This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
The aim of the present study was to characterize the physical-chemical and microbiological features of aerated compost teas (CTs) extracted with dechlorinated tap water and with two different additives, molasses and whey, in increasing doses. Plant pathogen suppression properties of CTs were also taken into account. Total nitrogen in CTs increased with rising doses of the additives used. In spite of this, nitrogen and mineral element contributions were limited but complementary for plant mineral nutrition. Although total heavy metal contents in CTs were low, an increase of their bioavailable forms (ionic and chelated forms, presence in microorganisms) should be taken into account. In addition, the distribution on soil of acid and/or chelating products by CTs could increase the bioavailability of heavy metals, especially in the case of several annual distribution cycles and of medium–long term treatments. Additives modulated the structure and composition of microbial communities and CTs, exhibiting a broad spectrum of suppressive properties against plant pathogens, especially when they were used in a raw form.
Assunta Maria Palese; Catello Pane; Domenica Villecco; Massimo Zaccardelli; Gessica Altieri; Giuseppe Celano. Effects of Organic Additives on Chemical, Microbiological and Plant Pathogen Suppressive Properties of Aerated Municipal Waste Compost Teas. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 7402 .
AMA StyleAssunta Maria Palese, Catello Pane, Domenica Villecco, Massimo Zaccardelli, Gessica Altieri, Giuseppe Celano. Effects of Organic Additives on Chemical, Microbiological and Plant Pathogen Suppressive Properties of Aerated Municipal Waste Compost Teas. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (16):7402.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAssunta Maria Palese; Catello Pane; Domenica Villecco; Massimo Zaccardelli; Gessica Altieri; Giuseppe Celano. 2021. "Effects of Organic Additives on Chemical, Microbiological and Plant Pathogen Suppressive Properties of Aerated Municipal Waste Compost Teas." Applied Sciences 11, no. 16: 7402.
Vegetable and ornamental crops require high input demand to adequately support their standard commercial quality and yield. For these crops, a very high level of agronomic use efficiency of many productive factors can be achieved in soilless culture. For example, the benefits derived from the adoption of soilless closed loops for the recirculation of the nutrient solution are well known as a benchmark of excellence for nutrient and water use efficiency. The challenges that we now face are as follows: (i) making soilless systems more inclusive of sustainable and eco-friendly growing substrates, possibly available at a local level; (ii) replacing chemicals with more sustainable products (e.g., organic active compounds) as much as possible for plant nutrition and protection. These goals can be addressed by following different approaches, but the adoption of peat-free organic substrates may play a central role. This work investigates four organic materials, i.e., biochar, coir, green compost, and wood fibers, to assess their role in plant nutrition and protection when used as components for the preparation of growing media in the soilless cultivation of containerized crops. In further detail, the work highlights how these materials may support normal agronomic practices.
Giulia Atzori; Catello Pane; Massimo Zaccardelli; Sonia Cacini; Daniele Massa. The Role of Peat-Free Organic Substrates in the Sustainable Management of Soilless Cultivations. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1236 .
AMA StyleGiulia Atzori, Catello Pane, Massimo Zaccardelli, Sonia Cacini, Daniele Massa. The Role of Peat-Free Organic Substrates in the Sustainable Management of Soilless Cultivations. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (6):1236.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiulia Atzori; Catello Pane; Massimo Zaccardelli; Sonia Cacini; Daniele Massa. 2021. "The Role of Peat-Free Organic Substrates in the Sustainable Management of Soilless Cultivations." Agronomy 11, no. 6: 1236.
Black rot of crucifers is one of the most important diseases of wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L. (D.C.)) caused by the seedborne pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. From 2005, it frequently affected this cultivation in the south of Italy, leading to heavy crop losses. In the present work, we aimed to describe the physiological and molecular characteristics of twenty X. campestris pv. campestris strains isolated from plants and seeds. Ten Xanthomonas spp. strains contaminating seeds were identified on the basis of molecular characterization and in vivo pathogenicity on a discriminating host range. Some of seed-borne isolates were ascribed to the species Xanthomonas campestris pv. raphani and X. campestris pv. incanae, indicating the occurrence of non-host pathogenic Xanthomonas on wild rocket seeds. As well as the presence of pathogenic bacteria, even non-pathogenic Xanthomonas spp. strains were detected on the seeds, underlying the importance of identifying them to evaluate the suitability of lots intended for sowing. A phylogeny using 69 Gyrase B (gyrB) sequences retrieved from the literature, was also carried out, highlighting species relatedness. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive framework for Xanthomonas species affecting wild rocket in Southern Italy.
Loredana Sigillo; Salvatore Esposito; Pasquale Tripodi; Giovanna Serratore; Catello Pane. Host range and molecular typing of Xanthomonas spp. strains isolated from wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) in Italy. European Journal of Plant Pathology 2021, 1 -13.
AMA StyleLoredana Sigillo, Salvatore Esposito, Pasquale Tripodi, Giovanna Serratore, Catello Pane. Host range and molecular typing of Xanthomonas spp. strains isolated from wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) in Italy. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 2021; ():1-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLoredana Sigillo; Salvatore Esposito; Pasquale Tripodi; Giovanna Serratore; Catello Pane. 2021. "Host range and molecular typing of Xanthomonas spp. strains isolated from wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) in Italy." European Journal of Plant Pathology , no. : 1-13.
Wild rocket is a widely cultivated salad crop. Typical signs and symptoms of powdery mildew were observed on leaves of Diplotaxis tenuifolia, likely favored by climatic conditions occurring in a greenhouse. Based on morphological features and molecular analysis, the disease agent was identified as the fungal pathogen Erysiphe cruciferarum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of E. cruciferarum on D. tenuifolia. Moreover, the present study provides a non-destructive high performing digital approach to efficiently detect the disease. Hyperspectral image analysis allowed to characterize the spectral response of wild rocket affected by powdery mildew and the adopted machine-learning approach (a trained Random Forest model with the four most contributory wavelengths falling in the range 403–446 nm) proved to be able to accurately discriminate between healthy and diseased wild rocket leaves. Shifts in the irradiance absorption by chlorophyll a of diseased leaves in the spectrum blue range seems to be at the base of the hyperspectral imaging detection of wild rocket powdery mildew.
Catello Pane; Gelsomina Manganiello; Nicola Nicastro; Teodoro Cardi; Francesco Carotenuto. Powdery Mildew Caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum on Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia): Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning Modeling for Non-Destructive Disease Detection. Agriculture 2021, 11, 337 .
AMA StyleCatello Pane, Gelsomina Manganiello, Nicola Nicastro, Teodoro Cardi, Francesco Carotenuto. Powdery Mildew Caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum on Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia): Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning Modeling for Non-Destructive Disease Detection. Agriculture. 2021; 11 (4):337.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCatello Pane; Gelsomina Manganiello; Nicola Nicastro; Teodoro Cardi; Francesco Carotenuto. 2021. "Powdery Mildew Caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum on Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia): Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning Modeling for Non-Destructive Disease Detection." Agriculture 11, no. 4: 337.
Non-thermal plasma (NTP) appears a promising strategy for supporting crop protection, increasing yield and quality, and promoting environmental safety through a decrease in chemical use. However, very few NTP applications on containerized crops are reported under operational growing conditions and in combination with eco-friendly growing media and fertigation management. In this work, NTP technology is applied to the nutrient solution used for the production of gerbera plants grown in peat or green compost, as an alternative substrate to peat, and with standard or low fertilization. NTP treatment promotes fresh leaf and flower biomass production in plants grown in peat and nutrient adsorption in those grown in both substrates, except for Fe, while decreasing dry plant matter. However, it causes a decrease in the leaf and flower biomasses of plants grown in compost, showing a substrate-dependent effect under a low fertilization regime. In general, the limitation in compost was probably caused by the high-substrate alkalinization that commonly interferes with gerbera growth. Under low fertilization, a reduction in the photosynthetic capacity further penalizes plant growth in compost. A lower level of fertilization also decreases gerbera quality, highlighting that Ca, Mg, Mn, and Fe could be reduced with respect to standard fertilization.
Samantha Cannazzaro; Silvia Traversari; Sonia Cacini; Sara Di Lonardo; Catello Pane; Gianluca Burchi; Daniele Massa. Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment Influences Shoot Biomass, Flower Production and Nutrition of Gerbera Plants Depending on Substrate Composition and Fertigation Level. Plants 2021, 10, 689 .
AMA StyleSamantha Cannazzaro, Silvia Traversari, Sonia Cacini, Sara Di Lonardo, Catello Pane, Gianluca Burchi, Daniele Massa. Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment Influences Shoot Biomass, Flower Production and Nutrition of Gerbera Plants Depending on Substrate Composition and Fertigation Level. Plants. 2021; 10 (4):689.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSamantha Cannazzaro; Silvia Traversari; Sonia Cacini; Sara Di Lonardo; Catello Pane; Gianluca Burchi; Daniele Massa. 2021. "Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment Influences Shoot Biomass, Flower Production and Nutrition of Gerbera Plants Depending on Substrate Composition and Fertigation Level." Plants 10, no. 4: 689.
Currently, vegetable production systems have been changed to improve yield and quality, leading to an improvement in sustainability. In horticultural cultivation, one of the most important sectors is the seedling production in nurseries. In the past, horticultural seedlings were produced directly by farmers. Nowadays, industrialized nurseries provide seedlings characterized by a uniform growth and an early and contemporaneous development. In addition, consumer concern about the impact of food production on the environment is driving an increased demand for organic vegetables with a consequent increase of agricultural land cultivated by organic methods. Hence, there is a need to produce high-quality seedlings suitable to be cultivated in the organic farming system. Root zone management, for improving seedling quality of organic horticultural crops, remains largely unexploited, such that this review highlights some of the current research and future development priorities, providing useful information to nursery growers. In particular, we reviewed all the scientific and modern knowledge on the production of organic, healthy and vigorous seedlings including the use of: (1) compost and compost tea; (2) agroindustrial byproducts; (3) microbial and non-microbial plant biostimulants; (4) beneficial microorganisms.
Domenico Ronga; Antonella Vitti; Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Federica Caradonia; Mariateresa Cardarelli; Giuseppe Colla; Youssef Rouphael. Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops. Agronomy 2021, 11, 630 .
AMA StyleDomenico Ronga, Antonella Vitti, Massimo Zaccardelli, Catello Pane, Federica Caradonia, Mariateresa Cardarelli, Giuseppe Colla, Youssef Rouphael. Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (4):630.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDomenico Ronga; Antonella Vitti; Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Federica Caradonia; Mariateresa Cardarelli; Giuseppe Colla; Youssef Rouphael. 2021. "Root Zone Management for Improving Seedling Quality of Organically Produced Horticultural Crops." Agronomy 11, no. 4: 630.
Ornamental plant production constitutes an important sector of the horticultural industry worldwide and fungal infections, that dramatically affect the aesthetic quality of plants, can cause serious economic and crop losses. The need to reduce the use of pesticides for controlling fungal outbreaks requires the development of new sustainable strategies for pathogen control. In particular, early and accurate large-scale detection of occurring symptoms is critical to face the ambitious challenge of an effective, energy-saving, and precise disease management. Here, the new trends in digital-based detection and available tools to treat fungal infections are presented in comparison with conventional practices. Recent advances in molecular biology tools, spectroscopic and imaging technologies and fungal risk models based on microclimate trends are examined. The revised spectroscopic and imaging technologies were tested through a case study on rose plants showing important fungal diseases (i.e., spot spectroscopy, hyperspectral, multispectral, and thermal imaging, fluorescence sensors). The final aim was the examination of conventional practices and current e-tools to gain the early detection of plant diseases, the identification of timing and spacing for their proper management, reduction in crop losses through environmentally friendly and sustainable production systems. Moreover, future perspectives for enhancing the integration of all these approaches are discussed.
Silvia Traversari; Sonia Cacini; Angelica Galieni; Beatrice Nesi; Nicola Nicastro; Catello Pane. Precision Agriculture Digital Technologies for Sustainable Fungal Disease Management of Ornamental Plants. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3707 .
AMA StyleSilvia Traversari, Sonia Cacini, Angelica Galieni, Beatrice Nesi, Nicola Nicastro, Catello Pane. Precision Agriculture Digital Technologies for Sustainable Fungal Disease Management of Ornamental Plants. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (7):3707.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSilvia Traversari; Sonia Cacini; Angelica Galieni; Beatrice Nesi; Nicola Nicastro; Catello Pane. 2021. "Precision Agriculture Digital Technologies for Sustainable Fungal Disease Management of Ornamental Plants." Sustainability 13, no. 7: 3707.
Municipal waste compost was evaluated under open field conditions for replacing synthetic fertilizers in a vegetable three-year succession. Three compost rates, 45 t ha–1, 30 t ha–1 and 15 t ha–1 (dry matter), and compost at 15 t ha–1 combined with 25%, and 50% of the full synthetic nitrogen rate, were compared to full and none synthetic nitrogen fertilizations. Crop succession was: tomato followed by endive in the first year; eggplant and, then, broccoli in the second year; tomato and, then, endive/broccoli, in the third year. The application of compost at a dose of at least 30 t ha–1 or at 15 t ha–1 with the addition of 25% of the full synthetic nitrogen rate, in Spring-Summer cycle, sustained growth and yield at levels comparable with those of synthetic nitrogen fertilization. However, only a very poor residual effect of the compost soil treatment on the yield of Autumn-Winter crops, was observed. Monitoring of nitrate content into the soil during cropping seasons, a reduction of the risk of groundwater pollution was displayed due to nitrates released by compost, respect to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. The cumulative effects of compost application on soil properties were detected at the end of the field trials, registering changes in chemical parameters analysed, except for phosphorus and boron. Highlights - Municipal solid organic waste compost (MSWC) integrated with N fertilizers can sustain vegetable production. - MSWC (at least 30 t ha–1 d.w.) replaced synthetic fertilizers for tomato and eggplant productions. - N fertilizer integration to the compost residual effect is necessary to sustain endive and broccoli productions. - MSWC (at 15 t ha–1 d.w.) needs 25% of N integration to reduce the gap with plant only fertilized with N fertilizer. - MSWC preserved soil quality and avoided accumulation of undesired metals, such as Cu and Zn.
Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Ida Di Mola; Domenico Ronga; Mauro Mori. Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2021, 16, 1 .
AMA StyleMassimo Zaccardelli, Catello Pane, Ida Di Mola, Domenico Ronga, Mauro Mori. Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2021; 16 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMassimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Ida Di Mola; Domenico Ronga; Mauro Mori. 2021. "Municipal organic waste compost replaces mineral fertilization in the horticultural cropping systems, reducing the pollution risk." Italian Journal of Agronomy 16, no. 2: 1.
Research has been increasingly focusing on the selection of novel and effective biological control agents (BCAs) against soil-borne plant pathogens. The large-scale application of BCAs requires fast and robust screening methods for the evaluation of the efficacy of high numbers of candidates. In this context, the digital technologies can be applied not only for early disease detection but also for rapid performance analyses of BCAs. The present study investigates the ability of different Trichoderma spp. to contain the development of main baby-leaf vegetable pathogens and applies functional plant imaging to select the best performing antagonists against multiple pathosystems. Specifically, sixteen different Trichoderma spp. strains were characterized both in vivo and in vitro for their ability to contain R. solani, S. sclerotiorum and S. rolfsii development. All Trichoderma spp. showed, in vitro significant radial growth inhibition of the target phytopathogens. Furthermore, biocontrol trials were performed on wild rocket, green and red baby lettuces infected, respectively, with R. solani, S. sclerotiorum and S. rolfsii. The plant status was monitored by using hyperspectral imaging. Two strains, Tl35 and Ta56, belonging to T. longibrachiatum and T. atroviride species, significantly reduced disease incidence and severity (DI and DSI) in the three pathosystems. Vegetation indices, calculated on the hyperspectral data extracted from the images of plant-Trichoderma-pathogen interaction, proved to be suitable to refer about the plant health status. Four of them (OSAVI, SAVI, TSAVI and TVI) were found informative for all the pathosystems analyzed, resulting closely correlated to DSI according to significant changes in the spectral signatures among health, infected and bio-protected plants. Findings clearly indicate the possibility to promote sustainable disease management of crops by applying digital plant imaging as large-scale screening method of BCAs' effectiveness and precision biological control support.
Gelsomina Manganiello; Nicola Nicastro; Michele Caputo; Massimo Zaccardelli; Teodoro Cardi; Catello Pane. Functional Hyperspectral Imaging by High-Related Vegetation Indices to Track the Wide-Spectrum Trichoderma Biocontrol Activity Against Soil-Borne Diseases of Baby-Leaf Vegetables. Frontiers in Plant Science 2021, 12, 1 .
AMA StyleGelsomina Manganiello, Nicola Nicastro, Michele Caputo, Massimo Zaccardelli, Teodoro Cardi, Catello Pane. Functional Hyperspectral Imaging by High-Related Vegetation Indices to Track the Wide-Spectrum Trichoderma Biocontrol Activity Against Soil-Borne Diseases of Baby-Leaf Vegetables. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2021; 12 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGelsomina Manganiello; Nicola Nicastro; Michele Caputo; Massimo Zaccardelli; Teodoro Cardi; Catello Pane. 2021. "Functional Hyperspectral Imaging by High-Related Vegetation Indices to Track the Wide-Spectrum Trichoderma Biocontrol Activity Against Soil-Borne Diseases of Baby-Leaf Vegetables." Frontiers in Plant Science 12, no. : 1.
In the last few years, the aromatic plant market for fresh consumption has been growing, especially packaged herbs for Mass Market Retailers. Pruning and selection of aromatic plants during packaging leads to the accumulation of a large amounts of plant residues with consequent disposal costs. In a circular economy perspective, the aim of this study was to recover residues of three aromatic plants (Ocimum basilicum L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Salvia officinalis L.) by extracting essential oil and aromatic water and, subsequently, reusing oil-free biomasses for composting. In fact, these by-products are currently considered very interesting and sustainable. The essential oils are natural products that have a wide range of biological activities useful for pharmaceutical, medical, veterinary and agriculture innovative purposes. Hydrolates have a much softer scent than the corresponding essential oils. The compost can be successfully applied for the restoration and maintenance of soil fertility. Results of this study showed that yields of essential oils obtained from plant residues, were sufficiently higher, especially for sage and rosemary, also if they were collected well far from plant balsamic period. Analysis of composition of essential oils confirmed the presence of characteristic compounds for each species. The aromatic waters were found to be an easily usable product due to the favourable physicochemical characteristics and, in particular, the aromatic waters of basil showed high antioxidant activity. About compost, the main physicochemical (humidity, pH, electrical conductivity) and biological (basal respiration and hydrolase activity) properties, were considered. Phytotoxicity tests indicated that composts derived from the three species can be used in agriculture. This research demonstrates that it is possible to eliminate completely plant residues and recover new products from aromatic species, supporting the effectiveness of an eco-friendly model to recover and reuse all fresh aromatic plant residues.
Massimo Zaccardelli; Graziana Roscigno; Catello Pane; Giuseppe Celano; Marisa Di Matteo; Marika Mainente; Alessandra Vuotto; Teresa Mencherini; Tiziana Esposito; Antonella Vitti; Enrica De Falco. Essential oils and quality composts sourced by recycling vegetable residues from the aromatic plant supply chain. Industrial Crops and Products 2021, 162, 113255 .
AMA StyleMassimo Zaccardelli, Graziana Roscigno, Catello Pane, Giuseppe Celano, Marisa Di Matteo, Marika Mainente, Alessandra Vuotto, Teresa Mencherini, Tiziana Esposito, Antonella Vitti, Enrica De Falco. Essential oils and quality composts sourced by recycling vegetable residues from the aromatic plant supply chain. Industrial Crops and Products. 2021; 162 ():113255.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMassimo Zaccardelli; Graziana Roscigno; Catello Pane; Giuseppe Celano; Marisa Di Matteo; Marika Mainente; Alessandra Vuotto; Teresa Mencherini; Tiziana Esposito; Antonella Vitti; Enrica De Falco. 2021. "Essential oils and quality composts sourced by recycling vegetable residues from the aromatic plant supply chain." Industrial Crops and Products 162, no. : 113255.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under Mediterranean climate may be affected by internal brown spot, non-pathogenic disorder of flesh tissues leading to a dramatic depreciation of tubers. Its aetiology is still clarifying; however, some abiotic stressors, such as the high temperatures, heat and drought are noticed as crucial factors exacerbating the physiological decline. With the aim of escaping the potato growth stages most prone to the physiopathy, shortening cropping cycle by KCl-induced potato canopy desiccation was experimented on two field trials. Experimental field treatments were two consecutive KCl foliar applications, respectively at thirty and twenty days before harvesting, at 113 and 75 g L−1, that were compared to the water-sprayed control. Salt solution spraying injured above-ground parts ending potato’s growth early reducing incidence of tuber internal browning, on average, between 30% and 50% at low and high KCl concentration, respectively. The non-sensitive cultivar Agria proved the most productive, whereas Ricciona di Napoli resulted strongly defected by the physiopathy. Under low-irrigation regime, IBS occurrence was reduced of about 39%. The reduction of the transpiration flow and growth cycle likely decreased internal brown spot under KCl vine desiccation, as well as the role of KCl on tuber ripening dynamics cannot be overlooked.
Alfonso Pentangelo; Francesco Raimo; Bruno Parisi; Giuseppe Mandolino; Catello Pane. Effects of highly concentrated KCl foliar spray for managing the occurrence of the internal brown spot, a physiological disorder of potato tubers. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 2021, 96, 527 -537.
AMA StyleAlfonso Pentangelo, Francesco Raimo, Bruno Parisi, Giuseppe Mandolino, Catello Pane. Effects of highly concentrated KCl foliar spray for managing the occurrence of the internal brown spot, a physiological disorder of potato tubers. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology. 2021; 96 (4):527-537.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlfonso Pentangelo; Francesco Raimo; Bruno Parisi; Giuseppe Mandolino; Catello Pane. 2021. "Effects of highly concentrated KCl foliar spray for managing the occurrence of the internal brown spot, a physiological disorder of potato tubers." The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 96, no. 4: 527-537.
The origin of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) has been attributed to Africa, China, India, or the Near East. Cucumbers are now grown throughout the world using fields or greenhouse culture. In Italy, cucumbers are mainly cultivated in Sicily and central-northern Italy. During the spring of 2019, in the province of Latina (Central Italy), mature cucumber plants var. Ekron F1 grown in greenhouse showed symptoms of yellowing and wilting of the leaves and brown necrosis on roots. The estimated severity of the disease in greenhouse was 15% of plants. Fragments of symptomatic tissues cut from the root lesions were placed on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) amended with 50 ppm chloramphenicol and 50 ppm streptomycin at 24±2 °C of incubation temperature. A Pythium species was consistently isolated from semi-selective medium with heavy aerial mycelia and three pure cultures were obtained by hyphal tip transfers on PDA for further investigations. Main hyphae were non septate, globose or limoniform, thin-walled, ranging in size from 2.7 to 4.8 μm in diameter with terminal and intercalary hyphal swellings. Hyphae occasionally had 2 to 3 digitate protuberances. Oogonia were produced terminally, globose, and 15 to 20 μm in diameter. Oospores were plerotic, rarely aplerotic, thin-walled, and 16 to 19 μm wide. On the basis of morphological features, the isolates were identified as P. spinosum Sawada (Sawada and Chen 1926). The identity was confirmed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence with 99% homology with KU208359 and by cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene with 99% homology with HQ708835 GenBank sequence. The sequences of the three isolates (CREADC-Om303, 304, 305) were deposited in GenBank with accession Nos., MN988848, MN988849, MN988850 and Nos. MN990462, MN990463, MN990464 for ITS and COI respectively. Pathogenicity tests were conducted in the greenhouse on var. Ekron F1 plants at the 3-4th leaf stage (Sinclair and Dhingra, 1985). For each isolate ten plants were inoculated with a 5-mm mycelial plug cut from the margins of actively growing 4-day-old PDA cultures. Plugs were inserted through the epidermis to the phloem at the collar level and wrapped in parafilm® to prevent dehydration and contamination. Five plants were used as controls and inoculated as described above using a sterile PDA plugs. Inoculated plants were kept under controlled conditions (humidity of 70%; 12:12 h day of night photoperiod) in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C. After 1 week all inoculated plants showed stem necrotic streaks extended downwards to the crown and roots. Most of the plants died developing symptoms like those originally observed on plants naturally infected, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. Control plants remained symptomless. Oomycete colonies isolated from the lesions and cultured on PDA morphologically resembled the inoculated isolates. P. spinosum has been shown to cause damping-off and root rot of many plants. It was originally isolated from Snapdragon seedlings in Taiwan (Sawada and Chen 1926). It is a cosmopolitan species. It has been associated with damping-off of watermelon in the United States (Middleton 1943), on pumpkin in Queensland, Australia (Teakle 1960), with vine decline of cucumber in Oman (Al-Sadi et al. 2011). More recently P. spinosum has been associated with root rot of chili in Pakistan (Nawaz et al. 2015). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. spinosum as the causal agent of crown and root rot of cucumber plants in Italy. A more careful water management in greenhouse would avoid the occurrence of Pythium root rot in this crop system production.
Loredana Sigillo; Catello Pane; Ivana Garaguso; Laura Luongo; Massimo Galli; Maria Teresa Valente; Salvatore Vitale. First Report of Pythium spinosum as a Causal Agent of Crown and Root Rot in Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation in Italy. Plant Disease 2020, 104, 3269 .
AMA StyleLoredana Sigillo, Catello Pane, Ivana Garaguso, Laura Luongo, Massimo Galli, Maria Teresa Valente, Salvatore Vitale. First Report of Pythium spinosum as a Causal Agent of Crown and Root Rot in Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation in Italy. Plant Disease. 2020; 104 (12):3269.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLoredana Sigillo; Catello Pane; Ivana Garaguso; Laura Luongo; Massimo Galli; Maria Teresa Valente; Salvatore Vitale. 2020. "First Report of Pythium spinosum as a Causal Agent of Crown and Root Rot in Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation in Italy." Plant Disease 104, no. 12: 3269.
Compost teas (CTs) are liquid organic formulates obtained by prolonged extraction, with or without aeration, of a quality compost into an aqueous medium. They can significantly improve plant growth and development likely through nutritive and/or biostimulant mechanisms. In nursery production chain of tomato, pepper and melon, the use of seven CTs was evaluated in order to substitute, totally or partially, chemical treatments with propamocarb-hydrochloride (47.3%) and fosetyl-Al (27.7%), a fungicide for the pathogenic oomycetes control. In general, CTs increased plant growth parameters, as suggested by measurements of root length (+9.1% and +8.1%, on average, on tomato and pepper, respectively), stem diameter (+12% on average, on tomato), number of leaves (+2.6% on average, on melon), and fresh biomass (+8.2% on average, on melon) in comparison with the chemical control. CT from artichoke and fennel composted residues have had the major impact on nursery performances of tomato, pepper and melon. After the first treatment of the polystyrene trays with the fungicide at sowing, our results indicated that CT may replace it in the following seedling production cycle, securing vegetative characteristics of nursery plants similar to the chemical control, that may incite fast starting of transplants in the field stage.
Domenica Villecco; Catello Pane; Domenico Ronga; Massimo Zaccardelli. Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1336 .
AMA StyleDomenica Villecco, Catello Pane, Domenico Ronga, Massimo Zaccardelli. Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (9):1336.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDomenica Villecco; Catello Pane; Domenico Ronga; Massimo Zaccardelli. 2020. "Enhancing Sustainability of Tomato, Pepper and Melon Nursery Production Systems by Using Compost Tea Spray Applications." Agronomy 10, no. 9: 1336.
Plants produce a huge array of secondary metabolites that play a key role in defense mechanisms against detrimental microorganisms and herbivores, and represent a suitable alternative to synthetic fungicides in sustainable agriculture. In this work, twelve crude hydroethanolic extracts derived from leaves of different potato cultivars were chemically characterized by LC/MS and their antioxidant properties were investigated in vitro. Furthermore, the biological activity against the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Extracts showed the ability to inhibit R. solani growth in vitro and significantly reduced damping-off incidence in in vivo experiments. Furthermore, R. solani mycelia exposed to the extracts showed an altered morphology (low translucency, irregular silhouette, and cytoplasmatic content coagulation) compared to the untreated control in light microscopy examination. Principal component analysis conducted on identified chemical compounds highlighted significant metabolic variations across the different extracts. In particular, those that inhibited most of the growth of the pathogen were found to be enriched in α-chaconine or α-solanine content, indicating that their biological activity is affected by the abundance of these metabolites. These results clearly indicated that plant-derived compounds represent a suitable alternative to chemicals and could lead to the development of new formulates for sustainable control of plant diseases.
Catello Pane; Michele Caputo; Gianluca Francese; Gelsomina Manganiello; Roberto Lo Lo Scalzo; Giuseppe Mennella; Massimo Zaccardelli. Managing Rhizoctonia Damping-Off of Rocket (Eruca sativa) Seedlings by Drench Application of Bioactive Potato Leaf Phytochemical Extracts. Biology 2020, 9, 270 .
AMA StyleCatello Pane, Michele Caputo, Gianluca Francese, Gelsomina Manganiello, Roberto Lo Lo Scalzo, Giuseppe Mennella, Massimo Zaccardelli. Managing Rhizoctonia Damping-Off of Rocket (Eruca sativa) Seedlings by Drench Application of Bioactive Potato Leaf Phytochemical Extracts. Biology. 2020; 9 (9):270.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCatello Pane; Michele Caputo; Gianluca Francese; Gelsomina Manganiello; Roberto Lo Lo Scalzo; Giuseppe Mennella; Massimo Zaccardelli. 2020. "Managing Rhizoctonia Damping-Off of Rocket (Eruca sativa) Seedlings by Drench Application of Bioactive Potato Leaf Phytochemical Extracts." Biology 9, no. 9: 270.
Herbaceous grafting is a propagation method largely used in solanaceous and cucurbit crops for enhancing their agronomic performances especially under (a)biotic stress conditions. Besides these grafting-mediated benefits, recent advances about microbial networking in the soil/root interface, indicated further grafting potentialities to act as soil environment conditioner by modulating microbial communities in the rhizosphere. By selecting a suitable rootstock, grafting can modify the way of interacting root system with the soil environment regulating the plant ecological functions able to moderate soilborne pathogen populations and to decrease the risk of diseases. Genetic resistance(s) to soilborne pathogen(s), root-mediate recruiting of microbial antagonists and exudation of antifungal molecules in the rhizosphere are some defense mechanisms that grafted plants may upgrade, making the cultivation less prone to the use of synthetic fungicides and therefore more sustainable. In the current review, new perspectives offered by the available literature concerning the potential benefits of grafting, in enhancing soilborne disease resistance through modulation of indigenous suppressive microbial communities are presented and discussed.
Mariateresa Cardarelli; Youssef Rouphael; Marios Kyriacou; Giuseppe Colla; Catello Pane. Augmenting the Sustainability of Vegetable Cropping Systems by Configuring Rootstock-Dependent Rhizomicrobiomes that Support Plant Protection. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1185 .
AMA StyleMariateresa Cardarelli, Youssef Rouphael, Marios Kyriacou, Giuseppe Colla, Catello Pane. Augmenting the Sustainability of Vegetable Cropping Systems by Configuring Rootstock-Dependent Rhizomicrobiomes that Support Plant Protection. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (8):1185.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMariateresa Cardarelli; Youssef Rouphael; Marios Kyriacou; Giuseppe Colla; Catello Pane. 2020. "Augmenting the Sustainability of Vegetable Cropping Systems by Configuring Rootstock-Dependent Rhizomicrobiomes that Support Plant Protection." Agronomy 10, no. 8: 1185.
Bioactive compounds of different Campania native sweet pepper varieties were evaluated. Polyphenols ranged between 1.37 mmol g–1 and 3.42 mmol g–1, β-carotene was abundant in the red variety “Cazzone” (7.05 μg g–1). Yellow and red varieties showed a content of ascorbic acid not inferior to 0.82 mg g–1, while in some green varieties the presence of ascorbic acid was almost inconsistent. Interrelationships between the parameters analyzed and the varieties showed that ascorbic acid could represent the factor mostly influencing the antioxidant activity. Polyphenol profile was different among the varieties, with a general prevalence of acidic phenols in yellow varieties and of flavonoids in red varieties. Principal Component Analysis, applied to ascorbic acid, total polyphenols and β-carotene, revealed that two of the green varieties (“Friariello napoletano” and “Friariello Sigaretta”) were well clustered and that the yellow variety “Corno di capra” showed similarity with the green varieties, in particular with “Friariello Nocerese”. This was confirmed by the interrelationships applied to polyphenol composition, which let us to light on a clustering of several red and yellow varieties, and that mainly the yellow ”Corno di capra” was closer to the green varieties of “Friariello”.
Florinda Fratianni; Antonio D’Acierno; Autilia Cozzolino; Patrizia Spigno; Riccardo Riccardi; Francesco Raimo; Catello Pane; Massimo Zaccardelli; Valentina Tranchida Lombardo; Marina Tucci; Stefania Grillo; Raffaele Coppola; Filomena Nazzaro. Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy. Antioxidants 2020, 9, 556 .
AMA StyleFlorinda Fratianni, Antonio D’Acierno, Autilia Cozzolino, Patrizia Spigno, Riccardo Riccardi, Francesco Raimo, Catello Pane, Massimo Zaccardelli, Valentina Tranchida Lombardo, Marina Tucci, Stefania Grillo, Raffaele Coppola, Filomena Nazzaro. Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy. Antioxidants. 2020; 9 (6):556.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFlorinda Fratianni; Antonio D’Acierno; Autilia Cozzolino; Patrizia Spigno; Riccardo Riccardi; Francesco Raimo; Catello Pane; Massimo Zaccardelli; Valentina Tranchida Lombardo; Marina Tucci; Stefania Grillo; Raffaele Coppola; Filomena Nazzaro. 2020. "Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy." Antioxidants 9, no. 6: 556.
Sage species belong to the family of Labiatae/Lamiaceae and are diffused worldwide. More than 900 species of sage have been identified, and many of them are used for different purposes, i.e., culinary uses, traditional medicines and natural remedies and cosmetic applications. Another use of sage is the application of non-distilled sage extracts and essential oils to control phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi, for a sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture. Biocidal propriety of non-distilled extracts and essential oils of sage are w documented. Antimicrobial effects of these sage extracts/essential oils depend on both sage species and bacteria and fungi species to control. In general, it is possible to choose some specific extracts/essential oils to control specific phytopathogenic bacteria or fungi. In this context, the use of nanotechnology techniques applied to essential oil from salvia could represent a future direction for improving the performance of eco-compatible and sustainable plant defence and represents a great challenge for the future.
Massimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Michele Caputo; Alessandra Durazzo; Massimo Lucarini; Amélia Silva; Patrícia Severino; Eliana Souto; Antonello Santini; Vincenzo De Feo. Sage Species Case Study on a Spontaneous Mediterranean Plant to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. Forests 2020, 11, 704 .
AMA StyleMassimo Zaccardelli, Catello Pane, Michele Caputo, Alessandra Durazzo, Massimo Lucarini, Amélia Silva, Patrícia Severino, Eliana Souto, Antonello Santini, Vincenzo De Feo. Sage Species Case Study on a Spontaneous Mediterranean Plant to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. Forests. 2020; 11 (6):704.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMassimo Zaccardelli; Catello Pane; Michele Caputo; Alessandra Durazzo; Massimo Lucarini; Amélia Silva; Patrícia Severino; Eliana Souto; Antonello Santini; Vincenzo De Feo. 2020. "Sage Species Case Study on a Spontaneous Mediterranean Plant to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Bacteria." Forests 11, no. 6: 704.
Green waste composts are obtained from agricultural production chains; their suppressive properties are increasingly being developed as a promising biological control option in the management of soil-borne phytopathogens. The wide variety of microbes harbored in the compost ecological niches may regulate suppressive functions through not yet fully known underlying mechanisms. This study investigates alpha- and beta-diversity of the compost microbial communities, as indicators of the biological features. Our green composts displayed a differential pattern of suppressiveness over the two assayed pathosystems. Fungal and bacterial densities, as well as catabolic and enzyme functionalities did not correlate with the compost control efficacy on cress disease. Differences in the suppressive potential of composts can be better predicted by the variations in the community levels of physiological profiles indicating that functional alpha-diversity is more predictive than that which is calculated on terminal restriction fragments length polymorphisms (T-RFLPs) targeting the 16S rRNA gene. However, beta-diversity described by nMDS analysis of the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity allowed for separating compost samples into distinct functionally meaningful clusters and indicated that suppressiveness could be regulated by selected groups of microorganisms as major deterministic mechanisms. This study contributes to individuating new suitable characterization procedures applicable to the suppressive green compost chain.
Catello Pane; Roberto Sorrentino; Riccardo Scotti; Marcella Molisso; Antonio Di Matteo; Giuseppe Celano; Massimo Zaccardelli. Alpha and Beta-diversity of Microbial Communities Associated to Plant Disease Suppressive Functions of On-farm Green Composts. Agriculture 2020, 10, 113 .
AMA StyleCatello Pane, Roberto Sorrentino, Riccardo Scotti, Marcella Molisso, Antonio Di Matteo, Giuseppe Celano, Massimo Zaccardelli. Alpha and Beta-diversity of Microbial Communities Associated to Plant Disease Suppressive Functions of On-farm Green Composts. Agriculture. 2020; 10 (4):113.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCatello Pane; Roberto Sorrentino; Riccardo Scotti; Marcella Molisso; Antonio Di Matteo; Giuseppe Celano; Massimo Zaccardelli. 2020. "Alpha and Beta-diversity of Microbial Communities Associated to Plant Disease Suppressive Functions of On-farm Green Composts." Agriculture 10, no. 4: 113.
While the control of soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi becomes increasingly difficult without using chemicals, concern over the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture is driving more environmentally sound crop protection managements. Among these approaches, the use of compost to suppress fungal diseases could have great potential. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach has been applied to characterize microbiota composition of two on-farm composts and assess their suppress and biostimulant activities. The on-farm composting system used in this study was able to produce two composts characterized by an antagonistic microbiota community able to suppress plant pathogens and biostimulate plant growth. Our results suggest a potential role for Nocardiopsis and Pseudomonas genera in suppression, while Flavobacterium and Streptomyces genera seem to be potentially involved in plant biostimulation. In conclusion, this study combines different techniques to characterize composts, giving a unique overview on the microbial communities and their role in suppressiveness, helping to unravel their complexity.
Riccardo Scotti; Alex L. Mitchell; Catello Pane; Rob D. Finn; Massimo Zaccardelli. Microbiota Characterization of Agricultural Green Waste-Based Suppressive Composts Using Omics and Classic Approaches. Agriculture 2020, 10, 61 .
AMA StyleRiccardo Scotti, Alex L. Mitchell, Catello Pane, Rob D. Finn, Massimo Zaccardelli. Microbiota Characterization of Agricultural Green Waste-Based Suppressive Composts Using Omics and Classic Approaches. Agriculture. 2020; 10 (3):61.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Scotti; Alex L. Mitchell; Catello Pane; Rob D. Finn; Massimo Zaccardelli. 2020. "Microbiota Characterization of Agricultural Green Waste-Based Suppressive Composts Using Omics and Classic Approaches." Agriculture 10, no. 3: 61.
In the present study, 133 bacterial isolates from 11 composted aromatic plant wastes were selected for their ability to inhibit the mycelial growth of the soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotinia minor and Rhizoctonia solani. Successively, a subset of 35 from them were further characterized for their ability to control, in vivo, rocket damping-off caused by the two fungi. Moreover, the isolates were characterized for morphology of the colonies, Gram reaction, siderophore production, P-solubilization and for the presence of antimicrobial lipopeptide genes in the genome. The screening for the in vitro antagonisms showed a mycelial growth reduction ranging between 31.7% and 56.1% for R. solani and 34.4% and 59.4% for S. minor. All the isolates were not able to produce siderophores and some of them were able to solubilize P. The isolates contained two or more of the five lipoproteins coding genes investigated in this study. The most promising isolates were identified at species level by 16S-rRNA partial gene sequence analysis and were grouped in two main clusters related to Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens reference strains. Results indicated that Bacillus isolates from compost are good candidates for application in the biocontrol of cultivated plants.
Massimo Zaccardelli; Roberto Sorrentino; Michele Caputo; Riccardo Scotti; Enrica De Falco; Catello Pane. Stepwise-Selected Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis Strains from Composted Aromatic Plant Waste Able to Control Soil-Borne Diseases. Agriculture 2020, 10, 30 .
AMA StyleMassimo Zaccardelli, Roberto Sorrentino, Michele Caputo, Riccardo Scotti, Enrica De Falco, Catello Pane. Stepwise-Selected Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis Strains from Composted Aromatic Plant Waste Able to Control Soil-Borne Diseases. Agriculture. 2020; 10 (2):30.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMassimo Zaccardelli; Roberto Sorrentino; Michele Caputo; Riccardo Scotti; Enrica De Falco; Catello Pane. 2020. "Stepwise-Selected Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis Strains from Composted Aromatic Plant Waste Able to Control Soil-Borne Diseases." Agriculture 10, no. 2: 30.