Search results for "Plant"

2020

Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), also known as the red-legged ham beetle, is a newly emerging pest of pet food stores, causing apprehension among producers worldwide. Concerns about this pest are exacerbated by the lack of information about infestation modalities in pet food, while specific monitoring tools are missing. Considering that adequate pet food packaging could limit N. rufipes infestations, information about the penetration modalities in commonly used pet food packaging is needed. Moreover, the development of appropriate monitoring instruments is urgent to detect pest presence early and to reduce chemical treatments for its control. In this paper, the adults’ and…

The soursop genome and comparative genomics of basal angiosperms provide new insights on evolutionary incongruence

2019

AbstractDeep relationships and the sequence of divergence among major lineages of angiosperms (magnoliids, monocots and eudicots) remain ambiguous and differ depending on analytical approaches and datasets used. Complete genomes potentially provide opportunities to resolve these uncertainties, but two recently published magnoliid genomes instead deliver further conflicting signals. To disentangle key angiosperm relationships, we report a high-quality draft genome for the soursop (Annona muricata, Annonaceae). We reconstructed phylogenomic trees and show that the soursop represents a genomic mosaic supporting different histories, with scaffolds almost exclusively supporting single topologies…

Types of names of taxa belonging to theCentaurea cinerariagroup (Compositae) described from Sicily

2016

The group of Centaurea (sect. Acrolophus) cineraria (Compositae) in Sicily includes four currently accepted species plus four taxa that have been considered, with some doubt, as subspecies of one of them (C. panormitana). In total, discounting recombinations and replacement names, 11 names (seven specific, three varietal, one of a forma), all based on Sicilian material, were published by past authors for these eight taxa. Two of the names had their holotype indicated upon publication; two have been lectotypified previously; six (C. busambarensis var. obtusiloba, C. cineraria var. soluntina, C. cineraria var. umbrosa, C. todaroi, C. todaroi f. seguenzae and C. ucriae) are lectotypified here;…

Shrines in Central Italy conserve plant diversity and large trees

2015

Sacred natural sites (SNS) are instances of biocultural landscapes protected for spiritual motives. These sites frequently host important biological values in areas of Asia and Africa, where traditional resource management is still upheld by local communities. In contrast, the biodiversity value of SNS has hardly been quantitatively tested in Western contexts, where customs and traditions have relatively lost importance due to modernization and secularization. To assess whether SNS in Western contexts retain value for biodiversity, we studied plant species composition at 30 SNS in Central Italy and compared them with a paired set of similar but not sacred reference sites. We demonstrate tha…

Pleurotus opuntiae revisited e An insight to the phylogeny of dimitic Pleurotus species with emphasis on the P. djamor complex

2018

Abstract The name Pleurotus opuntiae is indiscriminately used for describing mushrooms with white to off-white to white-grey pilei with short or absent stipe and dimitic hyphal system, which grow on plants of the genera Opuntia, Yucca, Agave, Phytolacca etc. However, the outcome of the present study evidences that this name should be reserved for specimens deriving from the Mediterranean area only; an epitype originating from Italy on Opuntia ficus-indica is designated. Pertinent material was sequenced by using the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and found to be phylogenetically related to P. djamor from Kenya and Nigeria, while members of the P. djamor complex from other continent…

Introducing anatomical techniques to subfossil wood

2018

Abstract Successful cross-dating of subfossil wood, ideally in combination with precise information on germination and dieback, requires the accurate detection of tree-ring width (TRW) boundaries along continuous measurement tracks from pith to bark. However, wood decay and the mechanical deformation of cells often challenge the dendrochronological analysis and subsequent paleoclimatic and environmental interpretations. Here, we show that wood anatomical techniques can improve the assessment of heavily degraded and/or deformed material. We apply state-of-the-art sample preparation, thin sectioning and double-staining to a unique collection of Late Glacial pines that were growing ∼13,000 yea…

Cherry Tomato Drying: Sun versus Convective Oven

2021

Solar drying and convective oven drying of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were compared. The changes in the chemical parameters of tomatoes and principal drying parameters were recorded during the drying process. Drying curves were fitted to several mathematical models, and the effects of air temperature during drying were evaluated by multiple regression analyses, comparing to previously reported models. Models for drying conditions indicated a final water content of 30% (semidry products) and 15% (dry products) was achieved, comparing sun-drying and convective oven drying at three different temperatures. After 26–28 h of sun drying, the tomato tissue had reached a moisture content…

Plant structure as a determinant of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seed and straw yield

2020

Abstract Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L., Apiaceae) is a Mediterranean aromatic plant that is mainly cultivated for its fruits. Understanding the association between various vegetative and reproductive structures as they pertain to yield can help addressing efforts for achieving the highest productivity levels, by improving both cropping techniques and breeding. Multiple Regression (MR) analysis is a suitable tool to understand this association; notwithstanding, due to the plant’s inherent “weedy” growth, the interpretation of MR results in coriander is often difficult. Therefore, in our analysis we also calculated additional indicators of variable contribution to the model and to one anot…

Leaf-Level Spectral Fluorescence Measurements : Comparing Methodologies for Broadleaves and Needles

2019

Successful measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) spectral properties (typically in the wavelength range of 650–850 nm) across plant species, environmental conditions, and stress levels are a first step towards establishing a quantitative link between solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), which can only be measured at discrete ChlF spectral bands, and photosynthetic functionality. Despite its importance and significance, the various methodologies for the estimation of leaf-level ChlF spectral properties have not yet been compared, especially when applied to leaves with complex morphology, such as needles. Here we present, to the best of our knowledge, a first comparison of …

Addition of high C:N crop residues to a P-limited substrate constrains the benefits of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis for wheat P and N nutrition

2021

Many aspects concerning the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in plant nutrient uptake from organic sources remain unclear. Here, we investigated the contribution of AM symbiosis to N and P uptake by durum wheat after the addition of a high C:N biomass to a P-limited soil. Plants were grown in pots in the presence or absence of a multispecies AM inoculum, with (Org) or without (Ctr) the addition of 15N-labelled organic matter (OM). A further treatment, in which 15N was applied in mineral form (Ctr+N) in the same amount as that supplied in the Org treatment, was also included. Inoculation with AM had positive effects on plant growth in both control treatments (Ctr and Ctr+N), mainly …