Weather Variables Associated with Spore Dispersal of Lecanosticta acicola Causing Pine Needle Blight in Northern Spain

In the last decade, the impact of needle blight fungal pathogens on the health status of forests in northern Spain has marked a turning point in forest production systems based on Pinus radiata species. Dothistroma needle blight caused by Dothistroma septosporum and D. pini, and brown spot needle blight caused by Lecanosticta acicola, coexist in these ecosystems. There is a clear dominance of L. acicola with respect to the other two pathogens and evidence of sexual reproduction in the area. Understanding L. acicola spore dispersal dynamics within climatic determinants is necessary to establish more efficient management strategies to increase the sustainability of forest ecosystems. In this study, spore counts of 15 spore traps placed in Pinus ecosystems were recorded in 2019 and spore abundance dependency on weather data was analysed using generalised additive models. During the collection period, the model that best fit the number of trapped spores included the daily maximum temperature and daily cumulative precipitation, which was associated to higher spore counts. The presence of conidia was detected from January and maximum peaks of spore dispersal were generally observed from September to November.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and INIA, grant number: RTA 2017-00063-C04-03, LIFE programme, grant number: LIFE14 ENV/ES/000179 and by the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment (Basque Government), grant reference: FUNGITRAP2019.S

Efficiency of nitrification inhibitor DMPP to reduce nitrous oxide emissions under different temperature and moisture conditions

Agricultural intensification has led to the use of very high inputs of nitrogen fertilizers into cultivated land. As a consequence of this, nitrous oxide (N 2O) emissions have increased significantly. Nowadays, the challenge is to mitigate these emissions in order to reduce global warming. Addition of nitrification inhibitors (NI) to fertilizers can reduce the losses of N 2O to the atmosphere, but field studies have shown that their efficiency varies depending greatly on the environmental conditions. Soil water content and temperature are key factors controlling N 2O emissions from soils and they seem to be also key parameters responsible for the variation in nitrification inhibitors efficiency. We present a laboratory study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazol phosphate (DMPP) at three different temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and three soil water contents (40%, 60% and 80% of WFPS) on N 2O emissions following the application of 1.2 mg N kg -1 dry soil (equivalent to 140 kg N ha -1). Also the CO 2 and CH 4 emissions were followed to see the possible side effects of DMPP on the overall microbial activities. Nitrogen was applied either as ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN) or as ENTEC 26 (ASN + DMPP). The application of ENTEC 26 was effective reducing N 2O losses up to the levels of an unfertilized control treatment in all conditions. Nevertheless, the percentage of reduction induced by DMPP in the ENTEC treatment with respect to the ASN varied from 3% to 45% depending on temperature and soil water content conditions. At 40% of WFPS, when nitrification is expected to be the main process producing N 2O, the increase of N 2O emissions in ASN together with temperature provoked an increase in DMPP efficiency reducing these emissions from 17% up to 42%. Contrarily, at 80% of WFPS, when denitrification is expected to be the main source of N 2O, emissions after ASN application decreased with temperature, which induced a decrease from 45% to 23% in the efficiency of DMPP reducing N 2O losses. Overall, the results obtained in this study suggest that DMPP performance regarding N 2O emissions reduction would be the best in cold and wet conditions. Neither CO 2 emissions nor CH 4 emissions were affected by the use of DMPP at the different soil water contents and temperatures. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.Peer Reviewe

Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, N2O and CH4) from forest soils in the Basque Country: Comparison of different tree species and growth stages

Forest systems are considered quintessential terrestrial systems for atmospheric CO2 sequestration to mitigate the effect of global warming. Temperate forest soils also present the highest rates of methane uptake among all the natural systems, while may represent a significant source of N2O. Despite of the large area occupied by forest in the Basque Country, no data is yet available regarding greenhouse gas fluxes under these edaphoclimatic conditions. In this manuscript we present a 2-year study which determined the magnitude of CO2, N2O, and CH4 soil gas fluxes in radiata pine, beech and Douglas fir forests using a closed chamber technique. The magnitude of these gas fluxes was additionally compared between different growth stages of radiata pine and beech forest, and the edaphoclimatic parameters that control these gas fluxes in the different forest systems and growth stages were studied. Measured greenhouse gas fluxes were in a low range as already published elsewhere for temperate forest ecosystems. A nitrogen deficit appears to be responsible for these relatively low gas fluxes. Apparently, the different forest species play a key role as controllers responsible for the differences of soil gas-exchange fluxes between the three different forest type systems. The mature pine plantation soil was emitting the most CO2 (1.5 and 2.5 times more than the mature beech and the Douglas fir, respectively), while the Douglas fir forest soil was emitting the most N2O (3 and 17 times more than the mature pine and the mature beech, respectively) and the mature beech forest was the soil type showing the highest CH4 consumption rates (2 and 5.5 times more than the mature pine and the Douglas fir, respectively). The stage of growth and its usual management appear to be important concerning the soil gas-exchange behavior within one forest type. The young beech forest soil emitted 9 times more N2O than the mature, and the new pine and the mature pine plantation soils emitted 2.5 and 2 times more CO2 than the young, respectively. The ground vegetation cover percentage, the organic matter accumulation and the soil porosity seem to be factors which merit a closer look in future studies, as possibly responsible for the differences in gas fluxes among forest types and growth stages. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.This project was funded by the Spanish Government (AGL2009-13339-CO2-01) and by the Basque Government (K-EGOKITZEN ETORTEK 2010-2012 and GV-IT-526-10). Iskander Barrena is the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government.Peer Reviewe

New hosts for Lecanosticta acicola and Dothistroma septosporum in newly established arboreta in Spain

A historical outbreak of needle blight disease was recorded during 2018 to 2019 in plantations of Pinus radiata and Pinus nigra in the North of Spain. The main pathogens involved in this historical outbreak were identified as Lecanosticta acicola and Dothistroma septosporum. Recently, a variety of tree species in three arboreta planted between 2011 and 2013 in the Basque Country as part of the European project REINFFORCE were showing symptoms of needle blight and defoliation. The aim of this study was to determine which pine species were affected with these pathogens. Tree species sampled included several provenances of P. brutia, P. elliottii, P. nigra, P. pinaster, P. pinea, P. ponderosa, P. sylvestris and P. taeda. Using molecular identification methods, Lecanosticta acicola was confirmed infecting Pinus brutia (Provenance: Alexandropolis, Greece and var. eldarica, Crimea) and represents a new host species for this pathogen. Pinus elliottii (Provenance: Georgia, USA) and P. ponderosa (Provenance: Central California, USA) are new host reports of L. acicola for Spain. Dothistroma septosporum was found for the first time on P. brutia (Provenance: Marmaris, Turkey) and P. ponderosa (Provenance: Oregon, USA) in Spain and was also detected infecting P. nigra (Provenance: Sologne Vayrières, France).Their respective institutions and by the Project RTA 2017-00063-C04-03 INIA and the Project: Healthy Forest: LIFE14 ENV/ES/000179.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/efphj2022BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care. We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care