Iris è una pianta appartenente alla famiglia delle Iridacee, comunemente nota come Giaggiolo o Iris. Al fine di osservare delle differenze tra la struttura riproduttiva e per avanzare delle ipotesi circa la sterilità di molte specie di Iris, è stata condotta l'analisi del polline mediante microscopia elettronica a scansione (SEM). L'analisi micromorfologica dell'esina è utile per identificare probabili formazioni anomale del polline, al fine di preservare le differenti specie e valutare i possibili cambiamenti negli bridi naturali. Lo studio della struttra dell'esina è un importante metodo per classificare differenti specie di Iris, ma anche per dare informazioni circa la formazione del polline. I risultati ottenuti non hanno mostrato anomalie significative tra le differenti specie di Iris analizzate

Buglossoides purpureocaerulea is a little-known plant used in the folk tradition for the preparation of a decoction in Sud, Italy, where it is appreciated for its beneficial effects on liver diseases. These properties may be due to the presence of antioxidant compounds. This study presents the phenolic characterisation and the antioxidant activity (AA) of B. purpureocaerulea extracts obtained by decoction, ethanol infusion and ethanol and methanol macerations. Total phenols ranged between 69 and 100mgg(1)dry weight (DW). The main compounds were: rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, lithospermic acid and salvianolic acid C. The extracts showed a good AA, particularly high for the decoction (142283 mu molTEg(1) DW; TE, Trolox equivalent) and ethanol maceration extract (214364 mu molTEg(1) DW) when determined by DPPH and ferric reducing antioxidant power test, respectively.

A filamentous fungus was isolated from Tuber borchii Vitt. fruiting bodies, and it was identified as an Arthrinium phaeospermum (Corda) M.B. Ellis strain, an “endophyte” that forms various associations with healthy leaves, stems, and roots of plants. Molecular analysis confirmed the association of this filamentous fungus with the ascocarps of all collection sites in Salento, Apulia (South Italy). An in vitro symbiosis system between Cistus creticus L. and T. borchii was set up; A. phaeospermum appears to be able to promote mycorrhiza formation in Cistus seedlings, inducing primary root shortening and an increase of secondary roots, similar to the effect of Mycorrhization Helper Bacteria (MHB). Compartmented and uncompartmented bioassays were carried out to investigate the effects of exudates/volatiles released by the truffle-hosted fungus on root architecture; the results showed root shortening in compartmented bioassay suggesting that volatiles released by the fungus alone are sufficient to alter root morphology in early phase of interaction before the mycorrhiza formation. The first evidence for an influence of a truffle-hosted fungus on ectomycorrhizal symbiosis establishment is reported.

Betacyanin (betanin), total phenolics, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays) were investigated in two differently colored cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) genotypes, one with purple fruit and the other with orange fruit, from the Salento area, in Apulia (South Italy). In order to quantitate betanin in cactus pear fruit extracts (which is difficult by HPLC because of the presence of two isomers, betanin and isobetanin, and the lack of commercial standard with high purity), betanin was purified from Amaranthus retroflexus inflorescence, characterized by the presence of a single isomer. The purple cactus pear variety showed very high betanin content, with higher levels of phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity (TEAC) than the orange variety. These findings confirm the potential for exploiting the autochthonous biodiversity of cactus pear fruits. In particular, the purple variety could be an interesting source of colored bioactive compounds which not only have coloring potential, but are also an excellent source of dietary antioxidant components which may have beneficial effects on consumers’ health.

Four ecotypes of pomegranate fruits growing in the salento area were characterized for their content in terms of total phenols, sugars, organic acids, anthocyanins, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The results showed that in the fruit juice the amount of phenols ranged between 0.8–1.7 g l–1; the content in terms of simple sugars was about 140 g l–1, while the amount of citric and malic acids ranged between 1.4–13.3 and 0.8–7.7 g l–1, respectively. seven anthocyanin pigments were found; these were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively by hplc-dad-ms and identified as delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside, pelargonidin 3,5-diglucoside, delphinidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-arabinoside. the antioxidant activity, determined as dpph scavenger and teac, ranged between 17.2 and 39.1% and between 9 and 19 µmol trolox per ml of juice, respectively. All the pomegranate juices showed an anti-inflammatory activity (measured by COX inhibitory assay) which was compared with two commercial anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen and Nimesulide).

The possibility of producing biogas and methane from two phases olive pomace was considered using anaerobic digestion and the microbial characteristic of digestate for the agrarian use was analyzed. In the work, the main aim was to obtain biogas, made from at least 50% methane, and a digestate that can be used in the field of agronomy, from the anaerobic digestion of the substrates. The tests were carried out by digesting different mixtures of the two-phase pomace, mulberry leaves and mud civil wastewater (pre-digested) in a batch system and in anaerobic mesophilic conditions (35 °C). The substrates were properly homogenized in order to obtain mixtures of known and uniform composition. The initial and final STi (Total Solids) and initial SVi (Volatile Solids), the concentration of chemical oxygen demand and total phenols were measured and the process yield (m3/t SV) was quantified with standard procedure. The objectives of the study were the analysis of microbial biodiversity developed during fermentation of mixtures based products and the microbial communities corresponding to Eubacteria, Archaea and Fungiwas analyzed. The suitability of the digestate for agronomical use was evaluated by estimating pathogens bacteria that may be present and by index of inhibition of plant organisms model.

The essential oil extracted from twenty-one plants of Pistacia lentiscus L. growing wild in southern Italy (Salento, Apulia), were investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Thirty-eight components, representing more than 75% of the total oil constituents, were identified. The main compounds (with >5% on average) were α-pinene, terpinen-4-ol, δ-cadinene and β-caryophyllene. Four chemotypes were identified: terpinen-4-ol/α-pinene, β-caryophyllene/δ-cadinene/α-pinene, β-myrcene/δ-cadinene and α-pinene. Essential oils showed a radical scavenging activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; DPPH test) ranging between about 21% and 35%.

Table olives are a common and well-known food in the whole Mediterranean area, produced and consumed in great quantities. Many deepgreen olives can be found on sale in the South of Italy. Sometimes a deep color could be the result of the fraudulent addition of a coloring agent (E141ii, copper chlorophyllins) during the pickling process, in spite of the European Union legislation that does not allow the addition of any colorant to fruits included table olives. The objectives of this study were to use a relatively simple method of detection of E141ii added to table olives, to verify the presence on the Italian market of artificially colored table olives, and to show that also CuSO4 can be employed for table olive re-greening. Compounds with chromatographic and spectral characteristics similar to the ones from the E141ii (Cu chlorin e6, Cu isochlorin e4, Cu pyropheophorbide a) were found in 8 samples out of 16. These results show that the fraudulent addition of colorant to table olives is a quite common practice. More pressing controls and analysis are required to ensure the complete food safety and the compliance with the current law.

Background: Durum wheat often faces water scarcity and high temperatures, two events that usually occur simultaneously in the fields. Here we report on the stress responsive strategy of two durum wheat cultivars, characterized by different water use efficiency, subjected to drought, heat and a combination of both stresses. Results: The cv Ofanto (lower water use efficiency) activated a large set of well-known drought-related genes after drought treatment, while Cappelli (higher water use efficiency) showed the constitutive expression of several genes induced by drought in Ofanto and a modulation of a limited number of genes in response to stress. At molecular level the two cvs differed for the activation of molecular messengers, genes involved in the regulation of chromatin condensation, nuclear speckles and stomatal closure. Noteworthy, the heat response in Cappelli involved also the up-regulation of genes belonging to fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, glyoxylate cycle and senescence, suggesting an early activation of senescence in this cv. A gene of unknown function having the greatest expression difference between the two cultivars was selected and used for expression QTL analysis, the corresponding QTL was mapped on chromosome 6B.Conclusion: Ofanto and Cappelli are characterized by two opposite stress-responsive strategies. In Ofanto the combination of drought and heat stress led to an increased number of modulated genes, exceeding the simple cumulative effects of the two single stresses, whereas in Cappelli the same treatment triggered a number of differentially expressed genes lower than those altered in response to heat stress alone. This work provides clear evidences that the genetic system based on Cappelli and Ofanto represents an ideal tool for the genetic dissection of the molecular response to drought and other abiotic stresses.

The sour taste of lemons (Citrus limon (L.) Burm.) is determined by the amount of citric acid in vacuoles of juice sac cells. Faris is a “sweet” lemon variety since it accumulates low levels of citric acid. The University of California Riverside Citrus Variety Collection includes a Faris tree that produces sweet (Faris non-acid; FNA) and sour fruit (Faris acid; FA) on different branches; it is apparently a graft chimera with layer L1 derived from Millsweet limetta and layer L2 from a standard lemon. The transcription profiles of Faris sweet lemon were compared with Faris acid lemon and Frost Lisbon (L), which is a standard sour lemon genetically indistinguishable from Faris in prior work with SSR markers. Analysis of microarray data revealed that the transcriptomes of the two sour lemon genotypes were nearly identical. In contrast, the transcriptome of Faris sweet lemon was very different from those of both sour lemons. Among about 1,000 FNAspecific, presumably pH-related genes, the homolog of Arabidopsis H+-ATPase proton pump AHA10 was not expressed in FNA, but highly expressed in FA and L. Since Arabidopsis AHA10 is involved in biosynthesis and acidification of vacuoles, the lack of expression of the AHA10 citrus homolog represents a very conspicuous molecular feature of the FNA sweet phenotype. In addition, high expression of several 2-oxoglutarate degradationrelated genes in FNA suggests activation of the GABA shunt and degradation of valine and tyrosine as components of the mechanism that reduces the level of citric acid in sweet lemon.

Nine cultivars of winter tomatoes (known as "storage tomatoes" or "old tomatoes") were cultivated in southern Italy and analysed for their content in different antioxidant compounds and for their antioxidant activity (AA). The results obtained show a high variability in the lutein, β-carotene and lycopene contents. The β-carotene content was greater than reported in literature for traditional cultivars and in one case, was higher than that of lycopene. In particular, β-carotene amount ranged between 7.51 and 36.58 mg/kg of fresh weight (FW), while lycopene content varied between 8.98 and 106.44 mg/kg FW. To our knowledge, lutein content was determined the first time in this type of tomatoes and its amount ranged between 1.7 and 5.1 mg/kg FW. Caffeic acid was detected only in two cultivars. Rutin amounts varied between 55.6 and 109.15 mg/kg FW. All the extracts (hydrophilic and lipophilic) showed a good AA; moreover, scavenger activity of the hydrophilic fraction, when evaluated by ABTS, was very high reaching 90%.

Citrus fruits are characterized by the accumulation of high levels of citric acid, which account for 90% of the total organic acids. Citric acid is an important determinant of fruit taste because it affects the sourness of the fruit as well as the perceived sweetness, by masking the taste of sugars. To study the role of gene expression in citric acid accumulation we compared the transcriptomes of juice sac cells in acid and acidless lemon genotypes using an Affymetrix microarray. Three genotypes were used for the transcriptome analysis: ‘Frost Lisbon’ (L), a standard sour lemon, and two ‘Faris’ genotypes obtained from a chimera that produces on the same tree both sweet (‘Faris’ non-acid, FNA) and sour fruit (‘Faris’ acid, FA). After the transcriptome comparison was completed, we discovered that ‘Faris’ is a graft chimera. Here we present SSR marker data showing that layer 1 of ‘Faris’ is derived from ‘Millsweet’ lime or a very similar cultivar, whereas layer 2 is derived from an acid lemon similar to ‘Eureka’ or ‘Lisbon’. Transcriptome comparisons among the three genotypes during two ripening stages showed high similarity between the two acid fruits and considerable divergence of FNA. Among the more interesting differences are genes involved in the GABA shunt pathway and a plasma-membrane type H+-ATPase.

The essential oil of 46 spontaneous plants of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subsp. nepeta growing wild in Sud, Italy (Salento, Apulia), were investigated by GC/MS. Fifty-seven components were identified in the oil representing over the 98% of the total oil composition. Four chemotypes were identified: piperitone oxide, piperitenone oxide, piperitone-menthone and pulegone.

Bio-diesel può rappresentare una valida alternativa per il diesel e la sua produzione è in relazione alla coltivazione di specie oleaginose. Per ottenere un'elevata produzione di bio-diesel è necessario avere elevate rese in biomassa gli obiettivi del lavoro sono stati: identificare nuove varietà di girasole per la produzione autunnale, esaminare la possibilità di coltivare il cartamo nel Salento. Risultati preliminari hanno evidenziato una buona capacità di germinazione delle varietà di girasole analizzate, sebbene le basse temperature condizionano la crescita, ed inoltre, si è evidenziata una buona crescita delle varietà di cartamo analizzate.

Therapiddevelopmentofnewtechnologiesandthechanginglandscapeoftheonlineworld (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of All, cloud-based solutions) provide a unique opportunity for developing automated and robotic systems for urban farming, agriculture, and forestry. Technological advances in machine vision, global positioning systems, laser technologies, actuators, and mechatronics have enabled the development and implementation of robotic systems and intelligent technologies for precision agriculture. Herein, we present and review robotic applications on plant pathology and management, and emerging agricultural technologies for intra-urban agriculture. Greenhouse advanced management systems and technologies have been greatly developed in the last years, integrating IoT and WSN (Wireless Sensor Network). Machine learning, machine vision, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have been utilized and applied in agriculture for automated and robotic farming. Intelligence technologies, using machine vision/learning, have been developed not only for planting, irrigation, weeding (to some extent), pruning, and harvesting, but also for plant disease detection and identification. However, plant disease detection still represents an intriguing challenge, for both abiotic and biotic stress. Many recognition methods and technologies for identifying plant disease symptoms have been successfully developed; still, the majority of them require a controlled environment for data acquisition to avoid false positives. Machine learning methods (e.g., deep and transfer learning) present promising results for improving imageprocessingandplantsymptomidentification. Nevertheless,diagnosticspecificityisachallenge for microorganism control and should drive the development of mechatronics and robotic solutions for disease management.

We report the effect of heat, drought and combined stress on the expression of a group of genes that are up-regulated under these conditions in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) plants. Modulation of gene expression was studied by cDNA-AFLP performed on RNAs extracted from flag leaves. By this approach, we identified several novel durum wheat genes whose expression is modulated under different stress conditions. We focused on a group of hitherto undescribed up-regulated genes in durum wheat, among these, 7 are up-regulated by heat, 8 by drought stress, 15 by combined heat and drought stress, 4 are up-regulated by both heat and combined stress, and 3 by both drought and combined stress. The functional characterization of these genes will provide new data that could help the developing of strategies aimed at improving durum wheat tolerance to field stress.

Questo lavoro riporta la caratterizzazione biochimica e la valutazione dell’attività antiossidante di nove accessioni di pomodoro da serbo collezionate nel Sud Salento. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato interessanti quantità di sostanze fenoliche totali, di ß-carotene e licopene. Il contenuto di luteina, valutato per la prima volta in questi pomodori, raggiunge valori di cinque volte superiori rispetto a pomodori tipo cherry assunti come controllo. L’attività antiossidante (test DPPH, espressa in TEAC) della frazione idrofila e lipofila è comparabile con quanto ottenuto da pomodori cherry.3

Soil qualities and rootstocks are among the main factors that have been acknowledged to influence grape development as well as fruit and wine composition. Despite the role of soil and rootstock in establishing a successful vineyard in terms of grape quality, almost no molecular evidence linking soil and rootstock properties to the gene expression have been reported. The transcriptome variation in response to different soils and rootstocks was investigated through microarray technology. The cv. Pinot Noir was grown on different soils: sand, turf, and vineyard soil. The plants were grafted on the contrasting 101-14 and 1103 Paulsen rootstocks. The modulation of genes' expression in response to different soils and rootstocks was evaluated considering their potential impact on primary (carbohydrate) and secondary (phenylpropanoid) metabolisms. This study highlights a link among soil composition, rootstock, and gene expression. The results open a perspective for a molecular interpretation of the interaction between soil and grapevine.

Wheat, the main food source for a third of world population, appears strongly under threat because of predicted increasing temperatures coupled to drought. Plant complex molecular response to drought stress relies on the gene network controlling cell reactions to abiotic stress. In the natural environment, plants are subjected to the combination of abiotic and biotic stresses. Also the response of plants to biotic stress, to cope with pathogens, involves the activation of a molecular network. Investigations on combination of abiotic and biotic stresses indicate the existence of cross-talk between the two networks and a kind of overlapping can be hypothesized. In this work we describe the isolation and characterization of a drought-related durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) gene, identified in a previous study, coding for a protein combining features of NBS-LRR type resistance protein with a S/TPK domain, involved in drought stress response. This is one of the few examples reported where all three domains are present in a single protein and, to our knowledge, it is the first report on a gene specifically induced by drought stress and drought-related conditions, with this particular structure.

We report a series of microarray-based leaf and crown transcriptome comparisons involving three barley cultivars (cvs. Luxor, Igri and Atlas 68) which express differing degrees of frost tolerance. The transcripts were obtained following the exposure of seedlings to low (above and below zero) temperatures, aiming to identify those genes and signalling/metabolic pathways which are associated with frost tolerance. Both the leaves and the crowns responded to low temperature by the up-regulation of a suite of abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive genes, most of which have already been recognized as components of the plant low temperature response. The inter-cultivar comparison indicated that genes involved in maintaining the leaf's capacity to synthesize protein and to retain chloroplast activity were important for the expression of frost tolerance. In the crown, the repression of genes associated with nucleosome assembly and transposon regulation were the most relevant transcriptional changes associated with frost tolerance, highlighting the role of gene repression in the cold acclimation response.

Heavy metals (HMs), such as copper, zinc, lead, mercury and cadmium, are the most abundant and dangerous inorganic environmental pollutants. Growing pieces of evidence suggest that mycorrhizal fungi can alleviate metal toxicity in plants. In this study, we focused attention on the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus Tuber borchii Vitt., which is widespread in Italy and is of great ecological interest because of the mutualistic associations and the advantages it provides to host plants. Seedlings of the Mediterranean shrub Cistus creticus L., mycorrhized and non mycorrhized with the ECM fungus 7: borchii, were treated with HMs (zinc, lead and chromium). HMs induced leaves' chlorosis in non mycorrhized seedlings; while no significant differencewas observed impigmentation of mycorrhized seedlings' leaves. This observation was confirmed by Euclidean Distance of color measurements in L*a*b* units from RGB digital images of leaves. The decrease in leaves pigmentation observed in HM treated non mycorrhized seedlings strongly correlated with a reduced expression of key genes associated with chlorophyll biosynthesis; instead, no significant variation of gene expression was detected in mycorrhized seedlings treated with HMs.

Recently, Xylella fastidiosa was reported in Italy, associated with the "Olive Quick Decline Syndrome". The cv. Leccino exhibits an evident tolerance with a slow disease progression compared with the other cultivars. Between the mechanisms proposed to explain the putative tolerance of some hosts to X. fastidiosa diseases, lignin deposition plays an important role. Analysis of phenolic compounds in healthy and infected Leccino and Cellina di Nardò leaves showed, in the two cultivars, a reduction of hydroxytyrosol glucoside (usually associated with drought and cold stress) and, only in Leccino, an increase of quinic acid, precursor of lignin. To determine if lignin biosynthesis is involved in defence response, we investigated the expression of genes coding for entry-point enzymes in different branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway. In stems of Cellina di Nardò infected plants, Cinnamate-4-Hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-Coumarate:CoA Ligase (4CL) resulted strongly down-regulated, indicating a plant disease response since the inhibition of C4H is reported to promote the accumulation of benzoic acid and salicylic acid as defence signals. Instead, in the cv. Leccino, Cinnamoyl-CoA Reductase (CCR, reported to be strongly induced during the formation of lignin defence response associated) was up-regulated in the stem of infected plants; moreover, Polyphenol oxidase (PPO), coding for an enzyme involved in the hydroxytyrosol biosynthesis, was down-regulated. The quantification of lignin in healthy and infected branches of both cultivars, showed a significant increase of total lignin in infected Leccino compared with the sensitive cultivar; moreover, histochemical observations of stem sections exhibited a different lignin distribution in the sclerenchyma and in the xylem tissue of infected Leccino plants compared to sections of healthy ones. Results suggest a critical role for lignin in X. fastidiosa tolerance of cv. Leccino.