Olive anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species causes dramatic losses of fruit yield and oil quality worldwide. A total of 185 Colletotrichum isolates obtained from olives and other hosts showing anthracnose symptoms in Spain and other olive-growing countries over the world were characterized. Colony and conidial morphology, benomyl-sensitive, and casein-hydrolysis activity were recorded. Multilocus alignments of ITS, TUB2, ACT, CHS-1, HIS3, and/or GAPDH were conducted for their molecular identification. The pathogenicity of the most representative Colletotrichum species was tested to olive fruits and to other hosts, such as almonds, apples, oleander, sweet oranges, and strawberries. In general, the phenotypic characters recorded were not useful to identify all species, although they allowed the separation of some species or species complexes. ITS and TUB2 were enough to infer Colletotrichum species within C. acutatum and C. boninense complexes, whereas ITS, TUB2, ACT, CHS-1, HIS-3, and GADPH regions were necessary to discriminate within the C. gloesporioides complex. Twelve Colletotrichum species belonging to C. acutatum, C. boninense, and C. gloeosporioides complexes were identified, with C. godetiae being dominant in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Tunisia, C. nymphaeae in Portugal, and C. fioriniae in California. The highest diversity with eight Colletotrichum spp. was found in Australia. Significant differences in virulence to olives were observed between isolates depending on the Colletotrichum species and host origin. When other hosts were inoculated, most of the Colletotrichum isolates tested were pathogenic in all the hosts evaluated, except for C. siamense to apple and sweet orange fruits, and C. godetiae to oleander leaves.

This paper aims to analyze the scientific evolution and research trends concerning the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, as well as its development within scientific databases. To achieve this, a bibliometric analysis has been conducted using publications sourced from Scopus and Web of science databases. This study examined key aspects such as primary journals, prominent authors, affiliated institutions, countries of origin, subject areas, and notable keywords. Furthermore, there is a dedicated section that delves into research and innovation gaps within publications related to the WEF nexus. Results reveal that research on the WEF nexus has experienced exponential growth over the past decade, with the majority of publications emerging between 2017 and 2023. The United States leads in this field, with engineering and environmental science being the predominant research categories, with Spain and Italy being the prominent countries in Europe. The WEF nexus concept in the agriculture sector is notably underdeveloped, particularly in its ties with the Sustainable Development Goals and the science–policy–society interface. The study stresses the importance of integrating health considerations into the WEF Nexus to understand the interconnections and their implications on public health, thereby enriching the Nexus approach with a critical dimension of human well-being. This situation underscores the urgent need to create a nexus community that bridges science and practice, and to incorporate this specialized discipline into university curricula.

Newly discovered Erwinia amylovora phages PEar1, PEar2, PEar4 and PEar6 were isolated from three different orchards in North Tunisia to study their potential as biocontrol agents. Illumina sequencing revealed that the PEar viruses carry a single-strand DNA genome between 6608 and 6801 nucleotides and belong to the Inoviridae, making them the first described filamentous phages of E. amylovora. Interestingly, phage-infected cells show a decreased swimming and swarming motility and a cocktail of the four phages can significantly reduce infection of E. amylovora in a pear bioassay, potentially making them suitable candidates for phage biocontrol.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) cultivation under rainfed conditions of the South Mediterranean has not been studied in depth. Under changing climate conditions, knowledge of cultivar and rootstock performances allows for the optimal use of genetic resources to improve yield and nut quality. This study aimed to evaluate growth, yield, and fruit characteristics of ‘Mateur’ and ‘Achouri’ pistachio cultivars grafted on P. vera and P. atlantica rootstocks grown in northeastern Tunisia. The research was based on three years worth of monitoring of growth, yield and fruit quality. Results showed that annual bio-climatic features had significant effects on all studied parameters. The ‘Mateur’ cultivar showed higher vigor and fruit yield than ‘Achouri’. Fruit production was higher in P. atlantica rootstock for ‘Mateur’ but similar in both studied rootstocks for ‘Achouri’. Kernel fat contents (40.7–46.8%) and fatty acid profiles were low or not affected by cultivar, rootstock and their combination. Oleic acid (C18:1) was the major fatty acid (68.94–69.22%) in kernel oil. The unsaturated/saturated fatty acid and oleic/linoleic acid ratios indicated that nuts obtained had high quality. The lower performances of ‘Achouri’ cultivar in the studied conditions may be related to low acclimation ability of this cultivar. These conditions, however, seem to be suitable for both studied rootstocks.