Herbicidal activity of Citrus limon essential oil extracted from Sicilian lemon industry

Weeds could reduce yield of annual crops by up to 70%. The main features of these species include high seed production, easily seed dispersal, variable degrees of seed dormancy and high competitivity by rapid seedling growth and higher growth rate than crops. Weed management is a significant challenge faced for crop yield and quality since they compete for water, light, soil nutrients and space. Environmental constraints of crop production systems have stimulated interest in alternative weed management strategies. In fact, the continued use of synthetic herbicides may threaten sustainable agricultural production and has resulted in serious ecological and environmental problems, such as the …

Additional file 4 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 4. Phenological phases in the studied s-pop of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

Herbicidal activity of essential oils extracted from different Eucalyptus and Citrus species against Avena fatua

Weeds are a serious threat for crop yield and quality since they compete for water, light, soil nutrients and space. Avena fatua L. is one of the ten worst annual weeds of temperate agricultural regions of the world. It could reduce annual crop yields by as much as 70%. The main traits of this species include high fecundity, self-pollination, and variable degrees of primary seed dormancy. A. fatua is in the 4th position of herbicide resistant weeds in the word. It has developed resistance to eight different modes of action. .. The European legislation also supports weed control by means of Integrated Pest Management. It is important to manage A. fatua interference preventing environmental p…

Additional file 3 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 3. Age distribution estimates in the studied s-pop of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

Additional file 5 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 5. Pollen grain images of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

Additional file 1 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 1. Photo collection of the growing site of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island

Additional file 2 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 2. Diachronic trend of the isolated individuals and vegetation patches of Cytisus aeolicus on Stromboli Island (years 1937–2017).

Elementi di Botanica forestale

Chemical, biochemical and microbial diversity through a Pachic Humudept profile in a temperate upland grassland

There is great interest in understanding the factors that drive soil microbial activity and community composition in upland grassland ecosystems. We investigated the role of vertical gradients of chemical properties and various soluble C and N pools on soil microbial community structure by using a combination of chemical and biochemical methods coupled with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) community fingerprinting and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. Soil samples were collected at increasing depth from a temperate upland grassland. Soil organic matter-related pools (total organic C and total Kjeldahl N) and functionally related active pools (microbial biomass C an…

Herbicidal activity of essential oils extracted from different Mediterranean species against Echinochloa crus galli

Weed infestation in agricultural fields can cause huge economic losses and low-quality crop yields. Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv. (barnyardgrass) is one of the greatest yields limiting weeds in rice cultivation systems. It is a cosmopolitan weed in both temperate and tropical regions and is reported as a weed in 36 different crops in 61 countries. The success of this weed may be attributed to the production of large numbers of small, easily dispersed seeds per plant, possession of seed dormancy, rapid development and ability to flower under a wide range of photoperiods, and relative resistance of mature plants to herbicide sprays. Thus, the best way to control barnyardgrass in an env…

Hydrothermal liquefaction of municipal sludge in sub- and super- critical water

Hydrothermal liquefaction of municipal sludge was conducted to investigate the effects of sub- and supercritical water and of the fluid dynamic regime on the quality of the products. Preliminary experimental runs were performed at two different temperatures (350°C and 400°C) changing reaction time in order to work at fixed kinetic severity of the process. An improvement of the C content in the solid residues and of the ratio H/C of the biocrude was obtained when a stirred reactor was used both in sub- and supercritical water. A hydrocarbon fraction was separated from biocrude whose maximum yield of 25% w/w was achieved in supercritical conditions. Results showed that the cumulative energy r…

Dynamics of carbon pools in a soil covered with different forest tree species after controlled heating and wetting

Fire-induced soil heating deeply affects soil organic C pools and their dynamics. The objective of this study was to investigate, in a soil covered with different forest tree species (Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. occidentalis, Pinus halepensis, and Cupressus sempervirens), the effect of controlled heating on C pools and C mineralization dynamics. Soil samples were heated under controlled condition in laboratory (160 and 380°C) and then wetted with distilled or sea water to simulate the extinction of wildfires. Soil organic C pools react to heating in different way depending on forest tree species. Total organic C was almost halved following the heating of soils at 380°C. Soil covered with P…