Decay control of "Femminello Santa Teresa" lemon fruits by prestorage high temperature conditioning

Marketing quality and juice chemical parameters of late harvested "Femminello Santa Teresa" lemon fruits (Citrus limon Burm), wrapped with a 15 mm heat shrinkable film or left unwrapped, and then either conditioned at 36°C for 72 hours in a 85-90%, relative humidity (RH) atmosphere or not conditioned, were determined over 3 months storage at 6°C and 95% RH or after 1 week at 20°C and 75% RH following each month of storage. Conditioning significantly reduced the incidence of decay caused by Penicillium digitatum, but not that due to other pathogens, such as Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria citri, especially in combination with film wrapping. Positive was the effect of heating in ameliorating the physiological response of lemon fruit to low temperature, although the beneficial effect appeared to be time-dependent, in fact at the end of the storage period severe symptoms of chilling injury were also noticed in conditioned fruit. No differences were instead observed in chilling sensitivity between conditioned and nonconditioned wrapped fruit. Weight loss was higher in conditioned fruit than in non conditioned one. Regarding chemical parameters, either conditioning or fi1m wrapping hastened the rate of degradation of acidity, total soluble solids (SST) and vitamin C

Influence of film wrapping on quality maintenance of "Salustiana" oranges held in shelf-life conditions

"Salustiana" oranges were dipped in a 500 mg/L imazalil emulsion and wrapped in polystyrene trays using three different plastic films: Omni, MR and MY, with high, medium and low permeability to gases and water vapour, respectively. Fruits were then stored at ambient temperature (18°-20°C) and relative humidity (60-65%) for 6 weeks. MY film created in-package anaerobic conditions (about 10% CO2 and 8% 02, increased the rate of deterioration of internal quality parameters and promoted pathogen development, even in fruits treated with imazalil (28% decayed fruits after 6 weeks). Omni film did not alter the nutritional composition, but had little influence in reducing the transpiration rate as fruits at the end of storage lost about 14% weight, compared to 18% for non-wrapped fruits and 2% for those wrapped with the other two films. Very positive results were obtained with the imazalil-MR film combination, which let the fruits maintain their initial chemical and aesthetical characteristics during the entire storage time and limited loss due to decay to about 1%

Evoluzione dei parametri fisiologici in shelf-life di frutti di tangelo "Page"in seguito a trattamento anaerobio e ceratura

"Page" tangelos were N2 exposed for 24 hours, waxed and stored 30 days at 20°C and 70% relative humidity (SL). Respiration strongly decreased during SL, internal CO2 and O2 rose and decreased, respectively, while the resistance to CO2 diffusion increased. Waxing significantly reduced respiration, conversely increased resistance to CO2 diffusione and promoted off-flavour development, while N2 treatment did not. Both waxed and anaerobic treated fruit kept fresher than control with non waxed-nitrogen treated fruits gaining the best overall quality. Nella presente nota si è studiato l'effetto di una breve esposizione dei frutti a condizioni anaerobie e successiva ceratura sull'evoluzione dei parametri fisiologici e sulle caratteristiche merceologiche del frutto, con lo scopo di determinare il miglior trattamento per un'adeguata conservazione in condizioni di mercato

Response of cactus pear fruit to high temperature conditioning and film wrapping

First crop cactus pear cv "Gialla" fruits harvested the 15th of September were wrapped with a 19 mm thick film or left unwrapped and then divided into two lots, of whom one was immediately stored at 17°C and 60% relative humidity (RH) for 2 or 4 weeks, while the other one before being stored at the same conditions, was conditioned at 36°C and 90% RH for 36 hours. At each inspection time fruit were checked for incidence of decay, overall appearance and presence of dermatosis. High temperature conditioning, although not detrimental, had a negative effect on overall appearance and dermatosis. Dermatosis appeared in the form of brown spots on the peel similar to the symptoms of chilling injury previously described by other authors. The incidence of decay was higher in conditioned fruits than in nonconditioned ones. Plastic film had a positive effect in reducing ageing and dermatosis, while promoted microorganism development. Neither the plastic film nor the curing treatment had important influence on chemical parameters, while significant was the effect of the storage period on pH, which changed from 5.95 of harvest to 6.3 after 4 week's storage, and titratab1e acidity (% citric acid), which decreased from 0.077% of harvest to 0.045% at the end of the storage period. In conclusion, the results show a very positive contribution of the plastic film in maintaining the initial quality of the fruits, in fact at the end of the trial the wrapped fruit appeared as fresh as at harvest, while no positive influence was exerted by the cwing treatment

A thematic vegetation dataset of SArdinian GRAsslands (SAGRA)

We present the dataset “SArdinian GRAsslands” (SAGRA), a collection of georeferenced vegetation surveys sourced from different areas of Sardinia (Italy). SAGRA addresses a geographic gap in current databases, as plots from Sardinian grasslands are underrepresented. We collected vegetation data from different projects and organized it within a framework that allows for scalability to larger scales or integration into existing databases. The surveys include three categories of information: general, vegetation and management, and environmental. Overall, SAGRA comprises 1277 vegetation surveys, some of which were performed in different years in the same plots. This dataset encompasses 685 plots and 434 species, primarily therophytes

Exploring dynamics of floristic composition in Mediterranean grasslands: a case study from Sardinia, Italy

Mediterranean grasslands stand out as biodiversity hotspots due to their inclusion of diverse habitats that foster a remarkable range of biological diversity, characterized by inter-annual variability of floristic composition. This study aims to assess the inter-annual dynamics of the floristic composition in a grassland within a typical silvopastoral system in the Mediterranean basin, within the framework of rainfall variability. The study was performed on a farm representative of Mediterranean silvopastoral systems in Central-Western Sardinia (Italy). Vegetation surveys started in the spring of 2018 and concluded in the spring of 2022. They were conducted annually in the spring (S) and winter (W) seasons, using the point quadrat method along eight permanent transects. The dynamics of floristic composition were compared within and between years in terms of variability of specific percentage contribution (CSP) of each plant species. The results highlighted substantial differences in the composition of plant assemblages between the two seasons (W vs S) and between surveys within each season for all a posteriori comparisons. Anthemis arvensis, Lolium rigidum, Festuca ligustica and Medicago polymorpha were the main discriminating plant species between seasons. Considering the discriminant species between the four winter surveys, we found a positive effect of August rain on Cynodon dactylon CSP and a negative one on Trifolium subterraneum CSP. Considering the spring surveys, we found a positive effect of January rain on L. rigidum and a negative effect on Plantago lanceolata. The rain affected the inter-annual dynamics of floristic composition in the Mediterranean grasslands. Other factors, such as temperature, remain to be investigated. Moreover, a more extended data series may allow us to strengthen our results

ANCA-negative EGPA: only eosinophils without vasculitis? Insights from anti-T2 biologics

The pathogenic role of p-ANCA in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a long-standing matter of debate. In this work, we report our real-life experience with EGPA patients, treated with biologics targeting type 2 (T2)-eosinophilic inflammation (Mepolizumab, Benralizumab, Dupilumab). Interestingly, we observed EGPA extrarespiratory relapses only in p-ANCA-positive patients (2/5 cutaneous vasculitis, 3/5 constitutional symptoms), with new rise of p-ANCA and normal eosinophil blood count. Notably, revising our cohort with the new ACR 2022 criteria, these five patients were the only ones to satisfy the entry criterion of vasculitis' defined diagnosis at disease onset. These observations may suggest that biologics, selectively turning off T2 inflammation, may have unmasked p-ANCA exclusive role in the pathogenesis of vasculitis in EGPA. Therefore, we raise the question whether EGPA vasculitis exists only in p-ANCA-positive patients, and whether p-ANCA-negative disease is "only eosinophils without vasculitis"