Italiano
Agriculture and Environment: The University of Tuscia Featured on Rai
On March 29, the TV program Linea Verde Italia will discuss circular economy applied to the agricultural sector, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. Several projects from the Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), conducted at the “Nello Lupori” Agricultural Farm, will be showcased in the program, which focuses on agriculture and the environment.
Specifically, a wheat variety selected through a traditional breeding program will be presented, suitable for the production of functional foods. Additionally, processing by-products can be valorized to obtain biocompounds used for crop protection and nutritionally enriched animal feed.
There will also be discussions about green nanotechnologies that enable the use of naturally derived molecules with strong biostimulant and antimicrobial properties for the sustainable control of Xylella fastidiosa on olive and almond trees. In particular, pomegranate and olive by-products are used to extract active ingredients, which are then developed into green micro and nano agrochemicals for application on olive trees in areas affected by Xylella fastidiosa in Puglia.
Furthermore, starting from food waste—specifically unsold vegetables—substances are extracted from plant tissues and reused as natural food colorants. The innovative method allows the selection and preservation of bioactive carotenoids (red-orange) from tomatoes and carrots, betacyanins (red-purple or yellow-orange) from beets and prickly pears, and chlorophylls (green) from leafy vegetables.
Innovation is also a key factor in the activities carried out by engineers at the Interdepartmental MecHydroLab. In relation to the upcoming episode, the program will highlight blue-green roof systems designed to mitigate environmental impact in urban areas, promoting water resource circularity and the widespread adoption of these Nature-based Solutions in urban and peri-urban environments.
Environmental sustainability, along with animal welfare, is at the core of research conducted on livestock farming. The Leprino di Viterbo, a prestigious breed in rabbit farming, is at the center of various research projects aimed at developing free-range and ground-based farming systems to enhance animal welfare and meat quality. Additionally, as part of the National Agritech Center, Sopravissana sheep housed in the experimental sheepfold are being studied to identify management strategies that improve the environmental sustainability of small ruminant farming systems while safeguarding an endangered native breed.
Unitus
Source: Tusciaweb