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Pine Pitch Canker (PPC), caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum, is associated to significant economic and ecological losses worldwide. The effectiveness of PPC monitoring, early detection in nurseries and plantations, and the identification of resistant plant material relies on the development of objective, non-destructive, and cost-effective tools. This study analyzed the potential of employing Raman Spectroscopy (RS) for the early detection of biochemical changes associated with PPC in Pinus spp. with different susceptibilities to F. circinatum (highly susceptible Pinus radiata vs relatively resistant Pinus pinea), while unveiling possible mechanisms of action on these pathosystems. Our results indicate lignin as a key constitutive component of pine resistance against PPC and thus the potential of using this technology for the selection of PPC resistant trees. Moreover, we demonstrate the power of RS-based approaches for the rapid detection of the disease in susceptible species. Early spectral variations were found in P. radiata upon inoculation with F. circinatum from 3 days post-inoculation (dpi) onwards, whereas changes in histological analysis, relative internal stem necrosis measurements, and visual disease symptoms were only visible at 6, 8, and 9 dpi, respectively. These spectral changes have been associated to cell wall degradation and induction of phenolic compounds synthesis upon infection in P. radiata. Altogether, we believe that RS is an innovative promising tool able to reduce disease detection time in pine species and providing an appealing alternative for the development of new and eco-friendly disease control measures.

Natural regeneration is crucial to maintaining local adaptative genetic pools of Pinus pinaster Ait. forests and their restoration following disturbance events. After a wildfire, weak-serotinous maritime pine populations may only depend on the viability of seeds exposed to fire to recover. Subsequently, summer drought during the early stages of the pine seedlings may seriously jeopardize the success of natural regeneration and the productivity of natural exploitable forests. The main objectives of this work were 1) to determine and compare the seed germination rates of weak-serotinous maritime pine populations along a geographic gradient within the Coastal Center of Portugal and 2) to investigate the ability of non-selected natural regenerated pine seedlings to survive under water limitation conditions. To accomplish those aims, seeds were collected from 8 populations distributed along a 100 km geographical gradient and left to germinate for 2 months. The seedlings were submitted to a water limitation experiment for 3 weeks. Overall no relation was found between seed weight and germination rate, but different trends were observed amongst populations. No relation was found between seed traits and seedling growth. Under water limitation, results suggested differences in water use efficiency between populations, possibly justified by adaptation to specific site conditions.

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) are cultivated worldwide and represent an important asset for the Portuguese economy. Pathogen infection and water deficiency are known to affect crops productivity worldwide, thus limiting plant yield or fruit quality. Diaporthe is a cosmopolitan genus comprising plant pathogens and endophytes, that may switch their behavior to a pathogenic phase when the host is under environmental stress (e.g., drought, precipitation). Given the scarce physiological studies on blueberry plant- pathogen interactions, in this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of Diaporthe amygdali and D. eres on 9-month-old clonal blueberries under two different water scenarios: well-watered (WW) and water deficit (WD). Morphological (lesion length) and physiological parameters (water status, leaf gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, proline, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, starch, total soluble sugars, and lipid peroxidation) were assessed. Our results suggest that the irrigation regime applied was not sufficient to cause severe stress to plants. Under WW conditions, plants inoculated with D. eres may have used malondialdehyde content (MDA) as a signaling molecule. Although D. amygdali has caused plant mortality, this study shows that under WW conditions, plants manage to deal with pathogen attack, maintaining their physiological performance. This study also demonstrates that the interaction between fungal pathogens and water limitation seems to stimulate plant defense, through the accumulation of proline. Our findings offer crucial insights to understand how blueberry plants cope with infection by species of Diaporthe, and how plants can adapt to climate changes in the Mediterranean area (e.g., water scarcity).

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) have been increasingly cultivated in Portugal. Although blueberry is known to be susceptible to twig blight and dieback caused by pestalotioid fungi, there is still scarce information regarding this issue. To bridge this gap, a survey on blueberry plantations in Portugal was carried out to assess the diversity of pestalotioid fungi associated with symptomatic blueberry plants. A collection of 51 fungal isolates was characterized by multilocus sequence analyses of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α) and β-tubulin (tub2). The phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of Pestalotiopsis australis, P. biciliata, P. chamaeropis, Neopestalotiopsis rosae and three novel species described as Neopestalotiopsis scalabiensis, N. vaccinii and N. vacciniicola. The new species were fully characterized based on their morphology and temperature growth requirements. The pathogenicity trials carried out on cultivar “Duke” revealed that all isolates tested were pathogenic to blueberry plants, with N. rosae being the most aggressive species. This study provides the first report of P. chamaeropis, P. biciliata and P. australis associated with blueberry dieback and twig blight symptoms in Portugal and worldwide. Additionally, N. rosae is also newly reported from Portugal. This survey disclosed the occurrence of several pestalotioid species, which may represent a threat to Portuguese blueberry plantations.

For non-native tree species with an origin outside of Europe a detailed compilation of enemy species including the severity of their attack is lacking up to now. We collected information on native and non-native species attacking non-native trees, i.e. type, extent and time of first observation of damage for 23 important non-native trees in 27 European countries. Our database includes about 2300 synthesised attack records (synthesised per biotic threat, tree and country) from over 800 species. Insects (49%) and fungi (45%) are the main observed biotic threats, but also arachnids, bacteria including phytoplasmas, mammals, nematodes, plants and viruses have been recorded. This information will be valuable to identify patterns and drivers of attacks, and trees with a lower current health risk to be considered for planting. In addition, our database will provide a baseline to which future impacts on non-native tree species could be compared with and thus will allow to analyse temporal trends of impacts., Measurement(s) area of attack of enemy species on non-native tree • intensity of attack of enemy species on non-native tree Technology Type(s) species identification • visual observation method Factor Type(s) plant health • country • species Sample Characteristic - Organism tree Sample Characteristic - Environment forested area Sample Characteristic - Location Europe Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14345921

Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry tree, Ericaceae) is a woody species with a circum-Mediterranean distribution. It has considerable ecological relevance in southern European forests due to its resilience to abiotic and biotic stressors. Its edible red berries are used in the production of traditional products, including an expensive spirit. Several compounds extracted from the species have bioactive properties used by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The strawberry tree has gone from a neglected species to become a highly valuable crop with large cultivated areas in southern European and North African countries. Due to an increasing demand from farmers for plants with improved features, researchers have been trying to improve this species through conventional and biotechnological tools, focusing mainly on population analysis using molecular markers, in vitro cloning, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and intraspecific crosses to obtain genotypes with new characteristics. The objective of this review is to gather and update information about the species and make it available to researchers and stakeholders. Future research areas that are considered a priority for this species are highlighted.

Strawberry tree (

This is the first report of the anti-oomycete activity of A. unedo leaves extract against Phytophthora cinnamomi. The extract was characterized by HPLC–MS and different chemotypes identified. Arbutus unedo L. is a small perennial Ericaceae tree well adapted to the environmental conditions of its Mediterranean distribution area. It produces a wide range of secondary metabolites with bioactive properties and applications for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Due to the antifungal activity of some secondary metabolites they can play a key role in plant defense. In particular, arbutin and hydroquinone, two phenolic compounds typical of the Ericaceae species, might be especially important in plant defense against pathogens. Thus, in this work we (i) established a phenolic fingerprint of wild strawberry tree leaves, (ii) evaluated the effect of genotype and seasonal variation on phenolic metabolite composition, (iii) quantified arbutin and hydroquinone, and (iv) tested the antifungal effect of arbutin, hydroquinone and a methanol extract of A. unedo leaves against common strawberry tree pathogens. A total of 54 compounds were assigned by HPLC–PDA–ESI/MSn, namely, gallic acid derivatives, hydrolysable and condensed tannins, flavonoids, arbutin, hydroquinone and their derivatives, and significant differences on relative abundance of the phenolic compounds between individuals were verified. Hydroquinone and its glucoside arbutin were quantified and its antifungal and anti-oomycete effect against A. unedo pathogens evaluated. Arbutin concentrations ranged from 0.69 ± 0.05 to 22.97 ± 0.76 mg g−1 fresh weight of leaves. Hydroquinone was only detected in a few samples and its concentration ranged from 0.069 ± 0.004 to 0.604 ± 0.024 mg g−1 fresh weight. Both arbutin and hydroquinone induced a reduction in growth of Glomerella cingulata and both compounds were highly effective against Phytophthora cinnamomi, with a reduction in growth close to 80% at the higher arbutin concentration tested. Microplate tests showed that a methanol extract of A. unedo leaves displayed an anti-oomycete activity with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) against P. cinnamomi at an arbutin equivalent concentration of 0.625 mg mL−1, and was more active against P. cinnamomi than the arbutin standard (MIC = 12 mg mL−1), which suggests that a synergic effect occurs in the presence of other metabolites existing in the extract. Moreover, extract containing an arbutin equivalent concentration of 2.5 mg mL−1 was lethal for this pathogen. Arbutin, their derivatives and/or other secondary metabolites play an important role in A. unedo defense mechanisms against biotic stress, opening the way to biotechnological applications, namely, to use A. unedo leaf extracts as a natural phytosanitary agent. A genotype with the ability to produce high amounts of arbutin was also identified. The implications of these results on agroforestry management are discussed, as well as its relevance on plant phenotyping and selection for future breeding assays.

The urgent need to identify stress-tolerant genotypes and understand their inherent genetic plasticity is one of the major targets of research and breeding programs. Species that are cultivated in areas that are prone to drought need to be able to tolerate water stress (WS) while still displaying features that are economically valuable. Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum) is a solanaceous fruit crop with increasing agronomic interest due to the nutritional properties of its edible fruits and its biotechnological potential. Several protocols have been established for the in vitro culture of this species and controlled hybridization, as well as for the induction of tetraploidy. Nevertheless, the impact of WS on S. betaceum performance has been poorly studied, and nothing is known about the role of ploidy status on this response. Since no morphological differences were noticed between diploids and tetraploids at the end of the acclimatization period, we hypothesized that ploidy level may have a role in plant drought responses. Thus, micropropagated and acclimatized tamarillo diploid (2n = 2x = 24) and tetraploid (4n = 4x = 48) plants were exposed to WS, and several physiological parameters were evaluated, such as plant growth, water potential, photosynthetic performance, sugars, proline, and MDA levels. Water stress did not affect plant growth in both diploids and tetraploids, but it induced stomatal closure and reduced the net CO2 assimilation rate. Water stress also reduced the photosynthetic efficiency of PSII, but no differences were found in the total chlorophyll content. From all the parameters analyzed, tetraploid plants showed a better response under water shortage conditions when considering water potential (WP). Metabolite analysis indicated no significant differences in the accumulation of soluble sugars and MDA in WS plants but a significant increase in proline accumulation in diploids exposed to WS. These observed differences in parameters such as WP and proline accumulation point to mechanisms of osmoregulation and stress signaling that differ between diploid and tetraploid plants, particularly in WS conditions, demonstrating that tetraploids can adapt better to water shortage conditions than their diploid counterparts.

Here, we investigated changes in primary metabolism and cell death around oviposition sites in two hybrid clones of Eucalyptus with different degrees of resistance to Leptocybe invasa FisherLa Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), as well as tolerance to water deficiency.We showed that apices of the resistant clone with oviposition had a higher content of amino acids, organic acids and the compound putrescine compared with those of the susceptible clone with oviposition. By contrast, apices of the resistant clone with oviposition had lower sugar and pyruvate organic acid content than those of the susceptible clone with oviposition. Small areas of necrosis were induced around the oviposition sites in the stem apices of Eucalyptus 24 h after infestation. The resistant clone developed larger necrotic areas that showed progressive increases 24-72 h after infestation compared with the susceptible clone, in which cell death was significantly lower and no changes were observed in necrotic area over time. Thus, the programmed death of cells around the egg, modulated by several amino acids, is likely the first defence response of Eucalyptus against L. invasa.Our results serve as the basis for the early identification of key metabolites produced in plants in defence against galling insects. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fusarium circinatum, causing pine pitch canker (PPC), affects conifers productivity and health worldwide. Selection and breeding for resistance arises as the most promising approach to fight PPC. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the response of hosts with varying levels of susceptibility to PPC to unveil the genes/pathways behind these phenotypes. We evaluated the dynamics of the needle proteome of a susceptible (Pinus radiata) and a relatively resistant (Pinus pinea) species upon F. circinatum inoculation by GeLC-MS/MS. Integration with physiological data and validation of key genes by qPCR allowed to identify core pathways regulating these contrasting responses. In P. radiata, the pathogen may target both the secondary metabolism to negatively regulate immune response and chloroplast redox proteins to increase energy-producing pathways for amino acid production in its favour. In contrast, chloroplast redox regulation may assure redox homeostasis in P. pinea, as well as nonenzymatic antioxidants. The presence of membrane trafficking-related proteins exclusively in P. pinea likely explains its defence response against F. circinatum. A crosstalk between abscisic acid and epigenetic regulation of gene expression is also proposed in PPC response. These results are useful to support breeding programs aiming to achieve PPC resistance.

Despite it being an important issue in the context of climate change, for most plant species it is not currently known how abiotic stresses affect nuclear proteomes and mediate memory effects. This study examines how Pinus radiata nuclei respond, adapt, ‘remember’, and ‘learn’ from heat stress. Seedlings were heat-stressed at 45 °C for 10 d and then allowed to recover. Nuclear proteins were isolated and quantified by nLC-MS/MS, the dynamics of tissue DNA methylation were examined, and the potential acquired memory was analysed in recovered plants. In an additional experiment, the expression of key gene genes was also quantified. Specific nuclear heat-responsive proteins were identified, and their biological roles were evaluated using a systems biology approach. In addition to heat-shock proteins, several clusters involved in regulation processes were discovered, such as epigenomic-driven gene regulation, some transcription factors, and a variety of RNA-associated functions. Nuclei exhibited differential proteome profiles across the phases of the experiment, with histone H2A and methyl cycle enzymes in particular being accumulated in the recovery step. A thermopriming effect was possibly linked to H2A abundance and over-accumulation of spliceosome elements in recovered P. radiata plants. The results suggest that epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in heat-stress tolerance and priming mechanisms., Heat stress followed by a recovery period leads to changes in the nuclear proteome of Pinus radiata that suggest that epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in tolerance and priming mechanisms.

This article is based upon work carried out during COST Action FP1406 PINESTRENGTH (Pine pitch canker‐strategies for management of Gibberella circinata in greenhouses and forests), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). This work is a contribution of URGENTpine (PTDC/AGR‐FOR/2768/2014) funded by FCT – Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, I.P., through national funds, and the co‐funding by the FEDER (POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐016785), within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. Thanks are due for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2019), to FCT/MEC through national funds, and the co‐funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. FCT supported J. M.‐G. (SFRH/BPD/122928/2016), J. A. (SFRH/BD/120967/2016), G. P. (SFRH/BPD/101669/2014) and A. A. (IF/00835/2013). Funds from the Spanish Government via the MINECO/FEDER grant NGSFORFUSARIUM (AGL2015‐69370‐R) and FUTURPIN (AGL2015‐68274‐C03‐02‐R) are also acknowledged. E. J. V. received funding from the Academy of Finland (grant decision number 309896). The contribution of M. M. was funded by the Forestry Commission, UK. The authors declare no conflict of interest. S. W. was partly financed by the project PROTREE, which was funded jointly by a grant from BBSRC, Defra, ESRC, the Forestry Commission, NERC and the Scottish Government, under the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Initiative.

Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is a small perennial tree that grows spontaneously in the Mediterranean basin, Ireland, and Portugal. In this work, strawberry tree clones were established in vitro from epicormic shoots obtained from a young tree, an adult tree, and from a seedling. They were propagated by axillary shoot buds proliferation on solid and in liquid media, and also in a modified De Fossard medium with 9 µM benzylaminopurine. The organogenesis from calli obtained from apical leaves of the in vitro grown shoots from the three genotypes was carried out in the same basal liquid medium supplemented with 9 µM thidiazuron. Micropropagation through organogenesis in liquid medium proved to be more efficient than the other tested methods (considering the number of shoots produced), but the shoots were showing hyperhydricity. Shoots were sucessufully rooted on medium with indole-3-butyric acid and acclimatized ex vitro with rates higher than 90 %. Six month-old plants from the most proliferative genotype (AU1) and propagated in vitro by different methods were submitted to drought stress (no watering for 10 d) and several morphological and physiological parameters were evaluated and compared to a control group (watered to 70 % field capacity). No significant differences were found in plant biomass, root length, and plant height, however, slight differences were observed in water potential, net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and stomatal conductance between the plantlets propagated on solid or liquid medium. In general, the responses to drought stress imposed were was similar in plants micropropagated by different propagation methods.

The rhizobiome is being increasingly acknowledged as a key player in plant health and breeding strategies. The pine pitch canker (PPC), caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum, affects pine species with varying susceptibility degrees. Our aims were to explore the bacterial rhizobiome of a susceptible (Pinus radiata) and a resistant (Pinus pinea) species together with other physiological traits, and to analyze shifts upon F. circinatum inoculation. Pinus seedlings were stem inoculated with F. circinatum spores and needle gas exchange and antioxidant-related parameters were analyzed in non-inoculated and inoculated plants. Rhizobiome structure was evaluated through 16S rRNA gene massive parallel sequencing. Species (non-inoculated plants) harbored distinct rhizobiomes (

The cerrado is a Neotropical savanna characterized by a soil and vegetation mosaic where plants endure dystrophic soils and seasonal drought. Dry spells or flooding are the main environmental stress native species face in their growth period. African grasses are common invasive species, jeopardizing the biodiversity by displacing native species and outgrowing them. Invasive species may benefit from human interventions that increase nutrient availability in natural areas and may respond differently than natives to environmental conditions. Therefore, we compared the performance of one native (Schizachyrium microstachyum) and one invasive (Melinis minutiflora) grass in different conditions of water and nutrient availability simulating possible cerrado scenarios. Five-week-old seedlings were submitted to different irrigation treatments (simulating dry spells, normal rainfall, and flooding) and fertilization treatments (high or low nutrient availability) for four weeks, and were analyzed for morphological (leaf area, length of the shoot, number of tillers, seedling dry weight, and root:shoot ratio) and physiological parameters (chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment concentration, nutrient content, and biochemical assays). There was a trend for the invasive species to show better responses to water stress by growing more profusely, showing an even higher effect when the soil was richer in nutrients. The invasive species may outcompete the native species by using nutrients and water more efficiently, showing a weaker oxidative response to drought and fertilization. The native species would perform at a similar pace to the invasive species in conditions of less water and nutrient availability, whereas unnatural fertilization inputs and high-water availability would benefit the invasive species.

Arbutus unedo L. is a small Ericaceae tree with a circum-Mediterranean distribution. It has a huge ecological impact on southern Europe forests and a great economic importance as a source of phytochemicals with bioactive properties and for fruit production. On the foreseen climate change context, breeding toward drought tolerance is necessary in order to ameliorate plant performance. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the reproduction mechanisms of the strawberry tree, obtain new genetic combinations by hybridization, and select genotypes more tolerant to drought stress. A morphological analysis of flowers and pollen was carried out, and controlled pollinations were performed both in vitro and ex vitro. The very first approach on strawberry tree breeding by means of hybridization is also presented. Several physiological parameters were evaluated on 26 genotypes submitted to a water-deficit regime. Plant behavior under drought greatly varied among genotypes, which showed high phenotype plasticity. Three genotypes that were able to cope with water restriction without compromising net CO2 assimilation were identified as highly tolerant to drought stress. The results obtained elucidate the reproduction mechanisms of the strawberry tree and open the way for a long-term breeding program based on the selection of drought-tolerant plants.

Producción Científica, Fusarium circinatum causes one of the most important diseases of conifers worldwide, the pine pitch canker (PPC). However, no effective field intervention measures aiming to control or eradicate PPC are available. Due to the variation in host genetic resistance, the development of resistant varieties is postulated as a viable and promising strategy. By using an integrated approach, this study aimed to identify differences in the molecular responses and physiological traits of the highly susceptible Pinus radiata and the highly resistant Pinus pinea to F. circinatum at an early stage of infection. Dual RNA-Seq analysis also allowed to evaluate pathogen behavior when infecting each pine species. No significant changes in the physiological analysis were found upon pathogen infection, although transcriptional reprogramming was observed mainly in the resistant species. The transcriptome profiling of P. pinea revealed an early perception of the pathogen infection together with a strong and coordinated defense activation through the reinforcement and lignification of the cell wall, the antioxidant activity, the induction of PR genes, and the biosynthesis of defense hormones. On the contrary, P. radiata had a weaker response, possibly due to impaired perception of the fungal infection that led to a reduced downstream defense signaling. Fusarium circinatum showed a different transcriptomic profile depending on the pine species being infected. While in P. pinea, the pathogen focused on the degradation of plant cell walls, active uptake of the plant nutrients was showed in P. radiata. These findings present useful knowledge for the development of breeding programs to manage PPC., Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - COMPETE (Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade) - (POCI-01-FEDER-016785), Fundación para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FCT) de Portugal - (project PTDC/ AGR-FOR/2768/2014), Fundación para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FCT) , Ministerio de la Ciencia, Tecnología y Enseñanza Superior (MCTES) de Portugal - (UID/50017/ 2020+UIDB/50017/2020), (SFRH/BD/120967/2016), (SFRH/BPD/122928/2016), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (PID2019-110459RB-I00), Junta de Castilla y León - (project VA208P20)

20 Pág. Centro de Investigación Forestal (CIFOR), Pine needle diseases, such as red band and brown spot needle blight, are serious pine diseases that threatens forests in many countries. Several outbreaks have been reported resulting in loss of productivity and mortality in both exotic and native plantations of Pinus spp. Symptomatology of these two diseases is quite similar and characterized by the appearance of yellowish areas/bands on hosts’ leaves that subsequently lead to the appearance of more extensive lesions and/or necrotic areas. In an attempt to understand the main causes of needle blight-like disease symptoms a study was carried in two pine stands that were apparently affected by red band and brown spot needle blights. Needles showing spots and/or bands with fruiting bodies were sampled. From 25 pine trees samples, 82 fungal isolates were successfully retrieved. The most common fungal genera were Pestalotiopsis (42.68%, n = 35), Rhizosphaera (28.04%, n = 23) and Cladosporium (9.75%, n = 8). Seven isolates could not be assigned to a species through molecular identification by ITS sequence analysis, potentially representing novel taxa. Based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses, using ITS, tub2 and tef1-α sequences, and morphological data, we propose three novel fungal species: Didymocyrtis pini sp. nov., Pestalotiopsis iberica sp. nov. and Rhizosphaera pinicola sp. nov. These species are potential active players in the symptomatology initially associated to red band and brown spot needle blight diseases. Although the pathogenicity of these fungi needs to be confirmed, this study suggests a high complexity underlying fungal species associated with these diseases which may impact disease epidemiology and management., Thanks are due to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT/MCTES) for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020) and the PhD grants of Pedro Monteiro (SFRH/BD/143879/2019) and Micael Gonçalves (SFRH/BD/129020/2017). This study was also made possible through project PID2019-110459RB-I00 funded by MICINN (Spain) and FEDER (EU) budget as well as project VA208P20 funded by JCYL (Spain).

Although native to Australia, Eucalyptus species are found throughout Europe. At present, they are located mainly in the Iberian Peninsula and Eucalyptus globulus is the most commonly planted species. Climate forecasts anticipate an expansion of Eucalyptus to other regions of Europe. The fast growth of E. globulus, together with its resprouting ability and wood properties, has promoted the use of this species in the Iberian Peninsula. The total volume of E. globulus harvested there was close to 14 million m3 in 2019. Eucalyptus species represent the main source of raw material for the pulp and paper industries and provide an important source of income to non-industrial owners. Being exotic fast-growing trees, their expansion has also been associated with negative environmental impacts. The species therefore poses a series of challenges, while also generating opportunities. The objectives of this review paper are: (1) to summarize the importance of Eucalyptus plantations in Europe; (2) to analyse the opportunities and challenges of this genus in present and future plantations in Europe; (3) to assess to what extent forest management, at both stand and landscape levels, can reduce negative impacts; (4) to make policy and management recommendations that may support the use of this genus in other European regions. These aims are accomplished based on a thorough literature review, particularly focused on research developed in the Iberian Peninsula.

International audience; The importance of tree genetic variability in the ability of forests to respond and adapt to environmental changes is crucial in forest management and conservation. Along with genetics, recent advances have highlighted "epigenetics" as an emerging and promising field of research for the understanding of tree phenotypic plasticity and adaptive responses. In this paper, we review recent advances in this emerging field and their potential applications for tree researchers and breeders, as well as for forest managers. First, we present the basics of epigenetics in plants before discussing its potential for trees. We then propose a bibliometric and overview of the literature on epigenetics in trees, including recent advances on tree priming. Lastly, we outline the promises of epigenetics for forest research and management, along with current gaps and future challenges. Research in epigenetics could use highly diverse paths to help forests adapt to global change by eliciting different innovative silvicultural approaches for natural- and artificial-based forest management.

Pine pitch canker (PPC), caused by Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg and O’Donnell, represents an important threat to conifer forests worldwide, being associated with significant economic losses. Although essential to develop disease mitigation strategies, little research focused on host susceptibility/resistance mechanisms has been conducted. We aimed to explore the response of a highly susceptible (Pinus radiata D. Don) and a relatively resistant (Pinus pinea L.) species to F. circinatum infection at different stages of infection. Morpho-physiological, hormonal and oxidative stress-related changes were assessed for each pine species and sampling point. Most of the changes found occurred in symptomatic P. radiata, for which an increased susceptibility to photoinhibition was detected together with decreased superoxide dismutase activity. Abscisic acid catabolism was activated by F. circinatum inoculation in both pine species, leading to the accumulation of the inactive dihydrophaseic acid in P. radiata and of the less-active phaseic acid in P. pinea. Hormone confocal analysis revealed that this strategy may be of particular importance at 6 d.p.i. in P. pinea, which together with photosynthesis maintenance to fuel defense mechanism, could in part explain the species resistance to PPC. These results are of great interest for the development of hormone-based breeding strategies or for the use of hormone application as inducers of resistance to F. circinatum infection.

BACKGROUND The significance of morphological responses of hosts on susceptibility against gall-inducing insects is relatively unknown, especially in planted forests. Here, we investigate the temporal morphological responses (gall development) induced by the invasive gall wasp Leptocybe invasa and the subsequent insect development in two Eucalyptus clones. RESULTS Our results identified a novel stage of gall development, not previously reported, termed here 'brownish ring'. In both hosts similar gall development stages were observed. Although L. invasa oviposited in both clones, comparison of external morphological traits of galls over time revealed a differential response in the number of galls between clones. Comparison of the developmental time of each gall and insect stage between clones suggests that plant defense mechanisms against L. invasa are activated shortly after oviposition by the wasp, yet before gall formation. CONCLUSION Gall number is an important parameter that should be used to measure host susceptibility among Eucalyptus clones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing differential morphological responses induced by a galling insect, even before gall formation, revealing differences in susceptibility between different plant hosts. These findings provide insight into the use of early stages of gall formation by L. invasa to prevent invasion and establishment of this pest.

Objective: to analyze the profile of users and the reasons for the nursing consultation in stomatherapy. Method: this is a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory and cross-sectional study. Data was collected from medical records of 252 users, who were consulted in 1116 nursing consultations. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 20 program, using descriptive statistics. Results: it is revealed, as for sex, that there was no significant difference; as for the age group, 53.6% of the participants were 65 years old or older; the cause of the stoma was malignant neoplastic disease in 65.5% of the sample; the reason for the consultation, in 56%, was to change the ostomy bag and 50.4% of the patients had only one consultation during the analyzed period. Conclusion: it was shown that the stoma nurse needs to reflect on the planning and care strategies provided, contemplating the education of the user's self-care and permanent education of the team, emphasizing the sensitivity of the welcoming, since the majority of patients have malignancy, situation of great impact on the life of the user and their family. Descriptors : Ostomy; Nursing Consultation; Education Continuing ; Stomatherapy; Self Care; Nursing Care. Resumo Objetivo : analisar o perfil de usuarios e os motivos da consulta de enfermagem em estomaterapia. Metodo: trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, descritivo, exploratorio e transversal. Coletaram-se os dados em prontuarios de 252 usuarios nos quais foram consultados em 1116 consultas de enfermagem. Analisaram-se os dados pelo programa SPSS versao 20, empregando-se a estatistica descritiva. Resultados : revela-se, quanto ao sexo, que nao houve diferenca significativa; quanto a faixa etaria, 53,6% dos participantes tinham 65 anos ou mais de idade; a causa do estoma foi a doenca neoplasica maligna em 65,5% da amostra; o motivo da consulta, em 56%, foi a troca de bolsa de ostomia e 50,4% dos pacientes realizaram somente uma consulta no periodo analisado. Conclusao : mostrou-se, que o enfermeiro estomaterapeuta precisa refletir no planejamento e nas estrategias de cuidados prestados, contemplando a educacao do autocuidado do usuario e educacao permanente da equipe, enfatizando a sensibilidade do acolhimento, visto que a maioria dos pacientes tem neoplasia maligna, situacao de grande impacto na vida do usuario e de sua familia. Descritores : Estomia; Consulta de Enfermagem; Educacao Permanente; Estomaterapia; Autocuidado; Cuidados de Enfermagem. Resumen Objetivo: analizar el perfil de los usuarios y los motivos de la consulta de enfermeria en estomaterapia. Metodo: se trata de un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, exploratorio y transversal. Se recopilaron datos de registros medicos de 252 usuarios, que fueron consultados en 1116 consultas de enfermeria. Los datos se analizaron utilizando el programa SPSS version 20, utilizando estadisticas descriptivas. Resultados: se revela, en cuanto al sexo, que no hubo diferencia significativa; en cuanto al grupo de edad, el 53,6% de los participantes tenian 65 anos o mas; la causa del estoma fue la enfermedad neoplasica maligna en el 65.5% de la muestra; el motivo de la consulta, en el 56%, fue cambiar la bolsa de ostomia y el 50,4% de los pacientes tuvieron una sola consulta durante el periodo analizado. Conclusion: se demostro que el enfermero de estomas necesita reflexionar sobre la planificacion y las estrategias de atencion provistas, contemplando la educacion del autocuidado del usuario y la educacion permanente del equipo, enfatizando la sensibilidad de la recepcion, ya que la mayoria de los pacientes tienen neoplasia maligna, situacion de gran impacto en la vida del usuario y su familia. Descriptores : Estomia; Consulta de Enfermeria; Educacion Permanente; Estomaterapia; Autocuidado; Cuidados de Enfermeria.

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a species of ecological, social and economic importance in the Mediterranean region. Given its xerophytic adaptability, the study of cork oak’s response to drought stress conditions may provide important data in the global scenario of climate change. The mechanisms behind cork oak’s adaptation to drought conditions can inform the design and development of tools to better manage this species under the changing climate patterns. Metabolomics is one of the most promising omics layers to capture a snapshot of a particular physiological state and to identify putative biomarkers of stress tolerance. Drastic changes were observed in the leaf metabolome of Q. suber between the different experimental conditions, namely at the beginning of the drought stress treatment, after one month under drought and post rehydration. All experimental treatments were analyzed through sPLS to inspect for global changes and stress and rehydration responses were analyzed independently for specific alterations. This allowed a more in-depth study and a search for biomarkers specific to a given hydric treatment. The metabolome analyses showed changes in both primary and secondary metabolism, but highlighted the role of secondary metabolism. In addition, a compound-specific response was observed in stress and rehydration. Key compounds such as L-phenylalanine and epigallocatechin 3-gallate were identified in relation to early drought response, terpenoid leonuridine and the flavonoid glycoside (-)-epicatechin-3'-O-glucuronide in long-term drought response, and flavone isoscoparine was identified in relation to the recovery process. The results here obtained provide novel insights into the biology of cork oak, highlighting pathways and metabolites potentially involved in the response of this species during drought and recovery that may be essential for its adaptation to long periods of drought. It is expected that this knowledge can encourage further functional studies in order to validate potential biomarkers of drought and recovery that maybe used to support decision-making in cork oak breeding programs.

Objetivo: analisar o perfil de usuários e os motivos da consulta de enfermagem em estomaterapia. Método: trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, descritivo, exploratório e transversal. Coletaram-se os dados em prontuários de 252 usuários nos quais foram consultados em 1116 consultas de enfermagem. Analisaram-se os dados pelo programa SPSS versão 20, empregando-se a estatística descritiva. Resultados: revela-se, quanto ao sexo, que não houve diferença significativa; quanto à faixa etária, 53,6% dos participantes tinham 65 anos ou mais de idade; a causa do estoma foi a doença neoplásica maligna em 65,5% da amostra; o motivo da consulta, em 56%, foi a troca de bolsa de ostomia e 50,4% dos pacientes realizaram somente uma consulta no período analisado. Conclusão: mostrou-se, que o enfermeiro estomaterapeuta precisa refletir no planejamento e nas estratégias de cuidados prestados, contemplando a educação do autocuidado do usuário e educação permanente da equipe, enfatizando a sensibilidade do acolhimento, visto que a maioria dos pacientes tem neoplasia maligna, situação de grande impacto na vida do usuário e de sua família. Objective: to analyze the profile of users and the reasons for the nursing consultation in stomatherapy. Method: this is a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory and cross-sectional study. Data was collected from medical records of 252 users, who were consulted in 1116 nursing consultations. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 20 program, using descriptive statistics. Results: it is revealed, as for sex, that there was no significant difference; as for the age group, 53.6% of the participants were 65 years old or older; the cause of the stoma was malignant neoplastic disease in 65.5% of the sample; the reason for the consultation, in 56%, was to change the ostomy bag and 50.4% of the patients had only one consultation during the analyzed period. Conclusion: it was shown that the stoma nurse needs to reflect on the planning and care strategies provided, contemplating the education of the user's self-care and permanent education of the team, emphasizing the sensitivity of the welcoming, since the majority of patients have malignancy, situation of great impact on the life of the user and their family. Objetivo: analizar el perfil de los usuarios y los motivos de la consulta de enfermería en estomaterapia. Método: se trata de un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, exploratorio y transversal. Se recopilaron datos de registros médicos de 252 usuarios, que fueron consultados en 1116 consultas de enfermería. Los datos se analizaron utilizando el programa SPSS versión 20, utilizando estadísticas descriptivas. Resultados: se revela, en cuanto al sexo, que no hubo diferencia significativa; en cuanto al grupo de edad, el 53,6% de los participantes tenían 65 años o más; la causa del estoma fue la enfermedad neoplásica maligna en el 65.5% de la muestra; el motivo de la consulta, en el 56%, fue cambiar la bolsa de ostomía y el 50,4% de los pacientes tuvieron una sola consulta durante el período analizado. Conclusión: se demostró que el enfermero de estomas necesita reflexionar sobre la planificación y las estrategias de atención provistas, contemplando la educación del autocuidado del usuario y la educación permanente del equipo, enfatizando la sensibilidad de la recepción, ya que la mayoría de los pacientes tienen neoplasia maligna, situación de gran impacto en la vida del usuario y su familia.

The predicted accentuation of drought events highlights the importance of optimize plants capacity to tolerate drought, but also the capacity to recovery from it, especially in species, as olive tree (Olea europaea L.), that grows in particularly susceptible regions. Three different concentrations (10, 100 and 1000 μM) of salicylic acid (SA), a stress signaling phytohormone, was sprayed on 3-year-old potted olive trees subjected to three successive drought and rewatering events. Trees responses to SA application are concentration dependent, being 100 μM the most effective concentration to improve drought tolerance and recovery capacity. During drought events, this effectiveness was achieved by osmolytes accumulation, leaf water status maintenance, reduced photosynthetic systems drought-associated damages, and by optimizing shoot/root ratio. The better plant fitness during drought allowed a fast recovery of the physiological functions upon rewatering and reduced the necessity to invest in extra repair damages, allowing the regrowth. The intense abscisic acid (ABA) signal close to upper epidermis in stressed controls suggests a “memory” of the worst water status displayed by those plants. SA attenuated the limitation of total biomass accumulation imposed by drought, mainly in root system, increased water use efficiency and lead to a higher intense signal of indoleacetic acid (IAA) in leaves during recovery period. In summary, in a suitable concentration, SA demonstrate to be a promising tool to increase drought adaptability of olive trees.

Knowledge about short-term climate change adaptation strategies for Mediterranean vineyards is needed in order to improve grapevine physiology and yield-quality attributes. We investigated effects of kaolin-particle film suspension on water relations, photosynthesis and oxidative stress of field-grown grapevines in the Douro region (northern Portugal) in 2012 and 2013. Kaolin suspension decreased leaf temperature by 18% and increased leaf water potential (up to 40.7% in 2013). Maximum photochemical quantum efficiency of PSII was higher and the minimal chlorophyll fluorescence was lower in the plants sprayed by kaolin. Two months after application, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance at midday increased by 58.7 and 28.4%, respectively, in treated plants. In the same period, kaolin treatment increased photochemical reflectance, photosynthetic pigments, soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and starch concentrations, while decreased total phenols and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Kaolin application can be an operational tool to alleviate summer stresses, which ameliorates grapevine physiology and consequently leads to a higher yield.