumes to replace soybean meal as protein source for animal feeding. There are few research about per-formance of heavy pig fed with grasspea. In a review Hambury et al. (2000) reported that in pig's diet the ...
Despite brilliant successes that have been achieved with the applications of genetic engineering ... more Despite brilliant successes that have been achieved with the applications of genetic engineering in food production to sustain large monocultures and to compete in a global market economy, the chronic crises affecting agriculture have not been resolved. Rather, biotechnologies and an expansion of mechanized, modern agriculture with intensive use of chemicals have contributed to a quasi-collapse of the farming population worldwide thus, destabilizing local economies and food security in the name of progress and modernity. Nevertheless, the emerging bioeconomy is supporting very passionately the cultivation of GM crops with the ambitious promises of improving quality of life for all, while resolving successfully the foreseeable, global challenges of providing adequate food, fiber and renewable energy for a growng human population. The global hectarage grown with GM crops has more than doubled worldwide in the last decade, especially in developing countries, and resulted in a reduction...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
ATP bioluminescence monitoring and traditional microbiological analyses (viable counting of total... more ATP bioluminescence monitoring and traditional microbiological analyses (viable counting of total mesophilic aerobes, coliforms and Escherichia coli) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) at a university canteen which uses a HACCP-based approach. To that end, 10 cleaning control points (CPs), including food contact surfaces at risk of contamination from product residues or microbial growth, were analysed during an 8-month monitoring period. Arbitrary acceptability limits were set for both microbial loads and ATP bioluminescence readings. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.99) between the means of ATP bioluminescence readings and the viable counts of total mesophilic aerobes was seen, thus revealing a strong association of these parameters with the level of surface contamination. Among CPs, the raw meat and multi-purpose chopping boards showed the highest criticalities. Although ATP bioluminescence technology cannot substitute traditional microbiological analyses for the determination of microbial load on food contact surfaces, it has proved to be a powerful tool for the real time monitoring of surface cleanliness at mass catering plants, for verify the correct application of SSOP, and hence for their implementation/revision in the case of poor hygiene.
LWT - Food Science and Technology, 2014
ABSTRACT Consumption of whole grain barley foods reduces blood cholesterol and glycemic index, an... more ABSTRACT Consumption of whole grain barley foods reduces blood cholesterol and glycemic index, and promotes weight loss by increasing satiety. However, barley has only been marginally exploited by the baking industry, due to its deteriorating effect on bread quality. The use of sourdough can be a strategy to improve the quality of barley bread. In this study, two sourdoughs, made with sole hull-less barley flour or with a mixture of 50g /100 g barley and 50 g/100 g wheat flours, were characterized from a microbiological and technological point of view, in comparison with a sole wheat flour sourdough. Chemical-physical and sensory analyses of the resulting breads were carried out during 6 days storage. The total titratable acidity, phytate and beta-glucan content of the different types of flour, sourdough, dough and bread were also evaluated. Overall, the results showed that the barley sourdoughs investigated could be used to obtain barley bread with enhanced nutritional value. Furthermore, despite the lower specific volume and denser crumb of barley breads with respect to wheat bread, no significant differences were seen in the degree of liking among the three breads after baking and during shelf-life, thus confirming the possibility for successful exploitation of barley flour in the baking industry.
TAG Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2000
The objective of this research was to map the jumbo-pollen trait in diploid alfalfa. Homozygous r... more The objective of this research was to map the jumbo-pollen trait in diploid alfalfa. Homozygous recessive (jpjp) plants are characterized by the complete failure of post-meiotic cytokinesis during microsporogenesis resulting in 100% 4n-pollen formation. Three F 1 segregating populations were produced and analyzed for pollen-grain production and the segregation of RFLP markers. The first cross combination did not segregate for the jumbo-pollen trait, but showed a clear segregation for multinucleate (bi-, tri-and tetra-nucleate)-microspore formation. Cytological analysis showed that few plants produced 100% normal (uninucleate) microspores, whereas most of them produced multinucleate microspores at a variable frequency (0-75%). Plants with multinucleate microspores always showed a prevalence of binucleated microspores, even though some plants showed a background presence of tri-and tetra-nucleate microspores. QTL analysis based on ANOVA I and Stepwise Multiple Regression identified three QTLs with a highly significant effect on multinucleate-microspore formation. Two cross combinations, subsequently executed, showed Mendelian segregation for the jumbo-pollen trait and were effective in locating the jp gene on linkage group 6 close to the Vg1G1b RFLP locus. Interestingly, this RFLP locus was also linked to one QTL for multinucleate-microspore formation. Genetic models are discussed concerning the presence in linkage group 6 of a cluster of genes involved in multinucleate-microspore formation together with possible relationships between the jp gene and the Vg1G1b QTL.
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Papers by Stefano Tavoletti