Application of self-organizing maps to explore the interactions of microorganisms with soil properties in fruit crops under different management and pedo-climatic conditions

Self-organizing maps (SOMs) are a class of neural network algorithms able to visually describe a high-dimensional dataset onto a two-dimensional grid. SOMs were explored to classify soils based on an array of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Methods: The SOM analysis was performed considering soil physical, chemical, and microbial data gathered from an array of apple orchards and strawberry plantations managed by organic or conventional methods and located in different European climatic zones. Results: The SOM analysis considering the “climatic zone” categorical variables was able to discriminate the samples from the three zones for both crops. The zones were associated with different soil textures and chemical characteristics, and for both crops, the Continental zone was associated with microbial parameters—including biodiversity indices derived from the NGS data analysis. However, the SOM analysis based on the “management method” categorical variables was not able to discriminate the soils between organic and integrated management. Conclusions: This study allowed for the Soil Syst. 2025, 9, 10 https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems9010010 Soil Syst. 2025, 9, 10 2 of 14 discrimination of soils of medium- and long-term fruit crops based on their pedo-climatic characteristics and associating these characteristics to some indicators of the soil biome, pointing to the possibility of better understanding the interactions among diverse variables, which could support unraveling the intricate web of relationships that define soil quality

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly of the tetraploid potato cultivar Désirée

Cultivar Désirée is an important model for potato functional genomics studies to assist breeding strategies. Here, we present a haplotype-resolved genome assembly of Désirée, achieved by assembling PacBio HiFi reads and Hi-C scaffolding, resulting in a high-contiguity chromosome-level assembly. We implemented a comprehensive annotation pipeline incorporating gene models and functional annotations from the Solanum tuberosum Phureja DM reference genome alongside RNA-seq reads to provide high-quality gene and transcript annotations. Additionally, we provide a genome-wide DNA methylation profile using Oxford Nanopore reads, enabling insights into potato epigenetics. The assembled genome, annotations, methylation and expression data are visualised in a publicly accessible genome browser (https://desiree.nib.si), providing a valuable resource for the potato research community

Supporting teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness in the future

The chapter is based on summarised findings of both the HAND in HAND: Empowering Teachers Across Europe to Deal with Social, Emotional and Diversity-Related Career Challenges policy experiment (presented in volume 1) and analyses of current European Union and national policy frameworks (presented in this volume), and elaborates on the conditions needed to ensure the scalability, transferability and thus sustainability of the HAND in HAND: Empowering Teachers Across Europe to Deal with Social, Emotional and Diversity-Related Career Challenges project outcomes and the systematic policy and political support needed on the European Union and national levels. It sets out 39 guidelines organised in 5 areas: 1) Including social and emotional and diversity awareness content in teachers’ professional development2) Supporting the development and implementation of teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness programmes3) Considering the role of working conditions in teachers’ well-being4) Enhancing teachers’ professional status in societyand 5) Improving policy frameworks for supporting teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness on all levels of the European Union’s multi-level governance. While considering the differences in current national policy arrangements and challenges to teachers’ well-being and the development of their social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness in the HAND in HAND: Empowering Teachers Across Europe to Deal with Social, Emotional and Diversity-Related Career Challenges project field-trial countries (Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden), the chapter also introduces specific guidelines concerning ways to foster teachers’ SEDA development in their respective national contexts