Agricultural University of Tirana

About: Agricultural University of Tirana is a education organization based out in Tirana, Durrës, Albania. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Agriculture. The organization has 302 authors who have published 423 publications receiving 4826 citations.

Technologies and perspectives for achieving carbon neutrality

Abstract: Global development has been heavily reliant on the overexploitation of natural resources since the Industrial Revolution. With the extensive use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other forms of land-use change, anthropogenic activities have contributed to the ever-increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, causing global climate change. In response to the worsening global climate change, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is the most pressing task on the planet. To this end, it is of utmost importance and a significant challenge to reform the current production systems to reduce GHG emissions and promote the capture of CO2 from the atmosphere. Herein, we review innovative technologies that offer solutions achieving carbon (C) neutrality and sustainable development, including those for renewable energy production, food system transformation, waste valorization, C sink conservation, and C-negative manufacturing. The wealth of knowledge disseminated in this review could inspire the global community and drive the further development of innovative technologies to mitigate climate change and sustainably support human activities.

Improving the Agronomy of Alyssum murale for Extensive Phytomining: A Five-Year Field Study

Abstract: Large ultramafic areas exist in Albania, which could be suitable for phytomining with native Alyssummurale. We undertook a five-year field experiment on an ultramafic Vertisol, aimed at optimizing a low-cost Ni-phytoextraction crop of A. murale which is adapted to the Balkans. The following aspects were studied on 18-m(2) plots in natural conditions: the effect of (i) plant phenology and element distribution, (ii) plant nutrition and fertilization, (iii) plant cover and weed control and (iv), planting technique (natural cover vs. sown crop). The optimal harvest time was set at the mid-flowering stage when Ni concentration and biomass yield were highest. The application of N, P, and K fertilizers, and especially a split 100-kg ha(-1) N application, increased the density of A. murale against all other species. It significantly increased shoot yield, without reducing Ni concentration. In natural stands, the control of graminaceous weeds required the use of an anti-monocots herbicide. However, after the optimization of fertilization and harvest time, weed control procured little benefit. Finally, cropping sown A. murale was more efficient than enhancing native stands and gave higher biomass and phytoextraction yields; biomass yields progressively improved from 0.3 to 9.0 t ha(-1) and phytoextracted Ni increased from 1.7 to 105 kg ha(-1).

In-situ phytoextraction of Ni by a native population of Alyssum murale on an ultramafic site (Albania)

Abstract: Ultramafic outcrops are widespread in Albania and host several Ni hyperaccumulators (e.g., Alyssum murale Waldst. & Kit.). A field experiment was conducted in Pojske (Eastern Albania), a large ultramafic area in which native A. murale was cultivated. The experiment consisted in testing the phytoextraction potential of already installed natural vegetation (including A. murale) on crop fields with or without suitable fertilisation. The area was divided into six 36-m2 plots, three of which were fertilised in April 2005 with (NPK + S). The soil (Magnesic Hypereutric Vertisol) was fully described as well as the mineralogy of horizons and the localisation of Ni bearing phases (TEM-EDX and XRD). Ni availability was also characterised by Isotopic Exchange Kinetics (IEK). The flora was fully described on both fertilised and unfertilised plots and the plant composition (major and trace elements) and biomass (shoots) harvested individually were recorded. The soil had mainly two Ni-bearing phases: high-Mg smectite (1.3% Ni) and serpentine (0.7% Ni), the first one being the source of available Ni. Ni availability was extremely high according to IEK and confirmed by Ni contents in Trifolium nigriscens Viv. reaching 1,442 mg kg−1 (A new hyperaccumulator?). Total biomass yields were 6.3 t ha−1 in fertilised plots and 3.2 t ha−1 in unfertilised plots with a highly significant effect: fertilisation increased dramatically the proportion of A. murale in the plots (2.6 t ha−1 vs. 0.2 t ha−1). Ni content in the shoots of A. murale reached 9,129 mg kg−1 but metal concentration was not significantly affected by fertilisation. Phytoextracted Ni in total harvest reached 25 kg Ni ha−1 on the fertilised plots. It was significantly lower in unfertilised plots (3 kg Ni ha−1). Extensive phytomining on such sites could be promising in the Albanian context by domesticating already installed natural populations with fertilisation.