Tuta absoluta,a South American pest of tomato now in the EPPO region: biology,distribution and damage

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is an invasive pest of tomato native to South America, where it is responsible for extensive damage. It rapidly spread into several European countries, becoming a key pest. Knowledge of its main biological traits can be used to develop effective plant protection management strategies. It is a multivoltine species with a homodynamous behaviour, and the length of its life cycle depends on environmental conditions, particularly temperature. The larvae feed and develop inside tomato leaves, stems and fruits throughout the entire growing cycle. The adults have crepuscular habits, and in Mediterranean conditions they can be easily detected throughout the year. Damage is directly related to the reduction of plants' photosynthetic capacity and of production levels in both protected and open‐field tomato crops; indirect damage can be also caused by secondary infections, with pathogens developing on the infested plant and fruit tissues.     

Use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for characterization of focal splenic lesions.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was used to study focal and multifocal lesions of the spleen in 26 dogs and two cats affected by 11 benign and 18 malignant splenic diseases. A second-generation microbubble contrast medium (Sonovue) was injected into the cephalic vein and enhancement patterns were subjectively described and time intensity curves calculated. Final diagnosis was obtained by histopathologic examination after splenectomy (n=19) or by needle aspiration and sonographic follow-up after 4 and 8 weeks (n=9). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters, improving the characterization between benign and malignant lesions, were established. The most useful criterion was the hypoechogenicity of the lesion in the wash-out phase combined with the presence of tortuous feeding vessels, which was observed in association with malignancy. All malignant lesions were hypoechoic to the surrounding spleen 30s after starting the contrast medium injection. Lymphosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma had characteristic perfusion patterns. Lymphosarcoma had rapid time to peak and early wash-out phase with a honeycomb pattern during the wash-out. Hemangiosarcomas were large nonperfused masses in all phases surrounded by hypervascular splenic parenchyma. Benign lesions except one hematoma and a benign histiocytoma had the same perfusion pattern as the surrounding spleen. Ultrasonographic and contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings of an accessory spleen are reported. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can improve the characterization of focal or multifocal lesions of the spleen.     

Ecological impacts of small hydropower plants on headwater stream fish: from individual to community effects

Hydroelectricity is increasingly used worldwide as a source of renewable energy, and many mountain ranges have dozens or hundreds of hydropower plants, with many more being under construction or planned. Although the ecological impacts of large dams are relatively well known, the effects of small hydropower plants and their weirs have been much less investigated. We studied the effects of water diversion of small hydropower plants on fish assemblages in the upper Ter river basin (Catalonia, NE Spain), which has headwater reaches with good water quality and no large dams but many of such plants. We studied fish populations and habitat features on control and impacted reaches for water diversion of 16 hydropower plants. In the impacted reaches, there was a significantly lower presence of refuges for fish, poorer habitat quality, more pools and less riffles and macrophytes, and shallower water levels. We also observed higher fish abundance, larger mean fish size and better fish condition in the control than in impacted reaches, although the results were species‐specific. Accordingly, species composition was also affected, with lower relative abundance of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Pyrenean minnow (Phoxinus bigerri) in the impacted reaches and higher presence of stone loach (Barbatula quignardi) and Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis). Our study highlights the effects of water diversion of small hydropower plants from the individual to the population and community levels but probably underestimates them, urging for further assessment and mitigation of these ecological impacts.     

Ecology of Armillaria species on silver fir (Abies alba) in the Spanish Pyrenees

? We describe the distribution and the ecology of three Armillaria species observed in silver fir (Abies alba) forests of the Pyrenees.

? We surveyed the presence and abundance of Armillaria above and belowground in 29 stands. Isolates were identified by the PCR-RFLP pattern of the IGS-1 region of their ribosomal DNA. We measured several ecological and management parameters of each stand in order to describe Armillaria infected sites.

? Armillaria cepistipes was the most abundant of three species observed. Armillaria gallica was dominant in soils with a higher pH and at lower elevations. Armillaria ostoyae seemed to be more frequent in stands where A. alba recently increased its dominance relative to other forest tree species. Thinning activities correlated with an increased abundance of Armillaria belowground. In 83% of the stands the same Armillaria species was observed above and belowground.

? It seems that in a conifer forest, A. cepistipes can be more frequent than A. ostoyae, a virulent conifer pathogen. Since logging is related to a higher abundance of Armillaria in the soil, the particular Armillaria species present in a given stand could be considered an additional site factor when making management decisions.

     

Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture

Urban agriculture (UA) is spreading within the Global North, largely for food production, ranging from household individual gardens to community gardens that boost neighborhood regeneration. Additionally, UA is also being integrated into buildings, such as urban rooftop farming (URF). Some URF experiences succeed in North America both as private and community initiatives. To date, little attention has been paid to how stakeholders perceive UA and URF in the Mediterranean or to the role of food production in these initiatives. This study examines the promotion and inclusion of new forms of UA through the practice of URF and contributes to the nascent literature on the stakeholder and public perceptions of UA. It seeks to understand how those perceptions shape the development of new urban agriculture practices and projects. Barcelona (Spain) was used as a Mediterranean case study where UA and URF projects are growing in popularity. Through semi-structured interviews with 25 core stakeholders, we show that UA is largely perceived as a social activity rather than a food production initiative, because the planning of urban gardens in Barcelona was traditionally done to achieve leisure and other social goals. However, several stakeholders highlighted the potential to increase urban fertility through URF by occupying currently unused spaces. As a result, the positive valuation of URF depends on the conceptualization of UA as a social or food production activity. In turn, such conceptualization shapes barriers and opportunities for the development of URF. While most UA-related stakeholders (e.g., food co-ops, NGOs) preferred soil-based UA, newer stakeholders (e.g., architects) highlighted the economic, social and environmental opportunities of local and efficient food production through innovative URF.     

Soil pollution by nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates and their effects to plants and invertebrates

Background, aim, and scope  

Nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) are a widely used class of nonionic surfactants known to be toxic and endocrine-disrupting contaminants. Their use and production have been banned in the European Union and substituted by other surfactants considered as environmentally safer. However, their use continues in many countries without any legal control. Discharges of effluents from wastewater treatment plants and the application of sewage sludge application, landfilling, and accidental spillage to soils are the major sources of NPEOs in the environment. The biodegradation of these surfactants is relatively easy, leading to the accumulation of the simplest chemical forms of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP, NP1EO, and NP2EO) and nonylphenol carboxy acids (NP2EC or NP1EC). However, these are also the most toxic end-products and have a higher environmental persistence. Compared to aquatic ecosystems, not much is known about the effects of NPEOs in terrestrial organisms, with few studies mainly centered on the effects on plants and soil microorganisms. The main aim of this study is to provide the range of concentrations of NPEOs with ecotoxicological effects on different plants and soil invertebrate species. In addition, we aim to identify the main soil properties influencing their toxicity.     

Assessment of s-Triazine Catabolic Potential in Soil Bacterial Isolates Applying atz Genes as Functional Biomarkers

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique and qPCR analyses, targeting atz genes, were applied to detect the presence of simazine-degrading bacteria in an agricultural soil with a history of herbicide application. atzB-targeted bacteria detected by FISH represented 5% of total soil bacteria with potential capability to metabolize the herbicide. The soil natural attenuation capacity was confirmed in soil microcosms by measuring simazine degradation. Moreover, four bacterial strains were isolated from the soil and identified as Acinetobacter lwoffii, Pseudomonas putida, Rhizobium sp. and Pseudomonas sp. The isolates were able to grow using different s-triazine compounds and related metabolites as the sole carbon source. Growth parameters in presence of simazine were calculated using the Gompertz model. Rhizobium sp. showed the highest simazine degradation (71.2%) and mineralization (38.7%) rates, whereas the lowest values were found to A. lwoffii??50.4% of degradation and 22.4% of mineralization. Results from qPCR analyses of atzA, atzB and atzC genes revealed their presence in Rhizobium sp. and A. lwoffii, being atzB and atzC the most abundant functional genes. Rhizobium sp. showed a higher amount of the three biomarkers compared to A. lwoffii: the atzA, atzB and atzC gene copy number per microlitre were, respectively, 10¹, 10² and 10³-fold higher in the former. Therefore the proposed molecular approaches based on the use of atz genes as biomarkers can be considered as useful tools to evaluate the presence and potential capability of degrading-s-triazines soil microorganisms.     

Daily rhythm of salivary and serum urea concentration in sheep

Background  

In domestic animals many biochemical and physiological processes exhibit daily rhythmicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rhythmic pattern of salivary and serum urea concentrations in sheep.     

Morphology of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) tongue

The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a freshwater and marine fish of the family Salmonidae, widely farmed in aquaculture facilities in several countries. The salmon are carnivorous, but in aquaculture, alternative foods have been experienced. It is well known that feeding in captivity should cause adaptation and modifications of the morphological characteristics of the oral cavity, especially of tongue; therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate, by light, laser confocal and scanning electron microscopy, the morphological characteristics of the tongue dorsal surface, considering the importance of the correlations between feeding habits and the anatomy of the tongue. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrates the presence of caniniform teeth with oro-aboral orientation surrounded by numerous filiform papillae, single, fused or arranged in row. Oro-aborally, the papillae show an appearance like a rosette and they disappear at level of the root. Light and laser confocal microscopy demonstrates that the mucosa is covered by a non-keratinized stratified pavement epithelium with, in the deepest layer, the presence of a triangular structure whose apex is cranially directed and base facing aborally. In this structure, spindle-shaped cells are present, with a vimentin immunoreactivity, that for their characteristics could be adult mesenchymal stem cells. The obtained data could be useful not only for further studies on the nutrition, but it is interesting the detection of tissues typical of the embryo-fetal phase in the adult specimens tongue, thus giving a basis for studies of potential applications, if any, regarding cell therapies for different clinical indications.