Soils’ Biological quality : assessment of the quality of agricultural soils through the study of the edaphic fauna, from microorganisms to metazoans. A particular focus is dedicated to the identification of bioindicators that best describe the conditions of agricultural soils and the functional groups that populate them, the composition of which can be influenced by agronomic practices and can in turn directly influence the productivity and qualitative performance of agricultural production.

 Aboveground animal biodiversity of agroecosystems: study of biodiversity and dynamics of aboveground animal communities that populate different agroecosystems. The aim is to understand the relationships between different organisms and between animal communities and the environment to define sustainable agronomic strategies. 

 Characterization of plant communities of agroecosystems: identification of the composition of plant communities that characterize the different agroecosystems. This characterization is carried out through multidimensional approaches describing the composition of agroecosystems at different levels, from local to territorial scale.

Study and evaluation of biodiversity through taxonomic-morphological approaches: this tool is applied to different agro-ecological contexts, natural and semi-natural environments. It allows to provide an assessment, both in terms of diversity and abundance, of the biodiversity edaphic and epigeal insects of communities. The traditional collection techniques (drop traps, aspiration traps, chromo traps) are applied, followed by the application morphological taxonomy.

Functional indices (QBS-ar): the QBS-ar index is a tool for assessing the soils’ biological quality by considering the presence of microarthropods. The index evaluates the degree of adaptation of the microarthropods groups to soil conditions and thus, their level of sensitivity to disturbances, allowing to compare the effects of diversified environmental conditions and diversified agronomic practices.

Study and evaluation of biodiversity through molecular approaches (DNA metabarcoding): this method allows the assessment of biodiversity in complex matrices and habitats through environmental DNA analysis. It allows to characterize the communities of microorganisms and animals in different environmental matrices such as soils, water and plant tissues.

Metapopulation models: these models allow us to predict the delay in following changes in fragmented landscapes and to determine the time needed to reach a new equilibrium. They are applied in the evaluation of large-scale pest management strategies (landscape).

Remote sensing techniques for the study of plant communities: among remote sensing technologies, the use of drones (UAV-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is an important tool for the characterization of the biodiversity of plant communities in agroecosystems. Using this technology, together with a process and interpretation of the image that involves the commitment of innovative solutions of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning, the plant communities in the agroecosystem could be characterized and studied at different scales and at different levels of taxonomic resolution, up to reach the identification of the species.

Progetto “Biodiversità del paesaggio viticolo della Franciacorta” in collaborazione con il Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta

Progetto “Studio delle comunità vegetali dell’agroecosistema vigneti attraverso tecniche di remote Sensing” in collaborazione con l’Azienda Ricci Curbastro 

Progetto Faresubio, Fertilità, Ambiente, Reddito attraverso Suolo e Biodiversità (F.A.Re.Su.BIO) Operazione 16.1.01 “Gruppi Operativi PEI” del Programma di Sviluppo Rurale 2014 – 2020 della Regione Lombardia. https://www.faresubio.it/