Search results for "40"

Agro-Morphological Characterization of Sicilian Chili Pepper Accessions for Ornamental Purposes

2020

The species belonging to the genus Capsicum have been widely used as decorative vegetables, however only a few genotypes are available for this purpose. The goal of the present work was the agro-morphological characterization of several chili pepper accessions cultivated into different pot sizes (10, 14, 18 or 20 cm diameters). The agro-morphological characterization of 19 accessions was performed following IPGR (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute) descriptors: plant height (PH), plant canopy width (PCW), PH/PCW ratio, plant growth habit, plant visual quality, first flower emission, fruiting start, end of harvest, fruit number, fruit length, fruit width, fruit color at mature s…

Multitrophic interactions in the rhizosphere Rhizosphere microbiology: at the interface of many disciplines and expertises.

2008

The rhizosphere – the soil compartment influenced by the root, including the root itself – is the most-active microbial habitat in soils. Indeed, the release by plant roots of a significant part of their photosynthates promotes microbial abundance and activities in the rhizosphere. This investment made by plants is paid back by microbial functions, which contribute to plant nutrition and protection against soil-borne diseases. Indeed, rhizosphere microorganisms play a major role in plant growth and health and, …

Mycorrhizae differentially influence the transfer of nitrogen among associated plants and their competitive relationships

2021

Abstract The formation of a common mycorrhizal network among roots of different plant species growing close to each other can influence plant community dynamics, regulating plant relationships through the differential transfer of nutrients from one plant to another. However, knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate this process is poor. Here we quantify the contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizae to the transfer of N among heterospecific plants growing adjacent to each other and examine whether the differential transfer of N within the plant community via mycorrhizae can alter competitive relationships among plant species. Plants of four species (wheat, pea, flax, and chicory) were grown in…

“Into and Out of” the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas: Centers of origin and diversification across five clades of Eurasian montane and alpin…

2020

Abstract Encompassing some of the major hotspots of biodiversity on Earth, large mountain systems have long held the attention of evolutionary biologists. The region of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) is considered a biogeographic source for multiple colonization events into adjacent areas including the northern Palearctic. The faunal exchange between the QTP and adjacent regions could thus represent a one‐way street (“out of” the QTP). However, immigration into the QTP region has so far received only little attention, despite its potential to shape faunal and floral communities of the QTP. In this study, we investigated centers of origin and dispersal routes between the QTP, its forested m…

Einstein and Twentieth-Century Politics: ‘A Salutary Moral Influence’

2017

Bees increase oilseed rape yield under real field conditions

2018

prod 2018-210 EA GESTAD INRA; International audience; Oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus L.) is a common crop found in many European agricultural landscapes. It ispollinated by a wide variety of insects, but the reported contribution of pollinators to yield varies widely betweenstudies (from 0 to 50%). Moreover, such a contribution has seldom been estimated at the field scale in realfarming conditions. We analysed OSR yields in response to insect pollination; over four years, at two differentscales: farm fields and individual plants. We used both empirical and experimental approaches along a gradientof pollinator diversity and abundance. The empirical approach was based on farm surveys (151 …

The role of fish life histories in allometrically scaled food‐web dynamics

2019

Body size determines key ecological and evolutionary processes of organisms. Therefore, organisms undergo extensive shifts in resources, competitors, and predators as they grow in body size. While empirical and theoretical evidence show that these size‐dependent ontogenetic shifts vastly influence the structure and dynamics of populations, theory on how those ontogenetic shifts affect the structure and dynamics of ecological networks is still virtually absent. Here, we expand the Allometric Trophic Network (ATN) theory in the context of aquatic food webs to incorporate size‐structure in the population dynamics of fish species. We do this by modifying a food web generating algorithm, the nic…

Hieracium pollinense (Asteraceae), an endemic species to the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy) rediscovered

2017

Abstract The presence of Hieracium pollinense Zahn in Italy is confirmed here after 132 years since its first description based on a single collection made in 1877 in the Mt. Pollino. It is a calcicolous species, so far represented by one population, belongs to the H. sect. Villosa. In line with the IUCN criteria its conservation status assessment is “endangered”.

The effect of abrasive pretreatment on the drying kinetics and phenolic compounds in goji berries ( Lycium barbarum L.)

2020

The paper investigated the effect of a physical surface abrasion of goji berries on drying kinetics and the evolution of phenolic compounds at 323, 333, and 343 K. A diffusion model was developed to describe the drying process. The effective diffusion coefficient estimated by the model ranged from 7.5 × 10–9 to 4.2 × 10–8 m2/s for cylinder and 2.0 × 10–9 to 1.15 × 10–8 m2/s for sphere for untreated samples (UTR). Higher values were found for treated samples (TR) (from 2.50 × 10–8 to 1.20 × 10–7 m2/s for cylinder and 8.0 × 10–9 to 2.70 × 10–8 m2/s for sphere). For the UTR samples, the values of activation energy were found to be 79.5 and 80.8 kJ/mol, respectively, in the cylinder and sphere …

Aflatoxins and A. flavus Reduction in Loaf Bread through the Use of Natural Ingredients

2018

In this study, the antifungal activity of yellow mustard (YMF) and oriental mustard (OMF) meal extracts against 14 strains of fungi was tested on a solid medium. The results obtained with the YMF were next confirmed in liquid medium determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum fungicide concentration (MFC). Finally, the use of YMF as a natural preservative to extend the useful life of bread was evaluated. Breads with different concentrations of YMF (2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg) were prepared and contaminated with Aspergillus flavus ISPA 8111 and Penicillium nordicum CECT 2320. For 10 days the formation of mycelium was observed, and after that the fungal growth and the mycot…