Influence of the forcing process on some qualitative aspects in radicchio "Rosso di Treviso tardivo" (Cichorium intybus L., group rubifolium). 1. Nitrate, nitrite and organic nitrogen

Radicchio "Rosso di Treviso tardivo" (Cichorium intybus L., group rubifolium), a typical vegetable of north-eastern Italy, has gained increasing commercial interest in recent years due to its particular shape and culinary features. These properties are obtained by a forcing process that could affect nitrate and dangerous nitrite contents in the edible product. The experiment was conducted in Veneto (north-eastern Italy, 45°36'N; 12°10'E) with plants grown in a loamy soil and analyzed at harvest and during the forcing process (0-10 and 20 forcing days-FD). Results showed that nitrate and nitrite contents in edible portions never exceed the most restrictive EU limits. A continuous reduction in NO3 content was observed during the forcing process, while NO2 showed a peak at 10 FD. Organic N significantly increased during the forcing process due to NO2 reduction. From a nutritional point of view these results further demonstrate that this type of radicchio is a healthy vegetable for the consumers

Prevalence and predictors of subclinical atrial fibrillation in hospitalized older adults

Subclinical atrial fibrillation (SCAF) is associated with an increased risk of clinical AF, major cardiovascular events and death. Short-term evidence on SCAF in older populations is scarce, especially in the hospital setting. We performed a cross-sectional study on 60 multimorbid older consecutive patients (aged 80+) admitted to an Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Unit for acute medical diseases with no history of AF, in order to investigate prevalence and predictors of SCAF. Portable ECG monitoring was placed on admission and ECG recording lasted for 5 days. Mean age: 85.7±4.9 years. Female prevalence: 58.3%. High burden of comorbidities: 87.9%. All enrolled patients had CHA2 DS2-VASc score ≥3. SCAF was detected in 16 patients (26.7%) and 11 patients (18.4%) had at least a SCAF episode lasting 6 minutes or longer. No clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic parameters predicted SCAF. Patients with ≥2004 supraventricular ectopic beats/24h (SVEBs/24h) had a 6-fold higher prevalence of SCAF than patients with <411 SVEBs/24h (p=0.038). Time to first SCAF episode was within 3 days of ECG recording in all enrolled patients. SCAF is highly prevalent in older adults hospitalized for acute diseases. This finding may affect clinical management and prognosis. Our study could foster larger multicenter studies in similar settings

Converting simulated total dry matter to fresh marketable yield for field vegetables at a range of nitrogen supply levels

Simultaneous analysis of economic and environmental performance of horticultural crop production requires qualified assumptions on the effect of management options, and particularly of nitrogen (N) fertilisation, on the net returns of the farm. Dynamic soil-plant-environment simulation models for agro-ecosystems are frequently applied to predict crop yield, generally as dry matter per area, and the environmental impact of production. Economic analysis requires conversion of yields to fresh marketable weight, which is not easy to calculate for vegetables, since different species have different properties and special market requirements. Furthermore, the marketable part of many vegetables is dependent on N availability during growth, which may lead to complete crop failure under sub-optimal N supply in tightly calculated N fertiliser regimes or low-input systems. In this paper we present two methods for converting simulated total dry matter to marketable fresh matter yield for various vegetables and European growth conditions, taking into consideration the effect of N supply: (i) a regression based function for vegetables sold as bulk or bunching ware and (ii) a population approach for piecewise sold row crops. For both methods, to be used in the context of a dynamic simulation model, parameter values were compiled from a literature survey. Implemented in such a model, both algorithms were tested against experimental field data, yielding an Index of Agreement of 0.80 for the regression strategy and 0.90 for the population strategy. Furthermore, the population strategy was capable of reflecting rather well the effect of crop spacing on yield and the effect of N supply on product grading

Morphological and physiological aspects of phase transition in radicchio (Cichorium intybus L. var. silvestre Bischoff): The influence of temperature

The study deals with the morphological and physiological aspects of phase transition in radicchio (Cichorium intybus L. var. silvestre Bischoff) in relation to temperature during different stage of growth. Both vernalizing and devernalizing temperature were considere

Effect of osmopriming treatments on seed germination of two types of radicchio (Cichorium intybus L. var. silvestre).

To improve germination of two types of radicchio (“Rosso di Chioggia”, RCh, and “Bianco di Chioggia”, WCh) various pre-sowing treatments were evaluated. A non-soaked control was compared with seeds primed for 2, 4, 6, 8 hours in plain water (hydropriming) or in solutions containing the following concentration of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) and potassium nitrate (KNO3): a) PEG at -0.5, -0.9 and -1.7 MPa; b) KNO3 at -0.12, -0.24 and -0.52 MPa. After soaking, seeds were rinsed and placed in petri-dishes at 20 or 27°C germination temperature. Pre-sowing treatments affected the germination percentage more than the mean time of germination, and the effects were more evident in RCh and when 20°C germination temperature was applied. Generally, the higher germination percentage was obtained with longer hydropriming (6-8 hrs) and with short treatment (2 hrs) with osmotic compounds. KNO3 proved to be less effective than PEG which gave, on average, the best results at -0.5 and -0.9 MPa water potential