Landscape restoration due to Xylella fastidiosa invasion in Italy: Assessing the hypothetical public’s preferences

Since 2013, the olive landscapes have gradually degenerated due to the spread and establishment of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (hereafter Xf) in Apulia, southern Italy. From 2013 to 2019, a total of approximately 54,000 hectares of olive orchards in the south of this region have been seriously damaged, and their restoration will progressively regenerate the economic, social, cultural and environmental nonmarket benefits. Since there is a willingness to restore the affected landscape in the best interest of the local citizens, this research aims to predict their preference heterogeneity and willingness to pay (WTP) to improve this landscape and continue research and experimentation in relation to Olive Quick Decline Syndrome Disease by the bacterium. For this purpose, a choice experiment method is used. The social field survey includes a representative sample of 683 respondents in three major cities (Foggia, Bari and Lecce) of Apulia region. The results reveal that for the local citizens interviewed, the most appreciated olive landscape services are cultural heritage and aesthetic values. In addition, the findings revealed citizens’ positive appreciation of improving the damaged olive landscape, while respondents are not willing to pay a premium for research. The results show that the average value that Apulians are willing to pay for landscape restoration is about 5.7 million of € per year. Further, this research has implications for land use planners in the study area, which faces issues of harmful pathogen management and land revival

Multi-tiered genomic analysis of head and neck cancer ties TP53 mutation to 3p loss

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by aggressive behavior with a propensity for metastasis and recurrence. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of the molecular and clinical features of HNSCC that govern patient survival. We find that TP53 mutation is frequently accompanied by loss of chromosome 3p, and that the combination of both events associates with a surprising decrease in survival rates (1.9 years versus >5 years for TP53 mutation alone). The TP53-3p interaction is specific to chromosome 3p, rather than a consequence of global genome instability, and validates in HNSCC and pan-cancer cohorts. In Human Papilloma Virus positive (HPV+) tumors, in which HPV inactivates TP53, 3p deletion is also common and associates with poor outcomes. The TP53-3p event is modified by mir-548k expression which decreases survival even further, while it is mutually exclusive with mutations to RAS signaling. Together, the identified markers underscore the molecular heterogeneity of HNSCC and enable a new multi-tiered classification of this disease

Une libanaise au temps de la coopération internationale. A lebanese bookstore. A a time of international cooperation

Etre libraire aujourd\u27hui, au Liban, c\u27est trouver un sens à son métier au-delà de son enracinement local et collaborer avec de multiples partenaires au-delà des frontières du pays, mais aussi étendre le périmètre traditionnel de son activité professionnelle. To be a bookseller in Lebanon today is to find meaning in one\u27s work beyond its local roots and collaborate with many partners beyond the country\u27s borders, but also to expand the traditional scope of one\u27s profession

Symptomatologie de l’esca. Les enseignements de 10 années d’observations

National audienceLa lutte contre l’esca, maladie de dépérissement de la vigne est devenue une priorité d’action pour la filière viticole. Mais pour pouvoir choisir une méthode appropriée de contrôle, il faut au préalable bien identifier l’étiologie de ce syndrome complexe et cela implique une connaissance précise des symptômes. De leur nature et de leur mode de développement en découlent des enseignements et des pistes prometteuses de recherche ou de lutte. Cet article résume plus de 10 ans d’expérience acquise par le centre INRA de Bordeaux en matière d’observations des symptômes d’esc

The potential direct economic impact and private management costs of an invasive alien species: Xylella fastidiosa on Lebanese wine grapes

Since its outbreak in 2013 in Italy, the harmful bacterium Xylella fastidiosa has continued to spread throughout the Euro-Mediterranean basin and, more recently, in the Middle East region. Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa is the causal agent of Pierce’s disease on grapevines. At present, this alien subspecies has not been reported in Lebanon but if this biological invader was to spread with no cost-effective and sustainable management, it would put Lebanese vineyards at a certain level of risk. In the absence of an Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa outbreak, the gross revenue generated by Lebanese wine growers is estimated as close to US$22 million/year for an average period of 5 years (2015–2019). The potential quantitative economic impacts of an Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa outbreak and particularly, the private control costs have not been assessed yet for this country as well as for others which Xylella fastidiosa may invade. Here, we have aimed to estimate the potential direct economic impact on growers’ livelihoods and provide the first estimate of the private management costs that a theoretical Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa outbreak in Lebanon would involve. For this purpose, we used a Partial Budget approach at the farm gate. For the country as a whole, we estimated that a hypothetical full spread of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa on Lebanese wine grapes would lead to maximum potential gross revenue losses of almost US$ 11 million for an average recovery period of 4 years, to around US$82.44 million for an average grapevine life span period of 30 years in which infected plants are not replaced at all. The first yearly estimated additional management cost is US$853 per potentially infected hectare. For a recovery period of 4 years, the aggregate estimated additional cost would reach US$2374/ha, while the aggregate net change in profit would be US$-4046/ha. Furthermore, additional work will be needed to estimate the public costs of an Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa outbreak in Lebanon. The observed costs in this study support the concerned policy makers and stakeholders to implement a set of reduction management options against Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa at both national and wine growers’ levels. This re-emerging alien biota should not be neglected in this country. This understanding of the potential direct economic impact of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa and the private management costs can also benefit further larger-scale studies covering other potential infection areas and plant hosts

Fungal community associated with grapevine wood lesions in Lebanon

Aims: To detect and identify the cultivable microorganisms putatively associated with esca disease in representative Lebanese vineyards. Methods and results: Two field surveys were conducted in Lebanon in 2005 and 2007 to study the fungal community associated with grapevine wood lesions. A total of 68 vines showing typical esca symptoms were randomly sampled in 17 vineyards and cross sections were obtained of cordons and trunks. The shape and type of inner necrosis and discoloration were examined and isolations were made from the symptomatic wood. Isolation results showed that inner necrosis and isolated fungi were similar to those previously found elsewhere, namely in Central Europe or Mediterranean countries. Additionally, three methods for numerical evaluation of micro-organisms found were compared. Conclusion: Most fungal pathogens generally associated with grapevine trunk diseases were detected, of which the basidiomycete Fomitiporia mediterranea and species of the ascomycete family Botryosphaeriaceae were the most frequently encountered. Additionally, a large diversity of other wood colonizing micro-organisms was detected. The putative role of some of the obtained micro-organisms in the process of wood degradation related to esca disease is discussed. Significance and impact of the study: This isolation study is presently the most completed that was carried out with grapevine wood samples collected in Lebanon. Besides, it is the first to provide isolation results based on a classification of inner necrosis in five categories and to compare three criteria for numerical evaluation. This study also tends to further highlight that Botryosphaeriaceae species are common wood inhabiting fungi that should be associated with esca

Fungal community associated with grapevine wood lesions in Lebanon

Aims: To detect and identify the cultivable microorganisms putatively associated with esca disease in representative Lebanese vineyards. Methods and results: Two field surveys were conducted in Lebanon in 2005 and 2007 to study the fungal community associated with grapevine wood lesions. A total of 68 vines showing typical esca symptoms were randomly sampled in 17 vineyards and cross sections were obtained of cordons and trunks. The shape and type of inner necrosis and discoloration were examined and isolations were made from the symptomatic wood. Isolation results showed that inner necrosis and isolated fungi were similar to those previously found elsewhere, namely in Central Europe or Mediterranean countries. Additionally, three methods for numerical evaluation of micro-organisms found were compared. Conclusion: Most fungal pathogens generally associated with grapevine trunk diseases were detected, of which the basidiomycete Fomitiporia mediterranea and species of the ascomycete family Botryosphaeriaceae were the most frequently encountered. Additionally, a large diversity of other wood colonizing micro-organisms was detected. The putative role of some of the obtained micro-organisms in the process of wood degradation related to esca disease is discussed. Significance and impact of the study: This isolation study is presently the most completed that was carried out with grapevine wood samples collected in Lebanon. Besides, it is the first to provide isolation results based on a classification of inner necrosis in five categories and to compare three criteria for numerical evaluation. This study also tends to further highlight that Botryosphaeriaceae species are common wood inhabiting fungi that should be associated with esca

Revisiting esca symptoms in the vineyard: results of a four-year survey

International audienc