CREA Journals (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria)
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Status and trend of ground-level ozone at the CONECOFOR plots, 1996 - 2005
Get PDFOzone measurements are performed since 1996 at the Permanent Monitoring Plots (PMPs) of the National Integrated Programme for Forest Ecosystem Monitoring (CONECOFOR). Weekly ozone concentrations are determined by passive samplers during spring and summer months, over a time period of 10 yrs. We analyzed data collected over a time period of ten years. Ozone shows potentially phytotoxic concentrations especially at the plots located in the central and Southern regions. Although monitoring periods at the different plots are not homogeneous, statistically significant differences between yearly concentrations of subsequent years were observed, highlighting a considerable temporal variability of ozone pollution levels. Trend analysis performed on ten years data series points out an increase of ozone concentrations over the considered time period at seven plots, all located in central and Southern Italy. The same analysis performed on data collected during the vegetative period (April - September) at the different PMPs from 2001 to 2005 shows significant positive trends at 5 plots, three of them located in the Alpine region, and 2 in Southern Italy
Maydica special issue - Exploitation of grass cell wall related traits for improving biofuel productions: an overview
Get PDFMaydica special issue - Exploitation of grass cell wall related traits for improving biofuel productions: an overview
Effect of zinc foliar application on auxin and gibberellin hormones and catalase and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity of corn (Zea mays L) under water stress
Get PDFTo study the effects of zinc foliar application and water stress on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of corn, an experiment was conducted in Varamin, Iran during the growing season of 2011. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks in factorial arrangement with four replications. Factors included water stress (complete irrigation, irrigation after 90 mm of water evaporation and irrigation after 130 mm of water evaporation from class A pan) and the zinc foliar applications were as follows: 0, zinc sulfate and zinc chelate. Result showed that severe water stress decreased seed yield, oil percentage, chlorophyll content, relative water content, zinc grain content, auxin and gibberellin, and it caused an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity. Zinc foliar application increased all tested attributes under severe water stress. The results of these tests showed that zinc foliar application was effective against the detrimental effects of water stress
A new genus of fungus-inhabiting mites of the family Blattisociidae (Acari Mesostigmata Phytoseioidea) from Costa Rica, with an updated key to genera of the subfamily Blattosociinae
Get PDFThe genus Discoseius gen. nov. is described, based on adult females of one newly described species collected from one sample of bracket fungi in Costa Rica. These ovoid mites bear a pair of large, pliable, disclike structures of unknown function, which flank a ventrianal shield that is strangely formed to accommodate the discs ventrally on the opisthosoma. Such uniquely formed structures have been found otherwise only in females of the monobasic eviphidid genus Canestriniphis, from specimens phoretic on erotylid beetles that live in bracket fungi. As female Discoseius are endowed with a sperm access system of the more derivative phytoseioid-type, while female Canestriniphis retain the sperm access system of the plesiomorphic laelapoid-type, this similarity is thought to be convergent. An updated key to the world genera of the subfamily Blattisociinae is presented to accommodate this and another recently proposed genus
Lasius brunneus (Formicidae Formicinae) and Stomaphis quercus (Aphidoidea Aphididae): trophobionts harmful to cork oak forests in Sardinia (Italy).
Get PDFIn 2010 and 2011, we studied the biology, behaviour, harmfulness and distribution of the population of L. brunneus and S. quercus in cork oak forests in Sardinia. During their life cycle, the two trophobionts benefit from the protection provided by the cork bark. In particular, the aphid undergoes a monoic holocycle, spending much of the year inside the ant nest. Our investigations on the distribution of infested trees suggested that they are grouped into clusters, even though we occasionally found cork oaks (especially large ones) colonized by the formicid without any attacks on the surrounding trees. The ant also digs its nests in the female cork, damaging the production, and its infestations involved up to 20% of the cork oaks. The distribution of the two species was limited to some cork oak forests in the central and north-eastern parts of Sardinia between 450 and 780 m a.s.l. where the climatic conditions are typical of the cold subzone of Lauretum type II with summer drought, according to Pavari’s phytoclimatic classification
Georeference model of palms in central Italy: a useful technique for management of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus attacks
No full textWe propose a method to survey and map the palm tree patrimony along the Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany and in some inland cities. The procedures and instrumentation used in the surveys took account of the different situations and distribution patterns of these trees in the region, allowing their cartographic representation at the level of single trees and of variously distributed groups. The spatial representation of the palms was carried out with the density areas method (quadratic kernel function in ArcGIS 9.3), allowing expression of the magnitude of the density according to the scale of cartographic representation. These maps provide the competent authorities with a tool for optimization of prevention and control of the red palm weevil in order to hinder its diffusion in Tuscany
Climate changes and nematodes: expected effects and perspectives for plant protection
Get PDFSome factors interfering with plant protection from phytoparasitic nematodes are reviewed in the light of changes brought about by the global warming in action. The mechanisms mainly concern changes in temperature and water regimes. The effects of climate changes on the epidemiology and management of the main phytoparasitic species occurring in Mediterranean environments include the alteration of the reproductive cycles due to plants productivity, the geographic dispersion by more northern or higher altitude shifts, the spread of vectors. Other related indirect mechanisms are feedback effects due to the reactions of cultivated species or weeds, and those related to natural enemies. The potential management of some operational tools are briefly discussed, including the development and application of models and monitoring. An exemple of modeling changes induced by increasing temperatures on the carrot cyst nematode Heterodera carotae is briefly discussed
Bioecological notes on Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera Curculionidae Scolytinae), a species recently recorded into Italy
Get PDFIntense trade flows favour the accidental diffusion of alien plant and animal species harmful to agricultural crops and forest ecosystems in many parts of the world. Particularly prone to such introductions are lignicolous species of woodboring beetles that attack living plants and can develop in lumber or crating wood, such as many species belonging to the subfamilies Scolytinae and Platypodinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Investigations of marked witherings of laurel twigs (Laurus nobilis L.) carried out from autumn 2010 in an area of the Versilia coast (Lucca) revealed that the Black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), was involved in this pathological expression. This species was recently recorded for the first time in Italy on ornamental plants in some localities in the Naples’s province. Here we report its essential external morphological features, with useful characters for its distinction from X. germanus (Blandford), a morphologically similar species, as well as its essential bioecological features, with special reference to what has been observed in the abovementioned area of Tuscany. This should facilitate the rapid identification and verification of new outbreaks and, where possible, the timely implementation of control strategies
New aphid records (Hemiptera Aphididae) from Algeria and the Northern Africa
Get PDFFive species of aphids are recorded for the first time in Algeria: Aphis hillerislambersi Nieto Nafría & Mier Durante, Hyalopterus amygdali ((E.) Blanchard), Hyalopterus persikonus Miller, Lozier & Foottit, Melanaphis donacis (Passerini) and Uroleucon aeneum (Hille Ris Lambers). The records of A. hillerislambersi, H. persikonus and U. aeneum are also new to the Northern Africa. Two new plant-aphid relationships, previously unknown anywhere in the world, are established for two polyphagous species: Macrosiphum euphorbiae on Galactites tomentosa and Myzus persicae on Thapsia villosa. 28 plant-aphid relationships are also recorded for the first time in Algeria
Effectiveness of soil solarization combined with a plant-derived formulation for the control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid et White) Chitw. in greenhouse tomato
Get PDFThe effectiveness of soil solarization, alone or in combination with oxamyl or a plant-derived formulation (a mixture of aqueous extracts of Quillaja saponaria Molina , Yucca schidigera Roezl and Tagetes spp., 80, 10 and 10%, respectively), for the control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid et White) Chitw. was assessed in a greenhouse trial on tomato at Battipaglia (province of Salerno), Southern Italy. The combination of soil solarization with the plant-derived formulation resulted in a greater nematode suppression than application of single treatments. Combining soil solarization with the plant-derived formulation resulted in tomato yield and fruit size similar to that of the combination of soil solarization with oxamyl. Therefore the combination of soil solarization with plant-derived formulations may represent a sustainable nematode control strategy, as safe for human health and environment