Search Results (29)

Lycium barbarum L. is a shrub native to China. It produces berries that are high in nutraceutical value. Its commercial appeal has led to the development of new plantations in Italy over recent decades. The majority of cultivated goji plants are derived from local nursery seedlings without the selection of varieties or clones. This study used nine simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from Lycium chinense L. to analyze the genetic structure and variability of heterogeneous, seed-derived accessions cultivated in an orchard located in central Italy (from here on referred to as field). The results were compared to accessions of known origin (LB, Lycium barbarum; LC, Lycium chinense). The study aimed to determine the genetic origin of seedlings and assess the feasibility of using microsatellite markers for individual fingerprinting. It also aimed to propagate the most adapted, productive plants while ensuring traceability and protection of potential clones throughout the production chain. The SSR markers used revealed that the field accessions were genetically distinct from both the L. barbarum and L. chinense accessions, whose seeds came from different European Botanical Gardens. The mean observed heterozygosity (H_o) across the three groups was 0.356, higher than the mean expected heterozygosity (H_e) of 0.314. The values of the inbreeding coefficient (F_IS) ranged from −0.25 (field) to 0.05 (LC), confirming the high genetic variability in our dataset. The fixation index (F_ST) was 0.234, indicating medium to high genetic differentiation. The Bayesian analysis revealed three distinct clusters, indicating that three gene pools influenced the genetic structure of the studied populations. The orchard accessions form a distinct population, most likely a L. barbarum landrace, descended from two distinct ancestral populations that differ from the two known species. Our findings preliminarily lay the groundwork for the protection of some clonal lines of goji accessions for use in future planting more suited to the Mediterranean climate. This study also serves as a foundation for a more thorough characterization of cultivated L. barbarum, allowing for traceability and sustainable management of the genetic resource. Full article

Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and methane (CH₄), particularly those from organic soils, need to be reduced in the context of climate change mitigation (CCM). Here, we estimated the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from nutrient-poor organic soils in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) plantations established on former peat extraction fields compared to active peat extraction fields and pristine raised bogs in Latvia. A two-year study (2016–2018) was conducted using the manual closed chamber method. In berry plantations and active peat extraction fields, annual net CO₂ fluxes contributed the most to total GHG emissions, accounting for over 67%, and temperature had the most significant impact on CO₂ fluxes. Conversely, annual CH₄ fluxes were the primary contributor to total net GHG emissions in the pristine raised bog, which simultaneously acted as a slight CO₂ sink. N₂O fluxes were relatively low among all studied land use types. This study provided quantitative insights into the variation in GHG fluxes and the environmental variables influencing them, and the obtained data are valuable to estimate the impact of the establishment of berry plantations on former peat extraction fields on CCM in the hemiboreal region of Europe. Full article

The application of pesticides using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has grown, but there is a lack of information to support more efficient applications. Using a DJI AGRAS-MG-1P octocopter equipped with different spray tips, this study sought to explore spray deposition (leaves and fruit) and efficacy of chlorpyrifos on control of coffee berry borer at different spray volumes and flight heights. The study was conducted in an Arabica coffee plantation. The study consisted of eight treatments and four replications in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial scheme: two flight heights (1.5 and 3.0 m), two spray tips (hollow cone and flat fan), and two spray volumes (10 and 15 L ha⁻¹). Deposition was assessed by detecting a tracer in the coffee leaves and fruit using spectrophotometry. The coffee berry borer-control efficacy trial was conducted in two areas by evaluating the percentage of damaged fruit 60 days after two insecticide applications. The flight height of 1.5 m promoted higher spray deposition on leaves and fruit and a lower incidence of damaged fruit. Flat fan spray tips resulted in higher spray deposition on the leaves, not interfering with the deposition on fruit or the coffee berry borer control. Increasing the spray volume from 10 to 15 L ha⁻¹ did not increase spray deposition on coffee leaves and fruit. Chlorpyrifos applied via UAVs reduced the incidence of coffee berry borer. Full article

The aim of our research was to compare the levels of pollution in different habitats based on the concentrations of heavy metals found in pollen and the organisms of Osmia bicornis L. bees in three habitats: orchards, berry plantations, and urban habitats (near by power plant, landfill, residential areas, and heavy vehicle traffic). The concentration of Ag, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. Samples were quantified using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), with evaluations being carried out three times for each sample. Bee nests were also analyzed concerning reproduction and the presence of parasites. There were no significant differences in the content of heavy metals Ag, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in pollen samples between the three habitat types. Bee samples differed only in their Zn content, which was significantly higher in orchards (2.67 mg/kg) than urban habitats (0.80 mg/kg) and berry plantation (0.94 mg/kg). Habitat type had no effect on most bee reproductive parameters (percentage of occupied nest tubes, population growth). Our results show that bees pollinating crops in, for example orchards or berry plantations are exposed to heavy metals to a similar extent to those urban areas. Full article

Chinese Fan Palm, Livistona chinensis, was introduced as an ornamental plant towards the end of the nineteenth century in Pakistan, and since then, it has been used as a popular plant in urban landscaping. It dominates the green belt of parks, recreational gardens and road verges in Lahore, Pakistan. Recent trends in the plantation of fast-growing palm species and other exotics have replaced L. chinensis in urban landscaping. In this study, observations made on the daily routine of foraging of L. chinensis berries by two common urban birds, the red vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and the house crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), showed that their consumption of berries peaked in December and January, but the duration of foraging was shown to be longer in house crows as compared to red vented bulbuls. This period of consumption corresponds to the time when the pulp of the berries has become soft, and during this period, no other fruits are available in the urban landscape. Nutrient analysis showed that the pulp of the ripened berries is a rich source of nutrients, and these berries are providing an ideal winter food to counter the increased energetic demands experienced by urban birds during the coldest part of the year, thus helping birds avoid the risk of starvation. This dietary intake of berries by birds also provides a rationale to popularize L. chinensis as an essential component of the planting palette of the urban landscape. This research can be considered as starting point for broad public support to improving landscape planning for managing nature in cities. Full article

Coffee is a relevant agricultural product in the global economy, with the amount and quality of the bean being seriously affected by the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), CBB, its principal pest. One of the ways to deal with this beetle is through biological control agents, like ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), some of which are characterized by naturally inhabiting coffee plantations and feeding on CBB in all their life stages. Our paper considers a predator–prey interaction between these two insects through a novel mathematical model based on ordinary differential equations, where the state variables correspond to adult CBBs, immature CBBs, and ants from one species, without specifying whether preying on the CBB is among their feeding habits, in both adult and immature stages. Through this new mathematical model, we could qualitatively predict the different dynamics present in the system as some meaningful parameters were varied, filling the existing gap in the literature and envisioning ways to manage pests. Mathematically, the system’s equilibrium points were determined, and its stability was studied through qualitative theory. Bifurcation theory and numerical simulations were applied to illustrate the stability of the results, which were interpreted as conditions of the coexistence of the species, as well as conditions for eradicating the pest, at least theoretically, through biocontrol action in combination with other actions focused on eliminating only adult CBBs. Full article

Shrews are a less studied group of small mammals than rodents. Between 2018 and 2022, we surveyed 23 sites in Lithuania, including natural and anthropogenic habitats, with the aim to assess the proportion of Soricidae in small mammal communities and their diet based on stable isotope analysis. The average representation of Soricidae was 3.1%, about half the long-term average in other habitats in the country. The highest proportions were in meadows and farmsteads, at 4.9% and 5.0% respectively. Shrews were not trapped on farms or in young orchards, and their relative abundance was very low in intensively managed orchards (0.006 individuals per 100 trap days). Neomys fodiens and N. anomalus were unexpectedly found in homesteads, including in outbuildings. Sorex araneus and S. minutus had similar diets. The trophic carbon/nitrogen discrimination factor between invertebrates and shrew hair was 2.74‰/3.98‰ for S. araneus, 1.90‰/3.78‰ for S. minutus in the orchards. The diet of N. fodiens and N. anomalus at the homesteads requires further investigation. We propose that the under-abundance of shrews may be due to contamination by plant protection products and a lack of invertebrates under intensive agricultural practices. Full article

The diversity of small mammal communities is a measure of the sustainability of habitats, especially agricultural ones. Based on 2018–2020 data from 18 sites in Lithuania, we analysed factors related to diversity of such a community, specifically the relative abundances and proportions of common vole, striped field mouse, yellow-necked mouse, and bank vole. We assessed the influence of location (central, northern, eastern, southern, and western parts of the country), habitat type (orchards, berry plantations, control habitats), the year and season. The model explained 14.8–33.4% of the listed parameters with p < 0.005 or higher, with the exception of the dominance index and the proportion of the common vole. Time factor (year and season, p < 0.001) and site location (p < 0.05) had the highest influences, while that of habitat type was less significant. The results of this and the former research suggest that commercial orchards play a role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of small mammal communities in the agrolandscapes. Full article

Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) plants are valuable for the high taste, nutritional, medicinal and dietary properties of their fruits. Strawberries are the first to open the season of fresh berries. They are especially rich in sugars, organic acids, pectin, vitamins and mineral elements. The total area of strawberry plantations in Ukraine, according to the State Statistics Service, is 8200 ha. The average yield reaches 6.9 tons/ha. In order to develop an effective disease protection system, it is necessary to detect and diagnose disease in time. An assessment of disease spread and severity was conducted in 2020–2021 in the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The most common diseases were gray mold (Botrytis cinerea Pers.), leaf scorch (Diplocarpon earlianum (Ellis and Everh.) F.A. Wolf), powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis (Wallr.) U. Braun and S. Takam.), black spot (Colletotricum acutatum J.H. Simmonds), white leaf spot (Ramularia grevilleana (Tul. and C. Tul. ex Oudem.) Jørst.). On strawberry plantations, diseases appeared in the following order: gray mold, white leaf spot, powdery mildew, black spot, leaf scorch. The most spread out and the most harmful were gray mold, white leaf spot and leaf scorch. Full article

The diversity of small mammal communities (SMCs) shows the sustainability of habitats, especially agricultural ones. Gathered over three years, data from 18 sites in Lithuania were used to analyse factors related to several dependent parameters, namely, diversity (Shannon’s H, dominance index and number of species trapped); the relative abundance of species in SMCs; and the abundances and proportions of the four most numerous species, specifically common vole, striped field mouse, yellow-necked mouse and bank vole. Using the General Linear Model, we assessed the influence of habitat type (commercial orchards, berry plantations, control meadows and control forests with at least two of these present at every investigation site), age of the orchard or plantation, intensity of agriculture, season and location (central, northern, eastern, southern and western parts of the country). To control temporal data variability, the year was used as a continuous predictor. The model was valid, and explained 14–31% of the listed parameters with p < 0.005 or higher, with the exception of the dominance index and the proportion of the common vole. The time factor (year and season, p < 0.001), intensity of agriculture and site location (p < 0.05) had the highest influences on the model, while those of the habitat type and its age were not significant. Univariate results suggest that old commercial orchards with low intensities of agricultural practice play a role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of SMCs. Full article

Improvement of dietary and ecological biodiversity, namely by exploring autochthonous varieties, is a key point to the construction of a more sustainable food system and planetary health. However, the environmental sustainability continues to face huge challenges, reflecting the importance of achieving a better understanding about the functional role of biodiversity in ecosystems. Thus, the main objective of this research is to contribute to the sustainable valorization of Sambucus nigra L. berries through a comprehensive approach to evaluate the effects of elderberry’s cultivar, harvest year, and plantation field on the physicochemical berry composition. Moreover, the nutritional value of elderberry juice and respective dried pomace was determined. This complementary information is of huge utility for the rational and, as much as possible, integral use of elderberries. The harvest year, followed by field and the interaction of harvest × field, accounted for the highest impact on the berry’s physicochemical parameters, indicating the importance of the combined impact of the macro- and mesoclimate conditions on plant metabolism. Elderberry juice and dried pomace are a good source of carbohydrates (ca. 12 and 82%, respectively) and have low amounts of fat (≤2.5%), making them low-energy foods. Dried pomace may also represent a potential alternative source of vegetal protein (ca. 6%). Full article

Six strawberry genotypes were examined for fruit yield and size, important chemical traits (sugars, phenolics, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, volatiles) and antioxidant properties (ferric reducing power). In addition, we determined the expression of genes and transcription factors (SAAT, FaNES1, FaFAD1, FaEGS2, FaEOBII and FaMYB10) controlling the main flavor and aroma traits, and finally evaluated the effect of the genotype and harvest time on the examined chemical and genetic factors, as well as their intercorrelations. The commercial varieties ‘Fortuna’, ‘Victory’, ‘Calderon’, ‘Rociera’, and two advanced selections Ber22/6 and Ber23/3 were cultivated under the same conditions at Berryplasma World Ltd. plantations (Varda, Ilia, Region of Western Greece). Strawberries were harvested at three different time points over the main harvest period in Greece, i.e., early March (T1), late March (T2) and late April (T3). ‘Fortuna’ exhibited the highest early and total yield, while ‘Calderon’, the highest average berry weight. General Linear Model repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated that the interaction of the genotype and harvest time was significant (p < 0.001) on all tested quality attributes and gene expression levels, showing that each genotype behaves differently throughout the harvest period. Exceptions were observed for: (a) the volatile anhydrides, fatty acids, aromatics and phenylpropanoids (all were greatly affected by the harvest time), and (b) lactones, furaneol and FaEGS2 that were affected only by the genotype. We observed significant intercorrelations among those factors, e.g., the positive correlation of FaFAD1 expression with decalactone and nerolidol, of SAAT with furaneol, trans-cinnamic acid and phenylpropanoids, and of FaEGS2 with decalactone and FaFAD1. Moreover, a strong positive correlation between SAAT and FaMYB10 and a moderate negative one between SAAT and glucose were also detected. Those correlations can be further investigated to reveal potential markers for strawberry breeding. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of strawberry physiology, which would facilitate breeding efforts for the development of new strawberry varieties with superior qualitative traits. Full article

In this study, the soil erosion regulation ecosystem services of the CORINE land use/ land cover types along with soil intrinsic features and geomorphological factors were examined by using the soil erosion data of 327 catchments in Poland, with a mean area of 510 ± 330 km², applying a multivariate regression modeling approach. The results showed that soil erosion is accelerated by the discontinuous urban fabric (r = 0.224, p ≤ 0.01), by construction sites (r = 0.141, p ≤ 0.05), non-irrigated arable land (r = 0.237, p ≤ 0.01), and is mitigated by coniferous forest (r = −0.322, p ≤ 0.01), the clay ratio (r = −0.652, p ≤ 0.01), and the organic content of the soil (r = −0.622, p ≤ 0.01). The models also indicated that there is a strong relationship between soil erosion and the percentage of land use/land cover types (r² = [0.62, 0.82, 0.83, 0.74]), i.e., mixed forest, non-irrigated arable land, fruit trees and berry plantations, broad-leaf forest, sport and leisure facilities, construction sites, and mineral extraction sites. The findings show that the soil erosion regulation ecosystem service is sensitive to broadleaf forests, rainfed agriculture, soil water content, terrain slope, drainage network density, annual precipitation, the clay ratio, the soil carbon content, and the degree of sensitivity increases from the broadleaf forest to the soil carbon content. Full article

Phytopathogenic microorganisms belonging to the genus Phytophthora have been recognized many times as causal agents of diseases that lower the yield of many plants important for agriculture. Meanwhile, Phytophthora cactorum causes crown rot and leather rot of berry fruits, mainly strawberries. However, widely-applied culture-based methods used for the detection of pathogens are time-consuming and often inaccurate. What is more, molecular techniques require costly equipment. Here we show a rapid and effective detection method for the aforementioned targets, deploying a simple molecular biology technique, Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). We optimized assays to amplify the translation elongation factor 1-α (EF1a) gene for two targets: Phytophthora sp. And Phytophthora cactorum. We optimized the LAMP on pure strains of the pathogens, isolated from organic plantations of strawberry, and successfully validated the assay on biological material from the environment including soil samples, rhizosphere, shoots and roots of strawberry, and with SYBR Green. Our results demonstrate that a simple and reliable molecular detection method, that requires only a thermoblock and simple DNA isolation kit, can be successfully applied to detect pathogens that are difficult to separate from the field. We anticipate our findings to be a starting point for developing easier and faster modifications of the isothermal detection methods and which can be applied directly in the plantation, in particular with the use of freeze-dried reagents and chemistry, allowing observation of the results with the naked eye. Full article

Growing blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L., Highbush blueberry) as a berry crop is developing dynamically, especially in warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of the world. When blueberry is cultivated on plantations, the bushes are pruned annually, and tons of leaves become waste. Thus, the aim of the present study was to create a preparation from blueberry leaves, study their chemical composition and determine their potential as a dietary supplement for the prophylactic and correction of the metabolic syndrome. Several schemes for obtaining extracts from blueberry leaves have been developed, including one with addition of arginine. A total of 18 phenolic substances were identified and quantified in the extracts by TLC and HPLC methods. Chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, and rutin were shown to be dominating constituents. Quantitative determination of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavonoids and other phenolics in the extracts was performed by spectrophotometric method. The extracts administration led to a significant decrease in the level of glucose, insulin and triacylglycerols in blood serum of adult mature inbred rats with insulin resistance induced by the fructose-enriched diet. The most promising one was the extract modified with arginine. The determined hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity of chemically standardized extracts from highbush blueberry leaves indicate the potential of this crop residue in utilization as a dietary supplement recommended in prevention of ailments associated with metabolic syndrome. Full article