Yield determination in olive hedgerow orchards. I. Yield and profiles of yield components in north–south and east–west oriented hedgerows

A study of the vertical distribution of flowering and fruit set and of components of yield (fruit numbers, fruit size, and fruit oil content) was maintained for 2 years in N–S- and E–W-oriented olive hedgerows of comparable structure (row spacing 4m, hedgerow height to 2.5 m, width c. 1m) near Toledo, Spain (39.98N). Mean yield of the N–S orchard was 1854 kg oil/ha without difference between sides or years. Yield of the E–W orchard was greater in 2006, producing 2290 kg/ha, but only 1840 kg/ha in 2007, the same as the N–S orchard. The S side of the E–Worchard yielded more (59%) than the N side in 2007. In both orchards and years, most fruit was produced at 1.0–2.0m height and fruit density was the most influential component in these differences, reflecting more intense bud initiation in these upper layers. Other components that determined fruit number, fertile inflorescences, fruits per fertile inflorescence, and fruit drop were not significantly different between layers. Fruit characteristics depended on hedgerow position. In both N–S and E–W hedgerows, fruit high in the hedgerow was the largest, most mature, and with highest oil content. These differences were more marked in N–S than in E–W hedgerows. Fruit growth and development were concentrated from the middle of September until the end November. Oil content per fruit increased linearly during that period when 65% of final oil content was accumulated. Similar patterns were observed between sides. The results of yield and yield profiles are discussed in the general context of light interception. The results suggest the importance of hedgerow porosity, and distinct penetration patterns of direct-beam radiation through N–S and E–W hedgerows, as the basis for explanation of the high yield of the N side of E–W hedgerows

Yield determination in olive hedgerow orchards. II. Analysis of radiation and fruiting profiles

Profiles of fruit density, fruit size, and oil content were measured on 12 occasions in 7 olive orchards in Spain and 2 in Australia. Orchard structure varied widely. Height ranged from 2.0 to 5.5 m, row spacing from 3 to 6 m, and canopy width from 0.7 to 3m. Most orchards were oriented north–south (N–S) but one in Spain was oriented close to east–west (E–W)(208NE–SW). All orchards in Spain were cv. Arbequina, and in Australia they were cvv. Barnea and Picual. Analyses with a model of interception and transmission that estimated interception by individual sides of hedgerows revealed that fruit size and oil content were strongly related to intercepted radiation during the month before harvest across all orchards. Relationships were also evident between fruit density and interception but varied among orchards and years, indicating the importance of other environmental and probably physiological effects. In N–S orchards of cv. Arbequina, average fruit size and oil content increased linearly from 0.40 g (dry weight) to 0.72 g, and from 36 to 49% (of dry weight), as daily intercepted PAR increased from 6 to 25 mol/m2 (15–60% of horizontally incident radiation). The general principles of response extended to E–W orchards. There, it was shown that generally large fruit with high oil content on S sides was consistent with the plateau responses to radiation evident in the more extensive N–S data. On the N side, however, and accounting for transmission through the hedgerow, both fruit size and oil content were greater than in positions intercepting equivalent radiation inN–S orchards. Examples are provided of the utility of responses of fruit density, size, and oil content in establishing combinations of row height, row width, and row distance to improve or maintain productivity in some of the orchards included in the study

Effect of root-promoting products in the propagation of organic olive (Olea europaea L.) nursery plant

Olive cuttings root well using synthetic auxin indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). However, European and North American regulations do not allow the use of synthetic products to obtain organic vegetative propagation materials. In this work, we evaluated different products that could replace IBA in the propagation of olive cv. Cornicabra leafy-stem cuttings. In 2003, six products with a known auxin effect were assessed: IBA, algae extract, brewer's yeast, a bed of sunflower seed, seaweed dry extract (Sm-6 OrganicoTM), and an extract of macerated seeds (Terrabal OrganicoTM). The basal end of cuttings was treated with one of these products and placed on a mist bed with basal temperature control. After 2 months, rooting percentage, number of roots per cutting, number of cuttings with callus formation, and number of cuttings with basal thickening were determined. No significant differences were found in rooting percentage or number of roots per cutting between IBA and Terrabal OrganicoTM and Sm-6 OrganicoTM. These last products had significantly higher percentage of rooted cuttings without callus formation than IBA. In 2004, a new trial was conducted in which seven treatments were evaluated: IBA applied for 7 s; Terrabal OrganicoTM applied for 1, 4, and 8 h; and Sm-6 OrganicoTM applied for 1, 4, and 8 h. No significant differences in rooting percentage or number of roots per cutting were observed between IBA and Terrabal OrganicoTM applied for 1 h, whereas all the Sm-6 OrganicoTM treatments had significantly lower rooting percentages than IBA. Both rooting percentage and the percentage of rooted cuttings without callus development decreased significantly as treatment duration with Terrabal OrganicoTM increased. Therefore, Terrabal OrganicoTM could produce a toxic effect on cuttings when treatment duration is increased. Thus, Terrabal OrganicoTM could be a valid alternative to IBA in the propagation of organic olive plants of cv. Cornicabra when applied to the basal end of cuttings for 1

Physiological responses of ‘Arbequina’ olive trees to summer deficit irrigation

Most olive growing areas in the Mediterranean region are characterized by scarce water resources, especially in summer. This lack of water negatively affects the physiological development of the plant and thus its productivity. However olive tree seems to be less sensitive to water stress during summer. To evaluate the physiological responses of olive trees to water stress during this period three deficit irrigation treatments were applied. Control trees (CON) were irrigated to maintain the root zone close to field capacity. Two severe water deficit treatments were applied during summer by irrigating 30% CON in July (1st period) in DI-J or in August (2nd period) in DI-A. Moderate water deficit was applied from July to August (1st and 2nd periods) by irrigating 50% CON in DI-JA. Midday stem water potential (Ψs) and stomatal conductance (g) were measured during the irrigation period. Relative extractable water (REW) was determined from soil water content. Vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and ETo were calculated. The irrigation treatments modified g during summer, in response to the different amounts of water applied. When irrigation was reestablished these differences between treatments disappeared, showing a high capacity of the olive tree for a use of water when this is available. In moderate stresses trees (Ψs>-1.5MPa) g was linearly and curvilinearly related to REW and VPD respectively. Only when water atmospheric demand was lower than 5.5 mm•d-1, g was significantly correlated with Ψs

Estudio del impacto visual y propuesta de mejora mediante la implantación de arbolado urbano del parque eólico "La Plata"

En los últimos años, las energías renovables han pasado a jugar un papel fundamental en el abastecimiento energético mundial, debido al aumento de la demanda de energía y a la creciente problemática ambiental. Sin embargo, las energías renovables no están exentas de problemas medioambientales, y factores como la ocupación del territorio y el impacto visual hacen que su aceptación social disminuya. En el caso de la energía eólica, la disposición de los aerogeneradores queda condicionada por la intermitencia en la dirección e intensidad del viento, lo que complica la reducción del impacto visual de los parques eólicos y, por tanto, su aceptación social. Debido a la complejidad de los escenarios en los que se sitúan estas instalaciones, existe una gran diversidad de metodologías para optimizar su integración en el paisaje, pero no hay una metodología generalizada que considere que la población debe jugar un papel importante en su desarrollo. Para conocer y valorar el impacto visual que genera el parque eólico "La Plata", se han aplicado tres metodologías: una basada en la valoración cualitativa de los escenarios de población, otra en el uso de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y la última a través de cuestionarios, comprobando así la equidad en los resultados de las tres metodologías. Aplicadas las tres metodologías y comparando los resultados, todas ellas coinciden en la valoración del impacto visual negativo en el paisaje del parque eólico ?La Plata?, si bien la metodología que se apoya en el uso de cuestionarios incide directamente en la percepción de la población de este impacto, y discierne sus principales problemas. Para determinar la situación del arbolado propuesto se ha utilizado un SIG seleccionando las áreas prioritarias y así evaluar la reducción del impacto visual producido

Influence of climate change on the flowering of temperate fruit trees

It is well known that winter chilling is necessary for the flowering of temperate trees. The chilling requirement is a criterion for choosing a species or variety at a given location. Also chemistry products can be used for reducing the chilling-hours needs but make our production more expensive. This study first analysed the observed values of chilling hours for some representative agricultural locations in Spain for the last three decades and their projected changes under climate change scenarios. Usually the chilling is measured and calculated as chilling-hours, and different methods have been used to calculate them (e.g. Richarson et al., 1974 among others) according to the species considered. For our objective North Carolina method (Shaltout and Unrath, 1983) was applied for apples, Utah method (Richardson et al. 1974) for peach and grapevine and the approach used by De Melo-Abreu et al. (2004) for olive trees. The influence of climate change in temperate trees was studied by calculating projections of chilling-hours with climate data from Regional Climate Models (RCMs) at high resolution (25 km) from the European Project ENSEMBLES (http://www.ensembles-eu.org/). These projections will allow for analysing the modelled variations of chill-hours between 2nd half of 20C and 1st half of 21C at the study locations

Lat-1 and glut-1 carrier expression and its prognostic value in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Cancer cells develop mechanisms that increase nutrient uptake, including key nutrient carriers, such as amino acid transporter 1 (LAT-1) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), regulated by the oxygen-sensing Von Hippel Lindau-hypoxia-inducible factor (VHL-HIF) transcriptional pathway. We aimed to analyze these metabolic players in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET) and correlate them with tumor malignancy and progression. LAT-1, GLUT-1, and pVHL expression was analyzed in 116 GEP-NETs and 48 peritumoral tissue samples by immunohistochemistry. LAT-1 was stably silenced using specific shRNA in the human NET BON cell line. LAT-1 expression was significantly increased in tumor tissue compared to non-tumor tissue in both gastrointestinal (67% vs. 44%) and pancreatic NETs (54% vs. 31%). Similarly, GLUT-1 was substantially elevated in gastrointestinal (74% vs. 19%) and pancreatic (58% vs. 4%) NETs. In contrast, pVHL expression was decreased (85% vs. 58%) in pancreatic NETs. Tumors with metastases at diagnosis displayed increased LAT-1 and GLUT-1 and decreased pVHL expression (p < 0.001). In accordance with these data, silencing LAT-1 curtailed cell proliferation in BON cells. These findings suggest that specific mechanisms that increase nutrient uptake, such as LAT-1 and GLUT-1, are increased in GEP-NETs, whereas pVHL is decreased. These markers might be related to the proliferation and metastatic capacity of these tumors.This work was supported by the following grants: Proyectos de Investigación en Salud (FIS) PIE13-0041, PI16-02091 and PI19-00584 (funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III), TIRONET2-CM, B2017/BMD-3724 (funded by Comunidad de Madrid), GETNE G1707 and GCI1901 (funded by Grupo Español de Tumores Neuroendocrinos y Endocrinos) and cofinanced by FEDER funds to M.M. Proyectos de Investigación en Salud (FIS) PI19/01316-FEDER (funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III), given to J.C.T. Grants from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (SAF2016-76815 and SAF2017-90794-REDT), and Fundació La Marato de TV3 (534/C/2016) ceded to J.A

Standardized incidence ratios and risk factors for cancer in patients with systemic sclerosis: Data from the Spanish Scleroderma Registry (RESCLE)

Aim: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are at increased risk of cancer, a growing cause of non-SSc-related death among these patients. We analyzed the increased cancer risk among Spanish patients with SSc using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and identified independent cancer risk factors in this population. Material and methods: Spanish Scleroderma Registry data were analyzed to determine the demographic characteristics of patients with SSc, and logistic regression was used to identify cancer risk factors. SIRs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) relative to the general Spanish population were calculated. Results: Of 1930 patients with SSc, 206 had cancer, most commonly breast, lung, hematological, and colorectal cancers. Patients with SSc had increased risks of overall cancer (SIR 1.48, 95% CI 1.36-1.60; P < 0.001), and of lung (SIR 2.22, 95% CI 1.77-2.73; P < 0.001), breast (SIR 1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.54; P = 0.003), and hematological (SIR 2.03, 95% CI 1.52-2.62; P < 0.001) cancers. Cancer was associated with older age at SSc onset (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 1.01-1.03; P < 0.001), the presence of primary biliary cholangitis (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.18-4.68; P = 0.015) and forced vital capacity <70% (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.24-2.70; P = 0.002). The presence of anticentromere antibodies lowered the risk of cancer (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.97; P = 0.036). Conclusions: Spanish patients with SSc had an increased cancer risk compared with the general population. Some characteristics, including specific autoantibodies, may be related to this increased risk

Surgical treatment for colorectal cancer: Analysis of the influence of an enhanced recovery programme on long-term oncological outcomes-a study protocol for a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction The evidence currently available from enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes concerns their benefits in the immediate postoperative period, but there is still very little evidence as to whether their correct implementation benefits patients in the long term. The working hypothesis here is that, due to the lower response to surgical aggression and lower rates of postoperative complications, ERAS protocols can reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality. The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of an ERAS programme for colorectal cancer on 5-year survival. As secondary objectives, we propose to analyse the weight of each of the predefined items in the oncological results as well as the quality of life. Methods and analysis A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted in patients older than 18 years of age who are scheduled to undergo surgery for colorectal cancer. The study involved 12 hospitals with an implemented enhanced recovery protocol according to the guidelines published by the Spanish National Health Service. The intervention group includes patients with a minimum implementation level of 70%, and the control group includes those who fail to reach this level. Compliance will be studied using 18 key performance indicators, and the results will be analysed using cancer survival indicators, including overall survival, cancer-specific survival and relapse-free survival. The time to recurrence, perioperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay and quality of life will also be studied, the latter using the validated EuroQol Five questionnaire. The propensity index method will be used to create comparable treatment and control groups, and a multivariate regression will be used to study each variable. The Kaplan-Meier estimator will be used to estimate survival and the log-rank test to make comparisons. A p value of less than 0.05 (two-tailed) will be considered to be significant. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Aragon Ethical Committee (C.P.-C.I. PI20/086) on 4 March 2020. The findings of this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals (BMJ Open, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery). Abstracts will be submitted to relevant national and international meetings.The present research study was awarded a Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación health research project grant (PI19/00291) from the Carlos III Institute of the Spanish National Health Service as part of the 2019 call for Strategic Action in Health

Analysis of ancestral and functionally relevant CD5 variants in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

OBJECTIVE: CD5 plays a crucial role in autoimmunity and is a well-established genetic risk factor of developing RA. Recently, evidence of positive selection has been provided for the CD5 Pro224-Val471 haplotype in East Asian populations. The aim of the present work was to further analyze the functional relevance of non-synonymous CD5 polymorphisms conforming the ancestral and the newly derived haplotypes (Pro224-Ala471 and Pro224-Val471, respectively) as well as to investigate the potential role of CD5 on the development of SLE and/or SLE nephritis. METHODS: The CD5 SNPs rs2241002 (C/T; Pro224Leu) and rs2229177 (C/T; Ala471Val) were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays in a total of 1,324 controls and 681 SLE patients of Spanish origin. In vitro analysis of CD3-mediated T cell proliferative and cytokine response profiles of healthy volunteers homozygous for the above mentioned CD5 haplotypes were also analyzed. RESULTS: T-cell proliferation and cytokine release were significantly increased showing a bias towards to a Th2 profile after CD3 cross-linking of peripheral mononuclear cells from healthy individuals homozygous for the ancestral Pro224-Ala471 (CC) haplotype, compared to the more recently derived Pro224-Val471 (CT). The same allelic combination was statistically associated with Lupus nephritis. CONCLUSION: The ancestral Ala471 CD5 allele confers lymphocyte hyper-responsiveness to TCR/CD3 cross-linking and is associated with nephritis in SLE patients