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The University of Basilicata-DiCEM is a multidisciplinary leading provider of high-quality scientific research relevant to plant-based agriculture with the aim of achieving improvements in rural and agricultural economies that are financially, environmentally and socially sustainable. It has been and is involved in international and national projects regarding: • reuse of treated wastewater as a source for orchard irrigation • reuse of agricultural wastes by composting • construction of multichannel automatic respiration systems and production of software for olive mill wastewater management and composting processes • carbon fluxes studies in agricultural systems by the isotopic approach and soil respiration measurements • geophysical surveys (EMI, ERT) of agricultural systems • modeling of the plant-soil-vegetation and atmosphere interactions • physiological responses of fruit trees to abiotic stress • sustainable water resources management • water saving strategies at field level • water and carbon balance at field level • LCA and energy analysis of fruit crop production systems • plant pathology research and plant-soil-microorganisms interactions • response of crops to abiotic and biotic stresses • soil quality and fertility in sustainable agro-ecosystems • food quality and improvement of plant material DiCEM activities also include the transfer of sustainable technologies to farmers in collaboration with producers’ association and the regional extension services of Basilicata (ALSIA) and Campania Regions. DICEM has an extensive experience in assessing the environmental impact of irrigation (water quality control, soil salinization avoidance) and reusing urban wastewater for irrigation. The research group of the University of Basilicata-DiCEM evaluates the sustainability of productive processes of fruits, biomass (short rotation forestry) and ornamental plants, through the accounting of the quantity of water used along the whole chain (life cycle perspective), with the aim to introduce a certificated label for the improvement of the competitiveness of virtuous product on the market. The calculation of water footprint lets us to compare the sustainability of different orchard management techniques (innovative, traditional, intensive, conservative, etc.).