Antonio Maria Enrico Brunori

Long Term Amendment with Fresh and Composted Solid Olive Mill Waste on Olive Grove Affects Carbon Sequestration by Prunings, Fruits, and Soil

The soil amendment with organic wastes represents a way to increase the soil fertility and the organic carbon (C) stored in the agro-ecosystems. Among the organic waste materials produced by agricultural and industrial activities, olive mill wastes derived from the olive oil extraction process may represent a suitable soil amendment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of fresh (SOMW) or composted mixture of SOMW and shredded olive tree prunings (C-SOMW+P) on the vegetative and productive activities of olive trees, on the C stored in the tree non-permanent structures (prunings and fruits) and in the soil. The plots treated with SOMW or C-SOMW+P showed higher vegetative and productive activities than the untreated plots, and this was attributed to the higher total N and availability of P and K supplied by the amendments. Consequently, treatments increased the C sequestered in the tree non-permanent structures than in the control trees. However, no significant different effect between SOMW and C-SOMW+P treatments was found for the C stored in prunings and fruits, whereas it was evident a stronger influence of C-SOMW+P than SOMW on soil C sequestration. Indeed, about 50% the C supplied by the treatment with C-SOMW+P was sequestered in the olive grove system, with more than 90% of the sequestered C stored into the soil. The low amount of C sequestered in the soil following the addition of SOMW was attributed to its richness of moisture and easily degradable compounds that triggered the mineralization processes controlled by the soil microbial community. Although the 8 years of amendment produced a higher fruit yields than the control, no difference occurred between the characteristics and the oil content of the olive fruits. Only the total phenol content for the oil obtained from the SOMW-treated plots was significantly higher. The other considered fruit characteristics did not show significant differences.

Generative Trees: Architectural Modelling of an Olive to Estimate Morphology and Radiation Relationship

The research integrates the study of trees with the sciences of representation, in order to investigate the relationship between morphology and light interception in a tree, starting from the case study of an olive, modeled without using automation in survey. The representation of canopy architecture, manipulated for agricultural purposes by men, describes the action of sunlight in the tree, testing the potential of advanced digital design tools, especially the generative modeling. Through the design of a specific algorithm, the tree is interpreted like a fragmented photovoltaic panel, analyzed using 14,000 control points, corresponding to each leaves. The possibility of selecting these classes of elements becomes the instrument in interpreting the canopy structure, by finding categories describing and simulating the annual radiance and illuminance.

Architectural modelling of an olive tree. Generative tools for the scientific visualization of morphology and radiation relationships

Abstract This research integrates the agricultural study of trees with the sciences of representation, in order to describe the architectural form of an olive tree and to show a scientific visualization of the relationship between morphology and light interception in the canopy. The representation of plant architecture, manipulated with pruning operation for agricultural purposes of light optimization, describes the action of sunlight in the tree, testing the potential of digital design tools – especially generative modelling. Through the design of a specific algorithm, the tree is interpreted like a fragmented photovoltaic panel, analysed using 14,000 control points corresponding to the leaves. The possibility to select these classes of elements becomes the instrument to explain the canopy structure, finding categories that describe and simulate the annual radiance and illuminance. The developed modelling process and its purely theoretical significance constitute the basis for a variety of applications in data analysis and comparison between different models, evaluations, theories, and operations.