Last July, researchers from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania participating in the Transition project carried out the first cereal harvest in the cereal-olive agroforestry system they are analyzing in the framework of this Prima Program project.

Taking advantage of the fact that the cereals were already dry and mature, 1 m2 plots were harvested in all the strips taking into account the area near the trees and the area without trees. The cereals harvested were rye (Secale cereale), Timilia (Triticum durum, a Sicilian variety of durum wheat) and the mixture of soft wheat belonging to an evolutionary population.

Soil samples were taken during harvesting to subsequently evaluate organic carbon content and other soil parameters. Despite the marginality factors affecting the site, production was acceptable, with obvious differences between the different sampling areas and varieties used.

The other case study with legumes did not give the expected results because there were problems in the implantation phase. Morphological measurements were made in the laboratory considering stem height, number of spikelets and seed weight per plot. These data will be used later to study the relationship between biomass and seed production and light interception as a function of position in the system.