Towards a redefinition of the diseases within the esca complex of grapevine

This article proposes a new definition of the concept of esca of grapevine, and of the diseases associated with esca. A proposal is made to restrict the term ‘esca’ to grapevine wood rot, as in the past, and to apply the name ‘Grapevine leaf stripe disease’ for the tracheomycosis which is the conspicuous and familiar visible tiger stripe symptoms on grapevine leaves. Retention of the term ‘esca proper’, to designate the co-occurrence of esca and Grapevine leaf stripe diseas, will retain linkage with the early terminology and with the convention of associating tiger striped leaves with wood rot

The concepts of plant pathogenicity, virulence/avirulence and effector proteins by a teacher of plant poathology

During the genomic and proteomic era of plant pathology in the last decade, extensive progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms of the interactions between plants and microbial pathogens. New models of pathogenesis have been designed, new biological phenomena have been discovered, a plethora of new molecules and functions have been determined, and new terms and senses have been added to phytopathological language. In this context, however, defects often emerge in many of the papers published on these subjects: the meanings attributed to some new terms are not always unique and do not always adhere to the basic concepts of plant pathology, including those relating to disease, disease cycles, pathogenicity, virulence, and avirulence. This paper discusses this problem, emphasizes established defintitions and proposes new ones, to assist the phytopa- thology community in unifying terminology for the benefit of our research discipline

The concepts of plant pathogenicity, virulence/avirulence and effector proteins by a teacher of plant pathology

During the genomic and proteomic era of plant pathology in the last decade, extensive progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms of the interactions between plants and microbial pathogens. New models of pathogenesis have been designed, new biological phenomena have been discovered, a plethora of new molecules and functions have been determined, and new terms and senses have been added to phytopathological language. In this context, however, defects often emerge in many of the papers published on these subjects: the meanings attributed to some new terms are not always unique and do not always adhere to the basic concepts of plant pathology, including those relating to disease, disease cycles, pathogenicity, virulence, and avirulence. This paper discusses this problem, emphasizes established defintitions and proposes new ones, to assist the phytopa- thology community in unifying terminology for the benefit of our research discipline

Towards Commoly Agreed Answers to Some Basic Questions on Esca

The present paper focuses on some basic questions about what we still call esca, such as: What is esca? Is esca a complex of diseases including young esca, white rot and esca proper, while Pch causes decline on its own? Is the concept of microbial succession to be retained, and what is its exact meaning? Can Pch, Pal and Fop be considered primary pathogens? What should the decline associated with Pch (Pal, Pin?) be called? These and other questions will be commented

Lampedusa: dall’agricoltura, alla pesca, al turismo

In September 1843, about a hundred Sicilian farmers arrived to the island of Lampedusa with the King of the Two Sicilies’s promise of a plot of land to cultivate, a house and a government subsidy of 4 tarì per day (about 20 euros today). The difficult environmental conditions, however, made the practice of agriculture almost impossible, and led the first settlers to a life of sacrifice and hardship. Later, sponge diving and fishing allowed the Lampedusa community to free itself from the hard life in the fields, and to achieve at least some economic security. Tourism, which began tentatively in the late 1960s, ensured the people even greater well-being. All this, combined with the innate willingness of the people from Lampedusa to welcome tourists, are mentioned in the book. Fabio Giovanetti and Antonino Taranto contributed to the volume’s realization, enriching it with important historical documents as well as images, and collaborated in the revision of the text. Their deep knowledge of the naturalistic, historical and landscape aspects of Lampedusa have been fundamental