Responsible: Alessio Collalti

Via della Madonna Alta, 128 Perugia, Umbria

Tel: +39 075.5014.541

Perugia Branch - ISAFOM-CNR

Although the office has always focused on the development of innovative solutions for the olive sector and the valorisation of by-products from the olive-oil chain, it is also more recently integrating advanced competences in circular bio-economy, sustainable soil management, forest ecology and modelling.

Main Research Areas

1. Olive Growing and the Olive Oil Production Chain

• Prospecting and collecting olive germplasm (national and international)
• Bio-agronomic characterisation
• Oil and fat quality (HPLC, GC)
• Propagation and study of varieties, wild and subspecies
• Experimental fields for biodiversity and nutraceutics

2. Circular bio-economy

• Sustainable management and valorisation of agro-industrial waste (e.g. wet pomace) and urban waste (e.g. organic waste)
• Aerobic composting and co-composting (including use of biochar)
• Production of compost as a substitute for peat and synthetic fertilisers
• Agronomic and biological assessment of compost (stability, maturity, phytotoxicity)
• Prototype COMPOSTER for laboratory-scale composting
• Biodegradability and compostability testing of bioplastics with plant BIODEG
• Anaerobic digestion for energy recovery (biogas) and biofertiliser (digestate)
• Use of biofertilisers to recover organic matter and nutrients 
• Biodegradable bioplastics in the municipal waste cycle and the environment

3. Sustainable soil management

• Activities aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of organic soil improvers in restoring soil fertility. 
• Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of microbial biomass as an indicator of soil health and vitality. 
• Study of the storage capacity of organic carbon, both total and divided into its main fractions, in different ecosystem contexts. 
• Assessment of soil quality status in truffle fields managed with sustainable agroforestry practices.

4. Modelling and Forest Ecology (https://www.forest-modelling-lab.com/)

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of interactions in forest ecosystems
• Studying the response of forests to disturbances and climatic forcings
• Development, parameterisation and validation of models (e.g. 3D-CMCC-FEM)
• Simulations of management scenarios, climate impacts and long-term change
• Integration into decision support systems (DSS) for forest management

Services and Products Offered

• Study and conservation of olive biodiversity
• Chemical and biochemical analyses of olives and oils
• Recovery of by-products for bioenergy production
• Business support on environmental regulations and movement of goods
• Agronomic evaluation of composts, peat-free potting soils, digestates and other biofertilisers
• Biodegradability and compostability tests in accordance with EN ISO standards
• Soil analysis (chemical and biological fertility)
• scenarios on the impact of climate change and forest management on forest ecosystems

Technological Equipment

• Experimental camp in Tuoro sul Trasimeno (collections and crossbreeding)

• Workshops:
  • Oils and fatty substances
  • Soil and organic matter analysis (SOIL)
  • Plant biotechnology
  • Greenhouse and field trials
  • Automated Composting (COMPOSTER)
  • Respirometry and biodegradability (BIODEG)

• Experimental greenhouse (264 m²)

• Mini crusher

• Advanced analytical instrumentationincluding:
  • ICP-OES
  • Elementar Analyser (C, H, N, S)
  • Reactor for IRDP
  • SOUR Analyzer
  • ProStar 335 DAD
  • Biogas analyser 
  • FT-IR ATR
  • HPLC
  • GC
  • GC-MS

Main Patents

• Olive tree varietiesFROM 12 I RESISTANT, FS 17 FABULOUS, DON CARLO, GIULIA
• Technologies:
  • Production of hydroxytyrosol-rich eluates

• MATREF.O. for oil effluent treatment

3D-CMCC-FEM model

 (https://github.com/Forest-Modelling-Lab/3D-CMCC-FEM)

A process-based model for complex-structure forests that simulates:

• Photosynthesis, respiration and water/energy balances
• Carbon allocation, growth and mortality
• Forest response to climate and management scenarios
• Integration in DSS and model intercomparison projects

International Projects

• TAIE (FIRST Programme, 2025-2028): Truffle Agroforestry Innovate & Empower
• FERBIOSOIL (MAECI-MOST, 2024-2027): Novel advanced biofertilizers from spent FERmentative BIOmasses for enhancing agriculture circularity and SOIL health
• ForestNavigator (H2020, 2022-2026): Forest Modelling for Climate Mitigation (https://www.forestnavigator.eu/)
• OptFor-EU (H2020 2023-2027)DSS for resilient forest management (https://optforeu.eu/)
• ISIMIP (2017 - ongoing): Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (https://www.isimip.org/)

National Projects

• ClicFor (PRIN 2022): influence of climate, from seasonal to decadal scales, on the carbon cycle in forests
• Waterstem (PRIN2020): Carbon-water interaction in Mediterranean ecosystems
• Multifor (PRIN2020): Forest responses to pollution and climate change

Scientific Collaboration Agreements

• College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University (BJFU) China - Scientific Collaboration Agreement for Forestry Research, Communication and Outreach (from 2025)
• Biorepack srl - National Consortium for the Organic Recycling of Biodegradable and Compostable Plastic Packaging - Scientific Cooperation Agreement for research, communication and dissemination activities on environmental issues (from 2024)
• College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University (NWAFU), Yangling, Shaanxi, China - Scientific Collaboration Agreement for Forestry Research, Communication and Outreach Activities (from 2024)
• University of Padua, Land and Agro-Forestry Systems Department (UNIPD-TESAF) - Scientific collaboration agreement for research, communication and dissemination activities in forestry (from 2023)
• Gestione Servizi Aziendali srl - Agreement on scientific cooperation for environmental research, communication and dissemination activities (from 2022)

University of Tuscia of Viterbo, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (UNITUS-DAFNE) - Scientific collaboration agreement for research, communication and dissemination activities in forestry (from 2022)