Since 2021, ERSAF promotes and funds a broader multi-year varietal trial project on buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, 1974) conducted under the scientific coordination of researchers from the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Sciences and Technologies (DAGRI) at the University of Florence. The project involves several farms from Lombardy and Piedmont, operating across diverse pedoclimatic zones, including plains and mountainous areas. In this context this thesis started in 2024 opening a collaboration between UNIPV and a group of agronomists named Marsilea which oversaw monitoring the buckwheat cropping systems for ERSAF. The aim of the buckwheat project is to analyse both the strengths and limitations of this crop and to develop a strategic action plan for establishing a structured buckwheat supply chain in Lombardy. This thesis aimed to investigate the role of sowing period (first or second harvest), the sowing location, and varietal differences in the agronomic success of buckwheat cultivation in the Po Plane. The data analysed were collected during spring and summer 2024 using experimental fields provided by the farms Cascina Romanengo (Piedmont) and Cascina Rinalda (Lombardy), both located in lowland areas. Each farm was provided with a sowing scheme specifying that each variety was to be sown in its designated 500 m² plot. Each experimental crop was monitored approximately every ten days from emergence until achenes development, for a total of five field surveys. After the fifth survey, the crops were left to reach maturity before being harvested plot by plot. Farmers were tasked with weighing the grain of each variety to estimate yield. Data collection was carried out using a pre-structured form in which, for each variety, the most important agronomic aspects were recorded according to the survey number being conducted. The collected agronomic parameters were then analysed by comparing those of the spring and summer buckwheat sowings carried out at Cascina Romanengo and the summer buckwheat sowings carried out at both farms. The agronomic data collected are not sufficient for a complete and representative statistical analysis, as the plots were damaged during the season and only one year of trials was studied. Based on the collected data, a general description and a preliminary evaluation were carried out using a one-way ANOVA. The exceptional weather conditions of 2024 greatly affected the results obtained. In general, season and climatic conditions were the factors that more strongly influenced the results obtained, while ground cover and yields relied more on variety characteristic. Variety Panda obtained great outcomes in almost every assessed parameter either in spring and summer sowings at both farms, suggesting its possible preferential adaptability to the Po Plane environment. However, in-depth studies are required to investigate the reliability of this assumption. An unexpected intercropping of buckwheat and protein pea (Pisum sativum L.) in the summer sowing at Cascina Romanengo opens up interesting prospects for further investigations into the potential agronomic benefits of this combination. This work also wanted to highlight the challenges faced during the experiment conduction and to identify promising buckwheat cultivation strengths that can be explored more in depth through future studies.
Dal 2021, ERSAF promuove e finanzia un più ampio progetto pluriennale di prove varietali sul grano saraceno (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, 1974) condotto sotto il coordinamento scientifico di ricercatori del Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI) dell’Università di Firenze. Il progetto coinvolge diverse aziende agricole della Lombardia e del Piemonte, operanti in differenti aree pedoclimatiche, comprese zone di pianura e montane. In questo contesto, nel 2024 è stata avviata una collaborazione tra l’Università di Pavia (UNIPV) e un gruppo di agronomi denominato Marsilea, che si è occupato di monitorare i sistemi colturali del grano saraceno per conto di ERSAF, per consentire lo svolgimento della presente tesi. L’obiettivo del progetto sul grano saraceno è analizzare sia i punti di forza sia i limiti di questa coltura e sviluppare un piano strategico di azione per l’avvio di una filiera strutturata del grano saraceno in Lombardia. Questa tesi ha avuto lo scopo di indagare il ruolo dell’epoca di semina (primo o secondo raccolto), della località di semina e delle differenze varietali nel successo agronomico della coltivazione del grano saraceno nella Pianura Padana. I dati analizzati sono stati raccolti durante la primavera e l’estate del 2024 utilizzando campi sperimentali messi a disposizione dalle aziende agricole Cascina Romanengo (Piemonte) e Cascina Rinalda (Lombardia), entrambe situate in zone di pianura. A ciascuna azienda è stato fornito uno schema di semina che specificava che ogni varietà dovesse essere seminata nella propria parcella di 500 m². Ogni coltura sperimentale è stata monitorata circa ogni dieci giorni dall’emergenza fino allo sviluppo degli acheni, per un totale di cinque rilievi in campo. Dopo il quinto rilievo, le colture sono state lasciate maturare prima di essere trinciate parcella per parcella. Agli agricoltori è stato affidato il compito di pesare la granella di ciascuna varietà per stimarne la resa. La raccolta dei dati è stata effettuata utilizzando una scheda pre-strutturata in cui, per ciascuna varietà, sono stati registrati i principali aspetti agronomici di interesse del numero di rilievo effettuato. I parametri agronomici raccolti sono stati poi analizzati confrontando quelli delle semine primaverili ed estive di grano saraceno realizzate presso Cascina Romanengo e delle semine estive effettuate in entrambe le aziende agricole. I dati agronomici raccolti non sono sufficienti per un’analisi statistica completa e rappresentativa, poiché le parcelle sono state danneggiate durante la stagione e si è analizzato un solo anno di prove. Sulla base dei dati raccolti, è stata effettuata una descrizione generale e una valutazione preliminare utilizzando un’ANOVA a una via. Le eccezionali condizioni meteorologiche del 2024 hanno influenzato fortemente i risultati ottenuti. In generale, la stagione e le condizioni climatiche sono stati i fattori che hanno inciso maggiormente sui risultati, mentre copertura del suolo e rese sono dipese maggiormente dalle caratteristiche varietali. La varietà Panda ha ottenuto ottimi risultati in quasi tutti i parametri valutati, sia nelle semine primaverili sia in quelle estive in entrambe le aziende agricole, suggerendo una possibile adattabilità preferenziale all’ambiente della Pianura Padana. Tuttavia, sono necessari studi approfonditi per verificare l’affidabilità di questa ipotesi. Un’inaspettata consociazione tra grano saraceno e pisello proteico (Pisum sativum L.) nella semina estiva di Cascina Romanengo apre interessanti prospettive per futuri approfondimenti sul potenziale vantaggio agronomico di questa combinazione.
Effetti dell’epoca di semina, della località di semina e della varietà sull’adattabilità della coltivazione biologica del grano saraceno nella Pianura Padana
GILLI, EMMA
2024/2025
Abstract
Since 2021, ERSAF promotes and funds a broader multi-year varietal trial project on buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, 1974) conducted under the scientific coordination of researchers from the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Sciences and Technologies (DAGRI) at the University of Florence. The project involves several farms from Lombardy and Piedmont, operating across diverse pedoclimatic zones, including plains and mountainous areas. In this context this thesis started in 2024 opening a collaboration between UNIPV and a group of agronomists named Marsilea which oversaw monitoring the buckwheat cropping systems for ERSAF. The aim of the buckwheat project is to analyse both the strengths and limitations of this crop and to develop a strategic action plan for establishing a structured buckwheat supply chain in Lombardy. This thesis aimed to investigate the role of sowing period (first or second harvest), the sowing location, and varietal differences in the agronomic success of buckwheat cultivation in the Po Plane. The data analysed were collected during spring and summer 2024 using experimental fields provided by the farms Cascina Romanengo (Piedmont) and Cascina Rinalda (Lombardy), both located in lowland areas. Each farm was provided with a sowing scheme specifying that each variety was to be sown in its designated 500 m² plot. Each experimental crop was monitored approximately every ten days from emergence until achenes development, for a total of five field surveys. After the fifth survey, the crops were left to reach maturity before being harvested plot by plot. Farmers were tasked with weighing the grain of each variety to estimate yield. Data collection was carried out using a pre-structured form in which, for each variety, the most important agronomic aspects were recorded according to the survey number being conducted. The collected agronomic parameters were then analysed by comparing those of the spring and summer buckwheat sowings carried out at Cascina Romanengo and the summer buckwheat sowings carried out at both farms. The agronomic data collected are not sufficient for a complete and representative statistical analysis, as the plots were damaged during the season and only one year of trials was studied. Based on the collected data, a general description and a preliminary evaluation were carried out using a one-way ANOVA. The exceptional weather conditions of 2024 greatly affected the results obtained. In general, season and climatic conditions were the factors that more strongly influenced the results obtained, while ground cover and yields relied more on variety characteristic. Variety Panda obtained great outcomes in almost every assessed parameter either in spring and summer sowings at both farms, suggesting its possible preferential adaptability to the Po Plane environment. However, in-depth studies are required to investigate the reliability of this assumption. An unexpected intercropping of buckwheat and protein pea (Pisum sativum L.) in the summer sowing at Cascina Romanengo opens up interesting prospects for further investigations into the potential agronomic benefits of this combination. This work also wanted to highlight the challenges faced during the experiment conduction and to identify promising buckwheat cultivation strengths that can be explored more in depth through future studies.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Thesis EMMA GILLI.pdf
accesso aperto
Descrizione: Experimental thesis on organic buckwheat adaptability in Po Plane environment, cosidering the effects of sowing season and location and the influence of cultivar type.
Dimensione
5.59 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
5.59 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
Per maggiori informazioni e per verifiche sull'eventuale disponibilità del file scrivere a: unitesi@unipv.it.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/30341