Technologies and Processes for the Environment and Agriculture

Teaching activities

The educational objective of the curriculum will be the training of figures who can operate in the field of research, design and management of processes, solutions and technologies for environmental remediation, the sustainable management of natural resources, the valorisation and recovery of secondary resources, the sustainable production in agriculture and the socio-economic valorization of the agri-food sector..
Teaching activities include the provision of courses and seminars, held by internal lecturers and external experts, also in collaboration with other curricula, on subjects preliminary to research activities and advanced research training.

Research activities

The research activities will be strongly interdisciplinary with reference to one or more of the following topics: agronomy and herbaceous cultivation, agricultural chemistry, tree cultivation, hydraulics, hydrology irrigation and drainage, agricultural economics, general and applied entomology, sanitary-environmental engineering, nutrition and animal nutrition, statistics for experimental and technological research, chemical technologies, structural design, urban planning.
Depending on the topics, the research activities may involve both laboratory and field experiments and activities on full-scale plants and systems. In both cases, a significant modelling component is envisaged.
Research activities are frequently carried out as a part of wide projects between University of Brescia and other national/international Universities, research Institutions, as well as active companies in the sector.

Academic Disciplines

AGRI-05/A (formerly AGR/11) – General and Applied Entomology
AGRI-06/B (formerly AGR/13) – Agricultural Chemistry
*AGRI-01/A (formerly AGR/01) – Agricultural and Food Economics, and Rural Appraisal
*AGRI-02/A (formerly AGR/02) –  Agronomy and Field Crops
*AGRI-03/A (formerly AGR/03) – Arboriculture and Fruitculture
*AGRI-09/B (formerly AGR/18) – Animal Nutrition and Feeding
*BIOS-01/C (formerly BIO/03) – Environmental and Applied Botany
*BIOS-03/A (formerly BIO/05) – Zoology
CEAR-01/B (formerly ICAR/02) – Hydrology and Hydraulic and Maritime Structure
CEAR-02/A (formerly ICAR/03) – Sanitary and Environmental Engineering
*CEAR-07/A (formerly ICAR/09) – Structural Analysis and Design
*CEAR-12/A (formerly ICAR/20) – Urban and Regional Planning
ICHI-02/B (formerly ING-IND/27) – Chemical Technologies

(*) SSDs not represented in the curriculum lecturers

Main Advisor

Prof. Giorgio Bertanza

Program Assistant

Prof. Stefano Barontini

Current PhD Students

PhD Alumni

List of international publications of DICACIM PhDs limited to the three-year period following the title

  • Abdul, M. E., Cipriani, P., Cosciani-Cunico, E., Monastero, P., Ducoli, S., Norton, A., … & Dalzini, E. (2026). Safety of Ready-to-Eat Green Leafy Salads: Growth Potential of Listeria monocytogenes During Shelf Life. Foods, 15(7), 1136, https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15071136
  • Adejunmobi, D., Sorlini, S., Abba, A., & La Rosa, A. (2026). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a Metal Scrap Shredder Facility.
  • Caprarulo, V., Scaglia, E., Simonetto, A., Ferronato, G., Sergi, V., Giagnoni, L., & Gilioli, G. (2026). Modelling Nitrogen Excretion in Dairy Cows: An Application to Farms in the Po Valley (Italy). Animals, 16(2), 294, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16020294
  • Scaglia, E., Sergi, V., Giagnoni, L., Galosi, L., Simonetto, A., Ferronato, G., Gilioli, G., & Caprarulo, V. (2026). Effects of Astaxanthin as a Feed Additive on Growth Performance, Intestinal Microbiota and Clinical Parameters in Preweaning Female Holstein Calves: A Preliminary Study. Animals, 16(8), 1173, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16081173
  • Weber, I. D., Simonetto, A., Bertoldi, E., Gervasio, P., Saponari, M., Crescenza, D., Navas-Cortés, J. A., & Gilioli, G. (2026).  Physiologically-based eco-epidemiological model of Xylella fastidiosa infection in olive groves. Ecological Modelling, 516, 111546, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2026.111546
  • Abuzir, S., Gren, L., Domini, M., Bertanza, G., Davidsson, Å., & Kjerstadius, H. (2025). Performance of a full-scale anaerobic UASB digester treating blackwater from an urban city district in Helsingborg, Sweden. Cleaner Water, 4, 100082, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100082
  • Dal Zotto, G., Costaz, T. P., Pesavento, G., van Rozen, K., Helsen, H. H., Gotta, P., Cavagna, B., Ciampitti, M. & Mori, N. (2025). Effectiveness of mulches in preventing Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) oviposition in nursery potted plants. Journal of Economic Entomology, toaf106, https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf106
  • Ferronato, G., Tobanelli, N., Bani, P., & Cattaneo, L. (2025). Carbon Footprint Assessment of Dairy Milk and Grana Padano PDO Cheese and Improvement Scenarios: A Case Study in the Po Valley (Italy). Animals, 15(6), 811,  https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15060811
  • Ferronato, G., Tobanelli, N., Simonetto, A., Gilioli, G., & Formigoni, A. (2025). Clustering of feeding strategies to improve the evaluation of enteric and slurry methane emissions in dairy cows: an observational study based on Italian dairy farms. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 24(1), 1390-1403,  https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2517229
  • Ghiglieno, I., Facciano, L., Simonetto, A., Daffonchio, D., Marasco, R., Borin, S., Vergani, L., Valenti, L., & Gilioli, G. (2025). Development of an integrated indicator for assessing management impacts on soil quality: A case study in organic viticulture. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 100732, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100732
  • Ghiglieno, I., Facciano, L., Valenti, L., Amari, F., & Cola, G. (2025). Evaluation of the impact of vine pruning periods on grape production and composition: an integrated approach considering different years and cultivars. OENO ONE, 59, https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2025.59.1.8239
  • Ghiglieno, I., Woldesemayat, G. T., Sanchez Morchio, A., Birolleau, C., Facciano, L., Gentilin, F., … & Gilioli, G. (2025). Vineyard Groundcover Biodiversity: Using Deep Learning to Differentiate Cover Crop Communities from Aerial RGB Imagery. AgriEngineering, 7(12), 434, https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7120434
  • Simonetto, A., Zeneli, F., Amatucci, A., Frisio, D. G. & Ventura, V. (2025).  Market Barriers to RNAi Adoption in Agriculture: Evidence From a Multi-Country Discrete Choice Experiment Amongst European Consumers. Agribusiness 0: 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.70051
  • Tariku, G., Ghiglieno, I., Sanchez Morchio, A., Facciano, L., Birolleau, C., Simonetto, A., Serina, I., & Gilioli, G. (2025). Deep-Learning-Based Land Cover Mapping in Franciacorta Wine Growing Area. Applied Sciences, 15(2), 871, https://doi.org/10.3390/app15020871
  • Tomé, M. P., Weber, I. D., Garcia, A. G., & Godoy, W. A. (2025). Integrating management tactics to mitigate Spodoptera frugiperda resistance in Bt corn: refuge proportions, natural parasitoids, and selective insecticide application. Pest Management Science, 81(4), 1873-1881, https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8584
  • Al Hosni, S., Domini, M., Vahidzadeh, R., & Bertanza, G. (2024). Potential and environmental benefits of biochar utilization for coal/coke substitution in the steel industry. Energies, 17(11), 2759.
  • Alias, C., Cioli, F., Abbà, A., Ferretti, D., Sorlini, S. (2024). Ecotoxicological assessment of waste foundry sands and the application of different classification systems. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 20(6), 2294-2311, https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4983
  • Amatucci, A., Ventura, V., & Frisio, D. (2024). Performance and efficiency of national innovation systems: lessons from the wine industry. Wine Economics and Policy, 13(1), 63-80, https://doi.org/10.36253/wep-14637
  • Amatucci, A., Ventura, V., Simonetto, A. & Gilioli, G. (2024) The Economic Value of Ecosystem Services: Meta-analysis and Potential Application of Value Transfer for Freshwater Ecosystems. Environ Resource Econ, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-024-00930-6
  • Araneo, F., Bartolucci, E., Pascarella, F., Pinzin, F., Illankoon, W.A.M.A.N., Vaccari, M. (2024). The Role of Procedure Duration in the Sustainability Assessment of Contaminated Site Management in Italy. Sustainability, 16(6), 2329, https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062329
  • Bertanza, G., Abbà, A., Alias, C., Amatucci, A., Binelli, A., Castiglioni, S., Fossati, M., Cruzeiro, C., Torre, C. D., Domini, M., Feretti, D., Gilioli, G., Magni, S., Mazzoleni, G., Menghini, M., Pedrazzani, R., Schroeder, P., Simonetto, A., Steimberg, N., Ventura, V., Vezzoli, S., & Zerbini, I. (2024). To spread or not to spread? Assessing the suitability of sewage sludge and other biogenic wastes for agriculture reuse. MethodsX, 102599, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.1025997
  • Dell’Anno, M., Frazzini, S., Reggi, S., Ferri, I., Scaglia, E., Schiasselloni, L., … & Rossi, L. (2024). Evaluation of dietary supplementation of Ascophyllum nodosum and Lithothamnium calcareum as functional algae in F4+ Escherichia coli challenged piglets. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, 1430347,  https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1430347
  • Frazzini, S., Reggi, S., Dell’Anno, M., Fifi, A. P., Scaglia, E., Ferri, I., & Rossi, L. (2024). Chemical-functional characterization of Ascophyllum nodosum and Phymatolithon calcareum and dietary supplementation in post-weaning pigs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, 1431091, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1431091
  • Garcia, A. G., Weber, I. D., & Tomé, M. P. (2024). Representing Insect Movement in Agricultural Areas using Spatially Explicit Models. In Modelling Insect Populations in Agricultural Landscapes (pp. 49-68). Cham: Springer International Publishing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43098-5_4
  • Ghiglieno, I., Simonetto, A., Facciano, L., Migliorati, M., Tonni, M., Donna, P., … & Gilioli, G. (2024). Integrated assessment of water footprint in nonirrigated vineyards. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 32130, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83940-0
  • Gilioli, G., Simonetto, A., Weber, I. D., Gervasio, P., Sperandio, G., Bosco, D., … & Boscia, D. (2024). A model for predicting the phenology of Philaenus spumarius. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 8137, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58798-x
  • Gilioli, G., Sperandio, G., Simonetto, A., Ciampitti, M., Cavagna, B., Bianchi, A., Battisti, A., Mori, N., De Francesco, A., Gervasio, P. (2024). Predicting the spatio-temporal dynamics of Popillia japonica populations. Journal of Pest Science, 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-023-01738-x
  • Dell’Anno, M., Scaglia, E., Reggi, S., Grossi, S., Rossi, C. A. S., Frazzini, S., Caprarulo, V. & Rossi, L. (2023). Evaluation of tributyrin supplementation in milk replacer on diarrhoea occurrence in preweaning Holstein calves. Animal, 17(5), 100791, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.100791
  • dos Anjos, L., Weber, I. D., & Godoy, W. A. C. (2023). Modelling the biocontrol of Spodoptera frugiperda: A mechanistic approach considering Bt crops and oviposition behaviour. Ecological Modelling, 484, 110490, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110490
  • Ghiglieno, I., Simonetto, A., Facciano, L., Tonni, M., Donna, P., Valenti, L., Gilioli, G. (2023). Comparing the Carbon Footprint of Conventional and Organic Vineyards in Northern Italy. Sustainability, 15(6), 5252, https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065252
  • Gotta, P., Ciampitti, M., Cavagna, B., Bosio, G., Gilioli, G., Alma, A., … & Marianelli, L. (2023). Popillia japonica–Italian outbreak management. Frontiers in Insect Science, 3, 1175138, https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2023.1175138
  • Menta, C., Remelli, S., Andreoni, M., Gatti, F., & Sergi, V. (2023). Can grasslands in photovoltaic parks play a role in conserving soil arthropod biodiversity?. Life, 13(7), 1536, https://doi.org/10.3390/life13071536
  • Scaglia, E., Reggi, S., Canala, B., Frazzini, S., Dell’Anno, M., Hejna, M., & Rossi, L. (2023). The effects of Milk replacer supplemented with Ascophyllum nodosum as a novel ingredient to prevent neonatal diarrhea in dairy calves and improve their health status. Veterinary Sciences, 10(10), 618, https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10100618
  • Caprarulo, V., Ventura, V., Amatucci, A., Ferronato, G., & Gilioli, G. (2022). Innovations for Reducing Methane Emissions in Livestock toward a Sustainable System: Analysis of Feed Additive Patents in Ruminants. Animals, 12(20), 2760, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202760
  • Cioli, F., Abbà, A., Alias, C., Sorlini, S. (2022). Reuse or Disposal of Waste Foundry Sand: An Insight into Environmental Aspects. Applied Sciences, 12(13), 6420, https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136420