Advances in Research

Paola A. Deligios, PhD in " Agrometeorology and Ecophysiology of Agricultural and Forestry Eco-Systems”, and temporary researcher in Agronomy and Field Crops at the Department of Agriculture – University of Sassari. The research activity, documented by scientific publications, has been focused on (a) modelling of cropping systems, with particular regard of plant-soil-water related aspects; (b) studying renewable energy sources that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels; (c) bioenergy planning for a sustainable utilization of crop residues. In particular, she uses a range of crop model and analysis tools to describe and understand how cropping system processes are influenced by management and their environment (climate, CO2, water, nutrients). She is interested in looking at how the response of cropping systems change when considered from different scales to understand how impacts at one scale affect systems at other scales. Another research interest is in integrated systems modelling and the ability of such frameworks to help in understanding complex problems such as food security, climate and land use change. With such understanding, scientific assessments of how best to increase the resilience of human-environmental systems and their ability to provision ecosystem services can be added to the mix of information needed by decision makers.