Search results for "Licata"
showing 10 items of 4432 documents
Encapsulation of black mulberry microcuttings: studies on capsules and synthetic seeds
2017
The encapsulation technology for plant tissue culture can be an efficient tool to optimize the plant management systems and to preserve valuable plant germplasm. In this paper, two experiments were carried out to evaluate the encapsulation efficiency in mulberry (Morus nigra L.). In the first experiment, gel capsules were stored at 4°C for different times (0, 30, 90, 180 and 360 days). The highest percentage of shoot viability (82.5%) and regrowth (72.5%) was scored after 180 days of storage, with an average development of 2.5 shoots/capsule. The second experiment was aimed to point out an efficient protocol to turn the capsules of black mulberry in synthetic seeds ready to develop into who…
The effects of absolute and relative nutrient concentrations (N/P) on phytoplankton in a subtropical reservoir
2020
Abstract The elemental composition of phytoplankton is a critical factor for primary production and nutrient recycling. The increase anthropogenic nutrient input into freshwater ecosystems is affecting phytoplankton assemblage structure and its stoichiometry. Reservoirs of South China generally show low level of phosphate and it is not clear how phytoplankton can grow and occasionally bloom in such conditions. Therefore, an indoor experiment was conducted to investigate the response of natural phytoplankton communities to 25 levels of supplied nitrogen to phosphorus ratios (N/P), arising from the combination of 5 levels of N and P. Our aim was to check the effects of absolute and relative N…
On some interesting African katydids (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae)
2016
Results of the study of specimens collected in Africa and preserved in different European collections and museums are reported and extensively illustrated. The tribe Preussiini Karsch, 1890 is resurrected for the genera Preussia Karsch, 1890, Enochletica Karsch, 1896 and Weissenbornia Karsch, 1888. The following three new species are described: Eurycorypha ndokiensis n. sp., Eurycorypha feai n. sp. and Eurycorypha kenyensis n. sp. Rhacocleis dernensis Salfi, 1926 is confirmed in its original genus, Conocephalus algerinorum Massa, 1999 is moved into the subgenus Anisoptera. In addition, new diagnostic characters or distributional data for Horatosphaga crosskeyi Ragge, 1960, Horatosphaga soma…
Seed germination under osmotic stress across different wild populations of mountain rye (Secale strictum (C.Presl) C.Presl))
2020
The selection of resilient cultivars could help stem the losses in forage production due to a changing climate. Secale strictum is a wild grass with interesting potential as a forage crop. We studied the germination requirements of six wild S. strictum populations, representative of the whole species distribution range in Italy and occurring under different osmotic conditions (0 MPa, −0.8 MPa, −1.0 MPa, −1.2 MPa, −1.4 MPa and −1.6 MPa). Our aim was to find beneficial seed and germination traits for the possible use of this species as a crop. Different accessions of domesticated Secale cereale and ×Triticosecale were used as comparison. Some populations of S. strictum were drought tolerant a…
Millerandage and flower abscission in ‘Grillo’, ‘Frappato’ and ‘Nero d’Avola’ grapevines: Some probable causes
2018
Some Sicilian cultivars, in particular vintage, showed a high percentage of flower abscissions and shot berries. In this paper, to understand these phenomena, some aspects of the flower morphology of three Sicilian cultivars (two black: ‘Nero d’Avola’ and ‘Frappato’; and one white: ‘Grillo’) was studied. The number of stamens, ovule adherence to the ovary wall and pollen germination were evaluated using standard light microscopy. At harvest, seed number was counted on 30 berries per cultivar. The percentage of six stamens was lowest in ‘Frappato’ and highest in ‘Grillo’. The ovule adherence to the ovary wall was highest in ‘Frappato’ and lowest in ‘Nero d’Avola’. The percentage of pollen ge…
New taxa of Orthoptera (Insecta Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae) from Madagascar.
2017
The author reports the results of a study on Orthoptera collected in Madagascar and preserved in two European Natural History museums. He describes Symmetroraggea depravata n. sp., Parapyrrhicia longipodex n. sp., Madagascarantia bartolozzii n. gen. n. sp., Mimoscudderia spinicercata n. sp. In addition, he lists new records or unknown taxonomical characters of Xenodus nobilis Carl, 1914 and Parapyrrhicia virilis Carl, 1914.
Interspecific variation in total phenolic content in temperate brown algae
2017
Marine algae synthesize secondary metabolites such as polyphenols that function as defense and protection mechanisms. Among brown algae, Fucales and Dictyotales (Phaeophyceae) contain the highest levels of phenolic compounds, mainly phlorotannins, that play multiple roles. Four temperate brown algae (Cystoseira amentacea, Cystoseira compressa, Dictyopteris polypodioides and Padina pavonica) were studied for total phenolic contents. Total phenolic content was determined colorimetrically with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Significant differences in total phenolic content were observed between leathery and sheetlike algae and also within each morphological group. Among the four species, the she…
Mixotrophic phytoplankton dynamics in a shallow Mediterranean water body: how to make a virtue out of necessity
2018
Mixotrophy is a combination of photosynthesis and direct access to organic carbon sources, mainly through osmotrophy or phagotrophy. This strategy is adopted by several, phylogenetically distinct, phytoplankton groups and is commonly occurring in marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems. Traditionally, it has been put in relation to both scarcity of inorganic nutrients and poor light conditions. However, we observed blooms of the mixotrophic, toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum in different periods of the year and under variable resources availability. The analysis of a 6.5-year data set of phytoplankton weekly records from a Sicilian shallow lake (Biviere di Gela, south-eastern Sicily) al…
Phytoplankton and its biotic interactions: Colin Reynolds’ legacy to phytoplankton ecologists
2019
The 18th workshop of the International Association for Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP), the first ‘‘tropical’’ IAP ever, the third one outside Europe, and the first one in South America, was held in Natal, Brazil, from August 27 to September 3, 2017, and its main ecological theme was the Phytoplankton and its biotic interactions. The taxonomic topic of the workshop was chosen based on function instead of phylogeny, and to link to the ecological theme of the workshop, the taxonomic theme was therefore centered on mixotrophic microalgae.
New records of phytoseiid mites from Italy, with description of a new species and a redescription of other two (Parasitiformes, Phytoseiidae)
2020
The Italian phytoseiid fauna consists of 91 valid species. Eighteen of them were described as new species from materials collected in various Italian localities. In the present paper we report nine new records from the Italian fauna and describe the new species, Neoseiulus mediterraneus belonging to the subfamily Amblyseiinae. Complementary descriptions of two rare species, namely: Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) singularis and Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) knisleyi, were also added.