La Quercia

• experiments are carried out in collaboration with public bodies, such as CREA in Foggia, and important production plants including: CON.CER. cooperative, Agroalimentare Sud malting plant (specializing in the production of brewing malt for important breweries such as Heineken), SAPLO malting plant (which produces malt for Peroni beer), Andriani mill (specializing in the food innovation sector and dedicated to the production of gluten-free products)
• events, dissemination and demonstration activities are organized to illustrate the results of experiments in progress and the techniques to be used for sustainable farming

Hort@’s experimentation comes under the company’s crop rotation scheme and aims to study the farming and agronomic factors that define the productivity of the main varieties of cereals grown in southern Italy. One of the most important parcel level tests is the agronomic study on varieties that have just entered the market, in order to identify the right balance between cultivation costs, revenue and respect for the environment, as well as to assess productivity and susceptibility to the most common plant diseases.

Hort@ carries out experimental trials on:

• agronomic calibration of varieties: adopting increasing seed density and nitrogen doses to analyse the reaction of plants to different growing conditions; agronomic calibration helps identify investments at seeding and the fertilization plans able to maximise the genetic potential of each variety
• efficacy on seed treatments and fungicides: the efficacy of seed treatment products and leaf fungicides on the main cereal diseases are assessed
• fertilization: fertilizers, their doses and the effects of different administration times on crop yield and quality are studied

The effects of other cultivation techniques are also studied, such as seeding or transplanting periods, intercropping practices and cover crops, as well as new mechanical equipment. Experimental trials enable constant validation and calibration of the functions and the DSS databases, since they provide an insight into how the products and cultivation techniques used interact with the plant, soil and climate. Since 2016, alongside experimental trials on cereals, test fields have been set up to study different species of legumes, especially peas, lentils, chickpeas, vicia faba minor and lupinus mutabilis.