Background: Weeds represent a great constraint for agricultural production due to their remarkable adaptability and their ability to compete with crops. Climate change exacerbates the abiotic stresses that plants encounter. Therefore, studying plant responses to adverse conditions is extremely important. Here, the response to saline stress at different temperatures of three weed species (Chenopodium album, Echinochloa crus-galli and Portulaca oleracea) and three crops (maize, soybean and rice) was investigated. Results: The germination percentage of soybean notably decreased as salinity and low temperatures increased. In contrast, maize and rice consistently maintained a high germination percentage, particularly when subjected to low salinity levels. Regarding weed species, the germination percentage of C. album was not significantly affected by salinity, but it decreased in E. crus-galli and P. oleracea with increasing salinity. The mean germination time for all species increased with salinity, especially at lower temperatures. This effect was most pronounced for soybean and E. crus-galli. C. album exhibited significant reduction in stem growth with high salinity and high temperatures, while in E. crus-galli stem growth was less reduced under similar conditions. Conclusion: This study showed that successful germination under saline stress did not ensure successful early development and emphasizes the species-specific nature of the temperature-salinity interaction, perhaps influenced by intraspecific variability. Increasing salinity levels negatively impacted germination and seedling growth in most species, yet higher temperatures partially alleviated these effects.

Modern viticulture cannot be practiced without the use of plant protection products to control diseases like downy mildew, powdery mildew, and pests. In severely sloping vineyards, where mechanization is not possible, pesticide application is realized using spray guns, which is a laborious, expensive, and dangerous application technique. In these vineyards, where viticulture is defined as “heroic viticulture,” vine-growers could seriously take advantage of innovation in spray-technique applications. For this reason, several prototypes of a fixed spraying system (FSS) were realized in recent years. Two prototypes of a fixed spraying system were built in 2019 in two different vineyards in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy). In both vineyards, the fixed spraying systems were used to perform pesticide application during the 2020 season to control downy mildew, powdery mildew, and pests. With this solution, both vineyards were successfully protected, resulting in comparable infection degrees and yields as the ones protected with airblast sprayers and spray guns. This study contributes to assert fixed spraying systems as an innovation that could improve working conditions, safety, timing, and performances of plant protection products’ application in heroic viticulture areas.

Weeds account for losses in crop yields, and this event might be exacerbated by salinity. Therefore, we investigated the responses of Chenopodium album L. and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) to salt stress, as well as interferences between species. Ten-day old plants were grown for 1 week in a single- or mixed-species set-up, either with or without 100 mM of NaCl. C. album reduced the biomass of soybean similarly to salt stress, while its growth was unaffected under any condition. C. album decreased the crop protein content when salinity was applied. This effect was ascribed to altered protein metabolism and/or N usage to produce other N metabolites, including osmolytes. The two species did not reciprocally affect the capacity to accumulate Na⁺, but the weed contained two-fold more Na⁺ in the leaves. Elevated initial K⁺ concentration and high K⁺ delivery to the shoot likely explained the better acclimation of C. album to salinity. C. album produced more phenolics and proline and exhibited greater antioxidant activity, but low lipid peroxidation, in the mixed set-up under salinity. Thus, it is possible that the weed could become more resilient to salinity when growing in a soybean field. In the long term, this might cause significant losses in soybean productivity as expected by the dramatic decline in crop protein content.