40 research outputs found
Valutazione dell’efficacia di formulati a base di due ceppi di Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki applicati con mezzo aereo per la lotta a Lymantria dispar
No full textField and laboratory trials to compare different Bacillus thuringiensis formulations against Lymantria dispar in Sardinian forests
No full textGrazing cows in a forest restoration area in Sardinia: 25 years of experimental data
No full textGrazing in forested areas is very common in Sardinia as in most Mediterranean countries although it is frequently considered a non-sustainable practice, particularly in damaged areas. The paper presents data from an experimental trial set up in central Sardinia after a wildfire that damaged and partially destroyed existing mixed oak stands. In an area of circa 80 ha, 900 m a.s.l., 4 parcels have been fenced leaving 2 central stripes as no-grazing, control parcels. Since 1978 a herd of Sarda breed cows has been grazing in these parcels under experimentally controlled conditions. Grazing intensity was intentionally set at relatively low levels, between 0.5 and 0.9 cows per hectare. Grazing productivity, in biological as well as economic terms, is easily evidenced in available records. Scope of the trial is to study if, and eventually how much, did the forest suffer due to grazing. Permanent forestry plots have been set in 1988 and remesured in 2002, to evaluate forests evolution. Analysing existing aerial photos and mensurational data, forest expansion and growth is quantitatively evaluated. After 25 years of constant grazing it is quite evident that the cows did not prevent forest natural restoration
An Overview of Phytophthora Species Inhabiting Declining Quercus suber Stands in Sardinia (Italy)
No full textCork oak forests are of immense importance in terms of economic, cultural, and ecological value in the Mediterranean regions. Since the beginning of the 20th century, these forests ecosystems have been threatened by several factors, including human intervention, climate change, wildfires, pathogens, and pests. Several studies have demonstrated the primary role of the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi Ronds in the widespread decline of cork oaks in Portugal, Spain, southern France, and Italy, although other congeneric species have also been occasionally associated. Between 2015 and 2019, independent surveys were undertaken to determine the diversity of Phytophthora species in declining cork oak stands in Sardinia (Italy). Rhizosphere soil samples were collected from 39 declining cork oak stands and baited in the laboratory with oak leaflets. In addition, the occurrence of Phytophthora was assayed using an in-situ baiting technique in rivers and streams located throughout ten of the surveyed oak stands. Isolates were identified by means of both morphological characters and sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA. In total, 14 different Phytophthora species were detected. Phytophthora cinnamomi was the most frequently isolated species from rhizosphere soil, followed by P. quercina, P. pseudocryptogea, and P. tyrrhenica. In contrast, P. gonapodyides turned out to be the most dominant species in stream water, followed by P. bilorbang, P. pseudocryptogea, P. lacustris, and P. plurivora. Pathogenicity of the most common Phytophthora species detected was tested using both soil infestation and log inoculation methods. This study showed the high diversity of Phytophthora species inhabiting soil and watercourses, including several previously unrecorded species potentially involved in the decline of cork oak forests
Postural Evaluation in Sports and Sedentary Subjects by Rasterstereographic Back Shape Analysis
No full textPosture is defined as the position of the body in space, the aim of which is to maintain balance, both in static and dynamic conditions. Our purpose was to study various postural variables involved in postural adaptations of athletes practicing symmetric and asymmetric sports at professional level. Methods: Patients include sedentary subjects, competitive athletes practicing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports. Postural evaluation of the three different groups was performed using the rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D. Results: 157 subjects were recruited. From the comparison between subjects playing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports, arises a statistically significant difference on cervical (p = 0.041) and lumbar (p = 0.047) flèche of Stagnara, with higher values for symmetrical athletes’ group. Hemipelvis torsion (p = 0.031) and lumbar flèche (p ≤ 0.001) of Stagnara are higher in symmetrical athletes’ group (sedentary). Hemipelvis torsion, cervical and lumbar flèche resulted to be higher among athletes (sedentary) (p = 0.016, p = 0.003, p = 0.027). Conclusions: In addition to the competitive sports’ medical examination, a screening with rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is suggested to all sedentary subjects, without serious skeletal pathologies which want to start athletic activity. Rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is also suggested to all athletes practicing sports, with the aim to identify eventual unknown postures, consequent to reiterated repetition of specific movements
New insights toward the design of an effective trapping method for Coraebus undatus F. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)
No full textInfluence of Bacillus thuringiensis applications during different gradation phases on population dynamics of Lymantria dispar
No full textMicrobiological control programs against lepidopteran defoliators in cork oak forests of Sardinia (Italy): short- and long-term effects
No full textMicrobiological control against Lymantria dispar (L.) and Malacosoma neustrium (L.) in the cork oak forests of Sardinia (Italy)
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