VIIAFOOD - Plataforma de Valorização, Industrialização e Inovação comercial para o AgroAlimentar (n.º C644929456-00000040)

Publicações

Mediterranean Intercropping Production Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

Publication . Silva, Ermelinda; Najjari, Sara; Shelef, Oren; Ayalkibet, Roza Belayneh; Strikic, Frane; Bjeliš, Mario; Marrão, Rosalina; Borsellino, Valeria; D’Acquisto, Marcello; Schimmenti, Emanuele; Caleja, Cristina; Barros, Lillian; Gonçalves, Alexandre

Intercropping is a pivotal strategy for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 2-End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (SDG 2)-by enhancing food security agroecosystem resilience and sustainability. By integrating diverse species within the same plot, this sustainable approach takes advantage of the beneficial interactions between them. The simultaneous cultivation of multiple crop species within the same field increases agricultural diversification and contributes to a more resilient production system, breaking the uniformity of modern intensive agriculture. The objective of this review is to evaluate intercropping practices throughout the Mediterranean, specifically in Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece), North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and the Middle East (Turkey, Israel, and Jordan). This review intends to show advantages and disadvantages of intercropping and crops used and also highlight how intercropping systems affect crop production and quality, soil quality and microbiome, and proliferation of weeds, pests and diseases. The literature suggests that diversification in agriculture supports biodiversity and ecosystem services by the cultivation of diverse crop species together and, hence, may reduce independence in external outputs such as nutrient supply, pesticides and soil amendment. Despite the potential benefits of intercropping, the major caveats of this practice are the competition between different crops on resources, potential risks of plant protection, technical challenges of integrating the different requirements of each crop used in the system, and culture-related restrictions or regulations.

2026Artigo científico

Acesso aberto

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Valorization of angolan native plants: Nutritional composition, phenolic profile and bioactive potential of Commelina africana, Dombeya rotundifolia and Lablab purpureus leaves

Publication . Bastos, Claudete; Liberal, Ângela; Silveira, Tayse F. F. da; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Pereira, Carla; Pires, Tânia C.S.P.; Mandim, Filipa; Moldão, Margarida; Catarino, Luís; Barros, Lillian

Commelina africana L., Dombeya rotundifolia (Hochst.) Planch. and Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet are wild edible plants (WEPs) native to Africa, traditionally used in rural Angolan communities. This study characterizes their nutritional, chemical, and bioactive properties, with carbohydrates and proteins predominating as macronutrients across all species. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were most abundant in D. rotundifolia and C. africana. Phenolic profiling revealed that C. africana was mainly characterized by p-coumaroyl malic acid and caffeoyl shikimic acid, whereas D. rotundifolia contained majorly flavan-3-ols, including epicatechin and B-type procyanidin oligomers. In contrast, L. purpureus exhibited the highest total phenolic content overall. The hydroethanolic extract of D. rotundifolia exhibited the highest efficacy against foodborne and clinical bacteria and inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. This integrated characterization demonstrates that these underutilized WEPs offer substantial dual nutritional and bioactive value, supporting their traditional use and potential for nutraceuticals and food applications.

2026Artigo científico

Acesso aberto

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Entidade financiadora

PRR

Número da atribuição

C644929456-00000040