Positioning plant health within the evolving human-animal-environmental health paradigms.

The evolution of the global scenario, which involves such converging crises as the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine wars, has underscored the fragility of the current food systems and the interdependence of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Plant health is an important element in all these crises as plants provide food and feed, fix CO, produce oxygen, and stabilize the soil. As a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, the One Health concept has finally obtained the attention of scientists and funding agencies.

The Impact of Climate Change on Vegetable Crop Diseases and Their Management: The Value of Phytotron Studies for the Agricultural Industry and Associated Stakeholders.

Climate change is having a significant impact on global agriculture, particularly on vegetable crops, which play a critical role in global nutrition. Recently, increasing research has concentrated on the impact of climate change on vegetable crop diseases, with several studies being conducted in phytotrons, which have been used to explore the effects of increased temperatures and CO concentrations to simulate future scenarios. This review focuses on the combined effects of temperature and carbon dioxide increases on foliar and soilborne vegetable diseases, as evaluated under phytotron conditions.

Characterization and Pathogenicity of Fungal Species Associated with Dieback of Apple Trees in Northern Italy.

Severe dieback symptoms were recently observed on apple () trees in Northern Italy, representing a growing concern for producers. Surveys were conducted over a 3-year period (2019 to 2021), and five apple orchards, from 5 to 12 years old, were monitored. A total of 33 fungal isolates isolated from symptomatic plants was selected for characterization.

Effects of fungicide application on physiological and molecular responses of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.): a comparison between copper and sulfur fungicides applied alone and in combination with novel fungicides.

Background: Chemical products against fungi and oomycetes pose serious environmental issues. In the last decade, the use of less impacting active ingredients was encouraged to reduce chemical inputs in viticulture. In this study, the effect of different antifungal compounds on grapevine agronomic, physiological, and molecular responses in the vineyard was evaluated in addition to protection against powdery and downy mildews.

First Report of causing leaf spots on strawberry in Italy.

Strawberry ( × Duch.) is widely cultivated in Italy. During May-June 2022, mild symptoms of an unknown leaf spot disease appeared on 5-10% of June-bearing strawberry (cv.

First report of Diaporthe eres causing stem blight and dieback on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) in Italy.

Vaccinium corymbosum L. is a woody deciduous shrub belonging to the Ericaceae family. During the last decade, Northern Italy has become a major area for blueberry cultivation and production in Europe, supplying other countries with high quality fruit (FAOSTAT 2020).

First Report of Gray Leaf Spot Caused by Pyricularia oryzae on Common Millet in Italy.

Common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a niche crop cultivated in Italy for its high nutritional and gluten-free characteristics. These aspects combined with its sustainability and adaptability to paddy soils make it relevant in crop rotation with rice in some organic farms in Northwestern Italy.

Do the ends justify the means? Impact of drought progression rate on stress response and recovery in Vitis vinifera.

Plants are frequently exposed to prolonged and intense drought events. To survive, species must implement strategies to overcome progressive drought while maintaining sufficient resources to sustain the recovery of functions. Our objective was to understand how stress rate development modulates energy reserves and affects the recovery process.

Sequencing of non-virulent strains of Fusarium fujikuroi reveals genes putatively involved in bakanae disease of rice.

Bakanae, one of the most important diseases of rice, is caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi. The elongation of internodes is the most common symptom induced by the pathogen, and it is related to the production of gibberellins. Despite this, the pathogenicity mechanism of F.

First report of causing root and crown rot on maize in Italy.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a cereal crop of great economic importance in Italy; production is currently of 62,587,469 t, with an area that covers 628,801 ha, concentrated in northern Italy (ISTAT 2020). Fusarium species are associated with root and crown rot causing failures in crop establishment under high soil moisture.

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by on Apple in Italy.

Brown rot is a common apple disease in Italy, caused by Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa and M. fructigena (Martini et al.

Genetic Diversity and Pathogenicity of Species Associated with Symptomatic Citrus Plants in Europe.

This study represents the first survey studying the occurrence, genetic diversity, and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with symptomatic citrus species in citrus-production areas in five European countries. Based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA), translation elongation factor 1-alpha () and β-tubulin () genes, nine species were identified as belonging to the genera , , and . Isolates of and were the most frequently detected, while had the widest distribution, occurring in four of the five countries sampled.

Characterization of Species Associated with Heart Rot of Pomegranate Fruit.

This study was aimed at identifying species associated with heart rot disease of pomegranate fruit in southern Italy and characterizing their mycotoxigenic profile. A total of 42 isolates were characterized. They were obtained from pomegranate fruits with symptoms of heart rot sampled in Apulia and Sicily and grouped into six distinct morphotypes based on macro- and microscopic features.

Monitoring and Surveillance of Aerial Mycobiota of Rice Paddy through DNA Metabarcoding and qPCR.

The airborne mycobiota has been understudied in comparison with the mycobiota present in other agricultural environments. Traditional, culture-based methods allow the study of a small fraction of the organisms present in the atmosphere, thus missing important information. In this study, the aerial mycobiota in a rice paddy has been examined during the cropping season (from June to September 2016) using qPCRs for two important rice pathogens ( and ) and by using DNA metabarcoding of the fungal ITS region.

Biological and molecular interplay between two viruses and powdery and downy mildews in two grapevine cultivars.

Grapevine may be affected simultaneously by several pathogens whose complex interplay is largely unknown. We studied the effects of infection by two grapevine viruses on powdery mildew and downy mildew development and the molecular modifications induced in grapevines by their multiple interactions. Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV) were transmitted by in vitro-grafting to Vitis vinifera cv Nebbiolo and Chardonnay virus-free plantlets regenerated by somatic embryogenesis.

Development of PCR, LAMP and qPCR Assays for the Detection of Aflatoxigenic Strains of and in Hazelnut.

and are two species able to produce aflatoxins in foodstuffs, and in particular in hazelnuts, at harvest and during postharvest phase. As not all the strains of these species are aflatoxin producers, it is necessary to develop techniques that can detect aflatoxigenic from not aflatoxigenic strains. Two assays, a LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) and a real time PCR with TaqMan probe were designed and validated in terms of specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and repeatability.

The Molecular Priming of Defense Responses is Differently Regulated in Grapevine Genotypes Following Elicitor Application against Powdery Mildew.

Molecular changes associated with response to powdery mildew (PM) caused by have been largely explored in cultivars, but little is known on transcriptional and metabolic modifications following application of resistance elicitors against this disease. In this study, the whole transcriptome sequencing, and hormone and metabolite analyses were combined to dissect long-term defense mechanisms induced by molecular reprogramming events in PM-infected 'Moscato' and 'Nebbiolo' leaves treated with three resistance inducers: acibenzolar-S-methyl, potassium phosphonate, and laminarin. Although all compounds were effective in counteracting the disease, acibenzolar-S-methyl caused the most intense transcriptional modifications in both cultivars.

Development of a Sensitive TaqMan qPCR Assay for Detection and Quantification of in Apple Leaves and Fruit and in Air Samples.

A TaqMan quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay based on the translation elongation factor 1-α gene was developed for the quantification of in leaves and fruits of × and in spore trap samples. The designed primers and hydrolysis probe amplified a specific 86-bp fragment for . The specificity of the assay was tested using 35 strains of and 20 different fungal species, including common pathogens of apple and other species of .

A Compost Treatment Acts as a Suppressive Agent in Pathosystem by Modifying the Rhizosphere Microbiota.

Leonian (PHC) is a filamentous pathogen oomycete that causes root, fruit, foliar and crown rot over a wide host range, including the economically and nutritionally important summer squash ( var. L.) crop.

Alternaria Leaf Spot Caused by Species: An Emerging Problem on Ornamental Plants in Italy.

Serious outbreaks of Alternaria leaf spot and plant decay have recently been recorded on several ornamental plants in the Biella Province (Northern Italy). Twenty-two fungal isolates were obtained from infected plant tissues from 13 ornamental hosts. All the isolates were identified morphologically as small-spored species.

Impact of Chemical and Alternative Fungicides Applied to Grapevine cv Nebbiolo on Microbial Ecology and Chemical-Physical Grape Characteristics at Harvest.

Viticulture is a cropping system in which treatment against fungal diseases (in particular powdery and downy mildews) can be extremely frequent. Accordingly, a reduction in antimicrobial treatments and the application of environmentally-friendly compounds are becoming increasingly important for a more sustainable viticulture. In addition to their effect against pathogens, the impact of these products on the quality of the grapes is very important for the oenological industries, but unfortunately at present few data are available.

Characterization of Population Associated with Black Spot of Sweet Basil () in Northern Italy.

Black spot is a major foliar disease of sweet basil () present in a typical cultivation area of northern Italy, including the Liguria and southern Piedmont regions, where this aromatic herb is an economically important crop. In this study, 15 isolates obtained from sweet basil plants with symptoms of black spot sampled in this area were characterized morphologically and by nuclear DNA analysis using internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and intervening 5.8S nrDNA as well as part of the β-tubulin gene (TUB2) regions as barcode markers.

HPLC-MS/MS Method for the Detection of Selected Toxic Metabolites Produced by spp. in Nuts.

spp. are emerging as producers of mycotoxins and other toxic metabolites in nuts. A HPLC-MS/MS method was developed to detect 19 metabolites produced by spp.

Effect of Drying Temperatures and Exposure Times on Aspergillus flavus Growth and Aflatoxin Production on Artificially Inoculated Hazelnuts.

Abstract: Aspergillus flavus may colonize hazelnuts and produce aflatoxins in the field and during storage. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of drying temperature and exposure times on the viability of A. flavus and its ability to produce aflatoxins during the drying process and storage.