The Department of Agricultural Sciences (DIPSA) of the University of Bologna is one of the world’s leading institution in the field of arboriculture and agriculture. The research programs undertaken concern areas related to the physiology, agronomy, nutrition, irrigation management, genetics, breeding and management of fruit trees. In recent years the department has been involved and coordinated part of projects funded by the European Union as, in the case of the sixth framework program, the DARE and Hydras projects, and the Seventh Framework Programme, the ISAFRUIT projects, FRUITBREEDOMICS and APMed. The annual budget accrued by all projects is around 2 million €. The research unit of the group of ecophysiology and precision fruit growing leaded by Prof. Luca Corelli Grapadelli with the collaboration of Dr. Luigi Manfrini, Dr. Brunella Morandi, dott. Alexandra Boini, dott. Gulio Perulli and Kushtrim Bresilla, has a strong tradition in the development of instrumentation suitable for study of the major ecophysiological processes at the base of the leaf, fruit and whole tree systems. The main attentions are directed to the relations that exist between the tree and the environmental conditions, and how they affect the use of natural resources.
The DipSA will contribute to:
– Set-up all the experimental trials foreseen during the three years of research in the orchard of University of Bologna in order to compare the following strategy for weed control:
– Collect data concerning: ecophysiological aspect and fruit/berry growth parameters (with growth sensors). In this phase will be implemented GPS technology to georeference sampling points.
– Evaluation and monitoring the main physiological aspects for each treatment performed on different species object of research;
– Use of cartographic support through GIS software for visualizing the data results, using the geographical coordinates collected with GPS;
– Interpolation of data following appropriate geostatistical models to obtain a thematic map (using ecophysiological parameter and productive and quality data) of the studied phenomenon.
The DipSA will be represented by the principal investigator, dr. Luigi Manfrini, PhD.
Position: Fixed term Assistant Professor
Institution: DipSA, University of Bologna
Address: Viale Fanin, 46 – 40127 Bologna, Italy
e-mail address: luigi.manfrini@unibo.it
telephone number: +39-051-2096430
CV
August 2011 to date: President of HK-Horticultural Knowledge srl
March 2011 to date: Post-doc position at the Dipartimento Colture Arboree of the University of Bologna
April 2010 to date: Consultant agronomist to fruit cooperatives
April 2009-April 2010: Director of “Spinner 2013” Project
January-April 2009: Scholarship at the Dipartimento Colture Arboree of the University of Bologna
December 2006 to date: Fruit quality controller for different fruit organization
March – December 2005: Scholarship at the Dipartimento Colture Arboree of the University of Bologna
January – February 2005: Scholarship at the Dipartimento Colture Arboree of the University of Bologna
April – December 2004: Scholarship at the Dipartimento Colture Arboree of the University of Bologna
EDUCATION
2006 – 2009: PhD subject “Colture Arboree ed Agrosistemi Forestali Ornamentali e Paesaggistici” at the University of Bologna. Supervisor: prof. L. Corelli Grappadelli
April 2004: Agronomist license
February 2004: Degree in “Agricultural Sciences and Technologies” at University of Bollogna Supervisor: prof. L. Corelli Grappadelli
From 2005: Guest lecturer of “Scienze dei sitemi Agroindustriali” and “International Horticulture” courses at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bologna for the “Tree eco-physiology”, and “Horticulture” classes. Lectures has been performed in Italian and in English
Other staff involved in the project: