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Benefits of a Preceding Legume Crop for Soil Organic Matter and Microbial Dynamics During Wheat Residue Decomposition
Full text linkThe decomposition of crop residues is essential for maintaining soil fertility and can be influenced by agronomic practices. This study assessed how preceding crops (pea or triticale) and fertilisation (mineral fertiliser, untreated digestate, dried acidified digestate, or none) affect wheat residue decomposition and soil biochemical dynamics. A field experiment used litter bags to track residue carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) release at four sampling times over 1 year. Changes in soil microbial biomass C (MBC), enzymatic activity (β-glucosidase, phenol oxidase, protease) and soil organic C (SOC) were monitored, linking biological changes to mineral-associated and particulate organic C (POC) dynamics. The preceding pea enhanced N release from wheat residue mainly by lowering the C:N ratio by 28%. It also contributed to more stable MBC and SOC levels with 78% and 86% smaller declines compared to triticale, respectively. Increased residue N inputs were related to positive changes in MBC, while POC was the main driver for SOC accumulation. The fertilisation effect was more limited, increasing residue quality and N release only for the triticale-preceded wheat. Digestates had no effect on MBC and SOC, potentially due to their low C inputs. Phenol oxidase and protease reflected differences in substrate quality and nutrient availability affected by management. β-glucosidase remained a key indicator of organic matter turnover, evidenced by its strong association with POC. Organic matter stabilisation was associated with enhanced MBC but was not directly promoted by the different microbial strategy caused by preceding pea. These findings enhance understanding of soil biological activity under field conditions, highlighting the long-lasting effect of legumes on soil functioning.This work was supported by European Commission, 773649; Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AGL 2017/84529-C3-3R, PID 2021-126343OB-C33.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cómo favorecer el contenido de calcio en melocotones y nectarinas
Full text linkEl proyecto 44CaPeach (PID2019111583RR-I00) ha sido financiado por MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa. Queremos también agradecer el Fondo Social Europeo “FSE invierte en tu futuro” por la ayuda para contratos predoctorales PRE2020-095467 (Carrasco-Cuello, F.).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Geographics and bacterial networks differently shape the acquired and latent global sewage resistomes
No full textAntimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) have rapidly emerged and spread globally, but the pathways driving their spread remain poorly understood. We analyzed 1240 sewage samples from 351 cities across 111 countries, comparing ARGs known to be mobilized with those identified through functional metagenomics (FG). FG ARGs showed stronger associations with bacterial taxa than the acquired ARGs. Network analyses further confirmed this and showed potential for source attribution of both known and novel ARGs. The FG resistome was more evenly dispersed globally, whereas the acquired resistome followed distinct geographical patterns. City-wise distance-decay analyses revealed that the FG ARGs showed significant decay within countries but not across regions or globally. In contrast, acquired ARGs showed decay at both national and regional scales. At the variant level, both ARG groups had significant national and regional distance-decay effects, but only FG ARGs at a global scale. Additionally, we observed stronger distance effects in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia compared to North America. Our findings suggest that differential selection and niche competition, rather than dispersal, shape the global resistome patterns. A limited number of bacterial taxa may act as reservoirs of latent FG ARGs, highlighting the need of targeted surveillance to mitigate future resistance threats.We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who has helped with sampling, shipping, and the logistics of transporting sewage to Denmark. A special thanks to the laboratory technicians at DTU that has organized the sample collection, material transfer, sequencing and logistics. Lastly, we would like to thank the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Grant: NNF16OC0021856: Global Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance) and the European Union’s Horizon H2020 research and innovation programme (Grant: No. 874735) for funding the work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Producción, demanda de agua y productividad hídrica de cuatro modelos productivos de almendro
No full textEn los últimos años, el sector del almendro en Es paña se ha modernizado y expandido a zonas de regadío. Esto coincide con un panorama pesimis ta en cuanto a disponibilidad de agua para la agri cultura, donde se prevén sequías más intensas y frecuentes. En este sentido, los nuevos modelos productivos intensivos podrían ofrecer una gran ventaja: reducir la demanda de agua del cultivo sin comprometer su producción. De aquí surge la pregunta ¿pueden los nuevos modelos producti vos más intensivos mejorar la productividad del agua del almendro? Este artículo busca responder esta pregunta, evaluando la productividad del agua de almendros cultivados bajo cuatro mo delos productivos, desde modelos tradicionales (Vaso clásico, 6 x 6 m) a modelos intensivos (Pal meta, 4,5 x 3 m). Las conclusiones de este estudio ofrecen un cambio de paradigma al seleccionar modelos productivos, cuestión que será crucial para las proyecciones del sector del almendro en el futuro.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Sistemes de producció ecològica de lleguminoses per a gra: adaptació, maneig i serveis ecosistèmics
No full textLa producció ecològica de lleguminoses per a gra és una opció de cultiu extensiu que ofereix oportunitats atractives per la seva alineació cap a un model de producció d’aliments sostenible a Catalunya. Els rendiments en gra, però, són més inestables i sovint inferiors als que s’obtenen amb altres alternatives de cultius com els cereals. L’objectiu d’aquesta recerca ha estat avaluar el comportament productiu i l’adaptació al litoral de Girona, de les lleguminoses per a gra més comuns (favó, pèsol, cigró i llentia) en producció ecològica. Amb aquest objectiu, es va dur a terme un assaig a l’Alt Empordà amb diferents estratègies de conducció d’aquests cultius, definides per la varietat, la densitat de sembra i el cultiu associat amb blat. En la valoració dels cultius s’han considerat també els serveis ecosistèmics addicionals que poden oferir, com ara la capacitat de conviure amb les herbes adventícies, la fixació biològica de nitrogen (N) atmosfèric i la contribució a la fertilitat del sòl. Les condicions ambientals de la campanya van facilitar una forta proliferació de males herbes, davant de la qual es contextualitzen els resultats obtinguts. Aquests indiquen que el favó ha estat el cultiu amb una millor adaptació a les condicions de l’assaig, en termes de rendiment, producció de proteïna i capacitat d’ús del N atmosfèric, assenyalant la importància de la selecció de la varietat i la densitat de sembra. En el cas del pèsol, cigró i llentia s’apunta a un efecte positiu de l’associació amb cereal en situacions de forta presència de males herbes. Respecte a la capacitat de contribuir a la fertilitat del sòl, els resultats de l’assaig apunten que el favó i la llentia poden deixar més N al sòl disponible pel següent cultiu que el pèsol o que el cigró, representant una oportunitat que pot incidir favorablement en la producció del següent cultiu.El projecte ha estat finançat pel Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació de la Generalitat de Catalunya a través de l’ajut per incentivar la recerca aplicada en matèria de producció agroalimentària ecològicainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Development of new powdered smoothies agglomerated with polyphenol extracts
No full textConsuming fruits and vegetables through smoothies can contribute to improving current dietary imbalances in the population. Fruit and vegetables have high nutritional value, although they are not stable and can quickly lose their properties. Spray Drying can be used to stabilise these products although entails some loss of quality, involving antioxidants and other oxidizable compounds. By applying an appropriate addition technique, powdered smoothies can be enhanced with functional compounds, such as polyphenol antioxidants from plant extracts. This research explores the technological feasibility of developing fruit and vegetable-based powdered smoothies, enriched with a sustainable rosemary extract obtained from distillation by-products, which is rich in polyphenols (e.g., rosmarinic acid). The objective was to test a novel agglomeration method using a fluidised bed to obtain powdered smoothies enriched with rosemary polyphenols. Two formulations were assessed: a fruit-based (apple, banana, orange and whey protein) and a vegetable-based (apple, carrot, pumpkin and whey protein) to which aqueous rosemary extract (RE146) (145.6 mg polyphenols/g) was added at 800 mg/kg powder. The results showed that the agglomeration with RE has a little impact on the physical traits of powders (granulometry, colour, pH, sorption and solubility properties) and does not degrade rosemary polyphenols, maintaining the recovery level of rosmarinic acid around 100%. Addition of RE enhances the response of phenolic antioxidants 100% in these powdered smoothies, however, rosemary off-flavour is detected in the rehydrated smoothies, being needed reduce RE dose in preventing acceptability problems. The study concludes that agglomeration with RE represents a viable, innovative and sustainable technological strategy for the development of functional and value-added smoothies, contributing to reduced fruit and vegetable wastage and reaching their recommended daily intake.This study forms part of the AGROALNEXT programme and was supported by MCIU with funding from European Union NextGeneration EU (PRTR-C17.I1) and by Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia - Fundación Séneca. This research has been also supported by Grant PID2021-125533OR-C4 OF the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Spanish Government and FEDER.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gene Expression Signatures of Porcine Bone Marrow-Derived Antigen-Presenting Cells Infected with Classical Swine Fever Virus
Full text linkFor a better understanding of classical swine fever (CSF) pathogenesis, a transcriptomic analysis was performed using porcine bone marrow (BM)-derived antigen-presenting cells (APCs) infected ex vivo with two different cDNA-derived classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strains, the low-virulence Pinar de Rio (vPdR-36U) or the lethal vPdR-H30K-5U. The transcriptomic profile of vPdR-36U- or vPdR-H30K-5U-infected versus noninfected cells revealed 946 and 2643 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively. The upregulation of ISG15, CXCL-10, ADAM8, and CSF1 was found after infection with vPdR-36U, which could contribute to the generation of mild CSF forms. In contrast, cells infected with the lethal vPdR-H30K-5U overexpressed the immune checkpoint molecules PD-L1, CD276, and LAG3, which are involved in T-cell exhaustion and could be associated with adaptive immunity impairment. vPdR-H30K-5U also induced increased expression of PPBP, IL-8, IL-6, ECE1, and Rab27b, which are mediators of inflammatory responses that can be involved in cytokine storms. The TNF signaling pathway, which is related to the activation and proliferation of different subsets of immune cells, including CD4+ T cells, was notably upregulated in response to the low-pathogenicity virus. The Th17, Th1, and Th2 differentiation pathways were downregulated by the highly pathogenic virus only, supporting the role of T-cell-mediated immunity in protecting against CSFV.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grant PID2021-125599OB-100. LC was supported by the Juan de la Cierva Program (2022), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. PM was supported by FPI PRE2022-101808, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. YRC was supported by the Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral fellowship RYC2019-027244-I funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. IRTA is supported by the CERCA program/Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Water-saving strategies in rice farming entail cascading effects in prey–predator interactions across ecosystem boundaries
Full text link1. Water-saving irrigation strategies have been globally promoted to mitigate the contribution of flooded rice farming to climate change. While the positive effect of those strategies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is undeniable, their potential cascading effects across the aquatic–terrestrial interface remain completely unexplored. For instance, multiple drainages throughout the rice cycle associated with alternative irrigation practices may disrupt the emergence of semiaquatic insects from rice fields, reducing prey availability for terrestrial predators and ultimately affecting their reproductive outcomes.
2. Here, by using a 2-year field-scale experiment, we addressed these issues by comparing three irrigation strategies that represent a gradient of water use intensity throughout the rice growing season: Conventional permanent flooding (i.e. no drying periods) > mid-season drainage (i.e. one single drying period; MSD) > alternate wetting and drying (i.e. multiple drying periods; AWD). Specifically, on each experimental plot, we quantified (i) the emergence of semiaquatic insects, (ii) the breeding activity (i.e. the breeding probability) of a jumping spider species (Bianor albobimaculatus, Salticidae) and (iii) its reproductive fitness (i.e. eggs/sac).
3. Our results show that the emergence of semiaquatic insects and, therefore the availability of preys for spiders, were markedly reduced as water use decreased. In addition, while the breeding activity of jumping spiders did not differ among irrigation strategies, their reproductive fitness was severely compromised in the alternate wetting and drying strategy.
4. Synthesis and applications. These results show that introducing multiple drainage periods in rice fields (i.e. AWD) indirectly hampers terrestrial spider reproduction through limiting the emergence of potential preys from the aquatic to terrestrial boundaries. MSD resulted in a more conciliatory strategy as it largely reduces methane emissions and does not affect predator–prey interactions; thus, it should be prioritized over AWD to minimize environmental trade-offs. Our results highlight the need to account for potential trophic cascading effects when designing climate change mitigation strategies in agriculture to avoid undesirable side-effects on agroecosystem functioning.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise (MINECO) through the Grants PID2020-118650RR-C31 and PID2023-151621OR-I00 (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, UE). H.J.M. and G.P. partially funded this research through the CONICET ‘PIP 2020’ grant. N.P.-M. is supported by a Spanish ‘Ramón y Cajal’ fellowship (RYC-2021-033599-I) funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. We also acknowledge the CERCA program (Generalitat de Catalunya) contribution. We finally thank Sebastian Echeverria-Progulakis, Vicent Cebolla, Joan Didac Bertomeu, Juan Blas Fernández-Araujo and Oriol Ferré for all their field support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Classical BSE emergence from Nor98/atypical scrapie: Unraveling the shift vs. selection dichotomy in the prion field
Full text linkPrion diseases can manifest with distinct phenotypes in a single species, a phenomenon known as prion strains. Upon cross-species transmission, alterations in the disease phenotype can occur, interpreted as the emergence of a new strain. Two main and non-mutually exclusive evolutionary hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: the "conformational shift" or "deformed templating" and the "conformational selection." The conformational shift hypothesis proposes that the introduction of a new host prion protein (PrPC) forces a change in the conformation of the pathological prion protein (PrPSc), causing the new prion strain emergence. On the contrary, the conformational selection model postulates that prion isolates are a conglomerate of PrPSc conformations with relative distribution frequencies, wherein the species barrier acts as a filter selecting the one fittest for the new species environment. Previous studies reported the emergence of the classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent (c-BSE) upon transmission of Nor98/atypical scrapie (AS) onto a bovine PrP. This study investigates the evolutionary dichotomy of this c-BSE emergence by using prion strain thermostability combined with protein misfolding cyclic amplification to distinguish between both strains. Our results suggest that the conformational shift could be the principal mechanism responsible for the c-BSE emergence. Furthermore, the selection model was dismissed as the key mechanism based on the analysis of an artificial c-BSE and AS mixture. The ability of the AS conformers to shift conformation to a c-BSE one supports the hypothesis that the epidemic c-BSE prion may have originated from the transmission of AS in cattle.This work was partially supported by grants from the Spanish research projects PID2019-105837RB-I00 (financed by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and PID2023-146146NB-I00 (financed by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and EU NextGenerationEU/PRTR) and fellowship FPU22/03361 to S.C. and the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (fellowship SGIT-2015-02 to A.M.M.).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Energy efficiency of different technologies incorporating solar thermal energy for pasteurizing a viscous vegetable homogenate
Full text linkThermal processing of foods can greatly benefit from using solar thermal energy technology, due to the relatively low temperatures required. Additionally, radiofrequency heating for pasteurization can enhance both energy and thermal efficiency, as it can be powered by renewable electricity. This study analyzes the use of solar thermal energy in combination with conventional and radiofrequency technologies for the pasteurization of a viscous vegetable homogenate (salmorejo). Throughout 2022, productions of salmorejo were carried out in a pilot-scale processing plant located in Monells (Spain), and seasonal differences in energy consumption and solar fraction were analyzed. Results were compared to the performance of the same system running on steam provided by an electric steam boiler. Results show that the integration of solar thermal energy brought about important reductions in electric energy consumption. In summer, solar fractions around 90 % were obtained for both technologies. This represents a great opportunity for energy savings in seasonal products like salmorejo, which peaks in summer. When compared to conventional pasteurization, radiofrequency pasteurization showed potential to maintain high solar fractions even during periods of low irradiance, which could greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the whole process specially if the radiofrequency unit is powered by renewable electricity.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio