Search results for "agave"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
Modelling nonlinear dynamics of Crassulacean acid metabolism productivity and water use for global predictions
2021
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) crops are important agricultural commodities in water-limited environments across the globe, yet modeling of CAM productivity lacks the sophistication of widely used C3 and C4 crop models, in part due to the complex responses of the CAM cycle to environmental conditions. This work builds on recent advances in CAM modeling to provide a framework for estimating CAM biomass yield and water use efficiency from basic principles. These advances, which integrate the CAM circadian rhythm with established models of carbon fixation, stomatal conductance, and the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, are coupled to models of light attenuation, plant respiration, and bioma…
The alien vascular flora of Linosa (Pelagie Islands, Strait of Sicily): update and management proposals
2017
This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the naturalized alien plants of Linosa (Pelagie Archipelago, Sicily), which includes 83 taxa and accounts for 29 % of the total island's flora. Among these plants, 6 are invasive, 49 are naturalized and 28 are casual. With respect to previous available data, our field investigations resulted in the addition of 31 new xenophytes (21 casual and 10 fully naturalized). One of these species is new to the whole European territory (Kleinia anteuphorbia), 6 of them are new to Sicily and 11 are recorded for the first time on circum-Sicilian islets. For each alien plant, we indicate the habitat where the naturalization has been observed by using the codes…
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…
Ethnobotany of the Aegadian Islands: safeguarding biocultural refugia in the Mediterranean
2021
Abstract Background The Aegadian Islands are located west of Trapani, Sicily. Once the site of bountiful tuna fisheries and fruit orchards (plums, peaches, apricots), grapevines, prickly pears, and grains, the local economy is now based on tourism, and many traditional agricultural and maritime practices have been abandoned. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the state of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning the use of wild and cultivated plants and fungi for human health, food, maritime, and agricultural purposes on the islands of Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo and compare present-day practices with those documented in the past. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews …
Primera cita del endemismo mexicano Agave Difformis a. Berger (Agavaceae) fuera de su área de distribución nativa
2016
17 p., fot., gráf.
Yeasts Isolated from the Alcoholic Fermentation ofAgave duranguensisDuring Mezcal Production
2013
Mezcal is a spirit produced in some regions of Mexico. In the state of Durango, mezcal is produced via traditional fermentation of the Agave duranguensis plant. To better understand traditional fermentation processes, it is necessary to know which yeast species are present in fermentations in different producer regions. The aim of this research was to study yeasts involved in traditional mezcal fermentation in Durango, Mexico, and investigate the phylogeny of the native Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains involved in this process. The 5.8S-ITS genomic region was analyzed to identify strains present in the fermentation process samples in this study. To differentiate strains belonging to the gen…
Experimental analysis and micromechanical models of high performance renewable agave reinforced biocomposites
2017
Abstract The present work deals with the experimental study of high performance biocomposites reinforced with optimized agave fibers, as well as the successive implementation of reliable micromechanical models that can be used at the design stage. In detail, systematical experimental analyses performed on biocomposites with epoxy or PLA matrix, have permitted to highlight that for short fibers biocomposites the reinforcing leads to a significant improvement of the matrix stiffness, whereas the particular damage mechanism based essentially on the matrix failure with consequent tensile failure of the fibers aligned with the applied load, does not allow to obtain an actual reinforcing of the m…
New concept in bioderived composites: Biochar as toughening agent for improving performances and durability of agave-based epoxy biocomposites
2021
Biocomposites are increasingly used in the industry for the replacement of synthetic materials, thanks to their good mechanical properties, being lightweight, and having low cost. Unfortunately, in several potential fields of structural application their static strength and fatigue life are not high enough. For this reason, several chemical treatments on the fibers have been proposed in literature, although still without fully satisfactory results. To overcome this drawback, in this study we present a procedure based on the addition of a carbonaceous filler to a green epoxy matrix reinforced by Agave sisalana fibers. Among all carbon-based materials, biochar was selected for its environment…
Toward high performance renewable agave reinforced biocomposites: Optimization of fiber performance and fiber-matrix adhesion analysis
2017
Abstract The increasing sensitivity toward the environmental pollution and the recent laws on the environmental protection, have led to an increasing attention to the so called biocomposites, i.e. to ecofriendly or renewable composite materials, obtained from biopolymers reinforced by natural fibers. Although the contribution of various works reported in literature, focused on biocomposites reinforced by agave fibers, such materials are still exclusively used in the automotive industry for non-structural applications, and the implementation of high performance biocomposites for semi-structural and structural applications, is an expected, but not yet reached objective. Therefore, the present…
Implementation of eco-sustainable biocomposite materials reinforced by optimized agave fibers
2018
Abstract Although several works have recently been published in literature about biocomposites, i.e. about composites with polymeric matrix reinforced by natural fibers, only a few articles have been devoted to the implementation of high performance biocomposites for structural and semi-structural applications. The present study aims to give a contribution by considering biocomposites obtained by using an eco-friendly partially bio-based epoxy (green epoxy) and sisal (agave sisalana fibers) obtained by a proper optimization process. Through a systematic experimental analysis, three different types of biocomposites obtained with a suitable manufacturing process, such as random short fiber bi…