Greenery on buildings is being consolidated as an interesting way to improve the quality of life in urban environments. Among the benefits that are associated with greenery systems for buildings, such as energy savings, biodiversity support, and storm-water control, there is also noise attenuation. Despite the fact that green walls are one of the most promising building greenery systems, few studies of their sound insulation potential have been conducted. In addition, there are different types of green walls; therefore, available data for this purpose are not only sparse but also scattered. To gather knowledge about the contribution of vertical greenery systems to noise reduction, especially a modular-based green wall, two different standardised laboratory tests were conducted. The main results were a weighted sound reduction index (Rw) of 15dB and a weighted sound absorption coefficient (α) of 0.40. It could be concluded that green walls have significant potential as a sound insulation tool for buildings but that some design adjustments should be performed, such as improving the efficiency of sealing the joints between the modular pieces

Greenhouse tomato production is shifting to meet emerging consumer needs. Increasing environmental concerns have pressured growers to supply high-quality vegetables using sustainable production methods. The utilization of adapting fertigation to production conditions and/or nutrient solutions of moderately high conductivity seems promising in providing high yields of superior quality while limiting the emission of nutrients to the environment in greenhouse tomato crops. A tomato crop was grown in soilless culture with various levels of electrical conductivity (EC), 2.2, 3.5, and 4.5 dS·m ⁻¹ , adjusting the final nutrient concentration and maintaining nutritional balance. The effect of nutrient solutions with moderately high EC on fertigation parameters and the emission of nutrients to the environment, total crop productivity, distribution of fruit sizes, and dietary and organoleptic qualities were measured. Nutrient solutions of moderately high EC decreased total and commercial yield, with an average reduction from 5% to 19% and 3% to 22%, respectively. A considerable decrease in extra large and large fruits, with an average reduction from 69% to 42%, was also observed. Nonetheless, dietary-related metabolites were significantly increased at the highest EC values: lycopene (6.3%), ascorbic acid (8.8%), total phenolics content (8.3%), and total antioxidant activity (11.1%). EC values of 3.5 and 4.5 dS·m ⁻¹ are not widely used in commercial production but are frequently measured in drainage solutions in open hydroponic systems and discarded solutions in closed systems, mainly because of the use of poor-quality water and the accumulation of excess nutrients.

The silicon (Si) percentage in the dry matter of plants is between 0.1% and 10%, and even though its role in the metabolism of plants is not absolutely clear, Si’s positive effects on plant nutrition and plant protection against both biotic and abiotic stress are well documented. However, Si is not considered to be an essential element, so it is not always present in nutrient solutions. In this paper, an experiment was carried out in the University of Almeria’s greenhouse with hydroponic lettuce, tomato, pepper, melon, and cucumber plants. A standard nutrient solution was used as a control sample and was fertigated with Si. During the four-true-leaf seedling stage, various plant growth parameters were measured, including the dry weight and the wet weight as well as the foliar surface and the cuticle thickness of both the leaf and the stem. Additionally, in the lettuce, tomato, and pepper plants, the effect of the use of Si in the nutrient solution on the protection against the pathogen Botrytis cinerea was determined by measuring the penetration of the pathogen through the cuticle and the extension of the fungal infection by using leaf discs. The results suggest that all of the studied parameters, and both the cuticle thickness and the epidermis thickness, were increased by more than 10% on average for all of the plants. In the lettuce, tomato, and pepper plants, a beneficial effect against B. cinerea was observed when the nutrient solution containing Si was used.

The raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is an important fruit crop; however, its accelerated softening is a critical postharvest problem, even at low temperatures. Its softening has been partially associated with the endogenous production of ethylene from the receptacle during ripening. To understand the relationship between ethylene production and fruit quality at the beginning of the ripening process, the physiological and quality parameters were evaluated during the ripening of the ‘Heritage’ cultivar. Two storage assays, at 0 °C and 10 °C, were carried out with independent groups of fruits attached to their receptacle at the white stage of fruit development. The treatments included fruit treated with ethylene (1000 ppb) and ethylene perception inhibitor 1-methyl cyclopropene (1-MCP, 1600 ppb) and a control treatment. During ripening, the endogenous production of ethylene in whole fruit was negatively correlated with the loss of firmness. During storage at 0 °C, firmness and ethylene production only decreased by the effect of storage time, with a firmness near 1.5 Newtons at 16 days. On the other hand, the storage at 10 °C showed a delay in the firmness loss and lower ethylene production of the fruit treated with 1-MCP, compared to the control and ethylene-treated fruit. In addition, these two last assays showed a firmness close to 1 Newton at 5 days. No significant differences were observed in the total soluble solids content and titratable acidity between the three treatments at the two storage temperatures. The results during ripening and storage at 10 °C indicate that the loss of the fruit’s firmness is positively related to the endogenous ethylene production of the whole fruit from 1 to 5 days of storage. Future assays should be performed to determine the role of ethylene in raspberry ripening.

The classification of grapevine cultivars into isohydric and anisohydric categories depends on their ability to close stomata under conditions of low soil water availability or high atmospheric demand. This study aimed to compare the responses of Grenache, classified as isohydric, and Cabernet Sauvignon, classified as anisohydric, both grafted onto Richter 110 rootstock, and subjected to severe drought stress. Three cycles of drought stress were applied, followed by watering, while a well-watered treatment served as the control. Stomatal conductance and stem water potential were measured at predawn and midday during the drought cycles, and primary metabolites were analyzed in leaves and roots using gas chromatography. We found that Grenache had significantly higher stomatal conductance than Cabernet Sauvignon under both well-watered and water-stressed conditions. There were no significant differences in stem water potential between the two varieties, but the control treatment maintained a higher stem water potential at predawn and midday for both varieties. Primary metabolite analysis showed that both varieties accumulated sugars and polyols in their leaves and roots under drought stress, while organic acids were more abundant in leaves than in roots. Overall, the results suggest that the hydric behavior of grapevines depends on the intensity and duration of drought stress. In this study, both varieties exhibited near-isohydric behavior by regulating stomatal closure under drought stress. The metabolites identified in this study may serve as potential biomarkers of water drought stress in Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines under the conditions of this experiment.