Public Participation in Forest Landscape Management Planning (FLMP) in Italy

In the early 1990s, public involvement in forest planning was recognized and implemented both at a political and technical level in Europe, whereas in Italy, the participatory approach in forest planning, particularly at landscape level, has become widespread over the last decade. Several actors have been involved and the need to consider the objectives and targets expressed by different stakeholders has progressively increased. More consideration has been given to the outcomes of this involvement for the decision-making process. In the first part of the article, the forest-planning framework in the Italian context is presented, illustrating the role of the different levels of planning: the National Forest Programme (NFP), the Forest Landscape Management Plan (FLMP), and the Forest Unit Management Plan (FUMP). In the second part, the public participation process model, developed by the authors in Italy for the landscape scale, is analyzed by underlining four key attributes: procedure, moment of participation, learning interaction, and delegation of power. Regarding procedure, the five stages of participation adopted—communication and information, stakeholder analysis, first consultation stage, synthesis and preparation of the scenarios, and second consultation stage—are presented in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approach.     

Profiling of resveratrol oligomers, important stress metabolites, accumulating in the leaves of hybrid Vitis vinifera (Merzling × Teroldego) genotypes infected with Plasmopara viticola

In the Vitaceae, viniferins represent a relatively restricted group of trans-resveratrol oligomers with antifungal properties, thus enabling plants to cope with pathogen attack. The aim of this study was to perform isolation and structural characterization of the whole class of viniferins accumulating in the leaves of hybrid Vitis vinifera (Merzling × Teroldego) genotypes infected with Plasmopara viticola . Infected leaves of resistant plants were collected 6 days after infection, extracted with methanol, and prepurified by flash chromatography using ENV+ and Toyopearl HW 40S resins. Further fractionation using normal-phase preparative chromatography and then reversed-phase preparative chromatography allowed isolation of 14 peaks. The isolated compounds were identified using advanced mass spectrometry techniques and extensive one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, UV, CD, optical properties, and molecular mechanic calculations. The results demonstrated the presence in infected leaves of seven dimers (six stilbenes and one stilbenoid), of which four were new in grapevine (ampelopsin D, quadrangularin A, E-ω-viniferin, and Z-ω-viniferin), four trimers (three stilbenes and one stilbenoid), of which two (Z-miyabenol C and E-cis-miyabenol C) were new in grapevine, three tetramer stilbenoids, all new in grapevine, isohopeaphenol, ampelopsin H, and a vaticanol C-like isomer. The isolation of a dimer deriving from the condensation of (+)-catechin with trans-caffeic acid also indicated that other preformed phenolics are structurally modified in tissues infected with P. viticola.     

Physical and nutritional properties of buffalo meat finished on hay or maize silage‐based diets

The current study examines the effect of different finishing diets (hay‐ vs. maize‐silage on meal ration) on carcass quality, physical, chemical and sensory properties, and fatty acid profiles of buffalo meat. Twenty male Italian Mediterranean buffaloes (246 ± 9.00 kg live weight) were distributed at random into two groups at the beginning of the finishing period (368 ± 20 days). The buffaloes were offered two finishing diets: a maize silage (MS) or an alfalfa hay (AH) diet. No significant differences were found between dietary treatments for live and carcass weight. Meat chemical composition was influenced by dietary treatment. A higher fat content was detected in meat from animals finished with MS than AH (P < 0.05). Overall, the data indicated differences between the fatty acid profiles of meat as a consequence of different feeding systems. The higher fat deposition in the MS group resulted in meat with a less favorable fatty acid profile (i.e. a lower polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio and α‐linolenic fatty acid content) in relation to human health compared with meat from animals fed the AH diet.     

Changes in carotenoid and ascorbic acid contents in fruits of different tomato genotypes related to the depletion of UV-B radiation

The aim of the present study was to investigate if the depletion of UV-B radiation affected the most representative carotenoids as well as the ascorbic acid content in tomato fruits, harvested at both breaker and firm red stages. To do this, three tomato genotypes, DRW 5981, HP 1, and Esperanza, were grown inside a greenhouse either covered with polyethylene transparent to UV-B or depleted of UV-B by a special covering film. The antioxidant properties of the fruits were evaluated on the water-insoluble fractions according to the ABTS method. UV-B effect on antioxidant activity was negligible in DRW and HP 1 genotypes, whereas it was detrimental in Esperanza at both ripening stages. This genotype seems to have a negligible capability of accumulating carotenoids and a great susceptibility to detrimental effects of UV-B; conversely, the DRW genotype shows high carotenoid levels under sunlight conditions and a further promotion by UV-B. On the other hand, the HP 1 mutant displays an intermediate behavior and represents the only genotype favored by UV-B with respect to ascorbic acid accumulation.     

Vineyards in Terraced Landscapes: New Opportunities from Lidar Data

Vineyard landscapes are a relevant part of the European culture, and several authors concluded that they are the agricultural practice that causes the highest soil loss. Grape quality depends on the availability of water, and soil erosion is an important parameter dictating the vineyard sustainability; therefore, soil and water conservation measures are often implemented. Among them, the construction of terraces is the most widely used system. However, while favouring agricultural activities, terraces if not properly maintained can lead to local instabilities creating hazards for settlements and cultivations, and for the related economy. Terraced fields are also served by agricultural roads that can have deep effects on water flows triggering surface erosion. The goal of this research is to use lidar elevation data for a hydro‐geomorphological analysis of terraced vineyards. The work is divided in two parts. At first, the Relative Path Impact Index is tested in two vineyards to identify terrace‐induced and road‐induced erosions. Statistical thresholds of the Relative Path Impact Index are then defined to label the most critical areas. On the second step, using the index and the defined thresholds, we simulate different scenarios of soil conservation measures, establishing the optimal solution to reduce erosion. The results highlight the effectiveness of high‐resolution topography in the analysis of surface erosion in terraced vineyards, when the surface water flow is the main factor triggering the instabilities. The proposed analysis can help in scheduling a suitable planning to mitigate the consequences of the anthropogenic alterations induced by the terraces and agricultural roads. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-pruning of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.): work efficiency for target pruning as a function of tree species,pruning height,branch characteristics,pole saw type and operator

The objective of this study was to establish an operational model of productive work time per tree (work efficiency) for high-pruning of young European beech and pedunculate oak depending on tree species, pruning height, branch characteristics, pole saw type and operator. The final model included all of these independent variables with branch characteristics specified in terms of number of live branches and cross-sectional area of the thickest branch at the cut. Work time increased with increasing values of each of the three numeric variables. For a given pruning height the size of the largest branch was for all practical purposes more influential than the number of live branches. Beech took 28% longer to prune than oak. The German Ergo-Schnitt saw was 21% slower than the Japanese Silky Hayauchi saw. The variation in worker performance within our study was larger than that attributed to tree species and pruning equipment.     

A new phoretic association: Bursaphelenchus minutus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae) and Orthotomicus erosus (Coleoptera: Scolitydae) recorded on Pinus pinea (L.)

A new phoretic association between Bursaphelenchus minutus and the bark beetle Orthotomicus erosus collected on Pinus pinea is described for the first time. Nematode identification was based on morphological observation and biometric measurements of males and females. Moreover, B. minutus was characterized by ITS sequences and RFLP profile.