The responses of two red grape varieties, Bovale Grande (syn. Carignan) and Cannonau (syn. Grenache), to temperature and natural UV radiation were studied in a three-years field experiment conducted in Sardinia (Italy), under Mediterranean climate conditions. Vines were covered with plastic films with different transmittances to UV radiation and compared to uncovered controls. Light intensity and spectral composition at the fruit zone were monitored and berry skin temperature was recorded from veraison. Total skin anthocyanin content (TSA) and composition indicated positive but inconsistent effects of natural UV light. Elevated temperatures induced alterations to a greater extent, decreasing TSA and increasing the degree of derivatives acylation. In Cannonau total soluble solids increases were not followed by increasing TSA as in Bovale Grande, due to both lower phenolic potential and higher sensitivity to permanence of high temperatures. Multi linear regression analysis tested the effects of different ranges of temperature as source of variation on anthocyanin accumulation patterns. To estimate the thermal time for anthocyanin accumulation, the use of normal heat hours model had benefit from the addition of predictor variables that take into account the permanence of high (>35 °C) and low (<15 °C and <17 °C) temperatures during ripening.

Wildland fires represent a major threat to Quercus suber L. ecosystems, which provide relevant socioeconomic and ecological services in the Mediterranean Basin. In this work, we analyzed recent wildland fire dynamics in cork oak woodlands along the fire-prone areas of Sardinia (Italy), Corsica (France) and Catalonia (Spain). We first characterized geographic extent and main characteristics of cork oak woodlands in these regions and analyzed how environmental (climate and elevation) and socioeconomic factors (population and land uses) vary in the areas covered by Quercus suber L. We then evaluated how wildfires affected cork oak stands and, by logistic regression analysis, to what extent wildfires in cork oak areas were related to the above set of environmental and anthropic explanatory variables. Results revealed specific variations across study areas in cork oak characteristics as well as in environmental and social factors. We highlighted the spatial and temporal patterns of wildfires on cork oak woodlands, in terms of extent, seasonality, frequency and main driving factors. In the period 2003–2015, the percentage of cork oak woodlands burned ranged from 3.42% in Corsica to 11.30% in Sardinia. A few large and severe wildfires accounted for most of the area burned in cork oak woodlands. The most significant predictive variable that explained the spatial variation in wildland fire ignitions inside or nearby cork oaks was summer precipitation, while the weight of other factors varied depending on the region. This study provides evidence on recent fire dynamics in cork oak woodlands and gives valuable information and insights for the implementation of forest management and planning strategies in the Mediterranean area.

Advantages of vineyard cover crops include soil conservation, nutrient and water cycling, and a better growth–yield balance. They naturally promote agro-system biological multifunctionality, soil biocenosis, and biological pest control. However, for the role of cover crops on disease control, there is still a lack of information. We performed a systematic evaluation of the soil management effects on the development of two main pathogens: Plasmopara viticola and Erysiphe necator. Conventional soil tillage was compared to grass and legume cover crops during a three-season trial in the Nurra wine region (Sardinia, Italy). Disease and grapevine development were assessed in relation to the weather, leaf area growth, leaf nitrogen, canopy density, and favorable microclimatic conditions for each disease, to weight their importance on disease susceptibility in each treatment. Higher infection percentages were observed in plots subjected to soil tillage. Disease development was better understood in relation to leaf area, leaf nitrogen, and canopy density. The main role of weather conditions on downy mildew infections was ascertained, yet high canopy sunlight levels reduced disease spread under grass cover. For powdery mildew, leaf nitrogen had a crucial role in disease development under soil tillage, and canopy light and hygrothermal conditions had the most relevant function on disease development in cover-cropped vineyards.

Maximizing water use efficiency, yield, and plant survival under drought is a relevant research issue for almond-tree-growing areas worldwide. The intraspecific diversity of this species may constitute a valuable resource to address the resilience and productivity challenges that climate change poses to crop sustainability. A comparative evaluation of physiological and productive performance of four almond varieties: ‘Arrubia’, ‘Cossu’, ‘Texas’, and ‘Tuono’, field-grown in Sardinia, Italy, was performed. A great variability in the plasticity to cope with soil water scarcity and a diverse capacity to adapt to drought and heat stresses during fruit development were highlighted. The two Sardinian varieties, Arrubia and Cossu, showed differences in water stress tolerance, photosynthetic and photochemical activity, and crop yield. ‘Arrubia’ and ‘Texas’ showed greater physiological acclimation to water stress while maintaining higher yields, as compared to the self-fertile ‘Tuono’. The important role of crop load and specific anatomical traits affecting leaf hydraulic conductance and leaf gas exchanges efficiency (i.e., dominant shoot type, leaf size and roughness) was evidenced. The study highlights the importance of characterizing the relationships among almond cultivar traits that affect plant performance under drought in order to better assist planting choices and orchard irrigation management for given environmental contexts.