Valentina Scariot

Ineffective management of agricultural residues poses serious environmental challenges. In this context, the transformation of agricultural biomass into value-added products has become increasingly important. Agricultural reuse of medicinal and aromatic plant residues and their metabolites may be beneficial for being generally less harmful than conventional (synthetic) fertilizers, having reduced persistence in the environment, and limiting the development of pathogen resistance for their chemical complexity. Consequently, MAP biomasses represent promising candidates for valorisation as soil amendments. The aim of the present work was to assess the current state of knowledge on the reuse and soil application of MAP residues and to identify the plant species that have been most extensively investigated. An increasing research interest in this topic has been observed, particularly over the last five years. The families Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae have emerged as those receiving the greatest scientific attention. Four main categories of MAP waste used as soil amendments were identified: fresh biomass, biochar, compost, and solid distillation residues. Overall, the reported outcomes highlight the positive effects of these materials as soil conditioners (improving soil properties, promoting crop growth and limiting weed emergence) and underline their considerable potential. Nevertheless, further research is required to find a proper balance between herbicide and biostimulant effects and optimize the use of MAP-derived residues in soil, especially at field scale.

Saffron is a geophyte grown in open field, but the possibility of year-round greenhouse cultivation is attracting increasing interest. We evaluated the application of supplemental lighting with white light emitting diodes (LEDs) in greenhouse conditions during the summer-winter period, in plants grown in pots on two benches, under two lighting treatments: natural light supplemented with LEDs (~ 260 µmol m ^− 2 s ^− 1 ) and natural light only (NL), which served as the control. LED lighting delayed flowering by almost a week (72 vs. 66 days after planting) but did not affect the mean number of flowers (4.2 flowers plant ^− 1 ) or spice yield (29.9 mg plant ^− 1 ). However, LED lighting increased the phenolic acid content in the spice (+ 52%) compared with NL, indicating an improvement in spice quality. During the subsequent vegetative phase, net photosynthesis was increased by supplemental lighting, while plant leaf area was reduced, since lighted plants developed more leaves but with a lower specific leaf area compared to control. Notably, plants under LED lighting produced more corms (7.5 vs. 6.0 corms plant ^− 1 ), with no differences in mean corm weight (3.4 g plant ^− 1 ) or starch content (645 mg g ^− 1 corm dry weight) compared with NL, suggesting a potential for increasing the yield of propagative material. Overall, supplemental LED lighting may contribute to improving spice phytochemical quality and corm multiplication, which are both agronomically relevant traits for greenhouse soilless saffron cultivation.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), a perennial plant of the Iridaceae family, which is also known as “red gold”, is one of the most expensive spices throughout the world. Originally, it was mainly used as a condiment and natural dye for food, and as a medicinal plant in folk medicine. Its cultivation is characterized by an extensive use of labor, since most of the crop management techniques (e.g., sowing, weeding, flower picking, and stigma separation) are performed manually. The aim of this work is to investigate how the adoption of sustainable cultivation techniques could improve the profitability of saffron at the primary level. Thus, economic and technical data were collected directly on a farm in a marginal area in Northwestern Italy, in order to compare the productivity and profitability of traditional and innovative cultivation techniques. The effect of sustainable practices, such as the use of beneficial microorganisms, that is, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), on the productivity of saffron was considered. In a previous work, AMF inoculation with Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae led to an increase in the flower and saffron spice yields, compared to uninoculated controls. The profitability of the saffron (including tepals, its by-product) considered in our case study, expressed as economic profit (pure profit), was found to be slightly negative for the traditional cultivation method (without the use of AMF) and also, albeit to a lesser extent, for the innovative technology (with the use of AMF). This slightly negative result is mainly due to the implicit cost of family labor for both the traditional and innovative cultivation techniques. The results of our study can be considered a further step in favor of the use of cultivation techniques that improve crop productivity and, at the same time, are sustainable. They also support the spread of minor crops, which, nevertheless, are important to maintain agricultural activities in marginal territories.

Edible flowers are rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Fresh flower extracts of four wild underutilized allium species (i.e., Allium narcissiflorum Vill., Allium schoenoprasum L., Allium sphaerocephalon L., and Allium ursinum L.) were analyzed to assess their potential applications in the food industry. Allium narcissiflorum exhibited the highest total phenolic content, together with A. schoenoprasum, the highest anthocyanin content, and the highest antioxidant activity. Conversely, A. ursinum generally showed the lowest values. The analysis of specific phenolic compounds, including cinnamic acids, benzoic acids, flavonols, and flavanols, and vitamin C further differentiated the allium species. Allium narcissiflorum showed high content of coumaric and ferulic acid. Allium schoenoprasum was the richest in quercetrin and epicatechin, and showed a high content of quercetin and coumaric acid. Allium sphaerocephalon was the richest in ellagic acid and showed a high content of quercetin. Allium ursinum was the richest in hyperoside and rutin and showed a high content of ferulic acid; moreover, this species was the only one in which gallic acid was detected. Antibacterial properties were tested against two ubiquitous bacteria strains associated with food spoilage (i.e., Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis). While A. sphaerocephalon was totally ineffective, the other three species showed a similar antibacterial activity against both strains. Allium flower extracts inhibited B. cereus less than the synthetic antibiotic chloramphenicol, and A. narcissiflorum and A. ursinum were effective against B. subtilis as much as chloramphenicol. The results revealed the potential of fresh edible allium flowers to be used as functional food and biopreservatives.

Edible flowers are becoming increasingly popular as food products, since they give aroma, color, and visual appeal and are also health-promoting compounds. However, they are a highly perishable product, thus post-harvest technologies are needed to extend their marketability. In this study, active (N₂: 100%) and passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technologies were applied to three edible flower species, namely Begonia grandiflora ‘Viking’, Tropaeolum majus, and Viola cornuta, stored at 4 °C. Even if the flowers’ quality decay occurred differently according to the species, active MAP better maintained petal colors and slowed down the edible flowers’ decay than passive MAP by decreasing flower respiration in all three species and sugars consumption in begonia; there was weight loss in nasturtium, and better preserved total phenolic content in begonia and viola. Coupling cold storage with active MAP can be an effective method to extend edible flowers’ post-harvest life.

Wildflower areas are increasingly used in both urban and rural settings to enhance landscape aesthetics and help the conservation of pollinators, whose dramatic decline threatens both ecosystem functioning and agricultural production. Consequently, today many ‘pollinator-friendly’ wildflower seed mixes can be found on the market. Criteria for the design of these mixes are focused on the ability of the plants to attract pollinators, whereas the identity of the plants themselves in terms of their alien or native status is often not adequately considered. Moreover, seed mixes often lack sufficient floral resources in the early spring and late-season months, which are important to sustain pollinators throughout their whole life cycle. In this study, we analyzed 36 ‘pollinator-friendly’ wildflower seed mixes commercially available in Italy in terms of (1) the abundance of native and alien species, (2) the occurrence of locally alien species with reference to three Italian geographic areas (northern, peninsular, and insular Italy), and (3) the flowering period of native and alien species. Most (83%) of the analyzed seed mixes contain species alien to Italy, with three of them also including invasive alien species. Among native species, many (41%) are locally alien to at least one of the geographic areas. Overall, native species provide earlier blooms than alien species and around 35% of the seed mixes lack blooms in early-spring (March) or prolonged throughout autumn (September-November). These findings highlight the widespread use of alien plant species in ‘pollinator-friendly’ wildflower mixes, which poses serious risks for biodiversity and habitat conservation, especially when sown in agricultural areas. We suggest a more careful design and use of such wildflower mixes, promoting a wider adoption of native seeds of local origin and a greater attention to the blooming period. If properly designed, wildflower mixes can represent an effective strategy for biodiversity conservation in both urban and rural areas.

Wild food gathering activities (i.e., foraging practices) played an important role in securing food in the past. Nowadays, these resources and the knowledge around their use are experiencing a process of erosion. This article aims to identify the factors explaining the abandonment or, on the other hand, the preservation of foraging practices in Europe. The second aim is to analyze how these practices contribute to the economic and social development of local communities and to the sustainability of land management. A systematic review of the literature on European foraging practices was performed to answer these research questions. Following this approach, 111 publications were selected and analyzed. The results highlight that the reasons for the abandonment of foraging practices are related to socio-economic changes as well as changes in the environment such as reduced availability and land-use change. On the other hand, heritagization processes of these resources, such as wild plants sold as traditional local products, in restaurants, or as eco-tourism experiences, are emerging. The sustainability of these practices has not been widely evaluated in the literature. Efficient management strategies of wild food resources could help foster all three dimensions of sustainability at the local level, as well as help preserve traditional knowledge. This systematic review thus contributes to highlighting the framework in which the sustainability of these practices should be assessed.