Giulio Lazzerini

Use of phytoremediated sediments dredged in maritime port as plant nursery growing media

We evaluated the potential of a phytoremediated sediment (TR) dredged from maritime port as peat-free growth substrate for seven ornamental plants, in comparison with an untreated sediment (NT), in a greenhouse experiment. The studied plants were Quercus ilex, Photinia x fraseri, Viburnum tinus, Cistus albidus, Raphiolepis indica, Westringia fruticosa and Teucrium fruticans. Plant growth was monitored for ten months, and the changes in the physico-chemical properties, toxicity, microbial biomass and enzyme activities involved in the C, P and N cycles were also monitored during the plant growth period. The results showed that the studied ornamental plants could grow on both NT and TR sediments, but that the growth was higher on TR sediment. The plant growth induced changes in the sediment chemical functional groups, with clear separation between NT and TR sediments for each of the studied plant. Microbial biomass and enzyme activities significantly increased during the plant growth, more in TR than in NT sediment. Toxicity was detected in NT sediments during the plant growth whereas it was not observed in NT sediments during the whole growth period. We concluded that phytoremediation converted the dredged maritime sediments into suitable substrates for growing ornamental plants, and that the re-use by plant nursery industry can be a sustainable management and valorization for remediated sediments.

Assessing environmental sustainability of ornamental plant production: a nursery level approach in Pistoia District, Italy

ABSTRACT Ornamental plant production exerts considerable impacts on the surrounding environment. To assess the environmental sustainability within this sector, a set of impact indicators, which refer to specific management issues in environmental terms, was selected. By comparing the indicators with sustainable thresholds, we assessed the environmental sustainability of a pool of nurseries growing plants in container production (CP) and in open field production (FP) located in the Pistoia Nursery District of the Tuscany Region. Because of their peculiar production structure, the CP nurseries impacted the environment more than the FP nurseries, and hence need more improvements to reach the minimum level of environmental sustainability.