Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Soil Science and Soil Ecology group
The Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences traces its origins to the reorganisation of the University following the Gelmini Reform: from the previous five existing departments, two were initially formed, which were later merged into a single integrated Department (the current DISTAL) that encompasses all teaching and research activities in the agri-food area.
PhD. Gloria Falsone (coord)
gloria.falsone@unibo.itAssociate Professor in Pedology at the University of Bologna, Gloria Falsone explores the biophysical properties of soil, focusing on organic matter dynamics, pedogenesis, and soil evolution in response to land use and environmental stresses. Her research is geared towards understanding soil functions and ecosystem services, especially soil carbon sequestration across different land uses and soil types. An active contributor to the scientific community, she is an associate editor of Geoderma and a member of the editorial board of Scientific Reports.
PhD. Marcello Di Bonito (coord)
marcello.dibonito@unibo.itAssociate Professor in Pedology at the University of Bologna since 2021 and holding a dual affiliation with Nottingham Trent University, Marcello Di Bonito specializes in soil conservation and sustainable management. His research employs Geographical Information System and remote sensing to study natural resources and their ecosystem functions. Currently, he focuses on ecological restoration techniques and the role of soil in ecosystem recovery, aiming to bridge practical applications with theoretical research in environmental science. .
PhD. Ornella Francioso
ornella.francioso@unibo.itAssociate Professor in Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Bologna, Ornella Francioso’s research concentrates on the structure and dynamics of soil organic matter and humic substances. Utilizing a range of spectroscopic techniques, her work investigates the impact of different biomasses on soil carbon quality and explores the effectiveness of biostimulants on horticultural crops. She is also a member of the editorial board for Scientific Reports.
PhD. Livia Vittori Antisari
livia.vittori@unibo.itFull Professor in Pedology at the University of Bologna, Livia Vittori Antisari specializes in the study of pedogenesis across diverse environments from coastal dunes to mountain areas. Her extensive research portfolio includes chemically and biochemically characterizing soil organic matter and relating the physiological properties of soil microbial biomass to DNA-genetic microbial communities under various land uses.
Dr. Alessandra Zambonelli
alessandr.zambonelli@unibo.itFull Professor in Botany at the University of Bologna and Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University’s Food Futures Institute, Alessandra Zambonelli is an expert mycologist focusing on truffle biology, genetics, and cultivation. Her scholarly contributions include about 120 Scopus-indexed articles and several authoritative books on truffles. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Italian Journal of Mycology and serves on the board of the journal Plants.
Contribution in the project
[…] of Subsoil Sampling and Description Protocols (T2.5; UCLv, UNIBO): Crucial for standardizing how samples are collected and described at study sites. Soil science […]