Ruolo delle piante officinali nella salvaguardia della biodiversità negli ambienti mediterranei

Mediterranean Italian lands have a considerable plant biodiversity, and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) play a significant role inside it. Some preliminary trials carried out by the DAAT (Dipartimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Territoriale – Department for Land and Environmental Agronomy) of the University of Palermo had the goal to evaluate the suitability of three native species (Hyssop, St. John’s Wort, Lavender) with an herbal interest to the field cropping conditions. The research activity has been carried out in the experimental farm “Sparacia” (Cammarata - AG – Sicily, 37° 38' N - 13° 46' E; 415 m a.s.l.) from 2006 to 2007. The trials confirmed the good suitability of the tested species even under the uneasy cropping conditions of the experimental environments; their cultivation could therefore play an important role in conservation and safeguarding biodiversity of Mediterranean semi-arid areas.