Search results for "OLT"
showing 10 items of 5524 documents
Effects of Irrigation with Different Sources of Water on Growth, Yield and Essential Oil Compounds in Oregano
2020
Aromatic plants can benefit from the use of treated wastewater to satisfy their water requirements, but the effects on the essential oil yield and quality need an assessment. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of freshwater and treated wastewater obtained from a Sicilian (Italy) pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland system on plant growth and yield, essential oil yield and composition of oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart) and soil characteristics. The system had a total surface area of 100 m2 and was planted with giant reed and umbrella sedge. An experimental open field of oregano was set up close to the system. Two years and two diff…
Nitrogen Type and Availability Drive Mycorrhizal Effects on Wheat Performance, Nitrogen Uptake and Recovery, and Production Sustainability
2020
Plant performance is strongly dependent on nitrogen (N), and thus increasing N nutrition is of great relevance for the productivity of agroecosystems. The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on plant N acquisition are debated because contradictory results have been reported. Using 15N-labeled fertilizers as a tracer, we evaluated the effects of AM fungi on N uptake and recovery from mineral or organic sources in durum wheat. Under sufficient N availability, AM fungi had no effects on plant biomass but increased N concentrations in plant tissue, plant N uptake, and total N recovered from the fertilizer. In N-deficient soil, AM fungi led to decreased aboveground biomass, which sugges…
A survey of wild plant species for food use in Sicily (Italy) - results of a 3-year study in four Regional Parks
2016
Abstract Background This paper illustrates the results of a study carried out in four Regional Parks of Sicily (Italy), concerning traditional knowledge on food use of wild plant species. The main aims of the paper were: (i) to verify which wild plant species are used for food purpose in the local culture based on information provided by elderly inhabitants (ii) to verify the presence of wild plant species which have not been cited for food use in previous studies in the Mediterranean area (iii) to determine how many of the most frequently cited wild plant species are cultivated by the local population in the four Sicilian Parks. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out in the lo…
Investigation of deltamethrin resistance in salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) provides no evidence for roles of mutations in voltage-gated sodium…
2020
BACKGROUND The pyrethroid deltamethrin is used to treat infestations of farmed salmon by parasitic salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroyer). However, the efficacy of deltamethrin for salmon delousing is threatened by resistance development. In terrestrial arthropods, knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations of the voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav ), the molecular target for pyrethroids, can cause deltamethrin resistance. A putative kdr mutation of an L. salmonis sodium channel homologue (LsNav 1.3 I936V) has been identified previously. At the same time, deltamethrin resistance of L. salmonis has been shown to be inherited maternally and to be associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) muta…
Optimization of the enzyme power source for a nano drug delivery system fuelled by glucose in blood plasma
2019
A unique in vivo electrical pulse generator to improve membrane permeability for drugs and simultaneously facilitate self-powered nano devices for nano drug delivery systems (NDDS) was identified. The use of an unsupported biological catalyst component of the power supply was aimed at the NDDS instead of a conventional membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Self-powered carriers of drugs and prodrugs with improved controlled release capability to target areas using substrate available in biological matrices such as glucose in blood is envisaged. The experimental application implemented prototype designed chambers allowing the entry of premixed precursors and low ohm resistance due the absence o…
Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand
2017
For a long time, human impact has deeply simplified most of the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Here, forests have seldom had the chance to naturally develop a complex and multilayered structure, to host large and old trees and rich biological communities, approaching old-growth conditions. Also for this reason, limited information is currently available about Mediterranean old-growth forests, particularly with regard to deadwood. The main aim of this work is to help fill this critical knowledge gap. In Sicily (Italy), we identified a Quercus pubescens forest that seemed to show some typical old-growth features. Total living volume (360 m3 ha−1) and basal area (34 m2 ha−1) wer…
Nicodemia madagascariensis(Lam.) R. Parker (Family Scrophulariaceae), a casual alien plant new to Italy
2016
In this note the authors report the first case of naturalization of the Malagasy smoke bush within Italian territory. Along with a description of the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the invaded site, the current demographic and dynamic trends of the detected population by means of growth-ring analysis was also assessed. Moreover, an overview on the history of its introduction in Europe is provided, underlining the key role played by the Mediterranean cities with respect to the acclimatization and spread of alien tropical and subtropical plants. Due to its low frequency under cultivation, the Malagasy smoke bush should not behave as an invader in the future; on the other hand, its abil…
The ongoing naturalisation of Eucalyptus spp. in the Mediterranean Basin: new threats to native species and habitats
2019
The genus Eucalyptus has been widely introduced into many regions of the world outside its native range and has become invasive in some Mediterranean biomes (e.g. in southern Africa and California). In the Mediterranean Basin and Europe, eucalypts were introduced at the end of the 18th century. However, natural regeneration events in these regions are recent in time and limited in terms of affected areas, except for the Iberian Peninsula. An updated overview about the natural spread of Eucalyptus species in Italy is still lacking. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap, using both published data and unpublished field data regarding naturalisation events, with a specific focus on Sicily.…
Pomegranate Cultivation in Mediterranean Climate: Plant Adaptation and Fruit Quality of ‘Mollar de Elche’ and ‘Wonderful’ Cultivars
2021
Two pomegranate cultivars, Mollar de Elche, native to Spain, and Wonderful, the most widely cultivated pomegranate variety in the world, were studied in a commercial orchard in Sicily, and their phenological behavior was compared. During the development of the fruit, their dimensional growth was monitored, and after harvest, physicochemical and sensory analyses were carried out to highlight the differences between fruit of the two cultivars. Results showed that Mollar de Elche fruit require less time from flowering to fruit maturity, resulting in an earlier harvest, which was due also to a higher relative growth rate of the fruit&rsquo
Agro-ecological benefits of faba bean for rainfed Mediterranean cropping systems
2017
This paper reviews the main results from a set of experiments carried out in a semiarid Mediterranean environment during the past 25 years on faba bean (<em>Vicia faba</em> L.), a crop traditionally grown in southern Italy and Sicily under rainfed conditions. These experiments focused on the residual effects of faba bean on subsequent crop(s) and assessment of the nitrogen (N) balance during the crop cycle, paying attention to both the environmental release of N (losses via volatilisation and denitrification) and estimates of N2 fixation as influenced by tillage system, intercropping, and presence/absence of mycorrhizal inoculum. Faba bean relied on N2 fixation more than other g…