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Japanese plum is a very important temperate tree fruit, ranking in the second position among the stone fruits, after peaches. In this species, there are very few self-compatible varieties and a lack of resistance to sharka disease (plum pox virus, PPV). In this context, interspecific crosses between Japanese plums and self-compatible, sharka-resistant apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars have been performed in recent years to obtain resistant and self-compatible plumcots. The plumcot provides a new fruit typology combining the horticultural and market characteristics of these two Prunus species. In this work, new interspecific plumcots have been obtained and characterized. An initial screening of more than 600 seedlings was carried out for interspecific hybrid verification using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. In addition, floral compatibility by S-allele genotyping and phenotypic characterization and PPV resistance evaluations in controlled conditions were performed in the interspecific genotypes. The results show some interspecific hybrids with the desired characteristics of self-compatibility alleles and sharka tolerance together with new fruit typologies with an attractive skin and flesh color and different valued organoleptic characteristics

Spain is one of the most important producers of fresh apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.). Traditional production was based on several local cultivars with good quality and well adapted to the industry. However, most are susceptible to important viral diseases that affect fruit production and quality. The main viral diseases are sharka (Plum pox virus, PPV) and viruela (Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus, ACLSV). Using foreign resistance sources to PPV, new resistant cultivars have been released. More recently, two new resistance sources to ACLSV have been identified: the Spanish cultivar ‘Mauricio’ and the French cultivar ‘Bergeron’. With the objective of obtaining new genotypes resistant to both diseases simultaneously, two crosses between the apricot selections ‘5–26’ and ‘11–1’ from CEBAS-CSIC (resistant to PPV) and ACLSV-resistant cultivars ‘Mauricio’ and ‘Bergeron’ were achieved, and the descendants were evaluated for resistance to these diseases. Molecular markers were also used to evaluate the genitors and descendants. Results showed that 100% and 75% of seedlings were resistant to PPV and ACLSV, respectively, and 70% were resistant to both diseases simultaneously. In general, no interaction between both viruses was detected, infecting the plant independently. For the first time, apricot plants resistant to PPV and ACLSV simultaneously have been obtained.

Water scarcity is one of the greatest concerns for agronomy worldwide. In recent years, many water resources have been depleted due to multiple factors, especially mismanagement. Water resource shortages lead to cropland expansion, which likely influences climate change and affects global agriculture, especially horticultural crops. Fruit yield is the final aim in commercial orchards; however, drought can slow tree growth and/or decrease fruit yield and quality. It is therefore necessary to find approaches to solve this problem. The main objective of this review is to discuss the most recent horticultural, biochemical, and molecular strategies adopted to improve the response of temperate fruit crops to water stress. We also address the viability of cultivating fruit trees in dry areas and provide precise protection methods for planting fruit trees in arid lands. We review the main factors involved in planting fruit trees in dry areas, including plant material selection, regulated deficit irrigation (DI) strategies, rainwater harvesting (RWH), and anti-water stress materials. We also provide a detailed analysis of the molecular strategies developed to combat drought, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR) through gene overexpression or gene silencing. Finally, we look at the molecular mechanisms associated with the contribution of the microbiome to improving plant responses to drought

Community-acquired pneumonia represents the third-highest cause of mortality in industrialized countries and the first due to infection. Although guidelines for the approach to this infection model are widely implemented in international health schemes, information continually emerges that generates controversy or requires updating its management. This paper reviews the most important issues in the approach to this process, such as an aetiologic update using new molecular platforms or imaging techniques, including the diagnostic stewardship in different clinical settings. It also reviews both the Intensive Care Unit admission criteria and those of clinical stability to discharge. An update in antibiotic, in oxygen, or steroidal therapy is presented. It also analyzes the management out-of-hospital in CAP requiring hospitalization, the main factors for readmission, and an approach to therapeutic failure or rescue. Finally, the main strategies for prevention and vaccination in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts are reviewed.

This work presents two new almond cultivars obtained by the Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Almond Breeding Program: Florida and Alaska. Both are self-compatible and soft-shelled with a kernel percentage higher than 50%. ‘Florida’ is early blooming (like ‘Nonpareil’), whereas ‘Alaska’ is extra late (more than 2 weeks later than ‘Nonpareil’). Both are very productive and have attractive kernels. ‘Florida’ has an extra-early ripening date (∼3 d before ‘Nonpareil’) and ‘Alaska’ is intermediate (∼2 weeks later than ‘Nonpareil’). From a chemical point of view, ‘Florida’ is very similar to ‘Nonpareil’, and ‘Alaska’ stands out for its high fat content (60%), which is unusual for American cultivars. ‘Florida’ could play a role in the traditional warm areas of ‘Nonpareil’, whereas ‘Alaska’ is an attractive cultivar for colder areas with a higher risk of frost

Surface Water & Ocean Topography (SWOT) is the first satellite altimetry mission to measure the elevation of nearly all water on Earth’s surface. SWOT will provide high-resolution maps of the water surface topography over the open and coastal oceans, lakes rivers and reservoirs. After two decades of preparation , SWOT was launched on December 2022. For approximately the first 180 days of the mission, SWOT is in a 1-day repeat orbit for cal/val. This document represents the cruise plan of the FaSt-SWOT field campaigns co-led by IMEDEA(CSIC-UIB) and SOCIB as a contribution to the SWOT Science Team and SWOT-AdAC consortium. FaSt-SWOT multi-platform experiments took place in the Balearic Sea in April-May 2023 during the SWOT satellite mission fast-sampling phase. The generals objectives of these experiments were (1) to validate the first observations provided by the new altimeter mission during the calibration/validation phase and (2) to improve the characterization of oceanic fine scales through the combined use of in-situ multi-platform and satellite data in synergy with numerical models and innovative computational techniques. The campaigns have assessed the actual capability to map SSH variability over a range of scales (30-100 km) traditionally not resolved by conventional altimeters. A unique aspect of the FaSt-SWOT experiments is the combination of concurrent multi-scale ship-based instruments, autonomous platforms, and satellite observations with ad hoc modeling simulations, enabling the evaluation of underlying mechanisms. FaSt-SWOT federates two multiplatform in situ experiments, combining glider, drifter, ship observations together with satellite observations and high-resolution data-assimilative numerical simulations. Advanced Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) and new tools of artificial intelligence have been performed to optimize the sampling strategies. This document includes the plans for the cruises and it will be complemented with the cru

This book brings together the latest information on almond genomics and transcriptomics, with a particular focus on cutting-edge findings, tools, and strategies employed in genome sequencing and analysis with regard to the most important agronomic traits. Cultivated almond [(Prunus dulcis (Miller) D. A. Webb, syn. Prunus amygdalus Batsch., Amygdalus communis L., Amygdalus dulcis Mill.)] is a tree crop producing seeds of great economic interest, and adapted to hot and dry climates. Domesticated in Southeast Asia, its small diploid genome and phenotypic diversity make it an ideal model to complement genomics studies on peach, generally considered to be the reference Prunus species. Both represent consanguineous species that evolved in two distinct environments: warmer and more humid in the case of peach, and colder and xerophytic for almond. The advent of affordable whole-genome sequencing, in combination with existing Prunus functional genomics data, has now made it possible to leverage the novel diversity found in almond, providing an unmatched resource for the genetic improvement of this species