Edoardo A.C. Costantini

Bio: Edoardo A.C. Costantini is an academic researcher from Canadian Real Estate Association. The author has contributed to research in topics: Soil water & Soil quality. The author has an hindex of 25, co-authored 104 publications receiving 1818 citations. Previous affiliations of Edoardo A.C. Costantini include Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura.

Soil indicators to assess the effectiveness of restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems

Abstract: . Soil indicators may be used for assessing both land suitability for restoration and the effectiveness of restoration strategies in restoring ecosystem functioning and services. In this review paper, several soil indicators, which can be used to assess the effectiveness of ecological restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales, are discussed. The selected indicators represent the different viewpoints of pedology, ecology, hydrology, and land management. Two overall outcomes stem from the review. (i) The success of restoration projects relies on a proper understanding of their ecology, namely the relationships between soil, plants, hydrology, climate, and land management at different scales, which are particularly complex due to the heterogeneous pattern of ecosystems functioning in drylands. (ii) The selection of the most suitable soil indicators follows a clear identification of the different and sometimes competing ecosystem services that the project is aimed at restoring.

An overview of the recent approaches to terroir functional modelling, footprinting and zoning

Abstract: Notions of terroir and their conceptualization through agro-environmental sciences have become popular in many parts of world. Originally developed for wine, terroir now encompasses many other crops in- cluding fruits, vegetables, cheese, olive oil, coffee, cacao and other crops, linking the uniqueness and quality of both beverages and foods to the environment where they are produced, giving the consumer a sense of place. Climate, geology, geomorphology and soil are the main environmental factors which make up the terroir ef- fect on different scales. Often considered immutable culturally, the natural components of terroir are actually a set of processes, which together create a delicate equilibrium and regulation of its effect on products in both space and time. Due to both a greater need to better understand regional-to-site variations in crop production and the growth in spatial analytic technologies, the study of terroir has shifted from a largely descriptive regional science to a more applied, technical research field. Furthermore, the explosion of spatial data availability and sensing technologies has made the within-field scale of study more valuable to the individual grower. The result has been greater adoption of these technologies but also issues associated with both the spatial and temporal scales required for practical applications, as well as the relevant approaches for data synthesis. Moreover, as soil microbial communities are known to be of vital importance for terrestrial processes by driving the major soil geochemical cycles and supporting healthy plant growth, an intensive investigation of the microbial organiza- tion and their function is also required. Our objective is to present an overview of existing data and modelling approaches for terroir functional modelling, footprinting and zoning on local and regional scales. This review will focus on two main areas of recent terroir research: (1) using new tools to unravel the biogeochemical cy- cles of both macro- and micronutrients, the biological and chemical signatures of terroirs (i.e. the metagenomic approach and regional fingerprinting); (2) terroir zoning on different scales: mapping terroirs and using remote- and proxy-sensing technologies to monitor soil quality and manage the crop system for better food quality. Both implementations of terroir chemical and biological footprinting and geospatial technologies are promising for the management of terroir units, particularly the remote and proxy data in conjunction with spatial statistics. Indeed, the managed zones will be updatable and the effects of viticultural and/or soil management practices might be easier to control. The prospect of facilitated terroir spatial monitoring makes it possible to address another great challenge in the years to come: the issue of terroir sustainability and the construction of efficient soil/viticultural management strategies that can be assessed and applied across numerous scales.

Soil indicators to assess the effectiveness of restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems

Abstract: . Soil indicators may be used for assessing both land suitability for restoration and the effectiveness of restoration strategies in restoring ecosystem functioning and services. In this review paper, several soil indicators, which can be used to assess the effectiveness of ecological restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales, are discussed. The selected indicators represent the different viewpoints of pedology, ecology, hydrology, and land management. Two overall outcomes stem from the review. (i) The success of restoration projects relies on a proper understanding of their ecology, namely the relationships between soil, plants, hydrology, climate, and land management at different scales, which are particularly complex due to the heterogeneous pattern of ecosystems functioning in drylands. (ii) The selection of the most suitable soil indicators follows a clear identification of the different and sometimes competing ecosystem services that the project is aimed at restoring.

Proline: a key player in plant abiotic stress tolerance

Abstract: Dramatic accumulation of proline is a common physiological response in plants exposed to various abiotic stresses. Accumulation of proline could be due to de novo synthesis, decreased degradation, lower utilization, or hydrolysis of proteins. Extensive intercellular proline transport occurs between the cytosol, chloroplasts, and mitochondria due to its compartmentalized metabolism. Although all functions of proline in stress tolerance are still a matter of debate, it is suggested that proline contributes to stabilization of sub-cellular structures, scavenging free radicals, and buffering cellular redox potential. It also chelates heavy metals, modulates cellular functions, and even triggers gene expression. Apparently, proline acts as stress-related signal exhibiting cross tolerance to a range of different stresses. Besides these significant roles, its metabolism is found to be coupled to several key pathways such as pentose phosphate, tricarboxylic acid, or urea cycles and contributes to, i.e., purine synthesis and the phenylpropanoid pathway. Although the molecular basis of regulation of proline metabolism is still largely obscure, the genetic engineering of proline content could lead to new opportunities to achieve plant stress tolerance.

Root tensile strength and root distribution of typical Mediterranean plant species and their contribution to soil shear strength

Abstract: In Mediterranean environments, gully erosion is responsible for large soil losses. It has since long been recognized that slopes under vegetation are much more resistant to soil erosion processes compared to bare soils and improve slope stability. Planting or preserving vegetation in areas vulnerable to erosion is therefore considered to be a very effective soil erosion control measure. Re-vegetation strategies for erosion control rely in most cases on the effects of the above-ground biomass in reducing water erosion rates, whereas the role of the below-ground biomass is often neglected or underestimated. While the above-ground biomass can temporally disappear in semi-arid environments, roots may still be present underground and play an important role in protecting the topsoil from being eroded. In order to evaluate the potential of plant species growing in Mediterranean environments to prevent shallow mass movements on gully or terrace walls, the root reinforcement effect of 25 typical Mediterranean matorral species (i.e. shrubs, grasses herbs, small trees) was assessed, using the simple perpendicular model of Wu et al. (Can Geotech J 16:19–33, 1979). As little information is available on Mediterranean plant root characteristics, root distribution data were collected in SE-Spain and root tensile strength tests were conducted in the laboratory. The power root tensile strength–root diameter relationships depend on plant species. The results show that the shrubs Salsola genistoides Juss. Ex Poir. and Atriplex halimus L. have the strongest roots, followed by the grass Brachypodium retusum (Pers.) Beauv. The shrubs Nerium oleander L. and the grass Avenula bromoides (Gouan) H. Scholz have the weakest roots in tension. Root area ratio for the 0–0.1 m topsoil ranges from 0.08% for the grass Piptatherum miliaceum (L.) Coss to 0.8% for the tree Tamarix canariensis Willd. The rush Juncus acutus L. provides the maximum soil reinforcement to the topsoil by its roots (i.e. 304 kPa). Grasses also increase soil shear strength significantly (up to 244 kPa in the 0–0.1 m topsoil for Brachypodium retusum (Pers.) Beauv.). The shrubs Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss. and Anthyllis cytisoides L. are increasing soil shear strength to a large extent as well (up to 134 and 160 kPa respectively in the 0–0.10 m topsoil). Whereas grasses and the rush Juncus acutus L. increase soil shear strength in the topsoil (0–0.10 m) to a large extent, the shrubs Anthyllis cytisoides (L.), Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss., Salsola genistoides Juss. Ex Poir. and Atriplex halimus L. strongly reinforce the soil to a greater depth (0–0.5 m). As other studies reported that Wu’s model overestimates root cohesion values, reported root cohesion values in this study are maximum values. Nevertheless, the calculated cohesion values are used to rank species according to their potential to reinforce the soil.