Article
Forestry
Luca Ruiu, Roberto Mannu, Maurizio Olivieri, Andrea Lentini
Summary: The application of a species-specific baculovirus can effectively control the gypsy moth population and regulate its dynamics in forest ecosystems, making it a promising method to consider in integrated protection programs.
Article
Forestry
F. Costa-e-Silva, A. C. Correia, C. A. Pinto, J. S. David, V. Hernandez-Santana, T. S. David
Summary: Cork is a high value forest product that ensures the sustainability of cork oak woodlands. Cork stripping affects water and carbon fluxes in trees, especially causing stomatal closure in dry years and reducing carbon ecosystem exchange.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Raquel Lobo-do-Vale, Simon Haberstroh, Christiane Werner, Carla Nogueira, Miguel Nuno Bugalho, Maria Conceicao Caldeira
Summary: Mediterranean ecosystems face threats from climate change and shrub encroachment. Shrub cover intensifies water competition, worsens drought impacts, and can have positive or negative effects depending on shrub species and density. Research on cork oak woodlands reveals that high-density shrub cover significantly decreases carbon assimilation and tree growth, while low-to-medium density only induces mild intermediate effects.
Article
Plant Sciences
Raquel Lobo-do-Vale, Teresa Rafael, Simon Haberstroh, Christiane Werner, Maria Conceicao Caldeira
Summary: Mediterranean ecosystems are threatened by climate change and shrub invasion. Shrub cover intensifies competition for water, exacerbating the negative effects of drought on ecosystem functioning. However, there has been limited research on the combined effects of drought and shrub invasion on tree carbon assimilation. This study investigated the impacts of drought and shrub invasion on cork oak carbon assimilation and photosynthetic capacity.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luigi La Riccia, Vanessa Assumma, Marta Carla Bottero, Federico Dell'Anna, Angioletta Voghera
Summary: This paper develops a model using a contingent valuation approach to aid public authorities in assessing the ecosystem services provided by forest and woodlands. The specific focus is on the cork oak forests in Sardinia, Italy, and their cultural and recreational values. The study uses the contingent valuation method to assess residents and tourists' willingness to pay for the conservation and management of these forests.
Article
Virology
Yukiyo Sato, Sabitree Shahi, Paul Telengech, Sakae Hisano, Carolina Cornejo, Daniel Rigling, Hideki Kondo, Nobuhiro Suzuki
Summary: This study molecularly characterized a new splipalmivirus (CnSpV1) and a novel fusagravirus (CnFGV1) in Cryphonectria naterciae, shedding light on the molecular and biological properties of these viruses. The tetra-segmented nature of CnSpV1 and its narrow host range restricted to C. naterciae and C. carpinicola were confirmed in this study.
Article
Microbiology
Pierre H. Boyer, Cathy Barthel, Mahsa Mohseni-Zadeh, Emilie Talagrand-Reboul, Mathieu Frickert, Benoit Jaulhac, Nathalie Boulanger
Summary: Ticks and tick-borne diseases have been spreading rapidly in recent decades. Human activities, including alterations to forest ecosystems and animal biodiversity, as well as socioeconomic changes, may be contributing to this intensification. A study in the Alsace region of France found that ticks were primarily found in humid vegetation, such as forests with trees and leaf litter. It was also observed that protected areas with reforestation and high animal biodiversity had a higher prevalence of ticks and pathogens.
Article
Infectious Diseases
C. Jessica E. Metcalf, Soa Fy Andriamandimby, Rachel E. Baker, Emma E. Glennon, Katie Hampson, T. Deirdre Hollingsworth, Petra Klepac, Amy Wesolowski
Summary: There are opportunities to eliminate disease transmission, but at a high cost, and models inform policy discussions while facing challenges from unknown factors and various complexities.
Article
Forestry
E. C. Rodriguez-Ramirez, D. Ruiz-Santiago, E. J. Requena-Rojas, T. Longhi-Santos, A. Suarez-Islas, I. Luna-Vega
Summary: Mexican Neotropical Symplocos species possess different wood anatomical adaptations to different climates and can be used to study the impact of drought on rare and endemic tree species. Neotropical montane oak forests are threatened by climate change, including drought and reduced fog and drizzle periods. This study used dendroecological and wood anatomical tools to assess the effect of historical drought events on annual growth and vessel anatomical traits in two rare relict-endemic species, Symplocos coccinea and S. speciosa. The findings suggest that high xylem plasticity allows these trees to adjust to drought quickly, highlighting the importance of diffuse-porous wood in adapting to climate variations.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Anna R. Harris, Clive M. Brasier, Bruno Scanu, Joan F. Webber
Summary: In this study, the growth characteristics, pathogenicity on different hosts, and sporulation on Japanese larch needles of EU1 and EU2 were compared. Results showed that EU2 was more pathogenic at 20 degrees C on Japanese larch and European larch, producing larger lesions. Both lineages caused similar amounts of necrosis on rhododendron leaves, but EU2 isolates sporulated less abundantly on larch needles, indicating a trade-off between pathogenicity and sporulation among the lineages.
Article
Agronomy
Roberta Di Lecce, Marco Masi, Benedetto Teodoro Linaldeddu, Gennaro Pescitelli, Lucia Maddau, Antonio Evidente
Summary: A new cleistanthane nor-diterpenoid, olicleistanone, was isolated from the culture filtrates of Diplodia olivarum. Olicleistanone showed strong activity against Artemia salina L. larvae but did not exhibit phytotoxic, antifungal, or antioomycete activity. Additionally, the study identified other phytotoxic diterpenoids from the fungus culture filtrates.
PHYTOPATHOLOGIA MEDITERRANEA
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Marco Masi, Roberta Di Lecce, Giulia Marsico, Benedetto Teodoro Linaldeddu, Lucia Maddau, Stefano Superchi, Antonio Evidente
Summary: Two new bioactive trisubstituted furanones, pinofuranoxins A and B, isolated from the global conifer pathogen Diplodia sapinea, induced necrotic lesions on different plants, inhibited the growth of certain fungi, and showed larval mortality-inducing activity in the Artemia sauna assay.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Benedetto T. Linaldeddu, Carlo Bregant, Lucio Montecchio, Ana Brglez, Barbara Piskur, Nikica Ogris
Summary: Ash dieback caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus has reduced the vitality and productivity of European ash trees in Slovenia. A study identified and characterized several fungal species, including the dominant species Diplodia fraxini, involved in the observed symptoms. This is the first report of Botryosphaeriaceae species on European ash in Slovenia.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
S. Seddaiu, A. Mello, C. Sechi, A. Cerboneschi, B. T. Linaldeddu
Article
Forestry
Carlo Bregant, Antonio A. Mulas, Giovanni Rossetto, Antonio Deidda, Lucia Maddau, Giovanni Piras, Benedetto T. Linaldeddu
Summary: Monitoring surveys in four forest nurseries in Italy identified fourteen Phytophthora species associated with collar and root rot in Mediterranean and alpine regions. A new species, Phytophthora mediterranea, was described based on genetic and morphological analysis, showing potential threat to native Mediterranean vegetation. Discovery of Phytophthora cinnamomi in alpine nurseries suggests its expansion into colder environments due to climate change.
Article
Forestry
Christie A. Klimas, Lucia Helena de Oliveira Wadt, Carolina Volkmer de Castilho, Ana Claudia Lira-Guedes, Patricia da Costa, Fernanda Lopes da Fonseca
Summary: This study focused on masting of the economically important tropical tree Carapa guianensis Aublet, and found that increasing the diameter at breast height had a positive effect on seed production. The research also suggested that ecosystems and climate cues might jointly influence seed production.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Masi, Roberta Di Lecce, Umberto Calice, Benedetto Teodoro Linaldeddu, Lucia Maddau, Stefano Superchi, Antonio Evidente
Summary: An undescribed disubstituted dihydrofuranone, named diplofuranoxin, was isolated from the fungal species Diplodia subglobosa, along with six known metabolites. The metabolites were screened for biological activities, and two of them showed activity in the bioassays.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
F. J. Dorado, T. Corcobado, A. Brandano, Y. Abbas, F. Alcaide, J. Janousek, T. Jung, B. Scanu, A. Solla
Article
Microbiology
Carlo Bregant, Eduardo Batista, Sandra Hilario, Benedetto T. Linaldeddu, Artur Alves
Summary: Recent field surveys in Portugal identified severe Phytophthora infections causing canopy dieback, bleeding canker, and root rot in common alder ecosystems. Isolation of 13 Phytophthora species from symptomatic tissues, rhizosphere, and water samples revealed the complex etiology of common alder decline and the additional threat posed by Phytophthora multivora to riparian habitats. The diversity of Phytophthora species detected among the surveyed sites suggests multiple species contributing to similar symptoms on this host, including the first reports of P. amnicola and P. rosacearum in natural ecosystems in Europe.
Article
Microbiology
Andrea Brandano, Salvatorica Serra, Giles E. St. J. Hardy, Bruno Scanu
Summary: The study found that potassium phosphonate can effectively control Phytophthora infection in chestnut phloem tissues, but its effectiveness varies depending on the concentration used and the specific Phytophthora species tested.
Article
Forestry
Carlo Bregant, Giovanni Rossetto, Letizia Meli, Nicolo Sasso, Lucio Montecchio, Ana Brglez, Barbara Piskur, Nikica Ogris, Lucia Maddau, Benedetto Teodoro Linaldeddu
Summary: New and emerging Phytophthora-related diseases have been observed in subalpine vegetation in Italy and Slovenia. Field surveys from 2019 to 2022 identified 17 Phytophthora species in 54 sites, with a high diversity of aerial infections caused by caducous sporangia.
Article
Agronomy
Benedetto T. Linaldeddu, Giovanni Rossetto, Lucia Maddau, Thomas Vatrano, Carlo Bregant
Summary: Extensive collar rot, cankers, blight and fruit rot symptoms have been observed on olive trees in several orchards in Italy. A study was conducted to investigate the occurrence, distribution and impact of main pathogens causing these diseases. A total of 38 species, including 18 Botryosphaeriaceae species and 15 Phytophthora species, were identified, with 13 species reported for the first time in olive trees. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that several species of Botryosphaeriaceae and Phytophthora pose a growing threat to olive trees.
Article
Ecology
Alessandra Benigno, Carlo Bregant, Chiara Aglietti, Giovanni Rossetto, Beatrice Tolio, Salvatore Moricca, Benedetto T. Linaldeddu
Summary: Italy, especially its Mediterranean regions, is experiencing significant effects of global environmental changes, particularly in terms of climate. A recent survey in Central-Northern Italy revealed that the health decline of ash species, including common ash, flowering ash, and narrow-leaved ash, is primarily caused by the warming trend and irregular precipitation distribution, as well as pathogenic fungi and oomycetes.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Salvatore Seddaiu, Antonietta Mello, Luca Sarais, Antonio Mulas, Clizia Sechi, Pino Angelo Ruiu, Anna Maria Vettraino, Maurizio Petruccioli, Paolo Gonthier, Fabiano Sillo, Carlo Bregant, Lucio Montecchio, Benedetto T. Linaldeddu
Summary: In recent decades, the productivity of Italian chestnut groves has been severely affected by the emergence of the fungal pathogen Gnomoniopsis castaneae, resulting in nut rots. Despite its widespread distribution in Italy, the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of this pathogen have not been fully explored. This study analyzed the genetic diversity and spatial distribution of G. castaneae haplotypes in different regions of Italy and Sardinia. The results showed the existence of two distinct evolutionary lineages (haplotype A and B) at a global scale, with varying frequencies in different geographic areas of Italy. Inoculation experiments confirmed the pathogenicity of both haplotypes, although their aggressiveness differed.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2023)
