High precision locations of long-period events at La Fossa Crater (Vulcano Island, Italy)

Since the last eruption in 1888-90, the volcanic activity on Vulcano Island (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy) has been limited to fumarolic degassing. Fumaroles are mainly concentred at the active cone of La Fossa in the northern sector of the island and are periodically characterized by increases in temperature as well as in the amount of both CO2 and He. Seismic background activity at Vulcano is dominated by micro-seismicity originating at shallow depth

Cyst nematodes of the genus Heterodera and Globodera in Sicily

A survey was conducted in Sicily, from 2007 to 2009, to obtain insights on specific composition, frequency and geographical distribution of cyst nematodes associated to crops of agricultural economic importance. Soil and root samples were collected mainly from crops showing chlorosis, poor growth and reduced yield. Cysts and larvae were extracted and identified to species level by comparative examination of morphological and morphometric characters. Confirmation of the species identity was also made by molecular analysis for some species. Seven species of the genus Heterodera Schmidt, 1871 and two of the genus Globodera Skarbilovic, 1959 were found. They were H. avenae Wollenweber, 1924, H. bifenestra Cooper, 1955, H. carotae Jones, 1950, H. goettingiana Liebscher, 1892, H. hordecalis Andersson, 1974, H. latipons Franklin, 1969 and H. schachtii Schmidt, G. rostochiensis (Wollenweber, 1923) Behrens, 1975 and G. pallida (Stone, 1973) Behrens, 1975. All species dectected are known to occur in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but H. avenae, H. hordecalis, and H. latipons had not been reported from Sicily and H. bifenestra is a new report for Italy

Severe damage caused by Meloidogyne artiellia on cereals and leguminous in Sicily

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne artiellia Franklin has been reported in various Italian regions on host plants belonging to the families Graminaceae, Leguminosae and Cruciferae, on which it is responsible for severe yield losses. It had never been detected in Sicily. In spring 2008, the nematode was found in different legume and cereal fields in the area of Caltagirone (province of Catania, Sicily). Fields infested with the nematode showed patches of stunted, chlorotic, withered and dwarfed plants. Moreover, ears of wheat were small and kernels appeared dried; finally, roots were scrubby. Infected plants were durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), broad bean (Vicia faba L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and vetch (Vicia sativa L.) Root observations showed brownings, small galls and mature females bearing egg masses and larvae at root bifurcations

A Quantitative Morphological Analysis of Some Hypericum Species

Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) is a medicinal plant of considerable interest for the therapeutic potentialities of its biologically active compounds. Due to the presence of hybrids and frequent adulterants from other species of Hypericum, the identification of the drug obtained of this species is difficult. Therefore, a quantitative morphological analysis of the leaf epidermises of H. hircinum L. and H. perfoliatum L. compared with H. perforatum L., carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy and image analysis, was performed to identify phytognostic markers useful for the characterization of these different Hypericum species. Size and shape parameters of the leaf surface cells have permitted a comparative study of the cogeneric species examined, providing a key factor in their recognition and/or selection. Unlike the methods employed so far, the results obtained by means of this innovative kind of analysis supply a valid criterion, not only for the morphological differentiation of the Italian Hypericum species studied, but also for an accurate and reproducible quality control of the commercial samples, often made up of drugs obtained from different species, subspecies and varieties

First record from Greece of the invasive red gum lerp psyllid Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Psyllidae) and its associated parasitoid Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae)

The occurrence of the invasive pest red gum lerp psyllid Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), infesting Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (Myrtaceae), is reported for the first time from mainland Greece and the Ionian island of Corfu. This species, native to Australia, has been first reported for the Palaearctic Region in 2008, when it has been recorded from the Iberian Peninsula, subsequently spreading to other Mediterranean countries. Updated information on geographical distribution is provided. Association with its specific antagonist Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was also observed and level of parasitism was investigated. The spread of P. bliteus in Greece is due to an accidental introduction, probably together with its host, as already happened in New Zealand, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Morocco

New findings in Italy of the recently introduced alien psyllid Macrohomotoma gladiata and additional distributional records of Acizzia jamatonica and Cacopsylla fulguralis (Hemiptera Psylloidea)

The distribution in Italy is updated and new regional collecting data are reported of the exotic psyllids Macrohomotoma gladiata Kuwayama (Psylloidea, Homotomidae), Acizzia jamatonica (Kuwayama) and Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Psylloidea, Psyllidae), all of them native to Asia and recorded in Italy during recent times. In particular, M. gladiata is a serious pest of Ficus microcarpa L. f. (Moraceae), one of the most frequently cultivated ornamental trees in southern Europe. The psyllid was reported for the first time in Europe in 2009, from Spain, and in 2012 it was recorded in Italy, based on its findings on ornamental F. microcarpa trees in Naples town centre. Data here reported on its outbreak presence in many localities in Sicily indicate a dangerous spread over Italy of this noxious psyllid pest

Nitrogen availability in organic fertilizers from tannery and slaughterhouse by-products

Agriculture can play a primary role in the context of nutrients recovery by promoting the use of organic fertilizers (OFs). In order to use them efficiently, it is necessary to predict the nitrogen (N) bioavailability, which is a challenging matter due to the different physical-chemical characteristics of commercially available OFs. This study aims to evaluate hot-water extractable N as a rapid and cheap chemical indicator of bioavailable N. The trial was conducted on nine animal-based OFs obtained from different raw materials and treatment processes. They were fully characterized and the bioavailable N was determined by a 7-week soil incubation experiment. The results showed that hot-water extractable N underestimated bioavailable N in the case of leather meal based OFs; however, a significant linear regression fitting was achieved (R2 = 0.53). The C:N ratio was also assessed, which showed a negative correlation (−0.87) and a better linear regression fitting (R2 = 0.76) with the bioavailable N, but manifested some limitations in the prediction of leather meal based products. This experiment showed that both hot-water extractable N and C:N ratio can provide useful information for farmers in managing this class of OFs

High precision locations of long-period events at La Fossa Crater (Vulcano Island, Italy)

Since the last eruption in 1888-90, the volcanic activity on Vulcano Island (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy) has been limited to fumarolic degassing. Fumaroles are mainly concentred at the active cone of La Fossa in the northern sector of the island and are periodically characterized by increases in temperature as well as in the amount of both CO2 and He. Seismic background activity at Vulcano is dominated by micro-seismicity originating at shallow depth (<1-1.5 km) under La Fossa cone. This seismicity is related to geothermal system processes and comprises long period (LP) events. LPs are generally considered as the resonance of a fluid-filled volume in response to a trigger. We analyzed LP events recorded during an anomalous degassing period (August-October 2006) applying a high precision technique to define the shape of the trigger source. Absolute and high precision locations suggest that LP events recorded at Vulcano during 2006 were produced by a shallow focal zone ca. 200 m long, 40 m wide and N30-40E oriented. Their occurrence is linked to magmatic fluid inputs that by modifying the hydrothermal system cause excitation of a fluid-filled cavity

Expression pattern of estroprogestinic receptors in sinonasal inverted papilloma

open13openSerra A; Caltabiano R; Spinato G; Gallina S; Caruso S; Rapisarda V; Di Mauro P; Castro V; Conti A; Licciardello L; Maiolino L; Lanzafame S; Cocuzza SSerra, A; Caltabiano, R; Spinato, G; Gallina, S; Caruso, S; Rapisarda, V; Di Mauro, P; Castro, V; Conti, A; Licciardello, L; Maiolino, L; Lanzafame, S; Cocuzza,