On the trail of the last autochthonous Italian einkorn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum monococcum</Emphasis> L.) and emmer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum dicoccon</Emphasis> Schrank) populations: a mission impossible?

In 1970s it was thought that two species of ‘farro’, namely emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) and einkorn (T. monococcum L.), were no longer present in Italy, but in 1981, some populations were discovered in a mountain area of the Appennino Sannita (central southern Italy). In 2006/2007 three monitoring missions were carried out to check the current situation of these ancient hulled wheats, specifically in the same areas where they were formerly collected. The same zones were also investigated by both paleo-ethnobotany and agrobiodiversity points of view. The results of this research have shown that nowadays einkorn is completely extinct while emmer is still cultivated in very few traditional farms, mainly as a fodder crop. A strong genetic erosion was detected also for emmer and several nowadays samples were contaminated by seeds of modern spelt (T. spelta L.) varieties. In the present study the causes of this genetic erosion and which safeguarding actions to be undertaken are discussed.     

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.

     

Development of real-time PCR systems based on SYBR? Green I and TaqMan? technologies for specific quantitative detection of Phoma tracheiphila in infected Citrus

Real-time PCR assays based on SYBR? Green I and TaqMan? technologies were developed for in planta detection and quantification of Phoma tracheiphila, the mitosporic fungus causing ‘mal secco’ disease on citrus. Primers and a hybridization probe were designed on the basis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear rRNA genes. The real-time PCR assays were compared with a classic isolation method in two separate experiments carried out on 6 and 24 month-old sour orange seedlings, artificially inoculated with a conidial suspension of the pathogen. Both technologies made it possible to follow the progression of infection by P. tracheiphila, enabling detection and quantification of the target fungus prior to the development of symptoms. The detection limit was 10 copies of the cloned target sequence and 15 pg of genomic DNA extracted from fungal spores. The values of the cycle threshold (Ct) were linearly correlated with the concentration of the target DNA, indicating that the method is suitable as a qualitative and quantitative assay. The presence of non-target fungal DNA had no effect on the specificity of the assay, but resulted in a 10-fold reduction of sensitivity. Total inhibition of the reaction occurred when conidia of the target pathogen were mixed with an organic soil substrate before extracting DNA using the standard protocol, while an alternative purification kit resulted in a significant decrease in sensitivity. Compared to classic methods, real-time PCR proved faster and easier to perform and showed a higher sensitivity. These results suggest that real-time PCR, based on both chemistries, has a great potential for early diagnosis of ‘mal secco’ disease and for quantitative estimation of fungal growth within host tissue.     

Cardiopulmonary effects of reverse Trendelenburg position at 5° and 10° in sevoflurane-anesthetized steers

Objective

To assess the cardiopulmonary effects caused by reverse Trendelenburg position (RTP) at 5° and 10° in sevoflurane-anesthetized yearling steers.

Reaction zone and periodic increment decrease in Picea abies trees infected by Heterobasidion annosum s.l.

Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees infected by Heterobasidion annosum s.l. decrease their periodic increment after a long period of time. Periodic increment decrease hypothetically relates to the formation of a reaction zone in order to prevent fungal colonisation. We studied 11 stands in Sweden, where we compared the periodic increment of healthy, rotten- and H. annosum-infected trees growing on plots thinned in winter, unthinned or thinned in summer, with and without urea or P. gigantea treatment of the stumps. Based on the rot incidence and the population structure of H. annosum of the plots, two phases of infection were considered: > 13 years and < 13 years. The presence of reaction zone and decay was observed on wood cores extracted with an increment borer. Rotten and H. annosum-infected trees with reaction zones exhibited a lower periodic increment than healthy trees (13.0% and 12.5% losses in terms of diameter, respectively), while no differences were observed between healthy trees and rotten and H. annosum-infected trees without reaction zone. Our results support the hypothesis of a periodic increment decrease in individual trees due to photosynthate re-allocation resulting from decay compartmentalization. Periodic increment decrease was only evident in trees that had been infected for more than 13 years. Trees in urea-treated plots registered a higher periodic increment, suggesting a possible response of trees to the nitrogen addition of the urea treatment of the stumps.     

Chemical and Morphological Characteristics of New Clones and Commercial Varieties of Globe Artichoke (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynara cardunculus</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">scolymus</Emphasis>)

The globe artichoke is a widely consumed vegetable in the Mediterranean Basin, with Italy being the leading producer. In southern Italy, its cultivation contributes to local economic stability and social development. The producers are increasingly choosing to replace autochthonous varieties, such as ‘Violetto di Sicilia’, with cultivars bred or selected outside of the region, putting pressure on the maintenance of traditional varieties. Here, we have undertaken a detailed morphological and chemical analysis of a group of clones selected from a population of ‘Violetto di Sicilia’. All the traits measured displayed genetic variation, particularly the total content of phenolics and minerals. The capitula of the ‘Violetto di Sicilia’ clones contained, on average, 6.3 g kg⁻¹ of fresh weight total phenolics, compared with 4.5 g kg⁻¹ in the two commercial varieties. The clones also had more inulin than commercial varieties (254 vs. 225 g kg⁻¹ of dry matter), as well as a good mineral content. The set of clones is of interest in the context of the proposed improvement of the crop through breeding and selection of genotypes with high nutritional quality and a specific end-use (industrial processing or fresh consumption).     

Genetic diversity in Borago officinalis germplasm as revealed by seed oils and AFLP polymorphism

Ten accessions of wild Borago officinalis were collected during missions in the course of a research activity carried out on plants producing nutraceutical compounds. The aim was to identify populations that produce a higher content of γ-linolenic acid, as this compound has important therapeutic properties and has been used in medical tests to treat rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and psoriasis with good therapeutical results. The present study reports on the characterization of both the polyunsaturated fatty acid composition and on genetic diversity estimated by means of AFLP markers in several B. officinalis accessions collected in Southern Italy and grown in isolation by means of screen houses specifically designed for each single population. Polyunsaturated fatty acid were found in different amounts in all investigated accessions. The populations were very variable at the molecular level, and the analysis of relationships based on AFLP data, showed that similarity based on Jaccard’s index ranged between 0.330 and 0.742. Our investigations allowed us to identify a population that may be considered as a good source of GLA.