Geographic tracing of cereals from South Tyrol (Italy) and neighboring regions via Sr/Sr isotope analysis.

The protection and promotion of agricultural niche products can be supported by the application of analytical techniques able to link food to its territory. This study aimed at exploring the possibility to discriminate between cereal samples from South Tyrol (Italy) and the neighboring regions (Trentino, East Tyrol, and North Tyrol) by their Sr/Sr ratios. Soil and grain (different species) samples were collected from around 100 fields in two sampling campaigns.

Multi-chemical analysis combined with chemometrics to characterize PDO and PGI Italian apples.

Background: The use of PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) labels allows to protect and promote agricultural products characterized by unique features related to the place of origin and traditional know-how. However, the presence of non-authentic products in the market represents a fraud that can be tackled applying analytical techniques combined with chemometric analysis. In this study, we applied multi-element and multi-isotope analysis to characterize PDO and PGI apples cultivated in northern Italy, comparing them with Italian apples without labels of geographical indications.

Sr isotope composition of Golden Delicious apples in Northern Italy reflects the soil Sr/ Sr ratio of the cultivation area.

Background: Apples have a leading role in the Italian fruit sector, and high-quality apples, including the Golden Delicious variety, are cultivated mainly in the Northern mountain districts. In the present study, Golden Delicious apples from PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) cultivation districts were characterized according to their Sr isotope composition and compared with apples from other Northern Italian districts.

Results: Apples collected in two consecutive years (2017 and 2018) confirmed the low annual variability of the Sr/ Sr ratio.

Intra- and Intertree Variability of the Sr/Sr Ratio in Apple Orchards and Its Correlation with the Soil Sr/Sr Ratio.

The Sr/Sr ratio of horticultural products mostly derives from that of the bioavailable Sr fraction of the soil where they grow and, therefore, varies according to the local geolithological features. This study investigated the intra- and intertree variability of the Sr/Sr ratio in two apple orchards in South Tyrol and its relation with the soil Sr/Sr ratio. In both orchards, a moderate homogeneity of the Sr/Sr ratio was observed among subsamples of the same tree part (shoot axes, leaves, apple peels, and pulps).

Plant Sr Isotope Ratios As Affected by the Sr Isotope Ratio of the Soil and of the External Sr Inputs.

The Sr/Sr ratio of a produce is generally linked with the soil geological features of the growing areas. This study aimed at assessing to which extent the addition of external Sr by agricultural practices, like irrigation and mineral nutrient supply, influences this relationship. In a first experiment, oat plants in two soils reflected the Sr/Sr of the soil.

Comparison of pore water samplers and cryogenic distillation under laboratory and field conditions for soil water stable isotope analysis.

We used pore water samplers (PWS) to sample for isotope analysis (1) only water, (2) soil under laboratory conditions, and (3) soil in the field comparing the results with cryogenic extraction (CE). In (1) and (2), no significant differences between source and water extracted with PWS were detected with a mean absolute difference (MAD) always lower than 2 ‰ for δH and 1 ‰ for δO. In (2), CE water was more enriched than PWS-extracted water, with a MAD respect to source water of roughly 8 ‰ for δH and 4 ‰ for δO.

Timescale effects on the environmental control of carbon and water fluxes of an apple orchard.

Model parameterization and validation of earth-atmosphere interactions are generally performed using a single timescale (e.g., nearly instantaneous, daily, and annual), although both delayed responses and hysteretic effects have been widely recognized.

Nitrogen Nutrition of Fruit Trees to Reconcile Productivity and Environmental Concerns.

Although perennial fruit crops represent 1% of global agricultural land, they are of a great economic importance in world trade and in the economy of many regions. The perennial woody nature of fruit trees, their physiological stages of growth, the root distribution pattern, and the presence of herbaceous vegetation in alleys make orchard systems efficient in the use and recycling of nitrogen (N). The present paper intends to review the existing literature on N nutrition of young and mature deciduous and evergreen fruit trees with special emphasis to temperate and Mediterranean climates.

Colonization of a Deglaciated Moraine: Contrasting Patterns of Carbon Uptake and Release from C3 and CAM Plants.

Introduction: Current glacier retreat makes vast mountain ranges available for vegetation establishment and growth. As a result, carbon (C) is accumulated in the soil, in a negative feedback to climate change. Little is known about the effective C budget of these new ecosystems and how the presence of different vegetation communities influences CO2 fluxes.

Untangling the effects of root age and tissue nitrogen on root respiration in Populus tremuloides at different nitrogen supply.

Root respiration is a major contributor to terrestrial carbon flux. Many studies have shown root respiration to increase with an increase in root tissue nitrogen (N) concentration across species and study sites. Studies have also shown that both root respiration and root N concentration typically decrease with root age.

Maximum Growth Potential and Periods of Resource Limitation in Apple Tree.

Knowledge of seasonal maximum potential growth rates are important for assessing periods of resource limitations in fruit tree species. In this study we assessed the periods of resource limitation for vegetative (current year stems, and woody biomass) and reproductive (fruit) organs of a major agricultural crop: the apple tree. This was done by comparing relative growth rates (RGRs) of individual organs in trees with reduced competition for resources to trees grown under standard field conditions.

Traceability of different apple varieties by multivariate analysis of isotope ratio mass spectrometry data.

Rationale: The awareness of customers of the origin of foods has become an important issue. The growing demand for foods that are healthy, safe and of high quality has increased the need for traceability and clear labelling. Thus, this study investigates the capability of C and N stable isotope ratios to determine the geographical origin of several apple varieties grown in northern Italy.

Recently fixed carbon allocation in strawberry plants and concurrent inorganic nitrogen uptake through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Most crop species form a symbiotic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, receiving plant photosynthate and exchanging nutrients from the soil. The plant carbon (C) allocation to AM fungi and the nitrogen feedback are rarely studied together. In this study, a dual (13)CO2 and (15)NH4(15)NO3 pulse labeling experiment was carried out to determine the allocation of recent photosynthates to mycorrhizal hyphae and the translocation of N absorbed by hyphae to strawberry plants.

Translocation of nitrogen in the xylem of field-grown cherry and poplar trees during remobilization.

Studies of small trees growing in pots have established that individual amino acids or amides are translocated in the xylem sap of a range of tree species following bud burst, as a consequence of nitrogen (N) remobilization from storage. This paper reports the first study of N translocation in the xylem of large, deciduous, field-grown trees during N remobilization in the spring. We applied 15N fertilizer to the soil around 10-year-old Prunus avium L.

Recycling of nitrogen in the xylem of Prunus avium trees starts when spring remobilization of internal reserves declines.

Nitrogen (N) storage capacity of cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees grown in sand culture was preconditioned by applying contrasting N supplies for one year. During the spring of the following year, a constant amount of 15N was supplied and the dynamics of N remobilization and root uptake were characterized as a function of internal N status of the trees.