Microbial and Qualitative Traits of Quinoa and Amaranth Seeds from Experimental Fields in Southern Italy.

Quinoa and amaranth are of special interest since they are increasingly used for the development of new bakery products with enhanced nutritional value. The aim of the study was to evaluate the agronomic, microbiological, and nutritional characteristics of quinoa and amaranth seeds grown in Southern Italy. For this reason, quinoa Titicaca and three amaranth accessions (5, 12, and 14) were cultivated in different experimental fields in the Campania Region and analyzed for the cultivation aspects, chemical composition, and microbiological quality of the seeds.

Multitraits evaluation of a Solanum pennellii introgression tomato line challenged by combined abiotic stress.

Rising daily temperatures and water shortage are two of the major concerns in agriculture. In this work, we analysed the tolerance traits in a tomato line carrying a small region of the Solanum pennellii wild genome (IL12-4-SL) when grown under prolonged conditions of single and combined high temperature and water stress. When exposed to stress, IL12-4-SL showed higher heat tolerance than the cultivated line M82 at morphological, physiological, and biochemical levels.

Role of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Enzyme in the Systemic Acquired Acclimation Induced by Light Stress in L. Plants.

Plants are able to acclimate to environmental constraints through functional modifications that may also occur in tissues that are not directly exposed to stress. This process is termed "systemic acquired acclimation." The present study aims to evaluate the involvement of PolyADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein in the acclimation process to high light (HL) stress in plants.

Impact of Anthropic Activities on Soil Quality under Different Land Uses.

Anthropization often leads to land use transformation, causing deep changes to soil properties and its quality. Land use change could be an environmental and socioeconomic problem, as it impacts soil quality and ecosystem services. There is an urgent need to understand the pressures affecting soil quality.

Yield and quality of Amaranthus hypochondriacus grain amaranth under drought and salinity at various phenological stages in southern Italy.

Background: Several studies have shown that grain amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is tolerant to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. Irrigation applied only during sensitive growth stages can stabilize yield and improve water use efficiency.

Agronomic Practices and Performances of Quinoa under Field Conditions: A Systematic Review.

Quinoa ( Willd.) is one of the most popular emerging food crops in the Andean region. It is tolerant to environmental stresses and characterized by interesting nutritional traits.

Field phenotyping and quality traits of grass pea genotypes in South Italy.

Background: Grass pea (Laithyrus sativus L.) is a rustic plant whose seeds are rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, and it has been consumed as food by human beings since ancient times. This study was conducted in Italy between 2017and 2019 to evaluate, under field conditions, the stability of seed yield, biomass and 1000-seed weight (THS) and to assess the antioxidant composition and activity of 11 grass pea accessions.

Seed Transcriptome Annotation Reveals Enhanced Expression of Genes Related to ROS Homeostasis and Ethylene Metabolism at Alternating Temperatures in Wild Cardoon.

The association among environmental cues, ethylene response, ABA signaling, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in the process of seed dormancy release is nowadays well-established in many species. Alternating temperatures are recognized as one of the main environmental signals determining dormancy release, but their underlying mechanisms are scarcely known. Dry after-ripened wild cardoon achenes germinated poorly at a constant temperature of 20, 15, or 10 °C, whereas germination was stimulated by 80% at alternating temperatures of 20/10 °C.

Photo-Protective Mechanisms and the Role of Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Activity in a Facultative CAM Plant Exposed to Long-Term Water Deprivation.

The Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) pathway helps plants to alleviate the oxidative stress under drought, but the shift to CAM-idling may expose plants to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species causing cell damages. The facultative CAM species L., was subjected to long-term water deprivation to assess the photo-protective strategies and the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activity during water stress and plant capability to recover from the stress.

Investigating the European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) leaf characteristics along the vertical canopy profile: leaf structure, photosynthetic capacity, light energy dissipation and photoprotection mechanisms.

Forest functionality and productivity are directly related to canopy light interception and can be affected by potential damage from high irradiance. However, the mechanisms by which leaves adapt to the variable light environments along the multilayer canopy profile are still poorly known. We explored the leaf morphophysiological and metabolic responses to the natural light gradient in a pure European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.