Federica Larcher

Landscape grammar: a method to analyse and design hedgerows and networks

In Europe, rural landscapes are characterized by the presence of hedgerows and networks. In recent decades changes in agricultural systems, due in particular to the intensification of agricultural practices, have caused a transformation of hedgerows and networks, thereby reducing their qualities and changing their ecological and social functions. Yet, no global framework to analyze and design hedgerows and networks is available. Our paper is a step forward in combining the ecological and social dimension of hedgerows and hedgerow networks for both analytical and planning purposes. We propose to use a landscape grammar for deciphering the structural and functional aspects of hedgerow units and networks and to formalize rules for design and management based on scientific evidence. In the case of hedgerows, landscape grammar consists of letters, or single units of trees and shrubs of different species and their different shapes related to management practices. Appropriate or meaningful combinations of letters create words and sentences, hence forming hedgerow networks. In order to test the suitability of the grammar for reading or understanding and consequently writing or planning hedgerows in different landscapes, two study areas were chosen: Pleine-Fougères in Brittany (France) and Pianura Padana in Piedmont (Italy). The basic units, the aggregated units and the network were analyzed respectively as the letters, the words and the syntax of our landscape grammar. This metaphor provides an analytical framework for understanding hedgerows, from the individual tree to the landscape. Our model anticipates the concerns of both researchers and policymakers throughout the hedgerow network planning process.

In vitro seed germination and seedling propagation in Campanula spp.

Abstract The present research investigated in vitro seed germination and seedling multiplication methods to preserve and introduce new naturalized valuable Campanula species to the floriculture markets. Populations of Campanula barbata L., Campanula latifolia L., Campanula rapunculoides L., Campanula spicata L., and Campanula trachelium L. from various sites in northern Italy were considered in this study. Seeds were sown on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium with 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 6-benzyladenine (BAP) and kinetin, added or withheld, after which final germination percentage (FGP), mean germination time and time of 50% germination (T 50) indices were measured. C. rapunculoides showed the highest FGP after 2 weeks in both the presence (53%) and absence (56%) of plant growth regulators. Among the other species, no statistical differences were detected in the presence of growth regulators, except for C. barbata, in which FGP was nearly 0%. In the absence of phytohormones, seed germination in C. spicata was statistically higher (34%), compared to C. barbata (0%), and both C. latifolia and C. trachelium (about 19%). After 4 months, the seedlings were transferred to full-strength MS basal medium with or without NAA and BAP. In all Campanula species tested, the best shoot-forming and rooting response was observed on substrates that contained plant growth regulators.

Planning Rural Landscapes: A Participatory Approach to Analyse Future Scenarios in Monferrato Astigiano, Piedmont, Italy

Abstract The future of rural landscapes in Europe is the subject of considerable debate between policy-makers and researchers. This paper aims to analyse public awareness of social, economic and political forces affecting future rural landscapes in an effort to support local planning policies implementing the European Landscape Convention in a rural landscape (Piedmont, Italy). Public consultation with two focus groups (Institutional Stakeholders and Civil Society Stakeholders) was set up to reveal personal perceptions. In the first part, the main driving forces affecting local landscape transformations were identified and their likely effects were discussed with the participants. Participants’ preferences regarding three alternative future scenarios were analysed in the second part. Results confirmed the complexity of a shared decision-making process in planning rural landscapes. Not only did the two groups differ in expectation, perception and attitude, but also in their interpretation of the landscape scenarios.

Sustainability of Living Wall Systems Through An Ecosystem Services Lens

The use of plants for shading the buildings having a pleasant ornamental effect is known for a long time. During the last decade, ecosystem services approach opens the way to analyze the multiple advantages that greening, included living walls, can provide to the urban environment. Regarding living walls, the main environmental benefits are heat island effect mitigation, noise pollution insulation, heating and cooling energy demand reduction, absorption of particulate matters, and enhancement of biodiversity. Living walls can also have a role in ameliorating physical and mental health and well-being and can be included in the urban horticulture initiatives both for food production and education purposes. Needing for recycled and low energy products for a greater environmental sustainability is also required in living wall systems (LWS). Therefore, the life cycle approach is considered as useful. The chapter is a critical review aimed at analyzing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of LWS for urban design. The multidisciplinary approach, carried out by agronomists and architects, allows to understand the problems and solutions for the improvement of the use of these systems in our cities. The research group is working on sustainable green wall systems that provide architectural and environmental benefits through the use of independent modular units, renewable materials, environmental friendly substrates, and native plants.

The interpretation of the English landscape garden between 1815 and 1840 through Xavier Kurten’s work in Piedmont (north-west Italy)

Abstract Xavier Kurten (?–1840) was a Prussian landscape gardener who worked for the Savoy family in the Piedmont region of Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century. He designed or redesigned all royal parks, creating a specific style based on the English naturalistic garden approach. This research was performed with the aim of investigating the development of the English landscape garden in Italy. Historical documents relating to Kurten’s biography and his work in Piedmont, including plans, were collected and analysed. We analyse and discuss the features that characterised his work: the relationship between the landscape—garden—house, the path system, the use of water, the vegetation, and the garden as a productive landscape. Kurten’s style is compared with the projects of William Kent and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

The effects of innovative silicon applications on growth and powdery mildew control in soilless-grown cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) and zucchini ( Cucurbita pepo L.)

Silicon (Si) is one of the most beneficial microelements for several plants, in mediating the growth regulation in horticultural species. This research evaluated the effects of innovative Si-applications on. soilless-grown Cucumis sativus L. and Cucurbita pepo L. Crop growth, powdery mildew incidence and abiotic stress resistance were evaluated. Two experiments were carried out in a nonheated glasshouse on benches. Two new Si treatments (Si–Nanosponge complex, and one experimental fertilizer) were compared with the traditional K2SiO3. Topas® EC 10 was used as control fungicide treatment. Biometric parameters, and incidence and severity of powdery mildew were measured. Cucumis sativus plants showed a severe powdery mildew infection, and no significant effect of the Si treatments was found. Cucurbita pepo plants were initially grown under lower disease pressure conditions, and the positive effect of Si treatments was found. The innovative use of Si–Nanosponge complex and the new experimental fertilizer can be considered a good alternative to traditional compounds for plant growth stimulation.