9 research outputs found
in keeping with the spirit of the albertine statute constitutionalisation of the national unification
This chapter deals with the difficult process of constitutionalisation which characterised Italian Unification. Constitutionalisation is a long-term phenomenon which had the purpose of giving constitutional forms to the Nation. The promulgation of the Albertine Statute is more the start than the arrival of this phenomenon. The focus of this investigation is, therefore, to study the Constitution through its evolution paying particular attention to the process of legal integration within the structures of the Albertine Statute and to the amendment mechanisms of the constitutional text. The preamble of the Albertine Statute speaks of «perpetual and irrevocable fundamental law». The word «perpetual» meant the prohibition of revoking constitutional concession, while the word «irrevocable» was intended as a pact between the Sovereign and the Nation. Over the years, very few were the changes to the letter of the Albertine Statute. The interpretation and the practice represented the most important mechanisms of constitutional change (implicit constitutional changes). A primary role was acknowledged to non-written norms. In this perspective, it may well be said that the Italian Constitution consisted in something more than the written text and dwelt in the spirit and not in the letter of the Albertine Statute
Application of plant-derived bioactive compounds as seed treatments to manage the rice pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi
Plant essential oils (EO) possess antifungal properties due to the presence of terpenoids and phenolics capable of
damaging microbial cell membranes. The compounds present in EO could represent a valid alternative to synthetic
fungicides in rice crop protection, especially in Europe, where the available plant protection products are
increasingly scarce, particularly for managing seed-borne fungal pathogens like Fusarium fujikuroi Nirenberg, the
causal agent of bakanae disease. Bakanae is a major concern in Europe for seed producers, which often fail to
comply with the strict regulatory limits on the presence of the pathogen in the field, resulting in the rejection of
the seed crop from marketing and economic losses. The present work was aimed at studying 1) the in vitro effect
of EO derived compounds against F. fujikuroi and 2) their efficacy in disease management under field conditions
applied as seed treatments. Results confirmed the in vitro antifungal activity of tested compounds: specifically,
thymol (0.025% vol/vol), terpinen-4-ol (0.1%), and eugenol (0.05%) showed strong antifungal activity against
all the tested F. fujikuroi strains. Two-years, two-locations open field trials showed that seeds treated with thymol
(20%) and eugenol (5%) significantly reduced bakanae incidence compared to untreated control, without any
phytotoxicity effect on rice seed. The efficacy of these two compounds in managing the disease without affecting
germination rates was comparable to the commercially available prochloraz and triticonazole formulation,
considered as the positive control. Our results suggest that thymol and eugenol could be used as alternative
fungicides in innovative formulations for seed dressing, with the advantage of being compliant with the European
IPM framework and organic farming legislation