The weed vegetation of the bean “Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina” and the red pepper “Peperone di Pontecorvo” PDO crops (Latium, central Italy)

The weed vegetation of the bean “Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina” (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the red pepper “Peperone di Pontecorvo” (Capsicum annuum L.) PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) crops was surveyed by means of 16 relevés, sampled in four farms of southern Latium during July 2019. The relevés were subjected to multivariate analysis, which revealed that the two crops are weeded by vegetation types referable to two different subassociations of Panico-Polygonetum persicariae (Spergulo-Erodion, Eragrostietalia, Digitario-Eragrostietea). Namely, communities colonizing bean fields, which are more mesophilous and richer in Eurasian taxa, are ascribable to the subassociation sorghetosum halepensis. Communities colonizing red pepper fields, which are more thermophilous and richer in Mediterranean taxa, are ascribable to the subassociation cyperetosum rotundi. Floristic, structural, and chorological features of the communities are discussed in relation to environmental factors and agricultural management

La flora del Fiume Cavata. Guida pratica alla conoscenza delle piante acquatiche

Raramente le piante riscuotono l’interesse dell’escursionista e ancor più le piante acquatiche che si presentano spesso molto simili fra di loro e di difficile osservazione nel corpo idrico. Questa guida fotografica vuole essere di aiuto al riconoscimento delle piante che popolano i fiumi dell’Agro Pontino. L’escursionista, in canoa o a piedi lungo l’argine, potrà dare un nome agli alberi e alle “erbe” acquatiche. La guida è incentrata sul fiume Cavata, ricco di storia naturale e umana, ma risulta utile anche per gli altri fiumi e canali del territorio. Con la speranza che la conoscenza di questi particolari organismi vegetali possa risvegliare in noi un maggior rispetto per l’ambiente, gli autori augurano al “viandante fluviale” una piacevole e fresca escursione

La flora vascolare del Lazio.

The vascular flora of Lazio (Central Italy) - The long and meticulous data raising on the vascular flora of Lazio region, started by Giuseppe Lusina, then carried on by Bruno Anzalone and finally inherited by Edda Lattanzi and Mauro Iberite, represents a first working phase lasted 60 years and is briefly introduced in this paper. The vascular flora of Lazio region currently consists of 3330 units and 3146 species, divided into 150 families and 896 genera. For each unit the following information is provided: synonym(s), commonness in the regional territory, IUCN threatening status, geographical areas in which it occurs, ideal altitude range and habitat. Since the publication of the latest regional checklist (1996-98), the total amount of units increased from 3185 to 3330 (+4.46%); this is mainly due to the substantial and lively contribution of floristic and taxonomic studies provided both by researchers and by amateurs. Due to the complex geological and environmental patch as well as to the geographical position of Lazio region, this flora is to be considered one of the richest in Italy. Finally, a summarizing outline is given of the priority vascular plants of the region: 1) very rare units, 2) possibly extinct units, 3) threatened units, 4) units uniquely occurring in Lazio region, 5) non-native units; an outline that can serve as an up-to-date scientific tool in managing the floristic heritage of Lazio region

Taxonomy Complexity of Some Tyrrhenian Endemic Limonium Species Belonging to L. multiforme Group (Plumbaginaceae): New Insights from Molecular and Morphometric Analyses

The delimitation of Limonium taxa is highly complicated due to hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis. Many “microspecies” were described and aggregated into groups, most of which are still poorly known from both molecular and morphological points of view. The aim of this study is to investigate four endemic species from the Tyrrhenian coast of central Italy and the Ponziane Archipelago belonging to the L. multiforme group (L. amynclaeum, L. circaei, L. pandatariae, and L. pontium) by means of molecular and morphometric analyses. Molecular data by sequencing ITS and three plastid markers and morphometric data highlight new information about the taxonomy of these taxa so as to reduce them into a single specific entity. In fact, the better taxonomic choice is to consider the populations studied as part of a single species, i.e., Limonium pontium. Three subspecies are recognized, i.e., subsp. pontium [= L. circaei = L. amynclaeum; from Circeo to Gianola localities (excluding Terracina) and from islands Ponza, Palmarola, Zannone, and Santo Stefano], subsp. pandatariae comb. et stat. nov. (from island of Ventotene), and subsp. terracinense subsp. nov. (from Terracina)

Piezoelectric nanocomposite bioink and ultrasound stimulation modulate early skeletal myogenesis

Despite the significant progress in bioprinting for skeletal muscle tissue engineering, new stimuli-responsive bioinks to boost the myogenesis process are highly desirable. In this work, we developed a printable alginate/Pluronic-based bioink including piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles (nominal diameter: ∼60 nm) for the 3D bioprinting of muscle cell-laden hydrogels. The aim was to investigate the effects of the combination of piezoelectric nanoparticles with ultrasound stimulation on early myogenic differentiation of the printed structures. After the characterization of nanoparticles and bioinks, viability tests were carried out to investigate three nanoparticle concentrations (100, 250, and 500 μg mL−1) within the printed structures. An excellent cytocompatibility was confirmed for nanoparticle concentrations up to 250 μg mL−1. TEM imaging demonstrated the internalization of BTNPs in intracellular vesicles. The combination of piezoelectric nanoparticles and ultrasound stimulation upregulated the expression of MYOD1, MYOG, and MYH2 and enhanced cell aggregation, which is a crucial step for myoblast fusion, and the presence of MYOG in the nuclei. These results suggest that the direct piezoelectric effect induced by ultrasound on the internalized piezoelectric nanoparticles boosts myogenesis in its early phases

La flora commensale delle colture D.O.P. "Peperone di Pontecorvo" e "Fagiolo cannellino di Atina" (Lazio meridionale)

Il “Peperone di Pontecorvo” (Capsicum annuum L. ‘Cornetto di Pontecorvo’) e il “Fagiolo cannellino di Atina” (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Cannellino di Atina’) (Fig. 1) sono due colture annuali a ciclo estivo-autunnale della Provincia di Frosinone (Lazio), che hanno ottenuto il marchio D.O.P. nel 2010. I disciplinari di produzione prevedono la semina primaverile (peperone) o estiva (fagiolo), l’irrigazione e, infine, la raccolta estiva o autunnale. Per quanto riguarda le concimazioni e il diserbo chimico, questi sono consentiti per il peperone, mentre vengono vietati per il fagiolo. Le aree di produzione sono localizzate rispettivamente nella bassa Valle del Liri (a circa 50 m s.l.m.) e nella media Valle di Comino (a circa 400 m s.l.m.) e sono entrambe estremamente ridotte (poche centinaia di km2), fatto che conferisce alle due colture un intimo legame con il territorio. I substrati sono di natura alluvionale ed il fitoclima è Temperato Submediterraneo, a contatto con la fascia a fitoclima Mediterraneo nel caso di Pontecorvo (Pesaresi et al. 2017). Data l’utilità dello studio della flora commensale delle colture, sia dal punto di vista naturalistico-ambientale sia agronomico, e la totale mancanza di informazioni su questa per il “Peperone di Pontecorvo” e il “Fagiolo cannellino di Atina”, nel mese di luglio 2019 è stata effettuata un’indagine floristica in quattro aziende campione, due produttrici di peperoni e due di fagioli (Commissione Europea 2019). Il rilevamento è stato svolto tramite plot di area fissa di dimensioni 1 × 16 m, effettuando un rilievo al centro di ogni appezzamento coltivato (Chytrý, Otýpková 2003, Güler et al. 2016). Ad ogni agricoltore è stato, inoltre, chiesto di compilare un questionario riguardante le principali pratiche agronomiche effettuate. In totale sono stati censiti 52 taxa di piante vascolari, 35 nei campi di peperone e 27 nei campi di fagiolo, riferibili a 43 generi e 21 famiglie; le famiglie più rappresentate sono Asteraceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Polygonaceae e Brassicaceae ed il genere più rappresentato è Euphorbia. I taxa più frequenti sono Amaranthus retroflexus L., Convolvulus arvensis L., Portulaca oleracea L., Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., Cyperus rotundus L., Sonchus oleraceus L., Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Xanthium italicum Moretti e Chenopodium album L. subsp. album. Tra i molti taxa ampiamente diffusi, ne sono stati rinvenuti alcuni poco comuni in regione (Anzalone et al. 2010): Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) A.Juss., Euphorbia chamaesyce L., Lotus hispidus DC. e Visnaga daucoides Gaertn. L’analisi strutturale (Fig. 2a) ha evidenziato la presenza di una flora prevalentemente terofitica (67% di taxa annuali nelle colture di fagiolo, 82% in quelle di peperone), e subordinatamente geofitica ed emicriptofitica. La maggior incidenza di terofite nella flora commensale dei peperoni è riconducibile ad un contesto fitoclimatico caratterizzato da una maggiore aridità, comunque presente nonostante le irrigazioni. Tra le geofite, rilevante è il ruolo rivestito dalle rizomatose Cyperus rotundus L., nelle colture di peperone, e Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., in quelle di fagiolo; entrambe queste specie sono infestanti di notevole rilevanza in agricoltura (Holm et al. 1977). In termini corologici (Fig. 2b), la flora totale è caratterizzata da una notevole incidenza di neofite (maggiormente rappresentate nella flora commensale dei peperoni) e cosmopolite (più presenti in quella dei fagioli). Tra le neofite, tutte invasive e quasi tutte di provenienza americana, vi sono Amaranthus hybridus L. subsp. hybridus, A. retroflexus L., Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte, Datura stramonium L., Erigeron canadensis L., E. sumatrensis Retz., Euphorbia maculata L., E. prostrata Aiton e Veronica persica Poir. Tra i taxa ad ampia distribuzione sono presenti Chenopodium album L. subsp. album, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Cyperus rotundus L., Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) P.Beauv. subsp. crusgalli, Euphorbia helioscopia L., Persicaria maculosa Gray, Portulaca oleracea L. e Rumex crispus L. Le archeofite sono invece esclusive delle colture di fagiolo e sono rappresentate da Abutilon theophrasti Medik. e Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. Seguono per importanza i taxa eurimediterranei, più rappresentati nelle colture di peperoni. L’applicazione degli indici di Ellenberg (Pignatti 2005, Domina et al. 2018) ha evidenziato come la flora commensale dei peperoni sia leggermente più termofila ed eliofila, coerentemente con il fitoclima, e leggermente più nitrofila, come conseguenza delle concimazioni chimiche. In generale, l’indagine ha confermato la spiccata omogeneità della flora commensale delle colture a ciclo estivo nel Lazio, evidenziando notevoli affinità tra i contingenti floristici indagati e quelli, recentemente studiati, delle colture di mais (Abbate et al. 2013, Fanfarillo et al. 2019)

Lectotypification of two names in Limoniastrum (Plumbaginaceae)

The halophytic shrub genus Limoniastrum has recently been recircumscribed to include only two Mediterranean-Saharan species, Limoniastrum monopetalum (L.) Boiss. (≡ Statice monopetala L.) and L. guyonianum Boiss. Protologues of both species are briefly discussed and lectotypes are designated using material at BM (Herb. Clifford) and G (Herb. Boissier)

Testing seed germination from herbaria: Application of seed quality enhancement techniques and implication for plant resurrection and conservation

Herbaria are an important source of data and material useful in many fields, including plant conservation. Seeds preserved in herbarium specimens may have the potential to germinate, although few studies focused on this topic. Here, the first systematic assessment of six techniques, including priming techniques and melatonin application, aimed at improving the germination of seeds from herbarium specimens is presented. Seed germination of 26 species common in Europe, some of which congeneric to extinct species, collected in herbaria and in the wild (20,549 seeds in total, including 19,509 from 297 herbarium specimens from 8 different herbaria) was tested with the following treatments: exogenous melatonin addition to the germination medium, priming with melatonin, osmopriming, hydropriming for 24 and 48 hours, standard soil, heat sterilization and gibberellins addition. More than 85% of the fresh seeds and 1% of the seeds collected in herbaria germinated, including seeds older than 50 years. Data show that treatment with exogenous melatonin had a positive effect on the germination of fresh seeds, but a negative effect on the germination of herbarium-derived seeds. Furthermore, osmopriming treatment had a slightly positive effect on the germination of herbarium-derived seeds. Osmopriming and exogenous melatonin addition seem to be promising techniques that need further investigation and improvement and might be useful for the development of an optimal germination protocol for old and herbarium-derived seeds. The germination of seeds from herbaria could be an important tool in plant conservation, with the aim of reversing the extinction trend of many species through de-extinction, safeguarding biodiversity, and genetic variability. This study provides preliminary data for the development of germination protocols, especially for old seeds of species of conservation interest, to maximise the chance of recovering lost genetic diversity and leading to the first de-extinction ever

At the intersection of cultural and natural heritage: Distribution and conservation of the type localities of Italian endemic vascular plants

We conducted a GIS spatial analysis with the aim of providing the first quantitative large-scale overview of the distribution patterns of 1536 type localities (loci classici) of 1216 Italian endemic vascular plants and their relationship with a set of descriptive variables. Whereas some variables were used to model the presence-absence distribution patterns of the type localities for the whole set of endemics as well as for the subset of narrow endemics, others (e.g., presence inside or outside protected areas and Italian Important Plant Areas) were considered with the purpose of assessing potential assets or risks for conservation. The largest number of type localities was found within the Mediterranean biogeographic region (1134), followed by the Alpine region (306) and Continental region (96). A total of 670 locations are located on islands, whereas 866 are located on the Italian mainland (139 and 124 in the case of narrow endemics, respectively). A large number of type localities are located in mountainous areas and along the coastline, which can be seen as a potential risk for conservation. On the contrary, we detected a positive correlation with the distance from roads, which might be considered to be an asset. Importantly, 1030 type localities fall inside protected areas, whereas 506 localities fall outside protected areas, with 259 of these unprotected localities on islands. We propose considering the results of the analysis of the distribution of type localities of Italian endemics to be a strategic tool for conservation planning and resource management. Application of plant micro-reserves and integration of diverse legislation tools are suggested to strengthen efforts and increase conservation success

Red Listing plants under full national responsibility: Extinction risk and threats in the vascular flora endemic to Italy

Taxa endemic to a country are key elements for setting national conservation priorities and for driving conservation strategies, since their persistence is entirely dependent on national policy. We applied the IUCN Red List categories to all Italian endemic vascular plants (1340 taxa) to assess their current risk of extinction and to highlight their major threats. Our results revealed that six taxa are already extinct and that 22.4% (300 taxa) are threatened with extinction, while 18.4% (247; especially belonging to apomictic groups) have been categorized as Data Deficient. Italian endemic vascular plants are primarily threatened by natural habitat modification due to agriculture, residential and tourism development. Taxa occurring in coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and habitat destruction are concentrated, display the greatest population decline and extinction. The national network of protected areas could be considered effective in protecting endemic-rich areas (ERAs) and endemic taxa, but ineffective in protecting narrow endemic-rich areas (NERAs), accordingly changes to the existing network may increase the effectiveness of protection. For the first time in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot, we present a comprehensive extinction assessment for endemic plants under the full responsibility of a single country. This would provide an important step towards the prioritization and conservation of threatened endemic flora at Italian, European, and Mediterranean level. A successful conservation strategy of the Italian endemic vascular flora should implement the protected area system, solve some taxonomical criticism in poorly known genera, and should rely on monitoring threatened species, and on developing species-specific action plans