BiOfficine Suolo

The BiOfficine Suolo project idea – Development of an organic cultivation system for medicinal plants for farms with low-fertility soils – involves the development of an organic cultivation system for medicinal species in marginal soils with reduced fertility. The system, which involves the use of wild varieties of medicinal plants and a biochar/compost mix in low-fertility soils, will enable the farms involved to diversify their production by introducing high added-value crops and, at the same time, will ensure sustainable management at farm level with a recovery in soil quality.

The project involves an initial phase of selecting and propagating wild medicinal varieties, followed by the introduction of these varieties on two farms that have made land available, in order to test the effectiveness of different cultivation models.

During the experimental phase, soil characteristics and the eco-physiological status of the plants will be monitored. At the end of the crop cycle, the productivity of each species will be examined in terms of both quantity and quality of the processed product (essential oil). A portion of the harvested biomass will be used to prepare phytocomplexes with phytostimulant action, produced in-house by each farm. Production waste will be used to produce compost. Upon completion of the activity, the effectiveness of the phytostimulants produced on vegetable crops will be tested and the effect of the treatments on soil fertility will be evaluated. Soil quality will be assessed using the QBS-ar index and metabarcoding analysis.

The aim of the project is to develop and promote an organic cultivation system for aromatic and medicinal plants that allows companies to diversify their production by introducing a new high added-value crop on agricultural land that is difficult to use due to poor soil fertility.

The project partner is CREA-IT, Engineering and Agri-Food Processing, based in Monterotondo, and the researchers involved are Claudio Beni and Enrico Santangelo.

The companies involved are Fonte Migone (Lazio) and Agri-Bio Silla (Sardinia).

The project also involves the participation of the Nazzano Tevere-Farfa Regional Nature Reserve.

CREDITS: the photograph used is royalty-free and comes from the Pexels website, author Victoria Bowers.

Project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry – MASAF.