A TILLING allele of the tomato Aux/IAA9 gene offers new insights into fruit set mechanisms and perspectives for breeding seedless tomatoes

Parthenocarpy is a desired trait in fruit crops; it enables fruit set under environmental conditions suboptimal for pollination, and seedless fruits represent a valuable consumer product. We employed TILLING-based screening of a mutant tomato population to find genetic lesions in Aux/IAA9, a negative regulator of the auxin response involved in the control of fruit set. We identified three mutations located in the coding region of this gene, including two singlebase substitutions and one single-base deletion, which leads to a frame shift and premature stop codon. The transcription of IAA9 was strongly reduced in the frame-shift mutant, and partial loss of mutated protein activity was evidenced by an in vitro transactivation assay. Whereas missense mutations were predicted to be tolerated and did not cause mutant phenotypes, the frame-shift mutation-induced phenotypes expected for a loss of IAA9 function, including altered axillary shoot growth, reduced leaf compoundness and a strong tendency to produce parthenocarpic fruits. Mutant flowers showed pleiotropic anther cone defects, a phenotype frequently associated with parthenocarpy in tomato and other species. Mutant fruits were larger than those of the seeded control, with higher bri

An Overview of Phytophthora Species Inhabiting Declining Quercus suber Stands in Sardinia (Italy)

Cork oak forests are of immense importance in terms of economic, cultural, and ecological value in the Mediterranean regions. Since the beginning of the 20th century, these forests ecosystems have been threatened by several factors, including human intervention, climate change, wildfires, pathogens, and pests. Several studies have demonstrated the primary role of the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi Ronds in the widespread decline of cork oaks in Portugal, Spain, southern France, and Italy, although other congeneric species have also been occasionally associated. Between 2015 and 2019, independent surveys were undertaken to determine the diversity of Phytophthora species in declining cork oak stands in Sardinia (Italy). Rhizosphere soil samples were collected from 39 declining cork oak stands and baited in the laboratory with oak leaflets. In addition, the occurrence of Phytophthora was assayed using an in-situ baiting technique in rivers and streams located throughout ten of the surveyed oak stands. Isolates were identified by means of both morphological characters and sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA. In total, 14 different Phytophthora species were detected. Phytophthora cinnamomi was the most frequently isolated species from rhizosphere soil, followed by P. quercina, P. pseudocryptogea, and P. tyrrhenica. In contrast, P. gonapodyides turned out to be the most dominant species in stream water, followed by P. bilorbang, P. pseudocryptogea, P. lacustris, and P. plurivora. Pathogenicity of the most common Phytophthora species detected was tested using both soil infestation and log inoculation methods. This study showed the high diversity of Phytophthora species inhabiting soil and watercourses, including several previously unrecorded species potentially involved in the decline of cork oak forests

Postural Evaluation in Sports and Sedentary Subjects by Rasterstereographic Back Shape Analysis

Posture is defined as the position of the body in space, the aim of which is to maintain balance, both in static and dynamic conditions. Our purpose was to study various postural variables involved in postural adaptations of athletes practicing symmetric and asymmetric sports at professional level. Methods: Patients include sedentary subjects, competitive athletes practicing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports. Postural evaluation of the three different groups was performed using the rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D. Results: 157 subjects were recruited. From the comparison between subjects playing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports, arises a statistically significant difference on cervical (p = 0.041) and lumbar (p = 0.047) flèche of Stagnara, with higher values for symmetrical athletes’ group. Hemipelvis torsion (p = 0.031) and lumbar flèche (p ≤ 0.001) of Stagnara are higher in symmetrical athletes’ group (sedentary). Hemipelvis torsion, cervical and lumbar flèche resulted to be higher among athletes (sedentary) (p = 0.016, p = 0.003, p = 0.027). Conclusions: In addition to the competitive sports’ medical examination, a screening with rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is suggested to all sedentary subjects, without serious skeletal pathologies which want to start athletic activity. Rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is also suggested to all athletes practicing sports, with the aim to identify eventual unknown postures, consequent to reiterated repetition of specific movements

Influence de diff\ue9rentes strat\ue9gies de gestion d\u2019une sub\ue9raie sur les caract\ue9ristiques chimiques et microbiologiques des sols

This study was performed in the framework of an international research program financed by NATO (ESP.MD.SFPP 981674). The experimental cork oak forest area of Cusseddu-Miali- Parapinta, managed by AGRIS Sardegna \u2013 Dipartimento della Ricerca per il Sughero e la Silvicoltura, has been selected for the environmental soil study. Soil samples were collected from three stations undergoing different management strategies: Station 1 was damaged by fire in 1983 and recovered in the following years. Station 2 has been managed since 1958; Station 3 remained as a spontaneous growing stand since the 1960\u2019s. The samples collected at two depths (0-10cm and 10-20cm) and in two periods (summer and winter) were analysed to determine some chemical parameters (pH, total organic carbon, heavy metals) and fungi diversity. Among the three stations some differences were pointed out concerning the pH values, lower in the damaged station, and the heavy metal content, higher in the same station. Moreover, the highest fungi biodiversity was observed in this last station while the Penicillium genus dominated in the non-managed station. These results could be partially correlated with the management strategies.Dans le cadre d\u2019un projet international de recherche financ\ue9 par l\u2019OTAN (ESP.MD.SFPP 981674), la sub\ue9raie exp\ue9rimentale de Cusseddu-Miali-Parapinta, g\ue9r\ue9e par AGRIS Sardegna \u2013 Dipartimento della Ricerca per il Sughero e la Silvicoltura, a \ue9t\ue9 choisie comme exemple de milieu naturel pour l\u2019\ue9tude des sols. Ces sols ont \ue9t\ue9 pr\ue9lev\ue9s dans trois stations soumises \ue0 diff\ue9rentes strat\ue9gies de gestion: la station 1 a \ue9t\ue9 endommag\ue9e par un incendie en 1983 et r\ue9cup\ue9r\ue9e au cours des ann\ue9es suivantes; la station 2 a \ue9t\ue9 g\ue9r\ue9e depuis 1958; la station 3 a \ue9t\ue9 laiss\ue9e en libre \ue9volution \ue0 partir des ann\ue9es 60. Les \ue9chantillons, pr\ue9lev\ue9s \ue0 deux profondeurs (0-10 et 10-20cm) et \ue0 deux p\ue9riodes de l\u2019ann\ue9e (\ue9t\ue9 et hiver), ont \ue9t\ue9 analys\ue9s pour d\ue9terminer certains param\ue8tres chimiques (pH, carbone organique total, m\ue9taux) et identifier les moisissures pr\ue9sentes. Des diff\ue9rences apparaissent entre les stations en particulier au niveau des valeurs de pH, plus faibles dans la station incendi\ue9e, et des teneurs en m\ue9taux lourds, plus \ue9lev\ue9es dans cette m\ueame station. Cette station pr\ue9sente la plus grande biodiversit\ue9 en moisissures, tandis que la station laiss\ue9e en libre \ue9volution montre une dominance du genre Penicillium. Les diff\ue9rences observ\ue9es pourraient \ueatre li\ue9es, au moins partiellement, aux syst\ue8mes de gestion utilis\ue9s

Management of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata: past, present, and future

Population monitoring and management of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), are still challenging, and are tightly connected to a deep understanding of its biology and ecology. Within this framework, new innovative control approaches and tools are frequently proposed and developed to integrate the available techniques and to overcome the difficulties involved in designing effective Integrated Pest Management programs. Indeed, some biological, ecological, and genetic characteristics of C. capitata can limit the efficacy of classical pest management strategies. This article provides a comprehensive review of the currently available tools, devices and approaches used to monitor and control medfly populations worldwide

Biology, ecology and invasiveness of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata: a review

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a highly polyphagous pest that is economically important for fruit production in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. It is considered a cosmopolitan pest due to its extreme invasiveness and has established populations in all continents except Antarctica. The medfly's broad range of host plants and distinctive biological, behavioral, and genetic traits help it easily adapt to and colonize novel environments. This review provides an overview of the specific characteristics of this species and its current distribution and invasiveness. It also outlines future challenges for medfly bioecology and invasiveness

Management of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata: past, present, and future

Population monitoring and management of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), are still challenging, and are tightly connected to a deep understanding of its biology and ecology. Within this framework, new innovative control approaches and tools are frequently proposed and developed to integrate the available techniques and to overcome the difficulties involved in designing effective Integrated Pest Management programs. Indeed, some biological, ecological, and genetic characteristics of C. capitata can limit the efficacy of classical pest management strategies. This article provides a comprehensive review of the currently available tools, devices and approaches used to monitor and control medfly populations worldwide

Descrizione dei focolai di west nile disease nel 2011 nella regione Sardegna, Italia

In 2011, strains of West Nile Virus (WNV) belonging to lineage 1 spread for the first time in Sardinia region (Italy). In contrast to previous WNV Italian incursion, the strains were found in Culex modestus and, more surprisingly, they were able to cause severe clinical signs in the affected birds. Based on the partial sequence of the NS3 encoding gene, the Sardinian WNV strains demonstrated a high similarity with the other WNV strains recently detected in the Mediterranean Basin. Nonetheless, the 2011 Sardinian sequences were grouped in a distinct sub-cluster. Both the NS3-249P and NS3-249T genotypes were detected in the Sardinian outbreaks confirming that the co-circulation of different genotypes in the affected population might be common for WNV as for many RNA viruses. No association, however, was observed between virulence and viral genotype