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Study of the dynamic of cultural microbiome of kiwifruit along postharvest storage for the selection of beneficial microorganisms
No full textThe aim is to investigate the evolution of the microbial community of kiwifruit during postharvest storage and the impact of eight different bacterial strains, possessing specific metabolic activity, on the fruit of A. chinensis var. chinensis quality parameters. Additionally, the fate and growth of bacterial strains were assessed when inoculated on kiwifruit and subjected to cold storage conditions. Fruits were sampled in a commercial orchard in Italy (Latina, LT, Italy) and analyzed at harvest for the cultural population of fungi and bacteria. Approximately 250 fungal, yeast, and 500 bacterial strains were identified. Fungal strains were dissected for their potential pathogenic activity on fruit. Bacterial strains were also characterized for their potential beneficial functions (e.g., IAA, production, acetoin, siderophore) and their ability to grow at low temperatures. Sampling was performed during the first two months of storage with the aim of identifying the fungal and bacterial species specifically selected by cold storage. Eight bacterial species were selected for postharvest treatments on fruit to assess their potential ability to prolong storage, reduce losses, or increase fruit quality. Different strains showed the potential to inhibit Botrytis cinerea growth. Furthermore, six strains were able to increase sugar content in fruit; however, the effect was related to an increase in softening, suggesting that these strains were inducing an earlier ripening. Interestingly, the inoculation generally increases storage breakdown, a chilling-related disorder, suggesting a possible microbial component of this physiological disorde
The blueberry phyllosphere microbiota: tissue-specific core communities and their stability across cultivars and years
Full text linkComprendere e potenziare la diversità agro-alimentare: il mirtillo come esempio di ricerca multidisciplinare
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Pedological origin and edaphic factors drive biota in vineyard soils of Northeast Italy
Full text linkSoil biota is responsible for essential biological processes occurring in the soil. Biota composition, biodiversity and activity can be affected by soil properties, biogeography and human activities. This study, conducted in vineyards of Northeast Italy, aimed to understand the combined effect of edaphic and agronomic factors on the composition and biodiversity of soil biota in four soil types characterised by different pedological origin. The soil biota was studied by simultaneously investigating the composition and the biodiversity of fungal, bacterial and microarthropod communities and their interactions with abiotic factors. The results show that the impact of natural soil characteristics and viticulture activity on biota depends on soil type. Some fungal, bacterial and microarthropod community groups were characteristic only of certain soil types. Geographical position and edaphic factors mainly affected the composition of microbial communities, while microarthropods seemed to respond less to these variables. Depending on the origin of the soil, the biodiversity of the biota responded differently to viticulture practices. The study shows that understanding how natural and agronomic factors drive soil biota makes it possible to predict the effect of natural or artificial changes on soil biological processes
Valutazione del comportamento sessuale e della qualità di linee transgeniche di Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) per lo sviluppo della tecnica Gene Drive
No full textIl moscerino dei piccoli frutti, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), è un insetto invasivo che minaccia la produzione di piccoli frutti e drupacee causando ingenti perdite economiche in tutto il mondo. Originario dell’Asia Orientale, grazie a un’elevata plasticità e adattabilità a condizioni ambientali mutevoli, ha rapidamente espanso il suo areale dopo essere stato introdotto come specie aliena in Nord America ed Europa. Non avendo la gestione integrata del parassita (IPM) portato i risultati auspicati a fronte di costi elevati, si sta valutando il controllo biologico classico tramite il parassitoide larvale Ganaspis kimorum (Buffington) (Hymenoptera: Fig¬itidae). Una seconda opzione potrebbe essere l’applicazione di una tecnologia basata su CRISPR, nota come gene drive. Questa ha il potenziale di essere una nuova strategia IPM per ridurre le popolazioni di D. suzukii a costi contenuti nel lungo termine. Il gene drive prevede l’inserimento di costrutti genetici nel genoma dell'insetto, i quali possono essere programmati per interrompere geni chiave coinvolti nella fertilità. Specifici promotori di trascrizione attivano il complesso CRISPR/Cas9 nelle cellule germinali, inducendo la conversione allelica sul cromosoma omologo non mutante; ne consegue un’ereditarietà supermendeliana dell'allele mutato attraverso le generazioni, che sarà quindi in grado di diffondersi attraverso le popolazioni in modo autonomo. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, è fondamentale garantire che i maschi portatori di gene drive rimangano competitivi nell'accoppiamento con le femmine selvatiche. Biocentis, un'azienda spin-out dell'Imperial College di Londra, sta sviluppando linee transgeniche di D. suzukii, comprese quelle con una componente di gene drive. La presente ricerca si occupa di valutare l’effettiva competitività di queste linee prodotte in laboratorio rispetto alle popolazioni selvatiche della provincia di Trento. Accanto al successo riproduttivo, abbiamo considerato anche altri parametri qualitativi riconducibili alla fitness degli insetti, come fattori comportamentali, morfologici, e biologici. In fine, attraverso il contatto con le realtà frutticole trentine intendiamo integrare le nuove conoscenze acquisite e le attuali pratiche di gestione di questo importante fitofago, inquadrandole in un’ottica territoriale che porti a soluzioni sostenibili e risolutive del problema delle specie aliene invasive
Sustainable exploitation of apple by-products: a retrospective analysis of pilot-scale extraction tests using hydrodynamic cavitation
Full text linkApple by-products (APs) consist of whole defective fruits discarded from the market and pomace resulting from juice squeezing and puree production, which are currently underutilized or disposed of due to the lack of effective and scalable extraction methods. Bioactive compounds in APs, especially phlorizin, which is practically exclusive to the apple tree, are endowed with preventive and therapeutic potential concerning chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and specific types of cancer. This study investigated the exploitation of APs using hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) for the extraction step and water as the only solvent. High-temperature extraction (>80 °C) was needed to inactivate the polyphenol oxidase; a strict range of the cavitation number (around 0.07) was identified for extraction optimization; less than 20 min were sufficient for the extraction of macro- and micro-nutrients up to nearly their potential level, irrespective of the concentration of fresh biomass up to 50% of the water mass. The energy required to produce 30 to 100 g of dry extract containing 100 mg of phlorizin was predicted at around or less than 1 kWh, with HC contributing for less than 2.5% to the overall energy balance due to the efficient extraction proces
Beyond population size: whole-genome data reveal bottleneck legacies in the peninsular Italian wolf
Full text linkPreserving genetic diversity and adaptive potential while avoiding inbreeding depression is crucial for the long-term conservation of natural populations. Despite demographic increases, traces of past bottleneck events at the genomic level should be carefully considered for population management. From this perspective, the peninsular Italian wolf is a paradigmatic case. After being on the brink of extinction in the late 1960s, peninsular Italian wolves rebounded and recolonized most of the peninsula aided by conservation measures, including habitat and legal protection. Notwithstanding their demographic recovery, a comprehensive understanding of the genomic consequences of the historical bottleneck in Italian wolves is still lacking. To fill this gap, we sequenced whole genomes of thirteen individuals sampled in the core historical range of the species in Central Italy to conduct population genomic analyses, including a comparison with wolves from two highly-inbred wolf populations (i.e., Scandinavia and Isle Royale). We found that peninsular Italian wolves, despite their recent recovery, still exhibit relatively low genetic diversity, a small effective population size, signatures of inbreeding, and a non-negligible genetic load. Our findings indicate that the peninsular Italian wolf population is still susceptible to bottleneck legacies, which could lead to local inbreeding depression in case of population reduction or fragmentations. This study emphasizes the importance of considering key genetic parameters to design appropriate long-term conservation management plan
Microtubule inhibition as a proposed mechanism for the anthelmintic effect of phytochemicals isolated from Cicerbita alpina
Full text linkThe alpine plant Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallr., when grown as a sprout, is known as a bitter-tasting culinary delicacy. Recently it has also been reported to have anthelmintic activity, prompting further investigation into its mechanism of action. Liquid-liquid fractions were prepared from a methanolic extract of the aerial parts and were submitted in parallel to embryo development (ED), worm motility (WMT), and cytotoxicity assays for anthelmintic and toxicity evaluations. The anthelminthic assays revealed the more polar fractions to be most active against Ascaridia galli embryos (BuOH | 68% ED | c = 500 μg/ml and EtOAc | 65% ED | c = 500 μg/ml) and Caenorhabditis elegans adult worms (BuOH | 49% WMT | c = 150 μg/ml and EtOAc | 74% WMT | c = 150 μg/ml) suggesting the fraction's constituents possess dual anthelmintic activity against multiple life-cycle stages (i.e., eggs, worms) of helminths. Additionally, the BuOH fraction was non-cytotoxic to human cell-lines. Subsequent FCC and SEC derived subfractions were submitted to the anthelmintic assay workflow and the enriched subfractions B1 and E3.8, phytochemically assigned as 11-β,13-dihydrolactucin and luteolin, demonstrated bioactivity against the embryo phenotype (B1 | 58% ED | c = 1.8 μM and E3.8 | 46% ED | c = 1.7 μM) within range of the flubendazole control. Furthermore, luteolin was found to inhibit C. elegans egg hatching (luteolin | 65% EH | c = 10 μM | t = 10 h) within the range of the control albendazole. Both identified anthelmintic phytochemicals were found to affect tubulin polymerisation at a concentration of c = 50 μM. Together with in silico virtual screening studies, these results suggest microtubule stabilisation as a possible anthelmintic target and mechanism of action. This work effectively advocates the consideration of C. alpina extracts and fractions for the development of herbal therapeutics against parasitic helminth