The fresh-cut salad sector continues to grow, in fact, produce from Italy is the first in Europe and the third in the world. Seeds are the first step of the fresh-cut salad chain: intensified production in various areas and the spreading of new diseases highlight how the quality of seeds is essential to obtain a successful product.
This was among the topics discussed on Wednesday, 29th May 2013, during a meeting on "Fresh-cut salads and soil-less cultivation" organised by AGROINNOVA, Competence Centre of the University of Turin, located in the campus in Grugliasco (Piedmont).
Researchers, private companies, officers, technicians and various "outsiders" interested in environmental and food safety took part.
Angelo Garibaldi, AGROINNOVA's president, opened the day presenting the research structure. Afterwards, after having welcomed all of the authorities, he stresses how "Our director, Professor Maria Ludovica Gullino, is the soul of AGROINNOVA."
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Maria Lodovica Gullino and Angelo Garibaldi.
Professor Gullino then welcomed the various Reseach Centres, from the DISAFA to the Faculty of Veterinary Science, the University of Milan and Naple's CRA. The professor also listed the main objectives of AGROINNOVA, highlighting that of transferring knowledge to the productive and business worlds. Research is carried our at AGROINNOVA's Agricultural product Testing Centre and the Disease Diagnostic Centre.
The topics were:
- healthy seeds, especially lettuce and rocket ones, which are the main products used for fresh-cut salads i.e. clean, cut, washed and ready-to-eat salads, and biological and chemical control methods to prevent diseases form spreading among seeds;
- soil-less cultivation, thanks to which the produce harvested is clean and there are none of those problems connected to traditional cultivation such as the lack of land, soil fatigue, food safety etc., and which helps meet the needs of producers in terms of quantities destined to the fresh-cut range.
Professors Garibaldi and Gullino presented some projects on rocket and lettuce carried out in collaboration with Bayer CropScience as part of the "Magis IV gamma" project.
Professor Garibaldi talked about the Plectosphaerella cucumerina fungus, which has been recently discovered on rocket in Italy for the first time and he also explained the importance of salt concentration in nutrient solutions used for soil-less cultivation. Researches have in fact noted that, by measuring the concentration, it is possible to increase the tolerance of plants to diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and Fusarium. In particular, prof. Garibaldi underlined the importance of adding silicons to the nutrient solution.
Prof. Gullino and dr. Giovanna Gilardi, a researcher, have talked about a project on the treatment of lettuce seeds with chemical, biological and alternative products (essential thyme, savory and basil oils) against the Fusarium oxusporum f. sp. lactucae. In particular, they explained how treating seeds is a sustainable technique which strengthens plants, avoids the introduction of new diseases and can be carried out using both chemical and biological products.
