Irrigation with treated wastewater affected the minor components of virgin olive oil from cv. Chemlali in Tunisia

Water limitation for agriculture is a problem in many countries and irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) can be a tool to face the decreasing availability of water for important domestic crops such as olive. Taking into account this aspect, a research was carried out for 13 years in an olive grove (Chemlali cultivar) located in the area of Sfax (Tunisia). Two different irrigation treatments were applied: (a) irrigation with good quality water (GQW) and (b) irrigation with TWW. The main objective of this 13-year study was to verify the effects of the irrigation with TWW vs. GQW on some minor parameters of the virgin olive oil. Many oil parameters significantly increased in the TWW irrigated plot, in particular lutein, total tocopherols, squalene, campesterol and stigmasterol whereas β-carotene, α-tocopherol, δ-tocopherol, β-sitosterol and total sterols decreased with respect to the GQW treatment. Irrigation with TWW can be a possible tool to irrigate olive groves with two positive effects: saving of freshwater and production of olive oil of good quality

Mapping Salinity Tolerance during Arabidopsis thaliana Germination and Seedling Growth

To characterize and dissect genetic variation for salinity tolerance, we assessed variation in salinity tolerance during germination and seedling growth for a worldwide sample of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. By combining QTL mapping, association mapping and expression data, we identified genomic regions involved in salinity response. Among the worldwide sample, we found germination ability within a moderately saline environment (150 mM NaCl) varied considerable, from >90% among the most tolerant lines to complete inability to germinate among the most susceptible. Our results also demonstrated wide variation in salinity tolerance within A. thaliana RIL populations and identified multiple genomic regions that contribute to this variation. These regions contain known candidate genes, but at least four of the regions contain loci not yet associated with salinity tolerance response phenotypes. Our observations suggest A. thaliana natural variation may be an underutilized resource for investigating salinity stress response

Essential Oils from Aromatic and Medicinal Plants as Effective Weapons Against Mosquito Vectors of Public Health Importance

The fight against mosquito-borne diseases has recently seen the failure of control programmes based on synthetic chemical treatments to combat larvae and adults of mosquito vectors. This has led to several problems linked to residual substances causing a detrimental impact on environment and human health and to the development of resistance in mosquitoes. In this scenario, new eco-friendly and alternative strategies for the management of mosquito-borne diseases come from the use of plant essential oils (EOs). These are complex mixtures of small, volatile and lipophilic compounds, mostly belonging to monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids and phenylpropanoids, produced by aromatic plants belonging to several botanical families such as Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rutaceae, Verbenaceae and Zingiberaceae. An important ecological role played by EOs is defending plants from several enemies such as bacterial and fungal pathogens, viruses, insects and parasites. EOs represent ideal candidate ingredients to be incorporated in insecticidal formulations since scientific evidences have documented their efficacy against larvae and adults of several mosquitoes (e.g. Anopheles, Aedes and Culex) even at low doses (<50 ppm), the multiple mode of action and wide spectrum of efficacy, the low toxicity on nontarget organisms and environment and the unlikely capacity to induce insect resistance. In this chapter, we gave an overview of the most important EOs obtained from commercially important botanical families with documented efficacy against mosquito vectors. Particular attention has been paid to highlight their strengths and weakness and the future challenges leading to the replacement of conventional insecticides by agrochemical companies