Mixtures of Commercial Lentil Cultivars Show Inconsistent Results on Agronomic Parameters but Positive Effects on Yield Stability

Cultivar mixtures are a useful tool to enhance cultivated biodiversity to buffer crop biotic and abiotic stresses. There are multiple pieces of evidence of mixture advantages in terms of pathogen control and increase in yield amount, stability and quality. Lentil represents a founder crop in the Mediterranean, yet it experiences strong yield fluctuations in the face of abiotic stresses. The present study aims to assess the mixing ability of four Italian commercial lentil lines in terms of yield amount and stability, nodule number, total lentil biomass and sensitivity to weeds. Since there is very limited information on lentil genotype traits, two-, three- and four-cultivar mixtures were designed with a trait-blind approach and compared to sole cultivars. The nodule number was mainly influenced by cultivar and weather; no interaction between cultivars was observed. Treatments were differently sensitive to weeds, but the effect of spatial heterogeneity prevailed over that of the cultivar. The average yield stability of all mixtures was significantly higher than pure stands, but in terms of yield amount, individual mixtures either outperformed or were outperformed by pure stands. Against our expectations, cultivar mixtures showed the most advantages in the most productive year: likely, the reason lies in the supposed low genetic diversity of commercial lentil lines in Italy. We encourage further research, taking into account the diversity of Italian lentil landraces, in order to gain a broader genetic base for the implementation of a trait-based approach, which may lead to better-performing mixtures

LEGU-MED: Developing biodiversity-based agriculture with legume cropping systems in the mediterranean basin

Environmental degradation and the decrease of ecosystem service provision are currently of major concern, with current agricultural systems being a major driver. To meet our future environmental and sustainability targets a transformation of the agro-food systems and current agricultural value chain are crucial. One approach to redesign farming systems is the concept of biodiversity-based agriculture (BBA) which relies on sustainable diversification of biological components and their natural interactions in farming systems to maximize fertility, productivity, and resilience to external perturbations. Despite minimizing anthropogenic inputs, BBA is not yet able to meet all beneficial environmental objectives. BBA applied in the Mediterranean basin requires urgent innovation in approaches, methodologies, and models for small-holder traditional farming systems to ensure a stable provision of ecosystem services and better resilience to environmental stresses linked to climate change. Legumes are the backbone of the Mediterranean agro-ecosystems from ancient times, but their unique and wide biodiversity was not sufficiently valorized, especially by North-African countries. Here, we present LEGU-MED, a three-year international project funded by PRIMA initiative 2019. An international consortium was established involving five universities, 5 research institutes, and one private company from 8 countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, and Croatia. The main objective of this project is to put forward an international and well-integrated plan to valorize the legume agrobiodiversity of the Mediterranean in biodiversity-based farming systems and consequently enhance agro-ecosystem functions and services in the Mediterranean basin. The successful completion of LEGU-MED will have the following impacts on Mediterranean legume-based farming systems: (1) improve water use efficiency, (2) reduce the use of anthropogenic inputs through the maintenance of soil fertility, (3) enhance pollination and improve ecological connectivity with flora and fauna, (4) protect close-by wildland ecosystems, (5) enhance other ecosystem services (e.g., pest, disease, and weed suppression), and (6) provide healthier and safer protein-rich food

Polymer-based black phosphorus (bP) hybrid materials by in situ radical polymerization: an effective tool to exfoliate bP and stabilize bP nanoflakes

Black phosphorus (bP) has been recently investigated for next generation nanoelectronic multifunctional devices. However, the intrinsic instability of exfoliated bP (the bP nanoflakes) towards both moisture and air has so far overshadowed its practical implementation. In order to contribute to fill this gap, we report here the preparation of new hybrid polymer-based materials where bP nanoflakes exhibit a significantly improved stability. The new materials have been prepared by different synthetic paths including: i) the mixing of conventionally liquid-phase exfoliated bP (in DMSO) with PMMA solution; ii) the direct exfoliation of bP in a polymeric solution; iii) the in situ radical polymerization after exfoliating bP in the liquid monomer (methyl methacrylate, MMA). This last methodology concerns the preparation of stable suspensions of bPn-MMA by sonication-assisted liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) of bP in the presence of MMA followed by radical polymerization. The hybrids characteristics have been compared in order to evaluate the bP dispersion and the effectiveness of the bPn interfacial interactions with polymer chains aimed at their long-term environmental stabilization. The passivation of bPn results particularly effective when the hybrid material is prepared by in situ polymerization. By using this synthetic methodology, the nanoflakes, even if with a gradient of dispersion (size of aggregates), preserve their chemical structure from oxidation (as proved by both Raman and 31P-Solid State NMR studies) and are particularly stable to air and UV light exposure

Gendered financial & nutritional benefits from access to pay-as-you-go LPG for cooking in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya

This study investigates the association between adoption of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), an emerging alternative to full cylinder LPG, and women's economic empowerment in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. From December 2021-January 2022, 293 customers of a PAYG LPG company (PayGo Energy) were surveyed on their cooking patterns, financial savings and shifts in dietary behaviors following uptake of the technology. Among PayGo Energy customers that previously cooked only with polluting fuels (N = 78; 27 % of customers), daily cooking time was reduced by an average of 42 min/day; 82 % of PayGo Energy customers that previously cooked with full cylinder LPG (N = 216; 73 % of customers) also decreased their cooking time (average of 20 min/day) when switching to PAYG LPG. The majority (58 %; N = 70) of female household heads took on additional employment after switching to PAYG LPG, compared with 36 % (N = 55) of females living in male-headed households. Among female household heads, the proportion of informal sector workers earning wages on an irregular (71 %) or daily basis (61 %) that took on new income-generating activities after transitioning to PAYG LPG was over 20 % higher than those earning monthly salaries (39 %). Increased dietary diversity and consumption of protein-rich foods (legumes, meat, fish) from cooking with PAYG LPG was reported by 15 % of female household heads compared with 5 % of those living in male-headed households. While nearly three-quarters (73 %) of PayGo Energy customers would recommend the service to others because of the added convenience it provides, only one-third (29 %) reported associated health benefits as a key reason for promoting use of PAYG LPG to community members. Female household heads were more likely than non-household heads to be socioeconomically empowered when adopting PAYG LPG, illustrating that women's agency may influence the associated benefits of clean energy transitions. Nonetheless, the time savings reported by nearly all women who switched to PAYG LPG for cooking suggests that promoting the increased convenience of cooking with PAYG LPG may be useful for accelerating its adoption

LEGU-MED: Developing Biodiversity-Based Agriculture with Legume Cropping Systems in the Mediterranean Basin

Environmental degradation and the decrease of ecosystem service provision are currently of major concern, with current agricultural systems being a major driver. To meet our future environmental and sustainability targets a transformation of the agro-food systems and current agricultural value chain are crucial. One approach to redesign farming systems is the concept of biodiversity-based agriculture (BBA) which relies on sustainable diversification of biological components and their natural interactions in farming systems to maximize fertility, productivity, and resilience to external perturbations. Despite minimizing anthropogenic inputs, BBA is not yet able to meet all beneficial environmental objectives. BBA applied in the Mediterranean basin requires urgent innovation in approaches, methodologies, and models for small-holder traditional farming systems to ensure a stable provision of ecosystem services and better resilience to environmental stresses linked to climate change. Legumes are the backbone of the Mediterranean agro-ecosystems from ancient times, but their unique and wide biodiversity was not sufficiently valorized, especially by North-African countries. Here, we present LEGU-MED, a three-year international project funded by PRIMA initiative 2019. An international consortium was established involving five universities, 5 research institutes, and one private company from 8 countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, and Croatia. The main objective of this project is to put forward an international and well-integrated plan to valorize the legume agrobiodiversity of the Mediterranean in biodiversity-based farming systems and consequently enhance agro-ecosystem functions and services in the Mediterranean basin. The successful completion of LEGU-MED will have the following impacts on Mediterranean legume-based farming systems: (1) improve water use efficiency, (2) reduce the use of anthropogenic inputs through the maintenance of soil fertility, (3) enhance pollination and improve ecological connectivity with flora and fauna, (4) protect close-by wildland ecosystems, (5) enhance other ecosystem services (e.g., pest, disease, and weed suppression), and (6) provide healthier and safer protein-rich food. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Inflammatory bowel disease nurse specialists for patients on biological therapies: a nationwide Italian survey

Background Management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. Among the working team, the role of IBD nurse is expected to be particularly relevant when managing patients receiving biological therapies. We performed a survey to assess the presence of IBD nurse in centers where patients were receiving biologics. Methods For this Italian nationwide survey a specific questionnaire was prepared. IBD nurse was defined as a nurse directly involved in all phases of biological therapy, from pre-therapy screening, administration and monitoring during therapy, to follow up performed by a dedicated helpline, completed a specific training on biological therapy therapy, and observed international guidelines. Results A total of 53 Italian IBD centers participated in the survey, and 91 valid questionnaires were collected. Overall, 34 (37.4%) nurses could be classified as IBD specialists. IBD nurses had a significantly higher educational level than other nurses, they were more frequently operating in Central or Southern than in Northern Italy, they were working in an Academic center rather than in a General hospital, and in IBD centers with >25 patients on biological therapy. On the contrary, mean age, gender distribution, years of nursing, and years working in the IBD unit did not significantly differ between IBD and other nurses. Conclusions Our nationwide survey showed that the presence of an IBD nurse is still lacking in the majority of Italian IBD centers where patients receive biological therapies, suggesting a prompt implementation

Household concentrations and female and child exposures to air pollution in peri-urban sub-Saharan Africa: measurements from the CLEAN-Air(Africa) study.

BackgroundRelatively clean cooking fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) emit less fine particulate matter (PM2·5) and carbon monoxide (CO) than polluting fuels (eg, wood, charcoal). Yet, some clean cooking interventions have not achieved substantial exposure reductions. This study evaluates determinants of between-community variability in exposures to household air pollution (HAP) across sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsIn this measurement study, we recruited households cooking primarily with LPG or exclusively with wood or charcoal in peri-urban Cameroon, Ghana, and Kenya from previously surveyed households. In 2019-20, we conducted monitoring of 24 h PM2·5 and CO kitchen concentrations (n=256) and female cook (n=248) and child (n=124) exposures. PM2·5 measurements used gravimetric and light scattering methods. Stove use monitoring and surveys on cooking characteristics and ambient air pollution exposure (eg, walking time to main road) were also administered.FindingsThe mean PM2·5 kitchen concentration was five times higher among households cooking with charcoal than those using LPG in the Kenyan community (297 μg/m3, 95% CI 216-406, vs 61 μg/m3, 49-76), but only 4 μg/m3 higher in the Ghanaian community (56 μg/m3, 45-70, vs 52 μg/m3, 40-68). The mean CO kitchen concentration in charcoal-using households was double the WHO guideline (6·11 parts per million [ppm]) in the Kenyan community (15·81 ppm, 95% CI 8·71-28·72), but below the guideline in the Ghanaian setting (1·77 ppm, 1·04-2·99). In all communities, mean PM2·5 cook exposures only met the WHO interim-1 target (35 μg/m3) among LPG users staying indoors and living more than 10 min walk from a road.InterpretationCommunity-level variation in the relative difference in HAP exposures between LPG and polluting cooking fuel users in peri-urban sub-Saharan Africa might be attributed to differences in ambient air pollution levels. Thus, mitigation of indoor and outdoor PM2·5 sources will probably be critical for obtaining significant exposure reductions in rapidly urbanising settings of sub-Saharan Africa.FundingUK National Institute for Health and Care Research

Nitrogen uptake in lentil cultivar mixtures is not predictable from pure stands performance but is correlated with agronomic parameters and experimental conditions

Abstract Background In the context of rising costs of raw materials and environmental degradation caused by livestock farming, the agri-food sector faces significant challenges in sourcing sustainable proteins. Grain legumes have emerged as cost-effective protein sources, with lower water footprint and GHG emissions compared to animal sources. However, their cultivation is threatened by strong yield fluctuations. Leveraging intra-specific diversity through cultivar mixtures in cropping systems can effectively buffer biotic and abiotic stresses, hence increasing yield stability. In this study, we investigate the effect of intra-specific diversity on lentil nitrogen uptake under pot (2020) and field conditions (2021). We hypothesize that cultivars with higher affinity for nitrogen fixation influence the other components of the mixture, and that nitrogen uptake dynamics are a possible driver in modulating cultivar mixture behaviour. We designed two-, three-, and four-cultivar mixtures with a trait-blind approach and compared them to sole cultivars. Results and conclusions Our results show inconsistencies across the two experimental years, indicating that lentils may shift their nitrogen source from the atmosphere to the soil when grown in pots. Mixtures 15N enrichment was not always consistent with pure stand performance, suggesting that cultivar mixtures may have an unpredictable cumulative effect on nitrogen uptake. Regarding correlations with agronomic parameters, we observed a significant correlation between nodules number and nitrogen concentration, regardless of experimental conditions. Finally, we found that 15N excess emerged as a significant predictor for pure stands’ yield, but the differences were diluted with the increase in diversity levels. The findings on 15N enrichment responses, cultivar impacts, and complex mixture effects on soil microbiota underscore the need for further research