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The ornamental nursery industry is steadily growing in Europe, and a consequent increase in the demand for substrates related to container plant cultivations is expected in the coming years. Currently, substrates consist in part or entirely of peat, a non-renewable resource with concerns about its environmental impact due to extraction, transport, and use. Therefore, it is essential to focus on alternative materials, particularly waste by-products to be recycled as components of substrates to achieve more sustainable cultivations. In this study, substrates obtained by mixing co-composted dredged sediments (S) and green waste (GW) in different ratios (1:3; 1:1; 3:1) were tested for cultivation, and plant growth was compared with a control growing media (peat and pumice in a 1:1 ratio). The cultivation trial lasted for one year and was carried out on two potted ornamental evergreen shrubs (Photinia × fraseri and Viburnum tinus). The results showed that the plant growth parameters of both species, occurring in substrates with co-composted materials, were not significantly affected compared to the control, with the exception of below-ground biomass in V. tinus. Moreover, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) deriving from the replacement of peat with the other proposed substrates. The functional unit was 10 L (Ø 24 cm) potted plants and the results were expressed in kg of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2eq). We demonstrated that the replacement of peat-based substrates with the alternative substrates was able to reduce the GHG emission by an average of 11.56 to 23.13%. Higher GHG emissions were related to the cultivation phase (0.9 kg CO2eq/plant), and while comparing substrates, we obtained an average percentage reduction of 28.1% to 59.6%. Thus, our results suggest that co-composted mixtures of dredged sediments with green waste could be used as sustainable techno-soils for pot nursery cultivation of ornamental species with reduced environmental impact.

PurposeThe main results of the experience of CNR-IRET Pisa regarding sediment recovery and recycling are reported.Methods and resultsIn the AGRIPORT project, saline and brackish sediments were mixed with agronomic soil and underwent phytoremediation. After two years, heavy metals and hydrocarbons decreased, and the improvement of chemical and biological properties created a “functional soil” for further applications. Both phytoremediated sediments were refined through landfarming in the CLEANSED and HORTISED projects and applied for civil and agricultural uses. The landfarming process further reduced the organic contaminants in both sediments. Then, in CLEANSED, nursery plants performed similarly in brackish sediment-based substrates as in alluvial soil (control) (33% and 50%). In HORTISED, horticultural plants, grown on substrates with peat and remediated saline sediments (50%), had a yield, number, weight, and fruit quality comparable with those grown on peat. In the “Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pistoia e Pescia” project, the decontaminated saline sediments were successfully co-composted with Posidonia oceanica and reused as nursery growth substrate. Another two European LIFE projects are still in progress. The SUBSED project aims to confirm the suitability of saline-remediated sediments after landfarming as an alternative substrate to peat and coconut fiber for fruit, flowering, and non-food crops. The AGRISED project aims to recover brackish sediments through a co-composting process with green waste to produce an innovative substrate for the cultivation of ornamental plants.ConclusionsThe projects confer environmental, economic, and social values to sediments, through their eco-sustainable recovery and use in different sectors.

In this study, conventional and organic olive tree nurseries were compared through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis to identify processes that have a greater environmental impact and which of the two systems leads to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Carbon sequestration in the woody biomass of the plants grown with both management systems was also considered. The research was carried out on six olive tree nurseries, four conventional and two managed also with an organic system, located in the nursery district of Pescia (Tuscany, Italy). The functional unit considered was two-year-old pot-grown plants (pot 15 cm Ø) and the results were expressed in terms of kg of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). In all the nurseries analyzed, LCA showed that pots were the highest CO2eq emission source (45–63%), followed by potting mix (22.6–32.1%). This was due to the use of plastic in pots and peat for the growing media. Organic management was found to have a definite positive influence on the decrease of GHG, reducing the emissions up to 13% compared with conventional nurseries. Considering carbon stocked in the woody tissues of seedlings, the reduction of emissions attained 15.7% though a slightly lower (−6.7%) amount of CO2 incorporated into biomass was detected in the olive plants grown in organic nurseries. In light of our results, conversion of the nursery industry from conventional to organic management has the potential to reduce its carbon footprint.

Co-composting is suitable technology for recycling dredged sediments (S) and green wastes (GW), whose recovery are limited by their contamination and variability in composition, respectively. Some limitations in the process have been previously detected (e.g., limited thermophilic phase and low organic carbon content in the final product), thus restricting the use of co-compost for agricultural purposes. To optimize the co-composting and extend the application of the co-compost, the GW content in the piles (3S:1GW, 1S:1GW and 1S:3GW) and the pile volumes was increased. At the end of the process, the co-compost properties were compared to current legislation. The co-composting’s impact on the environment and its possible replacement of peat were also assessed by LCA. Maturity and stability were reached in all piles: enzyme activities (< 2214–39 µmol g −1  h −1 ), electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, phytotoxicity (GI > 100%) decreased, together with hydrocarbons (− 162%/− 48%) and PCB (< 0.01 mg/kg). The gas emissions derived from waste recovery ranged from 22 to 25 kg m −3 CO 2 eq. The increased GW in the piles extended the thermophilic phase, improving the co-compost sterilization and agricultural application. 1S:3GW was in line with international and national fertilizer regulations. 3S:1GW and 1S:1GW were compliant with international limits, but not with national regulations regarding conductivity, bulk density and total organic carbon content. Mixing them with an organic matter source would reach the legislative thresholds. Increasing the GW amount in the co-compost piles, therefore, improved the S-GW co-composting and suggests using this co-compost as a sustainable and legally applicable fertilizer.

Stock overexploitation, bycatch, discards and gear impacts on the environment are outstanding issues for Mediterranean fisheries. The adoption of alternative fishing gears is an appealing solution to ensure a more sustainable exploitation of resources. We discuss the pros and cons of pots as alternative gears by reviewing their main designs, spatial distribution and target species in the Mediterranean basin. We assessed the technical factors affecting the catch efficiency of the different pot designs for four target species: spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas; Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus; common octopus, Octopus vulgaris and pandalid shrimps, Plesionika spp. We found that pot volume is important to catch Octopus; mesh size to catch Nephrops and Plesionika; entrance surface to catch Octopus, Nephrops and Plesionika; pot shape/colour and entrance shape/position to catch Octopus and Plesionika; and bait type to catch Octopus and Nephrops. The literature review shows that pot fisheries have several considerable advantages over conventional gears, especially in terms of discards, bycatch, seabed impacts (particularly compared with bottom trawls and passive set nets), size and species selectivity, gear depredation, catch quality and gear cost, besides saving time and labour. Disadvantages hampering their wider diffusion include ghost fishing, a low catch of finfish species, the narrow range of species targeted by each pot design and the current early stage of research. These data make a clear case for using pots as alternative gears to traditional ones in the Mediterranean Sea in some areas and seasons to catch certain target species.

We investigated the electrostatic behavior of ferroelectric liquid droplets exposed to the pyroelectric field of a lithium niobate ferroelectric crystal substrate. The ferroelectric liquid is a nematic liquid crystal, in which almost complete polar ordering of the molecular dipoles generates an internal macroscopic polarization locally collinear to the mean molecular long axis. Upon entering the ferroelectric phase by reducing the temperature from the nematic phase, the liquid crystal droplets become electromechanically unstable and disintegrate by the explosive emission of fluid jets. These jets are mostly interfacial, spreading out on the substrate surface, and exhibit fractal branching out into smaller streams to eventually disrupt, forming secondary droplets.We understand this behavior as a manifestation of the Rayleigh instability of electrically charged fluid droplets, expected when the electrostatic repulsion exceeds the surface tension of the fluid. In this case, the charges are due to the bulk polarization of the ferroelectric fluid, which couples to the pyroelectric polarization of the underlying lithium niobate substrate through its fringing field and solid–fluid interface coupling. Since the ejection of fluid does not neutralize the droplet surfaces, they can undergo multiple explosive events as the temperature decreases.

Understanding how bottlenose dolphins adjust their vocal behavior in response to daily routines can provide insights into social communication and welfare assessment in managed care environments. This study presents a detailed analysis of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) vocal behavior in relation to different daily activities within a controlled environment at Oltremare Marine Park (Riccione, Italy). 24 hours of continuous acoustic recordings were collected from seven dolphins during a typical day at the marine park, including training, feeding, playing, and unstructured activities. Signals were analyzed to quantify the variations in type and number of vocalizations in relation to dolphin activity. 3,111 whistles were manually extracted and stored as both normalized audio files and high-resolution spectrograms. Additionally, an automated algorithm identified 1,277 pulsed vocalizations, classified into echolocation click trains, burst-pulse sounds, and feeding buzzes, using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and inter-click interval criteria. Results revealed a significant increase in vocalization rates during structured activities compared to unstructured periods (p < 0.001). This trend was consistently observed across all four vocalization types. Notably, play sessions elicited the highest rates of pulsed vocalizations (p < 0.01), suggesting enhanced social and exploratory behaviors, i.e., interactions with conspecifics as well as curiosity-driven engagement with the environment. To test dataset reliability and usability, signal quality was analyzed by evaluating SNR. To support future research in marine mammal bioacoustics, behavioral ecology, and Artificial-Intelligence-based acoustic monitoring, the full annotated dataset was released as an open-access resource.

In this paper, we review the scientific aspects of planetary space weather at different regions of our Solar System, performing a comparative planetology analysis that includes a direct reference to the circum-terrestrial case. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of existing results based both on observational data and theoretical models, we review the nature of the interactions between the environment of a Solar System body other than the Earth and the impinging plasma/radiation, and we offer some considerations related to the planning of future space observations. We highlight the importance of such comparative studies for data interpretations in the context of future space missions (e.g. ESA JUICE; ESA/JAXA BEPI COLOMBO). Moreover, we discuss how the study of planetary space weather can provide feedback for better understanding the traditional circum-terrestrial space weather. Finally, a strategy for future global investigations related to this thematic is proposed.

We analyzed the behavior of sessile ferroelectric liquid droplets in the vicinity of a pyroelectrically charged ferroelectric crystal, an experimental configuration that allows testing the recently observed coupling between the polarizations of the fluid and solid materials, in conditions of no direct contact. Results demonstrate that polarizations’ coupling also exists in this configuration and has two distinct effects. Specifically, it gives rise both to an electromechanical instability of the liquid droplets consisting in the sudden ejection of interfacial fluid jets, and to a slow droplet motion toward the ferroelectric solid driven by a dielectrophoretic force. The two effects can possibly be separated, depending on the droplet size.

In many everyday situations, we need to rank individuals or single items having the possibility to observe the behavior of groups. In this paper we propose a way to get this ranking over the elements of a set X, starting from an arbitrary preference relation over the subsets of X and taking into account the information provided by this ranking over the subsets. To this purpose, we use a very common approach in the social choice framework: we single out some properties that a general solution should satisfy, and we prove that these properties characterize a unique solution. Given the generality of the approach, we believe that this paper is only a starting point for a more extended analysis. In particular, it is clear that different contexts can suggest other properties, thus identifying alternative ranking methods.