Relationship between the oil and sugar content in olive oil fruits from Moraiolo and Leccino cultivars during ripening

In our previous work (Cherubini et al., 2009), sugar concentration was proposed as an accurate, reproducible index for technological ripening of olive oil fruits. During 2009 crop season, sugar and oil content of olive oil fruits from Moraiolo and Leccino cultivars were measured during ripening. The sugar content of olive oil fruits was determined both by titration and by using a portable refractometer.     

Chemical and biological diversity of Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) in relation to environmental factors

Oil of bergamot is receiving renewed popularity in aromatherapy. The biovariability of Citrus bergamia grown wild in Calabria (Italy) was investigated as far as chemical markers (linalool, linalyl acetate and bergapten) content and antioxidant and antifungal activities of the methanolic extracts. The average content in the markers presents slight variations with the altitude and more evident changes with the latitude of the areas of plant collection.     

Variability in the content of active constituents and biological activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Nine samples of Glycyrrhiza glabra were collected in various sites of Calabria, Italy, with the aim to determine the variability in the confront of active constituents and in antibacterial and antifungal activities of the extracts. The samples showed remarkable differences in chemical composition and biological activity.     

Composition and biological activity of essential oil of Achillea ligustica All. (Asteraceae) naturalized in central Italy: Ideal candidate for anti-cariogenic formulations

Essential oil from flowers (FL) and vegetative parts (VP) of Achillea ligustica (Asteraceae), naturalized after cultivation in central Italy, was investigated by GC–FID and GC–MS. The most abundant components were linalool, viridiflorol, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole and terpinen-4-ol. The antioxidant assays (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays, and β-carotene bleaching test) demonstrated a moderate activity of essential oils. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the broth micro-dilution method on 6 microbial strains and showed to be quite strong against the cariogenic Gram-positive Streptococcus mutans, suggesting that this essential oil could be a valid candidate for anti-cariogenic formulations. Moderate cytotoxic activity was observed in assays on four tumour cell lines by MTT assay.     

Modelling diapause termination and phenology of the Japanese beetle,Popillia japonica

We deve?loped a mechanistic, stage-structured model simulating the phenology of Popillia japonica. The model simulates the influence of soil temperature on the larval diapause termination and on the development rate function of post-overwintering larvae and pupae. Model parameters are estimated based on literature evidence for pupae development and on a parameterisation process that allows estimating parameters for larval diapause termination and for the development rate function (and the related uncertainty) of post-overwintering larvae. Data used for model parameterisation and validation refer to time-series adult trap catches collected during the P. japonica monitoring programme performed by the Phytosanitary Service of Lombardy Region within the infested area in Lombardy (Italy) from 2015 to 2019. A total of 12 randomly selected locations are used to estimate biologically realistic model parameters (parameterisation dataset). We applied a Jackknife nonparametric resampling procedure on the parameterisation dataset to quantify uncertainty associated with parameters’ estimates. Parameterised model is then validated on time-series adult trap catches data referring to a different set of 12 randomly selected locations (validation dataset) surveyed in Lombardy. The model successfully predicted the beginning of adult emergence and the overall curve of adult emergence in the validation dataset. The model presented can support the definition of the best timing for the implementation of monitoring and control activities for the local and the area-wide management of P. japonica.

     

Evaluation of estimated weather data for calculating Penman-Monteith reference crop evapotranspiration

Utilizing the weather generator ClimGen, daily solar radiation (R_s) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) were estimated from temperature data and used to calculate evapotranspiration at five locations, representing tropical, temperate, semi-arid, and arid climates. ClimGen was calibrated for each location using the most recent 2 or 5 years of complete daily weather records. Actual and estimated values were compared on a daily and weekly (7-day running average) basis. Error indices were defined to indicate excellent to poor performance of the estimation methods. Overall in all locations, the ClimGen estimates for both daily R_s and VPD were poor to acceptable. The weekly analyses showed significant improvement in performance for both R_s and VPD estimations in arid and semi-arid locations. Daily reference crop evapotranspiration values using the FAO Penman-Monteith equation (PM ET_o) were calculated using complete daily weather records. These values were compared with (1) ET_o calculated with the PM model, actual temperature data, and ClimGen estimates of daily R_s, VPD, and generated wind speed (PM_Est ET_o), and (2) ET_o calculated solely from actual daily temperature data using a calibrated version of the Hargreaves method (HG_Adj ET_o). The daily PM_Est ET_o results were poor to acceptable in all locations, but analyses for weekly periods showed improved performance to acceptable and good levels for arid and semi-arid locations. The performance of the HG_Adj ET_o method was also poor to acceptable for daily ET estimates in all locations, while weekly analyses showed improvement. A non-calibrated version of the Hargreaves method did not work for either daily or weekly periods. The PM_Est ET_o and HG_adj ET_o methods appeared suitable for weekly periods in arid and semi-arid locations provided that at least 2 years of complete weather records were available to calibrate the parameters required. There was no advantage in using 5 years of weather records for calibration.Communicated by E. Fereres     

New aphid species for italy caught by suction trap

Six aphid species new for Italy were caught by suction trap in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Italy. They are:Chaetosiphon chaetosiphon (Nevsky),Illinoia morrisoni (Swain),Myzodium modestum (Hottes),Pseudacaudella rubida (Börner),Schizaphis longicaudata Hille Ris Lambers andTrichosiphonaphis (Xenomyzus)polygonifoliae (Shinji). All species are provided here with characteristic morphological information and line drawings.     

Trophic Status and Lake Sedimentation Fluxes

In limnological studies the measure of sedimentation fluxes of seston is neglected, in spite of the importance it can have in determining water quality, studying biogeochemical cycles, evaluating the distribution of chemical species, etc. Often sedimentation is obtained only from mass balance models, not taking into account the fact that the uncertainty of determining inputs and outputs makes this evaluation from their difference rather unreliable; other factors of the balance, such as exchanges with the atmosphere, between water and sediments, are equally difficult to define. Though the direct measurement of sedimentation also presents some methodological and logistic difficulties, such as resuspension of material from the bottom, grazing, etc., this does not justify the very scarce attention paid to this kind of determination. This paper reports the sedimentation fluxes of 39 lakes, in different parts of the world, having different limnological and trophic characteristics (0.4 < TP < 369 µg L-1; 0.5 < chlorophyll a <50 mg m-3). The fluxes of PM, C, N and P show a log-log relationship (r ≈ 0.6, p ≤ 0.05) with the common trophic variables (Secchi disk, total phosphorus, chlorophyll and primary production), independently of the morphometric characteristic of lakes. Hence sedimentation seems not to be an intrinsic property of the environment but is related to the trophic state of the system. The results achieved tend to confirm that the nature of sedimenting seston is generally autochthonous, even though the poor correlation between PM and the same trophic variables suggests that PM is more influenced by allochthonous material.     

In vitro digestion assay for determination of hidden fumonisins in maize

Hidden fumonisins have received great attention in the last years as they have been frequently found in maize products in addition to the free forms. Several papers have shown that interaction with macromolecular components such as protein and starch is at the base of the phenomenon: although the nature of the interaction (covalent or not) is still not clarified, the occurrence of hidden forms is generally revealed by the application of an alkaline hydrolysis procedure. In this study, an in vitro digestion model has been applied to raw maize to evaluate the possible release of hidden fumonisins under gastrointestinal conditions. Upon digestion of the food matrix, an increased amount of total detectable fumonisins was observed in comparison with the analysis on the nondigested matrix, an amount even higher than that calculated through the application of the hydrolysis procedure. Besides the analytical issues, our data have serious implications, since consumers may be exposed to a systematic higher risk than that estimated by conventional techniques.