Pruning is a common practice in citrus for various reasons. These include controlling and shaping the canopy; improving phytosanitary health, productivity, and fruit quality; and facilitating operations such as harvesting and phytosanitary treatments. Because pruning is an expensive operation, its need is sometimes questioned. However, it has been proven to be particularly important in Mediterranean citriculture, which is oriented towards producing fruits for a high-quality demanding fresh market. Herein, we summarize and explain the pruning techniques used in Mediterranean citriculture and refer to the main purposes of each pruning type, considering citrus morphology and physiology.

Pitaya (Selenicereus spp.) cultivation has expanded in the Iberian Peninsula in recent years, driven mainly by increasing demand from the European market and by the crop’s good adaptability to Mediterranean conditions. However, the successful consolidation of this crop requires the adoption of cultural practices adapted to regional edaphoclimatic conditions and production systems. The present review aims to synthesise and critically analyse the scientific literature on pitaya cultural practices, integrating information from major producing regions worldwide and from Mediterranean environments, where data remain limited. Key topics include propagation methods for success in early development, training systems and pruning, soil management within the framework of sustainable orchard management practices and the crop’s versatility in integrating diverse agroecosystems. In addition, bibliometric analysis identified water requirements and irrigation strategies as key aspects for which region-specific guidelines are still required. This study emphasises the utilisation of floral induction techniques and the significance of supplementary manual pollination for ensuring higher productivity and superior fruit quality. Overall, this review provides a consolidated reference to support the development of sustainable and regionally adapted pitaya production systems in the Iberian Peninsula.

On a planet intending to move toward carbon neutrality while ensuring food security, maximizing water and nutrient use efficiency in agriculture is essential. Soilless cultivation offers a promising solution for food production, yet in substrate-based systems, excess nutrient solution (drainage) is often discarded to maintain phytosanitary safety, resulting in considerable water and nutrient waste. Reusing this drainage requires disinfection to eliminate pathogens. Among available methods, slow sand filtration (SSF) is ecological, economical, and simple, showing strong biological control potential, though not always fully effective against Fusarium oxysporum. Trichoderma atroviride, an antagonistic fungus, may enhance SSF performance. Its antagonistic capacity was evaluated in vitro via direct confrontation assays and in vivo using a closed-loop soilless cucumber cultivation system with eight treatment combinations of SSF, T. atroviride, and F. oxysporum. SSF reduced F. oxysporum incidence by approximately 48%, T. atroviride in irrigation by 44%, and SSF enriched with T. atroviride reached 58% disease incidence reduction, though this increase was not statistically significant. These results confirm that both SSF and T. atroviride can partially suppress F. oxysporum, but further optimization is needed for consistent and complete pathogen control.

In the context of global population growth and intensifying climate change, ensuring food security remains a critical challenge. Orchards are more productive than arable crops, contributing significantly to the nutrition of a growing population. Ecologically, due to the absence of frequent soil tillage, orchards resemble natural forest ecosystems more closely than other agricultural systems. Irrigated orchards are particularly productive and enhance biodiversity in territories where water scarcity is the limiting factor for ecosystems. This review, the result of extensive reflection and a comprehensive analysis of the literature on orchard sustainability, synthesizes evidence on the diverse ecosystem services provided by these perennial systems. Due to their structural complexity, well-managed orchards contribute significantly to climate regulation through carbon sequestration, microclimate cooling, and soil erosion prevention. Furthermore, they support nutrient cycling and provide cultural value. This paper establishes an integrated scientific framework to inform evidence-based policies and reshape societal perceptions. It argues that recognizing orchards as multifunctional landscapes, rather than mere resource consumers, is critical for environmental resilience, supporting their fair valuation as essential components of a sustainable bioeconomy.

The ‘Encore’ mandarin tree, cultivated in Portugal for long time, valued for its flavour and later ripening period, faces challenges due to a rind‐stain disorder affecting its external appearance. Despite its favourable attributes, the emergence of new cultivars such as ‘Nadorcott’, free from external appearance problems and with overlapping ripening periods, resulted in the marginalization of ‘Encore’ in the market. Major retailers, by prioritizing consumer preference for appearance, have contributed to the decline in ‘Encore’ cultivation. Despite this, the ‘Encore’ mandarin is still preferred by long‐standing consumers who remember its greater availability in previous decades and value its characteristic taste. Currently, its distribution is mainly restricted to local markets and small‐scale fruit retailers. To gauge consumer preference, we conducted a tasting and questionnaire survey with 131 randomly chosen participants, comparing ‘Encore’ and ‘Nadorcott’. The findings revealed a clear consumer preference for the external appearance of ‘Nadorcott’, leading to a preference for purchasing it based on this criterion alone. Conversely, when evaluating internal fruit quality, consumers distinctly favoured ‘Encore’ for its aroma, sweetness, acidity and overall taste. They expressed a preference for purchasing it based solely on internal quality. However, when participants learnt that less visually appealing fruits were equivalent to the more desirable ones internally, their purchase intentions became indifferent towards both cultivars, with no significant difference observed. This highlights the complex interplay between perceptions of external appearance and internal organoleptic quality among consumers, challenging the assumption that appearance alone dictates purchasing decisions.