DigiAgriApp: an open-source client-server application for centralized farming data management

Agriculture is transitioning into the era of Agriculture 4.0, driven by data from IoT devices, sensors, and remote sensing tools. Efficient data collection and management are critical to improve farm productivity, sustainability, and resilience. DigiAgriApp is an open-source, client-server platform developed to centralize and streamline farm data management. It facilitates tracking of field operations, crop information, sensor data, irrigation, production statistics, and emissions, enabling precision farming at various scales

The CRYPTOMARS project: a multi-omic approach for studying Antarctic cryptoendolithic communities as Martian-analog life-forms

If life ever existed on Mars, it may have developed survival strategies similar to those adopted by extremophiles living in terrestrial Martian analogs, such as the cryptoendolithic communities found in the rocky substrates of the McMurdo Dry Valleys or other ice-free areas of continental Antarctica. Nearly thirty years of research on these super-adapted organisms laid the foundation for the CRYPTOMARS project, which aims to disclose the genomic and phenotypic features allowing these microbial communities to withstand specific physico-chemical stresses that may be encountered on the Red Planet. This information will provide tools to outline, in terms of diversity and competences, a putative microbial community able to survive, adapt or even perpetuate under early or present Martian conditions. The project and the background information are here presente

Le strategie di rivalità di Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) dipendono dall’ampiezza dei segnali vibrazionali di accoppiamento

Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) è noto per essere il principale vettore di Candidatus phytoplasma vitis, agente causale della flavescenza dorata nei vigneti. La riproduzione di questa specie si basa principalmente sulla comunicazione vibrazionale che consiste nell’emissione e ricezione di vibrazioni che si propagano attraverso la pianta. Il repertorio della specie è complesso, con diversi segnali che caratterizzano specifici stadi della formazione della coppia e due segnali vibrazionali specificamente emessi nei contesti di rivalità. Quando un maschio rileva un duetto maschio-femmina, può interferire con la comunicazione emettendo un rumore di disturbo (DN) o impulsi di disturbo (DP) per interrompere il duetto e sostituire il maschio duettante, riuscendo infine ad accoppiarsi con la femmina. Inoltre, i maschi rivali possono rimanere in silenzio e sfruttare le risposte della femmina per localizzarla prima dell'altro maschio e accoppiarsi (comportamento "satellite"). È noto che, nel processo di formazione della coppia, i passaggi da uno stadio all'altro si basano principalmente sull'ampiezza dei segnali percepita dal ricevente. Lo scopo di questo studio è valutare se anche la scelta della strategia di rivalità si basa sull'ampiezza dei segnali vibrazionali percepiti. Abbiamo condotto tre test di laboratorio: due test di playback e uno di osservazione. Nel primo test, abbiamo riprodotto un duetto sulla pianta utilizzando un trasduttore elettromagnetico, il trasduttore è stato posizionato sia sulla stessa foglia del maschio focale che su una foglia diversa, inoltre per ciascuna posizione abbiamo testato due playback con ampiezza diversa. Nel secondo esperimento, abbiamo testato se la posizione relativa del maschio focale rispetto alla posizione del maschio o della femmina influenzasse la risposta comportamentale. Abbiamo simulato le diverse sorgenti dei segnali maschili e femminili del duetto utilizzando due trasduttori, uno per ciascun sesso, posizionati su foglie diverse. Infine, abbiamo registrato il comportamento di un maschio focale quando un duetto si formava naturalmente tra un maschio e una femmina. I risultati hanno mostrato che la strategia adottata dal maschio rivale dipende dalla percezione dell'ampiezza dei segnali vibratori, suggerendo che il maschio può adattare la sua strategia di rivalità in base alla distanza percepita tra sé, l'avversario e la femmina. Discutiamo questi risultati alla luce delle conoscenze precedenti sui comportamenti di rivalità in altre specie basati sulla comunicazione vibrazionale o altre modalità di comunicazione. Inoltre, questi risultati saranno utilizzati per riflettere sul possibile sviluppo di abituazione alla tecnica di confusione sessuale vibrazional

The global spectrum of tree crown architecture

Trees can differ enormously in their crown architectural traits, such as the scaling relationships between tree height, crown width and stem diameter. Yet despite the importance of crown architecture in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, we lack a complete picture of what drives this incredible diversity in crown shapes. Using data from 374,888 globally distributed trees, we explore how climate, disturbance, competition, functional traits, and evolutionary history constrain the height and crown width scaling relationships of 1914 tree species. We find that variation in height-diameter scaling relationships is primarily controlled by water availability and light competition. Conversely, crown width is predominantly shaped by exposure to wind and fire, while also covarying with functional traits related to mechanical stability and photosynthesis. Additionally, we identify several plant lineages with highly distinctive stem and crown forms, such as the exceedingly slender dipterocarps of Southeast Asia, or the extremely wide crowns of legume trees in African savannas. Our study charts the global spectrum of tree crown architecture and pinpoints the processes that shape the 3D structure of woody ecosystems

The arthropod’s guide to European vineyards: invasive pests as hitchhikers of globalization

Insects and mites are among the most widespread and economically significant invasive species worldwide due to their rapid reproduction, high dispersal ability, and capability to survive and quickly adapt to different environmental conditions and food sources. Increased globalization, i.e., increased human transportation and trade, is the main driver behind arthropod invasions. Globally, the spread of invasive arthropods represents a growing problem for agriculture, as many of these species are devastating pests, including vectors of plant pathogens. This is particularly relevant for perennial crops such as grapevine. Grapevine is a global crop that is susceptible to a range of aggressive pathogens and pests and, accordingly, one of the crops most frequently treated with pesticides in Europe. This review focuses on invasive insect and mite pests damaging European grapevine through feeding or vectoring pathogens. A comprehensive overview of present and potential future invasive arthropods threatening European viticulture is provided. Primary entry pathways of invasive grapevine pests into the EU, as well as their spread are discussed. The pest geographic origin and current distribution within the EU revealed particularly vulnerable regions. In the final section, lessons learned and future challenges are highlighted, along with sustainable monitoring and management options aimed to minimize the risk of introductions, and in turn pesticide application

Insight on tannin extraction and mechanical changes during maceration from skins and seeds of Italian red grape varieties

This study investigated tannin extraction in four Italian red grape varieties — ‘Aglianico’, ‘Nebbiolo’, ‘Primitivo’, and ‘Sangiovese’. The grape initial tannin content was characterized through a potential extraction. Moreover, the extractable phenolic content was evaluated through maceration in wine-like solution of skins, seeds, and their combinations for 10 days, with ethanol concentration incrementally adjusted to simulate fermentation. Texture analysis of grape seeds and skins was conducted before and after the wine-like solution macerations. Results revealed variety-dependent differences in the mechanical and acoustic properties of grape skins and seeds, with seeds showing increased acoustic energy upon breakage. Grape varieties showed differences in skin and seed phenolic pools and extractability. Significant positive correlations were found between potential and extractable tannin content. Smaller, less galloylated flavan-3-ols were well extracted in model wine solutions. Extraction curves were examined from skins, seeds, and combined skins + seeds matrices, evidencing a faster skin phenolics extraction than seeds. Interestingly, tannin extraction from skins + seeds did not correspond to the sum of individual skin and seed extractions. Moreover, the skin-to-seed tannin ratio and tannin structural characteristics also varied between skin and seed joint and separate extraction

The power of hydropeaking: trade-offs between flexible hydropower and river ecosystem services in Europe

The operational practice of “hydropeaking” allows hydropower plants to cover peaks and deficits in energy demand, but it also impacts river ecosystems. The assessment of hydropeaking impacts plays an important role in safeguarding ecosystem services, but is challenging due to the relative importance of impacts at different sites. To compare impacts in hydropeaking rivers, we elicit expert judgment on the relative impacts of hydropeaking on river ecosystem services. Using the best-worst scaling (BWS) method, we compare the impact on the three categories of river ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating and cultural). Our respondents include 98 hydropower experts. Our analysis accounted for individual heterogeneity to assess how perceptions vary across regions, attitudes and representative river characteristics. We find trade-offs between provisioning and regulating services at the regional and local levels, which represents a key issue in dealing with climate change and ecosystem degradation. The best-affected services were water for power generation, raw materials, water for industrial activities and water for irrigation. The worst-affected services were fisheries and aquaculture, maintenance of population and habitat, and wild animals. Our results have implications for the safeguarding of river ecosystem services and the design of regulatory and incentive schemes for mitigatio