The lemon is recognized as the third most extensively cultivated citrus species worldwide, trailing only behind orange and mandarin. The enhancement in the economic value of lemons as a valuable resource in Southern Italy depends by the competitiveness of local lemons in both national and international markets. This necessitates conducting a comprehensive study that thoroughly explores the...
Cotton (Gossypium spp.), belonging to the Malvaceae family, is a semi-xerophytic species native to central-northern America and Mexico [1]. It is one of the most relevant species for the production of natural fiber. Unlike most agricultural raw materials, cotton fiber is not produced from one but from 39 species of Gossypium. In the last few years, the growing interest in natural fibers around...
Wheat production is one of the most important agricultural systems, with an estimated global area of about 219 million hectares[1]. It has been shown that agricultural systems and the cereal industry as part of this, may potentially threaten biodiversity and ecosystem functions[2]. This highlights the necessity to optimise the production of wheat grain in an environmentally sustainable way[3]....
Accurate nitrogen (N) fertilization management is imperative with the view of achieving high crop performance without jeopardizing product quality. Nonetheless, excessive application of synthetic N fertilizers might have detrimental impacts on both environment and human healthiness. Moreover, climate changes modified water availability with repercussions on farmers' habits. Accordingly, there...
Keywords: Isothiocyanate, myrosinase, bioactive molecules,
Abstract
Beside the approximately 40 million hectares of rapeseed for oil production, the cultivation of other Brassicaceae for agri-food and industrial applications is not very widespread [1]. In fact, the plants belonging to this family grown in the Mediterranean environment are mainly horticultural that derive from an ancient...
Taralli is a popular bakery snack food from the south of Italy that has gained worldwide popularity. It is considered a savoury snack or bread substitute and is part of a niche market of Italian food certified as Apulian Traditional Agri-food Products (PAT) [1]. Taralli are ring-shaped baked goods with a texture similar to breadsticks, made using specific ingredients such as flour, wine,...
Phytophagous insects rely on many different sensory cues to locate their host plants, including visual, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile stimuli [1]. These cues are processed by sensory systems and integrated in the brain to elicit a proper behavioural response. Chnootriba elaterii is an injurious pest of cucurbits in the Mediterranean Region [2] which causes serious damage mainly in organic...
Sicily is a Mediterranean region with evident structural problems of water scarcity and especially in this last period of the last 12 months we are having a severe drought crisis. The climate change emphasises the typical characteristic of the Mediterranean semiarid climate of our region.
Different strategies can be adopted to contrast water scarcity and to mitigate the impact of the climate...
Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a pivotal agronomic practice to obtain both high yields and grain quality in durum wheat. However, since the overuse of synthetic fertilizers is raising a global concern for the environment, new crop nutrition strategies are needed to accomplish the goal of “producing more by consuming less”. The use of biostimulants was suggested as a sustainable option to...
The European “Green Deal” comes at a pivotal moment for the agri-food sector. Climate crisis, energy costs, and regulations, threaten food security. Currently, the development of alternatives to conventional pesticides and fertilizers seems one way. The developments in the field of biostimulants could greatly assist in combating issues that the agri-food sector is facing. Biostimulants will...
Olive oil is an agricultural product produced mainly in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and is part of the so-called Mediterranean Diet [1]. Olive oil consumption is growing due to more informed consumers seeking the health benefits of olive oil, in addition to the search for healthier foods. The health benefits of olive oil are well known [2, 3] leading to increased olive oil...
Composting is a promising process for transforming and stabilizing sewage sludge (SS) into a valuable resource[1]. Biochar and zeolite can be used as bulking agents for composting[2]. However, their effect on the composting process, compost quality and soil-plant system upon compost application to soil have not been tested extensively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of...
Xylella fastidiosa, a notorious bacterium, poses a significant worldwide threat to fruit tree crops by disrupting the sophisticated mechanisms of water and nutrient transport within the xylem, crucial for plant growth and development, and its impact results in devastating symptoms such as leaf scorching, wilting, and the gradual dieback of branches or entire trees, severely compromising...
Constructed wetland systems (CWs) have been recognized as one of the most acceptable technologies for sustainable agricultural wastewater management. They represent green infrastructures and provide solutions to treatment of wastewaters that agricultural activities produce in different ways depending on the type of agro-industrial production [1]. Particularly, CWs offer the advantages of...
Water scarcity challenges agricultural production, demanding more precise and efficient irrigation management. Plant-based continuous monitoring has emerged as a promising approach for optimizing irrigation as it can detect water stress progression, although it is often difficult to interpret sensor outputs. Plant water potential is a robust water status indicator widely used for managing...
Biostimulants are sustainable inputs that can be used to reduce chemical fertilizers application, improving nutrient absorption, production and quality of crops. Protein Hydrolysates (PH) are a category of biostimulants used to counteract reductions in production in non-optimal nitrogen (N) conditions. On this basis, a comparison was made between a new PH derived from the Malvaceae botanical...
Excessive industrialization in agriculture, with high mineral fertilizer use and intensive soil tillage, reduces soil fertility and crop production. Conventional tillage determines heavy soil disturbance up to 0–25 cm depth. In contrast, no-till and minimum tillage practices, based on minimal soil disturbance, improve soil quality by preserving structure, supporting biological processes and...
Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) is a medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) belonging to the Lamiaceae family.The morphological, productive and chemical characteristics of this species are affected by abiotic and biotic factors [1]. The application of biostimulants seems to be one of the most interesting innovative practices due to fact they represent a promising approach for achieving sustainable...
In recent years, biostimulants and corroborants (plant strengtheners) products have been developed to improve both the vegetative performance and the tolerance to abiotic stresses. In Italy biostimulants are regulated by the law on fertilizers (75/2010), while corroborants are regulated by D.M. 6793/2018 and, according to these guidelines, they are not considered as pesticides. Latest studies...
The sheep meat supply chain in Italy is still predominantly oriented towards the seasonal production of milk-fed lambs slaughtered at about 30 days of age, with live weight lower than 13 kg, tender meat, low fat content, and a delicate flavour. Improving production and quality is possible by adopting models that extend the slaughter age and allow for obtaining heavier, more muscular carcasses....
In recent years, lignocellulosic perennial grasses have been increasingly attracted as a feedstock to produce biomethane through anaerobic digestion, considered a sustainable energy solution for reaching the RED II directive's aims.
Arundo donax L., commonly known as giant reed, is a lignocellulosic perennial rhizomatous grass, diffused in the Mediterranean area. Among different perennial...
Zarcone, R.a; Accardi, G.a; Aiello, A.a; Calabrò, A.a; Procopio A.b; Caruso, C.a & Candore, G. a
a Laboratory of Immunopathology and Immunosenescence, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy (rosa.zarcone@community.unipa.it; giulia.accardi@unipa.it; anna.aiello@unipa.it; anna.calabro@unipa.it; calogero.caruso@unipa.it;...
Calabrò, A.a*; Aiello, A.a; Accardi, G.a; Zarcone, R.a; Caruso, C.a; Pera, A.b,c & Candore, Ga.
a Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, Laboratory of Immunopathology and Immunosenescence, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy (anna.calabro@unipa.it; anna.aiello@unipa.it; giulia.accardi@unipa.it; rosa.zarcone@community.unipa.it; calogero.caruso@unipa.it;...
The integration of Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination systems with Renewable Energy (RE) technologies offers a sustainable approach to water production. However, the inherent variability of RE sources, along with seasonal shifts in seawater temperature, present significant challenges to the effectiveness of RO membranes. Consequently, there is a critical need for research to examine the impacts...
Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most ancient cultivated crops and, in the Mediterranean countries, it is widely used in human and animal nutrition because of its high nutritional value.
This legume is also important for the positive effect on soil productivity given by its nitrogen fixation capacity. Therefore, this species can be seen as a key crop to include in crop rotation to...
Keywords: condensed tannins, feed intake, digestibility, milk yield, cheese, fatty acids profile, antioxidant capacity
Fresh sulla forage, due to its contents in protein and condensed tannins, is known to enhance the productive responses of dairy ewes, but the same effects do not emerge when it is provided as hay [1, 2]. With the aim to improve the quality traits of sulla forage stocks,...
Sargassum muticum is native to the North Western Pacific coasts. In the Mediterranean Sea, is a noninvasive species, growing in the upper sublittoral zone, lagoons, and offshore harbors. Introduced to Europe in the late 1960s, was first recorded in the Mediterranean in the 1980s in France. Most introductions are due to anthropogenic activities, introduced through oyster farming, in Spain and...
Intercropping is proposed as one of the best practices within the agroecological approach based on functional agrobiodiversity. One of the most important functional crops that in intercropping facilitates phosphorus (P) uptake of the intercropped cereal are grain legumes [1]. Great attention is focused on their root interactions, which are mediated by root intermingling, and the role of the...
Over the past two centuries, average lifespan has increased significantly, with the elderly population growing rapidly, particularly in Western countries. However, the increase in healthy lifespan has not kept pace, highlighting the need for strategies to prevent age-related diseases and reduce associated medical, economic, and social burdens. Nutrigerontology, the study of the impact of the...
Honeydew is the excretion product of many plant-feeding hemipterans and some lepidopterans. This sweet excretion product is the most abundant and accessible source of carbohydrates for parasitoids and predators in many agroecosystems [1,2]. Being so abundant, honeydew mediates many direct and indirect interactions that affect biological control. Here, we describe these interactions and...
Implanting a new crop in a given region needs to take care on potentially imported diseases with the plant material and controlling local known pests able to damage the new crop. This will be the case for sugarcane that was implanted in different Mediterranean region to be tested for producing rum. Sugarcane is a vegetatively propagated semi perennial crop prohibited for importation in Europe...
Groundwater salinization is a critical environmental problem, significantly hindering agricultural production. However, saline groundwater could represent the only available resource for irrigation in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, investigating its impacts on crops is crucial to address the challenge of maintaining agricultural productivity and sustainable development.
The aim of this...
Increasing water productivity is a challenge to be met in all environments characterized by water scarcity. This objective can be achieved through the precision management of irrigation practices which involves identifying the appropriate irrigation doses to be applied timely for crop needs.
The latest generation of sensors, combined with the use of ICT, makes it possible to monitor the water...
Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis) is a versatile Mediterranean crop used in marginal land both for food and energy production [1,2]. This study focuses on I) verifying the adaptability of this crop to Mediterranean mountain environments and II) testing cardoon intercropping with forage species (Ornithopus sativus - serradella and Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis – fodder radish), in...
The aim of current research was to appraise the potential impact of two biostimulants [Trichoderma atroviride and a vegetal-based protein hydrolysate (V-PH)], when applied alone or in combination, on the performance of two woodland strawberry genotypes (‘Alpine’ and ‘Regina delle Valli’). Overall, the results showed that ‘Alpine’ genotype was more productive than ‘Regina delle Valli’, although...
In recent decades, forage production systems have become more concerned about the effects of global climate change on animal feed. Choosing forage species that thrive in adverse conditions and adopting sustainable management methods, such as intercropping, are crucial aspects in building resilient systems. Self-seeding annual legumes can benefit low-input systems by providing forage and...
Medicinal and Aromatic plants (MAPs) have become a rising value all over the world in the last decades. These distinguished crops classified under industrial plants are of important raw materials in order to develop novel natural products especially in food, medicine, cosmetic, perfumery, textile industries. Although the main source of MAPs, around 80%, is wild collection from flora,...
Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential trace element for humans and plants. The use of agronomic biofortification to increase the accumulation of micronutrient in plant tissue can be a valuable approach to overcome nutritional deficiencies affecting over the half of the world population. Concomitantly, the application of microbial biostimulants, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), is an...
Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.), belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, is a Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAPs) native to the Asian continent. Thanks to its wide adaptability, it has since spread to many Mediterranean countries, such as the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, and other East Asian countries [1]. Despite its beneficial aromatic, medicinal, and anti-cancer properties due to several...
A significant, although still undefined, percentage of the general population report problems caused by wheat and/or gluten intake [1]. This could be behind the rapid and progressive increase in the global market of gluten/wheat-free products. Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS) is a new clinical condition which has recently been added alongside celiac disease (CD) and wheat allergy (WA) to...
Calorie restriction has shown to be able to extend lifespan in model organisms. Recent epidemiological studies have indicated that similar results can be obtained in humans, without the side effects of calorie restriction, by means of a low animal-protein diet before 65 years of age. The analysis of numerous methylation sites has shown that it is possible to calculate the biological age of a...
Spices and herbs are botanical raw materials or ready-to-use products, that have a long history of usage in food preparation, traditional medicine, and cosmetic purposes for thousands of years.
The contribution of the market of herbs and spices in the global civilization is prominent, due to its role in leading to the discovery of new trade partners, indeed the spice trade led to the initial...
The future of agriculture is linked to our capability to find a way to maintain profitable production systems with limited water quantity and quality. Despite a large volume of research on irrigation, there is still a gap between research advancement and its implementation, due to a tradeoff between simplicity of use and precision of the various irrigation methods. Plant-based monitoring has...
Food loss and waste (FLW), often caused by plant pathogens in the field and after harvest, is a global challenge recognized by international governments and organizations. Reducing FLW is key to sustainably ensure nutritional food security for an increasing world population. It is a target of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and the Farm to Fork Strategy of the European...
With the predicted future climate change, the impact of drought stress on the production of agricultural crops can only be expected to become more severe in many parts of the arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, there is an urgent need to rapidly determine the drought tolerance capacity of agricultural crops. Leaf osmotic potential at full turgor as measured using osmometry has widely been...
One strategy to improve the efficiency of irrigation water is regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), which consists of reducing water supplies, in some phenological phases, in relation to the water needs of crops.
An experiment was conducted on processed tomatoes (cv: Tayson F1) to evaluate the effect of deficit irrigation practice on the quantity and quality of tomato production in order to...
The water crisis due to droughts or floods increasingly affects many places in Southern Europe. Linked with climate change, it is a serious emergency causing great concern. More specifically, within the Italian situation, the conditions in Sicily today appear very serious, since the island in 2023 experienced one of the worst droughts in the last thirty years and in the first half of 2024. The...
Keywords: decision support systems, remote sensing, water management, olive
Abstract
Water scarcity, combined with the increased food demand, requires a more efficient use of resources as well as recourse to unconventional sources [1]. The main goal of the RIUBSAL project is to develop innovative technologies for monitoring and reusing urban wastewater, evaluating their sustainability,...
The aim of this work, which is currently underway, has been to investigate how the adoption of sustainable cultivation techniques can improve the profitability of saffron at the primary level.
In the Mediterranean, the time gap between peak irradiance and temperature (summer) and higher water availability (winter), along with the low organic matter (OM) content in most cropped soils, contributes to the low productivity of rain-fed crops. On the other hand, irrigated systems leverages solar radiation and prolonged frost-free periods to achieve high yields. The distinct soil...
Medicinal and nutraceutical plants are plants with medicinal or nutritional properties or both. Medicinal plants are plants that exert beneficial pharmacological effect on the human or animal body or possess therapeutic properties and some of them have been used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Nutraceutical plants are plants rich in nutrients and substances that show...
Diseases caused by fungi result in 20-30% losses throughout the fruit and vegetables supply chain. Current methods of diseases control mainly rely on synthetic fungicides, but their overuse leads to serious concerns on the environment and human health. This highlights the importance of establishing sustainable and natural-based alternatives to these synthetic products. However, more studies...
ESG is all about making a difference: to the planet, to your people and to your organization. So, what is it, and how is it important to any economic activity such as agriculture?
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It encapsulates several standards that measure how an organisation’s activities contribute to sustainable, viable development, and how that organisation...
Food habits and preferences of our population are continuously changing throughout the world. In an era with more evidence about the importance of diet for health, there is increasing abandonment of heart-healthy diets such as the Mediterranean diet. The direct consequence of this is an increase in metabolic diseases such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, leading to a rise in...
Rhus coriaria Linn is a little plant growing in the Mediterranean basin, including Sicily, where it is known as Sicilian Sumac. Since antiquity, it has been used as a medicinal herb, considering its pharmacological properties and its recognized anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Multiple studies have highlighted that the beneficial properties of Sumac extracts depend on...
The olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the Mediterranean's most representative and cultivated fruit crops, due to its numerous advantages on human health and ecological plasticity. Over time, many breeding programs have been conducted to select valuable genotypes with desired traits. However, one of the most important agronomic characteristics that remains a challenge is the identification of...
The rich biodiversity of the Mediterranean region offers great opportunities, particularly for Aromatic and Medicinal Plants (AMP). Morocco, as part of this eco-region, has been a traditional user and exporter of these valuable resources [1]. The cultivation and trade of AMP have deep cultural roots and economic importance for local communities [2]. For instance, the Moroccan AMP sector...
Nowadays irrigation of durum wheat represents a key point to provide food security in a context of climate change. Although this topic has caught on particular attention from the global scientific community, many issues and aspects remains understudied. To fill the knowledge gap and collate present evidences, this analysis used a combined bibliometric and thematic approach to synthesize the...
Vegetation phenology is strongly impacted by ongoing climate change. With the increase of drought periods, it also becomes crucial to improve methods aiming a better management of irrigation. Remote sensing provides increasing available data at high spatial and temporal resolution which can help the monitoring of vegetation growth and the water resources. A brief overview of the main surface...
Grasslands are an essential component of Europe's land use, accounting for more than one-third of the continent's agricultural area. They provide food for herbivores and ruminants and deliver essential ecosystem services erosion control, water regulation, water purification, carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement, and wildfire prevention. Despite their significance, permanent grasslands in...
