1,720,992 research outputs found
Disease suppressiveness of agricultural greenwaste composts as related to chemical and bio-based properties shaped by different on-farm composting methods
No full textOn-farm composting is suitable to recycle agricultural biomasses in mature and stable organic matter that can be applied to improve the general soil conditions, such as physical, chemical, hydro-physical, texture, and refresh the provided ecosystem services for human well-being. Quality compost have a high potential in sustaining plant health through disease suppressiveness mechanisms against soil-borne pathologies; however, this property needs to be standardized. In this work, leafy vegetable/chipped energy cardoon residues have used as common starting feedstock in three comparative composting piles differentiated for the aeration method (passive, active and manual turning). Compost from both passively and actively aerated static piles showed higher suppressive properties against Lepidium sativum damping-off caused by Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotinia minor. The enhanced suppressiveness was found associated to increased population levels of fungi and bacteria, combined with larger microbial activity and catabolic diversity. Compost community levels of physiological profiles were distributed within PCA biplots according to the gradient of suppressiveness and, putatively, their C-food bioavailability degree. The observed differences in stimulation and selection of microbiota may be related to specific molecular compost features. The two suppressive compost revealed either a distinct lipid composition, assessed by thermochemolysis and to the preservation of readily biodegradable molecules by lignocellulosic components, as detected in NMR analyses. Findings indicate the relevance of on-farm composting methods in shaping compost suppressive functions and give new information about the provisioning of bio-based products for sustainable plant disease management
Use of Spent Coffee Ground Compost in Peat-Based Growing Media for the Production of Basil and Tomato Potting Plants
No full textA spent coffee ground compost (SCGC) was evaluated as an alternative component of growing media to partially replace commercial peat (CP) and fertilizers in the production of potted plants. Seven mixtures (CP 100% + solid mineral fertilizers, CP 100% + liquid mineral fertilizers, CP 90% + SCGC 10%, CP 80% + SCGC 20%, CP 70% + SCGC 30%, CP 60% + SCGC 40%, and CP 100% without fertilizers) were compared for the production of basil and tomato potted plants. SCGC used in a proportion up to 40% enhanced the general plant stand by affecting the dry weight and the measured foliar parameters. Tomato and basil recorded good growth rates on SCGC-amended media, showing quality indices similar to those obtained under fertilization, evidencing compost plant nutrition provision. SCGC appears to be suitable for application as a partial peat substitute in the production of potted plants
Transcriptional reprogramming of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) roots treated with humic acids and filter sterilized compost tea
Full text linkAbstract Background To counteract soil degradation, it is important to convert conventional agricultural practices to environmentally sustainable management practices. To this end, the application of biostimulants could be considered a good strategy. Compost, produced by the composting of biodegradable organic compounds, is a source of natural biostimulants, such as humic acids, which are naturally occurring organic compounds that arise from the decomposition and transformation of organic residues, and compost tea, a compost-derived liquid formulated produced by compost water-phase extraction. This study aimed to determine the molecular responses of the roots of tomato plants (cv. Crovarese) grown under hydroponic conditions and subjected to biostimulation with humic substances (HSs) and filtered sterile compost tea (SCT). Results The 13C CPMAS NMR of humic acids (HA) and SCT revealed strong O-alkyl-C signals, indicating a high content of polysaccharides.Thermochemolysis identified over 100 molecules, predominantly from lignin, fatty acids, and biopolymers. RNA-Seq analysis of tomato roots treated with HA or SCT revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with distinct patterns of transcriptional reprogramming. Notably, HA treatment affected carbohydrate metabolism and secondary metabolism, particularly phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, while SCT had a broader impact on hormone and redox metabolism. Both biostimulants induced significant gene expression changes within 24 h, including a reduction in cell wall degradation activity and an increase in the expression of hemicellulose synthesis genes, suggesting that the treatments prompted proactive cell wall development. Conclusions The results demonstrate that HS and SCT can mitigate stress by activating specific molecular mechanisms and modifying root metabolic pathways, particularly those involved in cell wall synthesis. However, gene regulation in response to these treatments is complex and influenced by various factors. These findings highlight the biostimulatory effects of HS and SCT, suggesting their potential application in crop biofertilization and the development of innovative breeding strategies to maximize the benefits of humic substances for crops. Further research is needed to fully elucidate these mechanisms across various contexts and plant species
Hyperspectral imaging to oversee the status of baby leaf vegetable crops: the Agrofiliere Project results
Full text linkThis communication reports a compendium of vegetation indices and hyperspectral band ranges relevant for monitoring the main cryptogamic diseases of wild rocket based on an overview of the recently published papers on the results of the AGROFILIERE project, aimed at studying highly integrated systems for supporting the management of baby leaf vegetable crops. In detail, the phytosanitary framework of wild rocket includes some disease taken as reference for characterizing the hyperspectral response in the reviewed studies, such as downy and powdery mildews, parenchymatic soil-borne diseases, tracheofusariosis and their exception respect to water stress. Thirteen major literature vegetable indices were selected among those that proved capable of discriminating plant health status from disease and some early stages of plant interaction with a pathogen. On the other hand, a few studies have helped to highlight the spectral ranges relevant to a specific disease in wild rocket through the application of machine learning models on hyperspectral data. This overall presentation contributes useful hyperspectral information on the whole available disease frame of wild rocket, with a view to building non-invasive and contactless digital diagnostic tools for disease detection in baby leaf vegetable cropping systems to support their control
Composted Solid Digestate and Vineyard Winter Prunings Partially Replace Peat in Growing Substrates for Micropropagated Highbush Blueberry in the Nursery
Full text linkThe “soilless” cultivation of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in containers with peat as substrate allows overcoming the problem of unsuitable soils, thus enhancing the spread of this crop in new areas. Since the use of peat presents several critical environmental and economic sustainability issues, the evaluation of alternative solutions is required. The effectiveness of compost produced with solid digestate and residues from the vine-wine chain to replace part of the peat was therefore tested. Micropropagated plants of cultivar Duke grown in three substrates consisting of a mixture of commercial peat with three compost fractions (10, 20, 40%) were compared with plants grown in 100% unfertilized or fertilized peat (0.3 g of Osmocote per pot). Plant height did not significantly differ between the five theses at the end of the trial, whereas the total number of nodes per plant was higher than in the control theses, due to a greater development of secondary shoots. The nutritional status of the plants, monitored with Dualex, during the growing season, was generally not significantly different in the innovative substrates compared to peat alone. In mid-summer the plants grown in substrates with compost showed the best nitrogen balance index (NBI values). Plants cultivated with medium-high percentages of compost (20–40%) showed a lower degree of defoliation at the end of the trial, dependent on a slower decline of vegetative activity. The final destructive measures of fresh and dry weight of biomass and of its partitioning between roots and shoots highlight that the use of compost did not negatively affect the production of biomass, but rather, in the theses with the highest percentages of compost (20–40%), root development was stimulated
Functional Hyperspectral Imaging by High-Related Vegetation Indices to Track the Wide-Spectrum Trichoderma Biocontrol Activity Against Soil-Borne Diseases of Baby-Leaf Vegetables
Full text linkResearch has been increasingly focusing on the selection of novel and effective biological control agents (BCAs) against soil-borne plant pathogens. The large-scale application of BCAs requires fast and robust screening methods for the evaluation of the efficacy of high numbers of candidates. In this context, the digital technologies can be applied not only for early disease detection but also for rapid performance analyses of BCAs. The present study investigates the ability of different Trichoderma spp. to contain the development of main baby-leaf vegetable pathogens and applies functional plant imaging to select the best performing antagonists against multiple pathosystems. Specifically, sixteen different Trichoderma spp. strains were characterized both in vivo and in vitro for their ability to contain R. solani, S. sclerotiorum and S. rolfsii development. All Trichoderma spp. showed, in vitro significant radial growth inhibition of the target phytopathogens. Furthermore, biocontrol trials were performed on wild rocket, green and red baby lettuces infected, respectively, with R. solani, S. sclerotiorum and S. rolfsii. The plant status was monitored by using hyperspectral imaging. Two strains, Tl35 and Ta56, belonging to T. longibrachiatum and T. atroviride species, significantly reduced disease incidence and severity (DI and DSI) in the three pathosystems. Vegetation indices, calculated on the hyperspectral data extracted from the images of plant-Trichoderma-pathogen interaction, proved to be suitable to refer about the plant health status. Four of them (OSAVI, SAVI, TSAVI and TVI) were found informative for all the pathosystems analyzed, resulting closely correlated to DSI according to significant changes in the spectral signatures among health, infected and bio-protected plants. Findings clearly indicate the possibility to promote sustainable disease management of crops by applying digital plant imaging as large-scale screening method of BCAs' effectiveness and precision biological control support
Cloning and functional characterization of BcatrA, a gene encoding an ABC transporter of the plant pathogenic fungus Botryotinia fuckeliana (Botrytis cinerea)
No full textOn-farm compost: a useful tool to improve soil quality under intensive farming systems
No full textConventional agriculture that uses extensive tillage without organic inputs to soils can cause a
degradation in soil quality. The improvement of soil organic matter (SOM) content can be achieved
through the use of organic amendments. Application of organic amendments, such as compost, is a
reliable tool to improve soil quality. On-farm composting is an ecological technology and can be used to
recycle agricultural waste materials, such as animal manure or crop residues, that can be incorporated
into the soil to improve soil quality. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize, by CPMASNMR
spectroscopy and chemical properties, a commercial organic waste compost and an on-farm
compost and, then, to compare their use as organic amendments on soil quality. A greenhouse study on
intensive agricultural soils of Southern Italy was done. The following amendments, as soil treatment,
were used: a municipal compost (MC), with C:N 13.3, and an on-farm compost (OF), with C:N 17.1, applied
at the rate of 8.5 and 6.0 Mg DM ha1, respectively. After one, four, eight, twelve and
fifteen months soil
samples were collected and analyzed for chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, limestone, CEC, available phosphorus, organic carbon, total nitrogen and exchangeable bases) and microbial (urease, phosphomonoesterase, b-glucosidase, total hydrolytic activity and Biolog EcoplateTM) properties. MC compost was characterized by larger electrical conductivity and exchangeable Na+ content with respect to OF compost, while this latter was characterized by about twice of organic carbon (470 g kg1). As showed by CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy, OF compost was characterized not only by cellulosic polysaccharides, but also significant amounts of both alkyl components and lignin derivatives. An effective increase of soil organic carbon (SOC) in plots under MC (+36%) and OF (+25%) composts, respectively, was reached at the end of the experiment. Soil amendments improved soil biological functions as revealed by a general trend of positive effects on hydrolase activity, phosphomonoesterase, b-glucosidase as well as urease. EC and exchangeable Na+ were considerably larger only in the plots under MC compost (25% and 19%, respectively), with respect to control plot. The possible increase of soil salinity after compost amendment may negatively affect soil quality in the long-term. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the supply of compost produced on-farm, can enhance soil biological and biochemical properties, without the drawbacks of municipal composts, representing a promising alternative to the latter and an important way to reuse wastes produced by cultivation and processing of vegetables
- …
