team leader
dr. Luisa Dalla Costa, senior researcher of vegetable crops and greenhouses

scientists and student co-tutors
prof. Fabiano Miceli, associate professor of field crops 
dr. Costanza Zavalloni, contract senior researcher
 

research 
The research activity is articulated in four main topics. The first is conservative horticulture, based on practices such as minimum tillage, strip tillage, crop rotations, good agronomic practices for fertilization, use of catch crops. In conservative horticulture we considered also the crucial contribution of Biochar (charcoal obtained from pirolysis) incorporation to the soil.
The second topic involves genetic biodiversity in vegetable crops: a genebank created to save local germplasm lists 160 accessions of Phaseolus (vulgaris and coccineus), 10 Allium lines, 10 potato accessions, nearly 50 maize lines and several other species. Active study of this genetic material is yearly performed in regular agronomic trials, to explore the fenotypic and genotypic characteristics, besides the quality traits of this selected material.
In collaboration with the Parco Prealpi Giulie a third research topic works on evaluating a production itinerary for a local Turnip (Rapa di Verzegnis) and hop (Humulus lupulus), and local spontaneous herbs (Silene vulgaris, sclopit; Cicerbita alpina, Radic di mont). A fourth topic is soilless culture, a wide spread way of growing leaf vegetables: plants are sown on polystyrene trays floating on nutrient solution in tunnel greenhouse, and several following growth cycle are possible in the same floating system installation

lab facilities 
high pressure liquid chromatography equipment
equipment for Nitrate analysis both in percolates and in plant tissue
equipment for CHN analysis in soils and in plant organs and tissues

topics offered for thesis 
Conservation agriculture: effect on crop yield, crop nutrition, plant completion with weeds, nutrients leaching in vegetable crops.
Onion and other Allium crops: interesting local landraces in Friuli.
Phaseolus germplasm lines maintained at the University of Udine Genebank (BaGAV, FAO code: ITA368), evaluated in multi-location field trials for yield and quality traits. 
Leaf vegetables: a comparison among agronomic techniques such as traditional soil cultivation, organic practice, biodynamic cultivation and soilless culture.