Research focusing on plant performance in constructed wetlands and agronomic application of treated wastewater – A set of experimental studies in Sicily (Italy)

Constructed wetlands are sustainable technologies for the treatment of wastewater. These biological systems have been widely studied throughout the world for more than 30 years; however, most studies have focused on the effects of design and engineering on pollutant removal from wastewater. Undoubtedly, agro-technical aspects have been given too little consideration by research. This paper reports the main results of a set of experiments carried out on two pilot horizontal subsurface flow systems in Sicily (Italy). Festuca, Lolium and Pennisetum spp. in combination and three emergent macrophytes–Arundo donax L., Cyperus alternifolius L. and Typha latifolia L.–alone, were assessed. The aim of the study was to demonstrate that, under predetermined hydraulic and design conditions, the choice of plant species and the management of the vegetation can significantly affect the pollutant removal performance of constructed wetlands. In addition, wastewater (after treatment) can also be used for agricultural purposes leading to increased sustainability in agricultural systems. Arundo and Typha-planted units performed better than Cyperus-planted units in terms of chemical, physical and microbiological contaminant removal. All the species adapted extremely well to wetland conditions. Polyculture systems were found to be more efficient than monocultures in the removal of dissolved organic compounds. The reuse of treated wastewater for the irrigation of open fields and horticultural crops led to significant savings in the use of freshwater and fertilizers. The results of physical-energy characterization of A. donax above-ground plant residues and pellets highlighted the fact that a constructed wetland could also be a potential source of bioenergy

An agronomic evaluation of new safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) germplasm for seed and oil yields under Mediterraean climate conditions

Interest in oilseed crops for agro-industrial research and development projects has increased in the Mediterranean area, in recent years. Saffloower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is of potential interest for agriculture mainly due to fatty acid content variability in the seed oil. The aim of this study was to assess the agronomic performance of 16 new safflower accessions together with safflower variety Montola 2000, used as a reference, in a semi-arid environment. Research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) from 2013–2014. Hierarchical cluster analysis carried out on the fatty acid composition of safflower accessions resulted in their division into four main groups. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were the main fatty acids present in the accessions. Seed yield was 1.11 t ha-1 on average and seed oil content was found to be approximately 35.01% of dry matter on average. Positive and significant relationships between seed/oil yield and other tested traits were found. The carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen content as a percentage of dry matter varied greatly both for the above- and belowground plant parts on average. This study confirms the interest of safflower for both food and non-food applications, offering interesting prospects in semi-arid regions

The unequal-time matter power spectrum: impact on weak lensing observables

We investigate the impact of a common approximation of weak lensing power spectra: the use of single-epoch matter power spectra in integrals over redshift. We disentangle this from the closely connected Limber’s approximation. We derive the unequal-time matter power spectrum at one-loop in standard perturbation theory and effective field theory to deal with non-linear physics. We compare these formalisms and conclude that the unequaltime power spectrum using effective field theory breaks for larger scales. As an alternative we introduce the midpoint approximation. We also provide, for the first time, a fitting function for the time evolution of the effective field theory counterterms based on the Quijote simulations. Then we compute the angular power spectrum using a range of approaches: the Limber approximation, and the geometric and midpoint approximations. We compare our results with the exact calculation at all angular scales using the unequal-time power spectrum. We use DES Y1 and LSST-like redshift distributions for our analysis. We find that the use of the Limber’s approximation in weak lensing diverges from the exact calculation of the angular power spectrum on large-angle separations, ` < 10. Even though this deviation is of order 2% maximum for cosmic lensing, we find the biggest effect for galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing. We show that not only is this true for upcoming galaxy surveys, but also for current data such as DES Y1. Finally, we make our pipeline and analysis publicly available as a Python package called unequalpy

TRACHEOSTOMY MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS: CLINICAL FEATURES AND SURVIVAL ANALYSIS.

Background: Tracheostomy mechanical ventilation (TMV) is performed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a respiratory failure or when the non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is no longer effective. We evaluated the clinical characteristics and survival of a cohort of tracheostomized ALS patients, followed in a single ALS Clinical Center. Methods: Between 2001 and 2010, 87 out of 279 ALS patients were submitted to TMV. Onset was spinal in 62 and bulbar in 25. After tracheostomy, most patients were followed up through telephone interviews to caregivers. A complete survival analysis could be performed in fifty-two TMV patients. Results: 31.3% ALS patients underwent tracheostomy, with a male prevalence (M/F=1.69) and a median age of 61 years (interquartile range=47–66). After tracheostomy, nearly all patients were under home care. TMV ALS patients were more likely than non-tracheostomized (NT) patients to be implanted with a PEG device, although the bulbar-/spinal-onset ratio did not differ between the two groups. Kaplan–Meyer analysis showed that tracheostomy increases median survival (TMV, 47 months vs NT, 31 months, p=0.008), with the greatest effect in patients younger than 60 at onset (TMV≤60 years, 57.5 months vs NT≤60 years, 38.5 months, p=0.002). Conclusions: TMV is increasingly performed in ALS patients. Nearly all TMV patients live at home and most of them are fed through a PEG device. Survival after tracheostomy is generally increased, with the stronger effect in patients younger than 60. This survival advantage is apparently lost when TMV is performed in patients older than 60. The results of this study might be useful for the decision-making process of patients and their families about this advanced palliative care

Stand-Alone or Combinatorial Effects of Grafting and Microbial and Non-Microbial Derived Compounds on Vigour, Yield and Nutritive and Functional Quality of Greenhouse Eggplant

The current research investigated the effects of endophytic fungi such as Trichoderma atroviride (Ta) or Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extract (An) and their combination on growth, yield, nutritive and functional features, and mineral profile of ‘Birgah’ F1 eggplant either ungrafted, selfgrafted or grafted onto the Solanum torvum rootstock. Eggplant exposed to An or An+Ta had a significant increase in root collar diameter 50 days after transplanting (RCD50), total yield (TY), marketable yield (MY), ascorbic acid (AA) content, Mg, Cu, and Zn concentration, and a reduction in glycoalkaloids (GLY) compared with the control. Furthermore, grafted plants had a higher TY, MY, number of marketable fruits (NMF), RCD50, AA, Cu, and Zn and a lower SSC, GLY, and Mg than the ungrafted plants. The combination of grafting and An+Ta significantly improved mean weight of marketable fruits (MF), plant height 50 days after transplanting (PH50), number of leaves 50 days after transplanting (NL50), fruit dry matter (FDM), chlorogenic acid (ClA), proteins, and K and Fe concentration. This combination also produced fruits of high premium quality as evidenced by the higher AA and ClA concentration, the lower GLY concentration, and an overall improved mineral profile

Biotechnical characteristics of root systems in erect and prostrate habit rosmarinus officinalis L. accessions grown in a mediterranean climate

Rosmarinus officinalis L. is a shrub species typically found in the Mediterranean Basin area. Studies carried out in Sicily on the biodiversity of the genus Rosmarinus found only one species (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) with varying morphology (erect habit and prostrate habit). The species does not require high input, managing to thrive even in marginal areas, and is a medicinal and aromatic species of great agronomic and economic interest, being one of the top 20 species most-used in Italy and with highest wholesale revenues. Studies carried out on the species in Italy are recent, as is the whole medicinal and aromatic plants sector, and have mostly regarded agrotechniques. This study shows the results of initial observations carried out in Sicily on the biotechnical characteristics of the root system of disetaneous rosemary accessions (erect habitus and prostrate habitus) grown in the same soil. Results show that the species adapts well to soil bioengineering requirements; young plants also showed better root system tensile strength than older plant

Planting Date and Different N-Fertilization Rates Differently Modulate Agronomic and Economic Traits of a Sicilian Onion Landrace and of a Commercial Variety

The onion is one of the most widespread bulb vegetables worldwide. Onion cultivation is common in Sicily, as is the use of local genotypes. Cultivation practices are of particular interest in optimizing yield, quality, and profits. The aim of this study was to assess the agronomic response of a Sicilian landrace (Bianca Calda di Comiso, coded L1) and a commercial variety (Bianca di Maggio, coded V1) to different planting dates and N fertilization rates. An economic appraisal was also performed. The two genotypes were assessed using an experimental split-split-plot design with four levels of nitrogen rates (0, 80, 160, and 220 kg N ha−1) and two different planting dates (8 October 2005 to 9 October 2006 for the early planting date, and 27 December 2005 to 30 December 2006 for the traditional planting date). The marketable yield and production parameters were significantly influenced by the nitrogen dose: higher doses led to a higher total yield, with yield peaks above 60 t ha−1 and the marketable yield ranging from 23% to 54%. Simultaneously, decreases in the firmness (from 7% to 19%) and scale content (from 1% to 3%) were also reported. The L1 landrace showed a higher production than the V1 variety. The crop year did not significantly affect the results, and the traditional planting date appeared to be the most suitable choice in obtaining the best agronomic response. Economic analysis showed that the L1 landrace, with high-N application treatments, produced greater net benefits and marginal rates of return. Thus, the L1 landrace exposed to the highest dosages of nitrogen (160 or 220 kg ha−1) and transplanted during the traditional planting period is the best choice from agronomic and economic points of view

Synergistic Effect of a Plant-Derived Protein Hydrolysate and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Eggplant Grown in Open Fields: A Two-Year Study

Plant biostimulants, such as plant protein hydrolysates (PHs) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM), are natural products capable of increasing the yield and quality of crops and decreasing the ecological impact of plant growing cycles. However, there is little research on the mutual application of different categories of biostimulants (microbial and non-microbial). The current study was conducted to examine the effects of "Trainer" PH application (0 or 3 mL L-1) and AM (R. irregularis) inoculation on the growth, yield, quality and nitrogen indices of "Birgah" F-1 eggplant cultivated for two years (2020 and 2021). Results revealed that the combined application of PH and AM significantly enhanced total and marketable yields, average marketable fruit weight and number of marketable fruits by 23.7%, 36.4%, 19.0% and 11.1% compared to non-treated plants (control), respectively. Moreover, biostimulants increased the soluble solids content (SSC), chlorogenic acid, total anthocyanins, K and Mg in the fruits by 16%, 4.6%, 6.4%, 8.6% and 23.9% compared to control plants, respectively. Interestingly, the mutual application of PH and AM improved fruit quality by reducing the glycoalkaloid concentration (-19.8%) and fruit browning potential (-38%). Furthermore, both biostimulants exerted a synergistic action, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen uptake efficiency by 26.7% and 18.75%, respectively. On the other hand, productive and fruit-quality features were significantly influenced by the year due to remarkable differences in terms of maximum temperature between the first and second cultivation cycles. Overall, our research underlined that PH and AM can positively interact to improve the performance of eggplant cultivated in open fields

Current Acquaintance on Agronomic Biofortification to Modulate the Yield and Functional Value of Vegetable Crops: A Review

Fresh vegetables and fruits have always been the mainstays of good nutrition as providers of fiber, beneficial phytochemicals (such as vitamins and phenolic compounds), and minerals. Today and in the future, biofortification is a promising strategy to increase the concentration of these compounds. Considering the importance of minerals in human health, the enrichment of fresh produce for consumption has been considered through specific agronomic approaches. This review discusses, in detail, the latest findings on vegetable agronomic biofortification, aimed at increasing the concentration of crucial minerals, such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), iodine (I), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and silicon (Si), in edible portions, focusing on the direct and indirect effects of this strategy. Although agronomic biofortification is considered a feasible technique, the approach is complex due to the many interactions between the microelement bioavailability for both plants and consumers. Therefore, the effects of biofortification on human health and the influence of beneficial and antinutritional compounds were discussed in detail to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this practice

Impact of Ecklonia maxima Seaweed Extract and Mo foliar treatments on biofortification, spinach yield, quality and NUE

Seaweed extract (SE) application is a contemporary and sustainable agricultural practice used to improve yield and quality of vegetable crops. Plant biofortification with trace element is recognized as a major tool to prevent mineral malnourishment in humans. Mo deficiency causes numerous dysfunctions, mostly connected to central nervous system and esophageal cancer. The current research was accomplished to appraise the combined effect of Ecklonia maxima brown seaweed extract (SE) and Mo dose (0, 0.5, 2, 4 or 8 \u3bcmol L 121) on yield, biometric traits, minerals, nutritional and functional parameters, as well as nitrogen indices of spinach plants grown in a protected environment (tunnel). Head fresh weight (FW), ascorbic acid, polyphenols, N, P, K, Mg and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were positively associated with SE treatment. Moreover, head FW, head height (H), stem diameter (SD), ascorbic acid, polyphenols, carotenoids as well as NUE indices were enhanced by Mo\u2010biofortification. A noticeable improvement in number of leaves (N. leaves), head dry matter (DM) and Mo concentration in leaf tissues was observed when SE application was combined with a Mo dosage of 4 or 8 \u3bcmol L 121. Overall, our study highlighted that E. maxima SE treatment and Mo supply can improve both spinach production and quality via the key enzyme activity involved in the phytochemical homeostasis of SE and the plant nutritional status modification resulting in an enhanced spinach Mo tolerance