Wood distillate (pyroligneous acid) boosts nutritional traits of potato tubers

Potato is the fourth most widely consumed staple food in the world. This study investigated the effectiveness of 0.2% wood distillate (WD), a biostimulant derived from the pyrolysis of waste plant biomass, in boosting the nutritional quality of potato tubers. The results showed that application of WD significantly increased the content of soluble sugars (sucrose +56.3%; glucose +44.9%; fructose +62.2%), starch (+35.1%) and total carbohydrates (+16.8%). Antioxidants (total antioxidant power, polyphenols, flavonoids) and most mineral elements (K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe, Zn) were not affected. A lower content of Cu (−17.8%) and P (−24.5%) was found in WD-treated potato

Arable plant communities as a surrogate of crop rhizosphere microbiota

Soil microbiota is a crucial component of agroecosystem biodiversity, enhancing plant growth and providing impor-tant services in agriculture. However, its characterization is demanding and relatively expensive. In this study, we eval-uated whether arable plant communities can be used as a surrogate of bacterial and fungal communities of therhizosphere of Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), a traditional crop plant of central Italy. We sampled plant,bacterial, and fungal communities, i.e., the groups of such organisms co-existing in space and time, in 24 plots locatedin eight fields and four farms. At the plot level, no correlations in species richness emerged, while the composition ofplant communities was correlated with that of both bacterial and fungal communities. As regards plants and bacteria,such correlation was mainly driven by similar responses to geographic and environmental factors, while fungal com-munities seemed to be correlated in species composition with both plants and bacteria due to biotic interactions. Allthe correlations in species composition were unaffected by the number of fertilizer and herbicide applications,i.e., agricultural intensity. Besides correlations, we detected a predictive relationship of plant community compositiontowards fungal community composition. Our results highlight the potential of arable plant communities to be used as asurrogate of crop rhizosphere microbial communities in agroecosystems

Bryophyte, lichen, and vascular plant communities of badland grasslands show weak cross-taxon congruence but high local uniqueness in biancana pediments

Cross-taxon congruence, i.e., using certain taxonomic groups as surrogates for others, is receiving growing interest since it may allow decreasing efforts in biodiversity studies. In this work, we investigated the patterns of cross-taxon congruence in species richness and composition between communities of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants in different biancana grasslands of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of central Italy. We recorded species presence and abundance in 16 plots of 1 × 1 m size and analyzed the data using Procrustes correlation, co-correspondence analysis, and indicator species analysis. We did not highlight any correlation in species richness and composition between the three taxonomic groups. Conversely, the species composition of bryophyte communities was predictive of the species composition of lichen communities. Moreover, lichen richness was negatively correlated with the total cover of vascular plants. Indicator species analysis evidenced the presence of species from the three biotic communities being particularly related, at least at the local scale, to biancana pediments, like the bryophytes Didymodon acutus and Trichostomum crispulum, the lichens Enchylium tenax, Cladonia foliacea, and Psora decipiens, and the vascular plants Brachypodium distachyon, Parapholis strigosa, and Artemisia caerulescens subsp. cretacea. In the biancana pediments, acrocarp mosses, squamulose lichens, therophyte plants and chamaephyte plants coexisted. In spite of the weak cross-taxon congruence between the three taxonomic groups, this study could highlight a locally unique diversity of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants related to the extreme environment of biancana pediments, selected by high soil salinity and deposition from the upper eroded slope. Soil erosion and deposition in biancana badlands supports the increase of local multi-taxonomic plant diversity by creating unique ecosystems. Such biodiversity should be considered locally at risk of disappearance, due to the ongoing vanishing of biancana badlands in central Italy

Geographical traceability of extra virgin olive oil from Valdichiana Senese (Tuscany, Italy)

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is derived from the pressing of the drupes of the Olea europaea tree and is renowned for its health benefits due to the presence of several monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols. Indeed, EVOO is a typical food used in the Italian gastronomic tradition because the terroir of Italy allows the production of high-quality olive oil. For this reason, to ensure transparency, to prevent fraud and enhance consumer confidence, methods were developed to determine the geographical origin and authentication of EVOOs. Methods like elemental chemical analysis, compositional analysis, and isotopic analysis play central roles in determining the geographical origin. The area selected for the study is Valdichiana Senese, in Southern Tuscany, Italy, acclaimed for its EVOOs, renowned for its bitter and spicy attributes and its high-quality. This thesis is divided in four parts: The concentrations of 12 potential toxic elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, and Zn; PTEs) were determined in soils and EVOOs collected in 2019-20 with the aim of assessing the potential risk for human health related to PTE intake from the consumption of Valdichiana Senese EVOO as well as to identify any contamination by PTEs in olive grove soils and evaluate the associated ecological risk. The data, obtained by ICP-MS analyses, were used to calculate the Health Risk Index (HRI) for EVOOs and the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) for soils. The results indicated that although EVOOs from Valdichiana Senese may present somewhat slightly high concentrations of Cu and Zn, the associated health risk is negligible. The concentration of PTEs in olive grove soils was comparable to their geochemical background in soils from Southern Tuscany. A low to moderate Cu contamination emerged only in two cases, probably because of the diffuse use of Cu-based products in agriculture. Overall, the ecological risk was very low. In order to establish the geographical traceability of Valdichiana Senese EVOOs were considered physical and chemical properties of the olive grove soils and the concentration of 36 elements in the olive grove soils (total content and bioavailable fraction), in olive pulps and EVOOs collected in 2020-21. In the pursuit of relationships between soil, olive fruit and EVOO chemical composition, REEs were excluded due to their undetectability in olives and EVOOs. Pearson correlations revealed Sb as is the only element correlated between bioavailable soil fractions and olives among all farms. Instead, in soils with only marine sands and sandstones substratum, positive correlations were observed between total contents of Fe and V in soils and EVOOs and the content of U with olive pulps. Also, were found correlations of Pb and Sb in the soil bioavailable fraction and olives. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) and fatty acid (FA) profiles in EVOOs collected in 2021-22 and 2020-21 from Valdichiana Senese and Alentejo, Portugal, were compared to classify EVOOs according to their origin area. Utilising HS-SPME-GC/MS and GC-FID analysis were identified 107 compounds in Italian EVOOs, while 77 in those Portuguese, with only 43 in common. Volatiles were divided in classes (alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, esters, and terpenoids) and 2-Hexenal is the compound most abundant in both EVOOs. For FAs, oleic, palmitic, and linoleic are the acids with the highest percentages. Discriminant analysis confirmed that volatile compounds and fatty acids are valid to distinguish EVOOs based on their year and area of production. Additionally, the study evaluated the quality of EVOOs from 2019 to 2021, focusing on free acidity, peroxide values, and total phenols content. Valdichiana Senese EVOOs showed an excellent ability to maintain unaltered characteristics. Weather conditions were observed to affect the quantity of phenols. In addition, the same parameters were used to reveal insights into stability and factors influencing quality parameters in Valdichiana Senese EVOO from the 2021-22 harvest to 12 months later. The linear regression analysis allowed to see that the peroxide values and the phenols content were highly influenced by the time, but not acidity

Uptake of Trace Elements in the Water Fern Azolla filiculoides after Short-Term Application of Chestnut Wood Distillate (Pyroligneous Acid)

Treatments of crops with additives to increase their productivity may pose environmental risks and induce negative effects also on non-target organisms. In this study, we investigated the potential effect of chestnut wood distillate (pyroligneous acid) used in agriculture, on the accumulation of trace elements in aquatic plants. As a model species, the common water fern Azolla filiculoides Lam. was selected, being often used also in phytoremediation processes. The content of selected elements of toxicological concern (As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) was assessed in the fern after short-term treatments (1–3 days) over a range of wood distillate concentrations 1:300 (3.33 mL/L), 1:500 (2.00 mL/L), 1:700 (1.43 mL/L). A statistically significant accumulation of Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn (1:700) and Pb (1:300) was recorded after three days of incubation, despite the concentrations remained overall low. Using treatment vs. control ratios, a trend of increasing temporal uptake was detected for As, Ba, Fe, Mn, Pb (1:700); Mn, Pb (1:500), and only Pb at 1:300. The results suggested that, under the experimental conditions, element uptake is positively influenced by time and negatively by increasing concentrations of wood distillate, likely due to the acidification of the medium. On the whole, the element concentrations measured in A. filiculoides were low and did not pose any toxicological concern

Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Soils and Bulbs of Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) Grown in Valdichiana, a Traditional Cultivation Area of Tuscany, Italy

Featured Application Evaluation of the ecological and health risk associated with the cultivation and consumption of the typical product "Aglione della Valdichiana" (elephant garlic). The aim of this study was to provide, for the first time, data on the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils and bulbs of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) cultivated in Valdichiana, a traditional agricultural area of Tuscany, Italy. Bulbs of elephant garlic and soil samples were collected in four cultivation fields and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, Zn. The concentrations of these PTEs in bulbs and cultivation soils were used to calculate geochemical, ecological and health risk indices. The results of this study suggest that, although bulbs of elephant garlic from the Valdichiana area may present slightly high concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb, the associated health risk based on the daily intake is absolutely negligible. Cultivation soils had somewhat high Cu concentrations probably due to the diffuse use of Cu-based products in agriculture, but showed overall a very low ecological risk

Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Soils and Bulbs of Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) Grown in Valdichiana, a Traditional Cultivation Area of Tuscany, Italy

Featured Application Evaluation of the ecological and health risk associated with the cultivation and consumption of the typical product "Aglione della Valdichiana" (elephant garlic). The aim of this study was to provide, for the first time, data on the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils and bulbs of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) cultivated in Valdichiana, a traditional agricultural area of Tuscany, Italy. Bulbs of elephant garlic and soil samples were collected in four cultivation fields and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, Zn. The concentrations of these PTEs in bulbs and cultivation soils were used to calculate geochemical, ecological and health risk indices. The results of this study suggest that, although bulbs of elephant garlic from the Valdichiana area may present slightly high concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb, the associated health risk based on the daily intake is absolutely negligible. Cultivation soils had somewhat high Cu concentrations probably due to the diffuse use of Cu-based products in agriculture, but showed overall a very low ecological risk

Bryophyte, lichen, and vascular plant communities of badland grasslands show weak cross-taxon congruence but high local uniqueness in biancana pediments

Cross-taxon congruence, i.e., using certain taxonomic groups as surrogates for others, is receiving growing interest since it may allow decreasing efforts in biodiversity studies. In this work, we investigated the patterns of cross-taxon congruence in species richness and composition between communities of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants in different biancana grasslands of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of central Italy. We recorded species presence and abundance in 16 plots of 1 × 1 m size and analyzed the data using Procrustes correlation, co-correspondence analysis, and indicator species analysis. We did not highlight any correlation in species richness and composition between the three taxonomic groups. Conversely, the species composition of bryophyte communities was predictive of the species composition of lichen communities. Moreover, lichen richness was negatively correlated with the total cover of vascular plants. Indicator species analysis evidenced the presence of species from the three biotic communities being particularly related, at least at the local scale, to biancana pediments, like the bryophytes Didymodon acutus and Trichostomum crispulum, the lichens Enchylium tenax, Cladonia foliacea, and Psora decipiens, and the vascular plants Brachypodium distachyon, Parapholis strigosa, and Artemisia caerulescens subsp. cretacea. In the biancana pediments, acrocarp mosses, squamulose lichens, therophyte plants and chamaephyte plants coexisted. In spite of the weak cross-taxon congruence between the three taxonomic groups, this study could highlight a locally unique diversity of bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants related to the extreme environment of biancana pediments, selected by high soil salinity and deposition from the upper eroded slope. Soil erosion and deposition in biancana badlands supports the increase of local multi-taxonomic plant diversity by creating unique ecosystems. Such biodiversity should be considered locally at risk of disappearance, due to the ongoing vanishing of biancana badlands in central Italy