The on-farm conservation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) landraces assures the habitat diversity in the viticultural agro-ecosystem

A sustainable maintenance of grapevine biodiversity at risk of genetic erosion should involve farmers in the conservation process. Many local varieties of high biological significance are residually cultivated in traditional and marginal agricultural areas or in rural contests endangered by different factor of biodiversity erosion. The landrace-based orchards in the innate areas, i.e. the in situ conservation on farm, represent hotspots of biodiversity, while preserving at the same time natural resources like soil fertility, air and landscape quality owing to the optimal relationship genotype-environment that allows environmentally friendly agronomical practices. The study aims at highlighting the importance of grapevine on-farm conservation with special attention to the ecological and environmental implications derived from the maintenance of habitat diversity and complexity in the viticultural agro-ecosystem. To the aim, data on landscape pattern, configuration and composition at large and detailed scale were measured according to the methodology of landscape ecology in a landrace-based viticultural area in central Italy, and the landrace-based vineyard’s patch structure, as well the surrounding vineyard landscape, were analysed for shape, complexity, heterogeneity of the margins. The results prove the ecosystem services provided by the landrace-based vineyards in their innate growing area. These services can be attributable to the conservation of a high natural capital within the vineyard agro-ecosystem. The re-functionalization of these productive spaces, particularly when relictual or abandoned, and the involvement of farmers in the conservation strategy by strengthening the perception of the multifunctional value of their productive contests could provide a valuable example of strategy for the on farm conservation of local germplasm, together with the preservation of environmental benefits

Sustainable use of genetic resources: the characterization of an Italian local grapevine variety (‚Grechetto rosso') and its own landscape

Biodiversity and landscape are two tightly liked environmental traits, so that the loss in traditional agricultural landscapes imply the erosion of precious  local germplasm. The on-farm conservation of local cultivars assure the preservation of optimized environment-genotype interactions, unique multifunctional agro-ecosystems and landscapes. Therefore, the safeguard of endangered genetic resources has to consider genotyping, phenotyping, but also the characterization  of the related landscapes. The objective of this study was to provide the characterization of a local Italian grapevine, i.e. 'Grechetto rosso' through an integrated approach based on conventional ampelographic and molecular determinations and on the characterization of the landscape in the innate environment. 'Grechetto rosso' has affinity with 'Sangiovese', of which keeps the main ampelographic characters. Nonetheless, its diversity is prevalently expressed in berry characters, like the occasional presence of a not uniformly pigmented pulp, week epicuticular waxes and a red-coloured skin. This berry characters appeared to be related to the micro-environmental variables, i.e. the occurrence of cold-temperate nights during the ripening period and a rather temperate climate of the innate area. The 'Grechetto rosso' wine-grape-growing area is characterized by high naturality, and the 47 % of the 'Grechetto rosso' vineyards are still mixed with olive groves (traditional arrangement), while the remaining surface is represented by either specialized (46 %) or neglect (residual/relict) (7 %) vineyards. 'Grechetto Rosso' vineyards are distributed even in steep and extremely steep slope areas. The resulting description represents an example of useful information for promoting a sustainable use of grapevine genetic resources based on the in situ conservation on farm

Worrying about 'vertical landscapes'. Terraced olive groves and ecosystem services in marginal land in central Italy

Terraced Mediterranean areas are distinctive man-made landscapes with historical and cultural relevance. Terraced land abandonment driven by physical and economic constraints had important ecological consequences. This study focuses on a marginal agricultural district in southern Latium, central Italy, where terracing dated back to the Roman period and olive groves are the main agricultural use. A diachronic assessment of land-use transformations was carried out to identify landscape dynamics and drivers of change around terraced land. Terraced landscape systems (TLS), derived from spatial aggregation of neighboring terraced patches, have been analyzed for landscape transformations considering slope as the main stratification variable. Structural and functional characteristics of TLS were analyzed using a landscape ecology approach. Soil bio-chemical indicators were finally assessed to study the impact of terraced olive agro-ecosystems on soil-related ecosystems services. The empirical findings outlined that TLS in central Italy are sensitive to urbanization and land abandonment. Cultivated terraces prevailed up to gentle-medium slope land, uncultivated and wooded areas dominated terraces on steep slopes. In this context, poly-cultural olive groves proved to be a cropping system particularly resilient to global change, irrespective of land slope. Terraced systems and extensive poly-cultural olive groves play a role in preserving ecosystem integrity, landscape quality, soil functionality and, therefore, environmental sustainability

In vitro evidence for CCl4 metabolites covalently bound to lipoprotein micelles

AbstractCCl4-induced impairment of the lipoprotein secretion pathway of intact rat hepatocytes was carried out using 14CCl4 to check the possibility of binding to lipoproteins by CCl4 metabolites. After separation of different cell suspension fractions by means of ultracentrifugation and chemical precipitation procedures, a significant amount of the radioisotope was found covalently bound to the lipid and protein components of low density lipoproteins. Suitable experiments demonstrated that the bound radioisotope was represented by CCl4 metabolites and not by unactivated CCl4

Assessing impacts of climate change on phenology and quality traits of Vitis vinifera L. The contribution of local knowledge

Developing adaptation strategies in Vitis vinifera, a crop sensitive to climate change, is crucial for resilience of traditional viticultural systems, especially in climate-vulnerable areas like the Mediterranean basin. A progressive warming is demonstrated to alter the geographical distribution of grapevine, reducing land capability for typical grapes and vine productions in most Southern European districts traditionally specialized in tree crops. Grapevine growth and reproduction under climate change require a continuous monitoring to adapt agronomic practices and strategies to global change. The present study illustrates an empirical approach grounded on a set of bio-physical indicators assessing the genotype-related response to climate variation. This approach was tested in Umbria, central Italy, to verify the response of some major international and local grapevine varieties to climate variation during a relatively long time interval (1995-2015). Long-term data for ripening time and berry quality collected in the study area were correlated to representative bioclimatic indices including Winkler, Huglin, and Cool night indicators. Results of this study highlighted the increase of air temperature (reflecting the inherent growth in thermal availability for maturation) and the alteration of precipitation patterns toward more intense precipitation. Climate variability exerted distinctive impacts on grapevine phenology depending on the related genotype. Empirical findings underline the usefulness of a permanent field monitoring of the relationship between selected climate variables and grape ripening with the aim to develop adaptive viticultural practices at farm\u2019s scale

Role of anisotropy, frequency, and interactions in magnetic hyperthermia applications: noninteracting nanoparticles and linear chain arrangements

Efforts by numerous research groups have provided a deeper insight into the physical mechanisms behind the power absorption of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles in magnetic-fluid-hyperthermia applications and theoretical models now account for the main experimental observations. However, the role of all parameters relevant to the magnetic relaxation remains a matter of debate. Here, we employ a nonlinear model for the magnetic relaxation of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles with uniaxial effective anisotropy and evaluate the influence of particle-intrinsic parameters as well as experimental conditions on the power absorption of both noninteracting and interacting systems (linear arrangements). These effects are assessed through the enclosed hysteresis area of the magnetization loops as a function of relative anisotropy hK (the anisotropy field with respect to the amplitude of the ac field), i.e., the "area curve"of the system. These curves can be divided into four regions with distinct magnetic responses and boundaries that depend on the particle size, frequency of the applied field and interactions. Interactions change the effective anisotropy of the system and shift the area curve towards lower hK values. For the low relative anisotropy range, dipolar interactions increase the area of the hysteresis loops [thus, the specific power absorption (SPA)], while they are detrimental or produce nonsignificant effects for the range of high relative anisotropy. Our study resolves seemingly contradictory results of interaction effects in linear arrangements recently reported in the literature. Simulations of randomly oriented particles and chains were contrasted with the oriented cases. An analytical approach and the thermal interpretation of its validity range are discussed, both aimed at the design of nanoparticles and the choice of the experimental conditions for optimal heating. We find that systems with low-thermal-fluctuation influence are better candidates for the application due to their high SPA values. © 2021 American Physical Society

Sulfur isotope behavior during metamorphism and anatexis of Archean sedimentary rocks: A case study from the Ghost Lake batholith, Ontario, Canada

Recycling of surface-derived sulfur into the deep earth can impart distinct sulfur isotope signatures to magmas. The details of sulfur transfer from sedimentary rocks to magmas (and ultimately igneous rocks) through metamorphism and devolatilization and/or partial melting, however, is difficult to trace. To understand this process in detail we studied multiple-sulfur isotope compositions of sulfides in the Archean (c. 2685 Ma) Ghost Lake batholith (GLB) and its surrounding host metasedimentary rocks of the Superior Craton (Ontario, Canada) by high spatial resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry, complemented by high-precision gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometry measurements. The GLB comprises strongly peraluminous biotite+cordierite, biotite+muscovite, and muscovite+garnet+tourmaline granites to leucogranites, which are thought to represent the partial melts of surrounding metagreywackes and metapelites. The metasedimentary rocks display a range of metamorphic grades increasing from biotite-chlorite (280-380 °C) at ∼5 km away from the GLB to sillimanite-K-feldspar grade (∼660 °C) immediately adjacent to the batholith, thus providing a natural experiment to understand sulfur isotope variations from low- to high-grade Archean sedimentary rocks, as well as granites representative of their partial melts. We find that metasedimentary sulfide δ³⁴S values increase with progressive metamorphism at most 2-3‰ (from −1‰ up to +1 to +2‰). An increase in δ³⁴S values in pyrrhotite during prograde metamorphism can be explained through Rayleigh fractionation during pyrite desulfidation reactions. Pyrite from all but one of the granite samples preserve δ³⁴S values similar to that of the high-grade metasedimentary rocks, indicating that partial melting did not result in significant fractionation of δ³⁴S. The exception to this is one granite sample from a part of the batholith characterized by abundant metasedimentary inclusions. This sample contains pyrite with heterogeneous and low δ³⁴S values (down to −16‰) which likely resulted from incomplete homogenization of sulfur between the granitic melt and metasedimentary inclusions. Small (several tenths of a permil), mostly positive Δ³³S are observed in both the metasedimentary rocks and granites. Our results suggest that Archean strongly peraluminous granites could be a high-fidelity archive to quantify the bulk sulfur isotope composition of the Archean siliciclastic sediments. Further, our findings indicate that subduction of reduced sulfur-bearing sediments in the Archean with δ³⁴S at or near 0‰ should result in release of sulfur-bearing fluids in the mantle wedge with similar values (within a few permil). S-MIF (if initially present in Archean surface material) may be preserved during this process. However, the absence of S-MIF in igneous rocks does not preclude assimilation of Archean sedimentary material as either S-MIF may not be originally present in the Archean sedimentary sulfur and/or homogenization or dilution could obscure any S-MIF originally present in assimilated Archean sediments