2,831 research outputs found
Hyperspectral Reflectance as a Basis to Discriminate Olive Varieties—A Tool for Sustainable Crop Management
Worldwide sustainable development is threatened by current agricultural land change trends, particularly by the increasing rural farmland abandonment and agricultural intensification
phenomena. In Mediterranean countries, these processes are affecting especially traditional olive groves with enormous socio-economic costs to rural areas, endangering environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Traditional olive groves abandonment and intensification are clearly
related to the reduction of olive oil production income, leading to reduced economic viability. Most promising strategies to boost traditional groves competitiveness—such as olive oil differentiation
through adoption of protected denomination of origin labels and development of value-added olive products—rely on knowledge of the olive varieties and its specific properties that confer their uniqueness and authenticity. Given the lack of information about olive varieties on traditional
groves, a feasible and inexpensive method of variety identification is required. We analyzed leaf spectral information of ten Portuguese olive varieties with a powerful data-mining approach in order to verify the ability of satellite’s hyperspectral sensors to provide an accurate olive variety
identification. Our results show that these olive varieties are distinguishable by leaf reflectance information and suggest that even satellite open-source data could be used to map them. Additional advantages of olive varieties mapping were further discussed
Hyperspectral refrectace as a basis to discriminate olive varieties - a tool for sustainable crop management
Worldwide sustainable development is threatened by current agricultural land change
trends, particularly by the increasing rural farmland abandonment and agricultural intensification
phenomena. In Mediterranean countries, these processes are a ecting especially traditional olive
groves with enormous socio-economic costs to rural areas, endangering environmental sustainability
and biodiversity. Traditional olive groves abandonment and intensification are clearly related
to the reduction of olive oil production income, leading to reduced economic viability. Most
promising strategies to boost traditional groves competitiveness—such as olive oil di erentiation
through adoption of protected denomination of origin labels and development of value-added
olive products—rely on knowledge of the olive varieties and its specific properties that confer their
uniqueness and authenticity. Given the lack of information about olive varieties on traditional groves,
a feasible and inexpensive method of variety identification is required. We analyzed leaf spectral
information of ten Portuguese olive varieties with a powerful data-mining approach in order to verify
the ability of satellite’s hyperspectral sensors to provide an accurate olive variety identification. Our
results show that these olive varieties are distinguishable by leaf reflectance information and suggest
that even satellite open-source data could be“Integrated protection of the Alentejo olive grove. Contributions
to its innovation and improvement against its key enemies” with the reference ALT20-03-0145-FEDER-000029.
co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. under the ALENTEJO 2020
(Regional Operational Program of the Alentejo).PTDC/ASP-PLA/30650/2017 (“Fundação
para a Ciência e Tecnologia”. FCT Portugal).National Funds through FCT-Foundation for
Science and Technology under the Project UIDB/05183/202
Solving the Mystery of the “Coury Clone”
Rusty Gaffney explores the life and expertise of Charles Coury in this article from his Prince of Pinot blog, volume 9, issue 7. Coury became known for his emphasis on the importance of selecting appropriate grape varieties for particular sites. Gaffney details Coury\u27s entrance into the wine industry, as well as a comprehensive examination of the Coury Clone and all it came to be. Gaffney concludes there is ongoing research and interest in the Coury Clone in the wine industry
Selenium as stressor and antioxidant affects pollen performance in Olea europaea
Abstract Selenium (Se) as an antioxidant is a trace element essential to wellness and the maintenance of human health. Although it has not been confirmed to be an essential micronutrient in higher plants, there is increasing evidence of its benefits in plants in which it inhibits the detrimental effects of environmental stressors, while only few studies refer to its action on pollen germination. Selenium enhances the stress tolerance regulating the production and quenching of reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, the endogenous ROS are essential to the cross-talk between pollen and stigma and promote pollen tube growth. The action of Se has many mechanisms, not all yet fully clarified. In order to deepen the knowledge and fill the gaps in the role of Se as an inhibitor of ROS and, at the same time, a promoter of pollen germination, we attempted this research, enriching olive trees growing in pots and in the field with Se. The plants in pots were kept at a controlled water regime in order to induce drought stress. To test the effect of antioxidant on pollen performance, a single application of Se was supplied to the plants at the beginning of pollen development. Two olive cultivars (Arbequina and Maurino) were used in three different experiments in which Se enrichment was carried out through (i) endo-xylematic drip injection, (ii) foliar spray, (iii) soil application. The pollen performance was assessed at anthesis. The results showed that Se enrichment in non-stressed plants induced a higher rate of pollen viability and germination, but it did not always stimulate their reproductive performance. Different responses were obtained in drought stressed plants, in which Se induced pollen germination, obtaining a performance similar to non-stressed plants. The ROS detection by a quantitative method, applied on hydrated pollen, verified the results just discussed
Fish assemblages as biological indicators of ecological quality in portuguese rivers
No contexto da aplicação da Directiva-Quadro da Água, a ictiofauna é considerada como um
relevante elemento biológico. Pela primeira vez foi desenvolvido um sistema de classificação
para avaliação do estado ecológico dos ecossistemas aquáticos em Portugal, apesar dos
constrangimentos impostos pela variedade e ubiquidade das pressões humanas e pelas
peculiaridades dos agrupamentos piscícolas. Foram definidos grupos piscícolas para posterior
estabelecimento de uma tipologia nacional de rios, foram seleccionadas métricas responsivas ás
pressões humanas e foi desenvolvido um índice biótico piscícola. Os resultados evidenciam a
necessidade de diferenciar correctamente a resposta da ictiofauna ás perturbações naturais e
antropogénicas, considerando quer a variabilidade espacial, quer temporal dos agrupamentos
piscícolas, típica dos cursos de tipo Mediterrânico. O uso de solo tem fortes consequências na
degradação dos rios e na integridade da ictiofauna, sendo importante que a avaliação dos
impactos considere a interacção entre diferentes pressões. A compreensão da influência relativa
dos factores ambientais e humanos na ocorrência e abundância das espécies não nativas
permitiu evidenciar o potencial papel das mesmas como indicadores biológicos. Esta tese
contribuiu para o desenvolvimento e aperfeiçoamento de ferramentas de avaliação ecológica em
Portugal, permitindo igualmente um aumento do conhecimento sobre a ecologia das
comunidades piscícolas e funcionamento dos ecossistemas em rios de tipo Mediterrânico, com
vista à sua conservação e reabilitação; ABSTRACT:Under the implementation of the Water Framework Directive fish fauna is considered a useful
biological element. For the first time a Portuguese classification system to assess the ecological
status of aquatic ecosystems was established, despite several constrains posed by the variety
and ubiquity of human pressures and by the peculiarities of the fish assemblages. It was possible
to define fish-based geographical groups for the subsequent establishment of a national river
typology, to select metrics responsive to human pressures and to develop a fish biotic index.
Results underline the needs for accurately differentiate between fish responses to natural and
anthropogenic disturbances by accounting for the spatial and temporal variability of fish
assemblages. Land use may lead to strong impacts on stream degradation and fish assemblages
integrity and this evaluation must consider the interaction of different pressures. Understanding
the influence of environmental and human factors in the occurrence and abundance of non-native
species enlightened their role as a reliable tool in the ecological assessment of rivers. This thesis
represents an important contribution to improve the ecological assessment tools in Portugal,
while increasing knowledge on the ecology of fish communities and ecosystem functioning in
Mediterranean climate rivers in view of their urgent conservation
Genetic resources of Olea europaea L. in the Garda Trentino olive groves revealed by ancient trees genotyping and parentage analysis of drupe embryos
5openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorThe area of the Garda Lake within the Trentino province (north of Italy) is the northernmost
part of Europe where the Mediterranean species Olea europaea L. is traditionally cultivated. ‘Casaliva’
is claimed as the main variety traditionally grown in the Garda Trentino area (GT) from which a world
renowned niche extra virgin olive oil is produced. Since a dominant presence of ‘Casaliva’ would link
the fruit set success and yield to a self-pollination compatibility system, a deep genetic survey of the
olive tree population in the GT has been performed with the aim of establishing the actual varietal
composition and of understanding from which pollen donor the ‘Casaliva’ olives originate. Forty-four
dierent genetic profiles were observed among the 205 leaf samples collected from 106 ancient
trees through the analysis of 20 nuclear microsatellite markers. The varietal composition in modern
orchards was also explored and the vast majority of the additional 151 trees analyzed showed the
same genotype as the ancient accessions of ‘Casaliva’. The results support the long historical link of
‘Casaliva’ with the GT and, besides a high varietal homogeneity, they also revealed the presence of
olive genetic resources essential to fruit production. In fact, the parentage analysis of 550 embryos
from drupes of ‘Casaliva’ evidenced that a cross-fertilization system is favored and a list of candidate
cultivars most suitable as local pollinizers of ‘Casaliva’ was identified.openMoreno-Sanz, P.; Lombardo, L.; Lorenzi, S.; Michelotti, F.; Grando, M.S.Moreno-Sanz, P.; Lombardo, L.; Lorenzi, S.; Michelotti, F.; Grando, M.S
The monumental olive trees as biocultural heritage of mediterranean landscapes: The case study of sicily
Monumental olive trees, with their longevity and their remarkable size, represent an important information source for the comprehension of the territory where they grow and the human societies that have kept them through time. Across the centuries, olive trees are the only cultivated plants that tell the story of Mediterranean landscapes. The same as stone monuments, these green monuments represent a real Mediterranean natural and cultural heritage. The aim of this paper is to discuss the value of monumental trees as “biocultural heritage” elements and the role they play in the interpretation of the historical stratification of the landscape. We present the results of a survey of the most significant olive trees growing in Sicily. The selection was based on the “monumentality” aspects of trees, taking into account dendrometric parameters and environmental contexts. The collected dataset constitutes a heterogeneous sample of 367 specimens of considerable size that, in some cases, reach a circumference of about 19 m. Starting from the data presented here, the whole Sicilian territory shows a historical relationship between human and olive. The presence of these plant monuments is, therefore, evidence of long‐term, often centennial, landscapes as a result of sustainable use of the territory
Olive-Fruit Variety Classification by Means of Image Processing and Convolutional Neural Networks
The automation of classifcation and grading of horticultural products attending to different
features comprises a major challenge in food industry. Thus, focused on the olive sector, which boasts of a
huge range of cultivars, it is proposed a methodology for olive-fruit variety classifcation, approaching it as
an image classifcation problem. To that purpose, 2,800 fruits belonging to seven different olive varieties
were photographed. After processing these initial captures by means of image processing techniques,
the resulting set of images of individual fruits were used to train, and continuedly to externally validate, the
implementations of six different Convolutional Neural Networks architectures. This, in order to compute
the classifers with which perform the variety categorization of the fruits. Remarkable hit rates were
obtained after testing the classifers on the corresponding external validation sets. Thus, it was yielded
a top accuracy of 95.91% when using the Inception-ResnetV2 architecture. The results suggest that the
proposed methodology, once integrated into industrial conveyor belts, promises to be an advanced solution
to postharvest olive-fruit processing and classifcation
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