Innovative Tools for Nitrogen Fertilization Traceability in Organic Farming Products: A Cauliflower Case Study
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Published:2024-01-18
Issue:1
Volume:10
Page:94
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ISSN:2311-7524
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Container-title:Horticulturae
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Horticulturae
Author:
Campanelli Gabriele1ORCID, Amenta Margherita2ORCID, Bontempo Luana3ORCID, Leteo Fabrizio1ORCID, Montemurro Francesco4ORCID, Platani Cristiano1, Timpanaro Nicolina2ORCID, Torrisi Biagio2, Fabroni Simona2ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Via Salaria 1, 63030 Monsampolo del Tronto, AP, Italy 2. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, CT, Italy 3. Edmund Mach Foundation, Traceability Unit, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele All’Adige, TN, Italy 4. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Agriculture and Environment, Via Celso Ulpiani, 5, 70125 Bari, BR, Italy
Abstract
Different research works have been carried out over the years to investigate new and reliable systems to test the authenticity of products obtained using organic cultivation methods. Based on a previously proposed integrated approach for discriminating organic from conventional products through the acquisition of isotopic data and other chemical and biochemical parameters, we herein report the results of an open-field cultivation case study for cauliflower crop. Experiments were carried out on soil, leaves, and corymb samples of cauliflowers grown using six different nitrogen fertilization treatments (organic, conventional, and mixed at different % of mineral fertilizers). The results of this study have shown that a multivariate analysis of isotopic data (13C/12C; 15N/14N, 34S/32S, 2H/1H, and 18O/16O isotopic ratios) combined with other parameters (fresh weight, total soluble solids, total acidity, cut resistance, CIE L*, a*, b* color indices, head height, head diameter, ascorbic acid content, total polyphenols, and ORAC units) performed using the linear discriminant analysis method gives researchers the possibility to discriminate organic products from conventional ones. Our study highlighted that the different isotopic signatures impressed on the cauliflowers by the different nitrogenous sources combined with the qualitative pattern of the crop, significantly affected by the different treatments, could effectively be jointly used to trace the organic origin of the crop.
Funder
Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry
Subject
Horticulture,Plant Science
Reference56 articles.
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