Vine Physiology, Yield Parameters and Berry Composition of Sangiovese Grape under Two Different Canopy Shapes and Irrigation Regimes

Vitis vinifera L. adapts well to a scarce availability of water in the soil. However, in recent decades, the combination of thermal stress with prolonged water scarcity could have dramatic consequences on the vine’s physiological status. In this paper, we evaluated the effects of two canopy shapes and two irrigation regimes at veraison on vine physiology, yield parameters and grape composition through biochemical and molecular approaches. The water shortage strongly influenced the physiology of Sangiovese only when the stress was moderate to severe. Neither the water stress limited to veraison nor the canopy shape were able to influence the yield parameters and sugar content, and a strong induction of the expression of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins was recorded only in conditions of moderate-to-severe stress. This phenomenon led to an increase in the anthocyanin content in berry skins until the end of veraison. Conversely, no significant effects occurred in terms of biochemical and molecular performance after re-watering and at harvest. Though the shape of the canopy could play a role only under elevated temperature and prolonged drought, severe water stress can affect the vine physiology and berry ripening during the veraison stag

Linking organic matter chemistry with soil aggregate stability: Insight from 13C NMR spectroscopy

Soil aggregation is considered as a crucial process in agro-system sustainability due to the role in soil physical, chemical and biological dynamics. Here we tested the hypothesis that the initial chemical traits of organic matter (OM) may help to explain the variability of soil aggregation dynamics after organic amendment. We characterized ten OM types (alfalfa litter, biochar, cellulose, glucose, green compost, maize litter, manure compost, meat powder, sawdust, and solid digestate) by 13C-CPMAS NMR and elemental chemical features to investigate the effects of amendment quality on soil aggregation. In a manipulative factorial experiment, dry samples (200 g) of three soil types (S1, S2 and S3) with different texture, high pH (7\u20139), and similar OM content, were incorporated with 4 g (2% w/w) of dry, 2 mm-grounded OM, incubated in mesocosms for 300 days under controlled temperature (18 \ub1 2 \ub0C night and 24 \ub1 2 \ub0C day), and sampled at 4 dates for measuring aggregation index (AI), based on water stability of soil aggregates (WSA). We found that meat powder and alfalfa litter induced a rapid initial increase of AI, exceeding that of the controls by one to two orders of magnitude, likely acting as a C source for microbes. Biochar incorporation in soil barely affected AI, with intermediate effects with other OM types. Considering C bond types corresponding to OM 13C-CPMAS NMR spectral regions, carbonyl C was only correlated to early AI, possibly due to overlapping signals of amide structures; O-alkyl C and di-O-alkyl C (carbohydrate fraction) were positively associated to AI, indicating a promoting effect on soil structure, while aromatic C fractions showed an opposite pattern, possibly related to aggregate protection by coatings associated to water repellency, or to direct aggregate internal binding. This study demonstrates that OM chemical quality plays an important role in soil aggregation process, with the molecular composition defined by 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy being more predictive of aggregation dynamics compared to classical elemental features. As such, this study provides a significant novel contribution to clarify the relationships between OM chemistry and soil aggregation

Linking organic matter chemistry with soil aggregate stability: Insight from 13C NMR spectroscopy

Soil aggregation is considered as a crucial process in agro-system sustainability due to the role in soil physical, chemical and biological dynamics. Here we tested the hypothesis that the initial chemical traits of organic matter (OM) may help to explain the variability of soil aggregation dynamics after organic amendment. We characterized ten OM types (alfalfa litter, biochar, cellulose, glucose, green compost, maize litter, manure compost, meat powder, sawdust, and solid digestate) by 13C-CPMAS NMR and elemental chemical features to investigate the effects of amendment quality on soil aggregation. In a manipulative factorial experiment, dry samples (200 g) of three soil types (S1, S2 and S3) with different texture, high pH (7\u20139), and similar OM content, were incorporated with 4 g (2% w/w) of dry, 2 mm-grounded OM, incubated in mesocosms for 300 days under controlled temperature (18 \ub1 2 \ub0C night and 24 \ub1 2 \ub0C day), and sampled at 4 dates for measuring aggregation index (AI), based on water stability of soil aggregates (WSA). We found that meat powder and alfalfa litter induced a rapid initial increase of AI, exceeding that of the controls by one to two orders of magnitude, likely acting as a C source for microbes. Biochar incorporation in soil barely affected AI, with intermediate effects with other OM types. Considering C bond types corresponding to OM 13C-CPMAS NMR spectral regions, carbonyl C was only correlated to early AI, possibly due to overlapping signals of amide structures; O-alkyl C and di-O-alkyl C (carbohydrate fraction) were positively associated to AI, indicating a promoting effect on soil structure, while aromatic C fractions showed an opposite pattern, possibly related to aggregate protection by coatings associated to water repellency, or to direct aggregate internal binding. This study demonstrates that OM chemical quality plays an important role in soil aggregation process, with the molecular composition defined by 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy being more predictive of aggregation dynamics compared to classical elemental features. As such, this study provides a significant novel contribution to clarify the relationships between OM chemistry and soil aggregation

Protective effects of melatonin against nicotine-induced oxidative damage of kidney

Several studies demonstrated that melatonin treatment prevents tissue damage in various models of oxidative stress (1). Experiments have shown that chronic nicotine administration caused oxidant damage in various organs by increasing lipid peroxidation products and decreasing the activity of endogenous antioxidants (2). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin treatment on nicotine-induced oxidative changes in rat kidney and to explore the possible mechanisms of action. Three groups of rats were used as controls (the first without treatment, the second with melatonin alone and the third with nicotine alone). The last group of rats was orally treated with nicotine and melatonin for 28 days. Morphological changes in kidney were evaluated by histological procedures and immunohistochemical analysis using inflammation (NFkB and IL-6) and oxidative stress (SOD, CAT and iNOS) markers. Experiments performed demonstrated that nicotine administration increases inflammation and oxidative stress. Melatonin has a protective effect against nicotine kidney toxicity through an inhibition of inflammation and consequent oxidative damage. These data suggest that melatonin supplementation effectively counteracts the deleterious effect of chronic nicotine administration on kidney and attenuates oxidative damage possibly by its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.This work was supported by grants from University of Brescia (EX 60%)

Windstorm disturbance triggers multiple species invasion in an urban Mediterranean forest

Plant invasion in forest ecosystems is a serious ecological and economic issue, deserving attention by researchers, managers and policy-makers worldwide. Many invasive plants have been reported as early successional species able to colonize disturbed areas following abrupt changes in microhabitat and resource availability. We investigated disturbance effects of a severe windstorm generated by a wet microburst (hail and rain at 160 mm h-1) remarkably affecting the canopy cover of an old-growth Quercus ilex urban forest in Southern Italy. This stand-replacing disturbance produced a mosaic of 103 gaps, 5.6 to 1632 m2 in size, over an area of 1.53 ha, uprooting 76% of the trees and decreasing thereby 85% of the standing above-ground dry biomass into the gaps. By intensive monitoring we compared above- and below-ground microclimate, soil moisture and mineral N availability in paired disturbed and control areas of the study forest. Within newly formed gaps we observed a seasonally consistent 70% higher content of nitrate nitrogen, 29% and 47% decreases of ammonia nitrogen in summer and autumn, respectively, and a higher moisture in topsoil, in addition to different above- and below-ground microclimatic conditions, with canopy cover mitigating extreme temperatures. One year after the windstorm, the microhabitat shift promoted the establishment in gaps of 15 native and 10 alien taxa previously absent in both disturbed and control plots. In such conditions, the rarefaction of the dominant Q. ilex canopy cover and the occurrence of empty niches prone to invasion could dramatically affect the local community structure and diversity. Our data indicate that stand-replacing windstorm can transiently transform the studied urban evergreen forest to an early allogenic successional community dominated, in the medium and large gaps, by annual and perennial non-native species. This is particularly relevant under a perspective of possible increasing frequency of windstorm events in the Mediterranean region in the near future

Characteristics of people living in Italy after a cancer diagnosis in 2010 and projections to 2020

BACKGROUND: Estimates of cancer prevalence are widely based on limited duration, often including patients living after a cancer diagnosis made in the previous 5 years and less frequently on complete prevalence (i.e., including all patients regardless of the time elapsed since diagnosis). This study aims to provide estimates of complete cancer prevalence in Italy by sex, age, and time since diagnosis for all cancers combined, and for selected cancer types. Projections were made up to 2020, overall and by time since diagnosis. METHODS: Data were from 27 Italian population-based cancer registries, covering 32% of the Italian population, able to provide at least 7 years of registration as of December 2009 and follow-up of vital status as of December 2013. The data were used to compute the limited-duration prevalence, in order to estimate the complete prevalence by means of the COMPREV software. RESULTS: In 2010, 2,637,975 persons were estimated to live in Italy after a cancer diagnosis, 1.2 million men and 1.4 million women, or 4.6% of the Italian population. A quarter of male prevalent cases had prostate cancer (n\u2009=\u2009305,044), while 42% of prevalent women had breast cancer (n\u2009=\u2009604,841). More than 1.5 million people (2.7% of Italians) were alive since 5 or more years after diagnosis and 20% since 6515 years. It is projected that, in 2020 in Italy, there will be 3.6 million prevalent cancer cases (+\u200937% vs 2010). The largest 10-year increases are foreseen for prostate (+\u200985%) and for thyroid cancers (+\u200979%), and for long-term survivors diagnosed since 20 or more years (+\u200945%). Among the population aged 6575 years, 22% will have had a previous cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The number of persons living after a cancer diagnosis is estimated to rise of approximately 3% per year in Italy. The availability of detailed estimates and projections of the complete prevalence are intended to help the implementation of guidelines aimed to enhance the long-term follow-up of cancer survivors and to contribute their rehabilitation need

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through on-line media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focussed on process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come