Search results for "Forestry"
showing 10 items of 1998 documents
Shifts in the structure of rhizosphere bacterial communities of avocado after Fusarium dieback
2021
The rhizosphere microbiome is critical for plant growth and protection against plant pathogens. However, rhizosphere microbial communities are likely to be restructured upon plant infection by fungal pathogens. Our objective was to determine the shifts in rhizosphere bacterial communities of avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.) after Fusarium dieback (FD), a disease triggered by the symbiotic fungi of invasive ambrosia beetles (Euwallacea kuroshio and Euwallacea sp. nr. fornicatus), using 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing and a culture-dependent approach. Rhizosphere soil samples were collected from five asymptomatic and five FD-symptomatic avocado trees in a Californian orchard. Sequence…
Impact of genetic diversity of an earthworm on decomposition and ecosystem functioning
2020
Abstract Ecosystem functioning is affected positively by increased biodiversity, through complementary functions of multiple species or because high-functioning species are more likely in a species-rich community. Genetic diversity is one level of biodiversity that has been shown to positively affect ecosystem functioning. Whether the genetic diversity of a key decomposer species affects decomposition processes, and ecosystem functioning in general, is still unknown. We compared low and high genetic diversity assemblages of the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra in two different experiments: using microcosms containing a simple community of other decomposer animals (some nematodes and other mic…
Genetic diversity of fig (Ficus caricaL.) genotypes grown in Southern Italy revealed by the use of SSR markers
2017
The genetic variability among 181 fig (Ficus carica L.) accessions found in small farms located in Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, Calabria and Sicily was investigated analysing the polymorphism of 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The SSR analysis revealed a large genetic diversity among accessions. A total of 117 alleles were detected with a mean of 6.5 locus-1. The average expected (He) and observed heterozygosity (Ho) were 0.56 and 0.66, respectively. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.51, suggesting a significant molecular diversity among the fig accessions taken into consideration. The UPGMA cluster analysis discriminated 174 genotypes and allowed to find 8 grou…
Multilocus typing for characterization of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’-related strains in several ornamental species in Italy
2018
Different ornamental plants showing symptoms referable to phytoplasma presence and collected between 1993 and 2015 in various floricultural areas in north and south of Italy, enclosing Sicily, resulted to be infected by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’-related strains, and after PCR/RFLP identification on 16Sr gene were assigned to 16SrI-B subgroup. These infected samples were employed for phytoplasma strain differentiation on tuf, groel, rp and amp genes. In particular, the 23 phytoplasma strains employed were from hydrangea (5), primula (3), gentian (2), petunia (2) and gerbera (1) samples showing flower virescence; from gladiolus samples both in vivo and in micropropagation (2) showing t…
Morphological and Physiological Root Traits and Their Relationship with Nitrogen Uptake in Wheat Varieties Released from 1915 to 2013
2021
Identifying genotypes with a greater ability to absorb nitrogen (N) may be important to reducing N loss in the environment and improving the sustainability of agricultural systems. This study extends the knowledge of variability among wheat genotypes in terms of morphological or physiological root traits, N uptake under conditions of low soil N availability, and in the amount and rapidity of the use of N supplied with fertilizer. Nine genotypes of durum wheat were chosen for their different morpho-phenological characteristics and year of their release. The isotopic tracer 15N was used to measure the fertilizer N uptake efficiency. The results show that durum wheat breeding did not have univ…
Artificial germination activation of Dialium corbisieri by imitation of ecological process.
2013
11 pages; International audience; Species of the gender Dialium commonly are trees found in Central African rainforests. They produce tasty sugary fruits, feeding numerous frugivores, but are, despite their valuable nutritional value, rarely exploited by humans. A potential reason for this could be the complexity of symbiotic dependence between trees and pollinators, germination activators, and dispersers causing problems in ancestral and contemporary domestication. We investigated Dialium corbisieri reproduction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bandundu Province. Here we give a key for an artificial activation of germination of these trees ecologically adapted to the digestive syst…
Identification of (In)Compatible S-genotypes and Molecular Characterisation of Italian Sweet Cherry Cultivars.
2017
Italy is the first sweet cherry producer in Europe. Its rich germplasm of local varieties has not been fully characterised or exploited in breeding programmes. Sweet cherry is a self-incompatible species; this trait is controlled by a gametophytically expressed multi-allelic (S) locus. The knowledge of sweet cherry S-alleles and cross-incompatibility groups is important for growers and breeders for choosing appropriate pollinators in the orchard and planning crosses. In this work, we analysed 94 sweet cherry cultivars native of large part of the Italian regions where cherry is grown. The microsatellite primer pair set and the reference cultivars agreed for cherry by the Prunus Working Group…
New Clones and Old Varieties: Quality of Sicilian Hillside Apple Cultivation
2021
Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of the new clones according to the Mediterranean hillside growing environment and, at the same time, to highlight the qualitative peculiarities of the old varieties in order to avoid genetic loss. Introduction: Several apple varieties are constantly selected for improved quality traits and introduced for cultivation and marketing in addition to a few traditional and affirmed varieties. On the other side, local genotype and ancient varieties are still valorised due to the request of a niche market. Methods: We have studied the physico-chemical quality and the sensory traits of the fruit obtained in this particular en…
An Agronomic Evaluation of New Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Germplasm for Seed and Oil Yields under Mediterranean Climate Conditions
2019
Interest in oilseed crops for agro-industrial research and development projects has increased in the Mediterranean area, in recent years. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is of potential interest for agriculture mainly due to fatty acid content variability in the seed oil. The aim of this study was to assess the agronomic performance of 16 new safflower accessions together with safflower variety Montola 2000, used as a reference, in a semi-arid environment. Research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) from 2013&ndash
A millennium-long perspective on high-elevation pine recruitment in the Spanish central Pyrenees
2018
Long-term fluctuations in forest recruitment, at time scales well beyond the life-span of individual trees, can be related to climate changes. The underlying climatic drivers are, however, often understudied. Here, we present the recruitment history of a high-elevation mountain pine (Pinus uncinata Ram.) forest in the Spanish central Pyrenees throughout the last millennium. A total of 1108 ring-width series translated into a continuous chronology from 924 to 2014 CE, which allowed estimated germination dates of 470 trees to be compared against decadal-scale temperature variability. High recruitment intensity mainly coincided with relatively warm periods in the early 14th, 15th, 19th, and 2…