Introduction Since the seventies, many horticultural crops heavily relied on methyl bromide (MB) to control soilborne pests, diseases and weeds in Italy. As one of the major consumer of MB, after its inclusion among substances that deplete the ozone layer, Italy was forced to invest many resources in the development and implementation of alternative strategies for soil disinfestation. Such acti...

It is well known that growth and yield of horticultural crops can be greatly increased by optimizing the nutritional status of the root environment. Based on plant response, involving numerous fertilizer experiments for the different plants and substrates involved, guidelines can be proposed for optimal nutrient solution and pot substrate conditions. The main factors to be considered are sampli...

Objective: Economic analysis was performed for the main horticultural crops in Buin Zahra (pistachio, peach, nectarine, and apple). There were dependent and independent variables in this research. Methods: The independent variables were planting method (mechanized and conventional), land area used for fruit production, and land ownership. The maximum energy used, mostly in the form of fossil fu...