Search

Quercus ilex L. seedlings were exposed in open-top chambers for one growing season to three levels of ozone (O3): charcoal filtered air, non-filtered air supplemented with +30% or +74% ambient air O3. Key functional parameters related to photosynthetic performance and stomatal density were measured to evaluate the response mechanisms of Q. ilex to chronic O3 exposure, clarifying how ecophysiological traits are modulated during the season in an ozone-enriched environment. Dark respiration showed an early response to O3 exposure, increasing approximately 45% relative to charcoal-filtered air in both O3 enriched treatments. However, at the end of the growing season, maximum rate of assimilation (Amax) and stomatal conductance (gs) showed a decline (−13% and −36%, for Amax and gs, respectively) only in plants under higher O3 levels. Photosystem I functionality supported the capacity of Q. ilex to cope with oxidative stress by adjusting the energy flow partitioning inside the photosystems. The response to O3 was also characterised by increased stomatal density in both O3 enriched treatments relative to controls. Our results suggest that in order to improve the reliability of metrics for O3 risk assessment, the seasonal changes in the response of gs and photosynthetic machinery to O3 stress should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TamarixL. is a taxonomically difficult genus since species identification is based on hard to see floral characters, which can be observed only during the very short spring bloom. In order to find new and always accessible tools for species identification, leaf epidermis characters were analyzed. During spring 2008, flowers and green twigs were collected in four natural tamarisk populations of Southern Italy. The flowers were used for species identification, while leaf imprints were examined for stomata and salt glands traits.Tamarix africanaPoir. andTamarix gallicaL. were the most widespread species in the studied populations.T. africanashowed longer guard cells, and lower stomatal and salt gland density compared toT. gallica. These differences were more significant than intraspecific ones. Moreover, the interspecific leaf micromorphological differentiation was found to be consistent across the populations. These results suggest the efficacy of the use of leaf morphological traits as a new tool for identification of the two main South EuropeanTamarixspecies. Ecological implications of leaf micromorphology have also been discussed and the distance from the river had the major effect on plant phenotypic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the genes of theAux/IAA family were used as functional markers to characterise bud break stages in a white poplar clone. In the first experiment, under greenhouse conditions, the sprouting of repressed sylleptic buds was obtained by pruning the shoot tip during growing season. Buds were collected at 0, 6, 24 and 48 h after pruning for molecular analyses. A decrease in transcript level ofIAA4 andIAA8 genes was observed in the first and second bud below the cut after 6 and 24 h, respectively. In the second experiment, bud break of post-dormant proleptic buds was induced by forcing in climatic chamber. The first 6 and the following 6 buds below the apical one were sampled every 48 h during forcing. Anatomical studies were also carried out on buds and plants were equipped with stem and bud radial growth sensors to check their swelling. In both experiments, gene expression patterns showed a decrease and a successive increase in expression ofIAA4 andIAA8 genes during bud break. The transient down-regulation of these genes was observed only in buds that formed new branches. Thus, similar molecular mechanisms are involved in bud break of both sylleptic and proleptic buds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Truffle cultivation has quickly grown in Europe and elsewhere as a consequence of the increase in the demand of the market. Thus the optimization of the protocols for the production of elite mycorrhized plants are also needed, keeping in consideration the economic and environmental sustainability. The suitability of two compost-based potting mixes to produce Quercus pubescens Willd. plants mycorrhized with the black Périgord truffle T. melanosporum Vittad. was tested as an alternative to the traditional potting mix used. The effects on mycorrhizal development and the morphometric assessment of the root and shoot system of the Q. pubescens seedlings were investigated eight months after the spore slurry inoculation in a glasshouse experiment. From the results obtained, the compost mix containing green organic residues from pruning and mowing (Mix 2) achieved better performance than the control and the potting mix based on composted municipal organic wastes, showing significantly higher mycorrhization percentage, root length, number of root tips, and root forks. In conclusion, a potting mix containing recycled green organic matter, which is readily available, cheap, and environmentally sustainable, can offer excellent mycorrhization performances and may be included in the mycorrhization process of downy oak seedlings with T. melanosporum under controlled conditions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The dataset presented in this article is related to the research paper titled "Dimensional and genetic characterization of the last oriental plane trees (Platanus orientalis L.) of historical sites in Lazio (central Italy)" (Ciaffi et al., 2022). Indeed, the molecular analyses reported in that article consisted in a comparison of Italian veteran plane trees with 12 certified accessions of P. orientalis, P. occidentalis and their hybrids P. acerifolia (4 individuals per species). First, LEAFY gene analyses allowed identifying 32 P. orientalis and two P. acerifolia in four sites of the province of Rome, confirming also that the two representative trees from the two gardens of the province of Viterbo belong to P. orientalis . Second, the use of Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) molecular markers provided useful information regarding the genetic relationships within and among all the historical sites. Owing to the use of SSR and ISSR molecular markers, a dataset of parameters related to the genetic diversity of the same plant material was obtained and presented in this article. For SSR markers, seven loci previously developed for P. occidentalis (Lang, 2010) and two specifically developed for P. orientalis (Rinaldi et al., 2019) were employed. For ISSR markers, DNA samples were amplified with eight primers before used for the determination of genetic stability of micro-propagated plantlets of P. acerifolia (Huang et al., 2009) and for the genetic characterization of plane trees within the formal gardens of Villa Lante of Bagnaia and Palazzo Farnese (Viterbo, Italy) (Ciaffi et al., 2018). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the genetic diversity data for veteran oriental plane trees within heritage sites, which will offer helpful information for their management and conservation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Ulmus glabra is a deciduous tree with a wide distribution in the Eurosiberian region. The southernmost populations, in the Mediterranean area, are fragmented in mountain areas which act as a refugium. These small relict populations can act as sentinel of global change, including climate change and impacts of human activities such as air pollution. Besides, tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) is an additional stress factor in the Mediterranean region affecting plant physiology and health. Moreover, oxidative stress caused by O 3 could increase DNA damage in plants cells. U. glabra 4-year-old seedlings originated from a natural population growing in the Guadarrama mountain range (central Spain), were exposed in Open Top Chambers to four O 3 treatments: charcoal filtered air, non-filtered air reproducing ambient levels, non-filtered air supplemented with 15 nl l -1 O 3 and non- filtered air supplemented with 30 nl l -1 O 3 . Ozone effects on the DNA integrity through Comet assay were evaluated and eco-physiological responses were explored as well as. Comet assay showed a significant increase of DNA damage with increasing levels of O 3 after only one-month exposure, when no eco-physiological symptoms of damage could be detected. Comet assay could thus be suggested as a predictive test to detect DNA damage induced in plants by other abiotic stresses as well as to identify tolerant and sensitive species or in preservation strategies of small relict populations. The discovery of a test for an early identification of stressed plants could be important to speed the selection of tolerant individuals for breeding programmes., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Site conditions and forest management affect dendrometric parameters of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) coppices, but there is modest knowledge on the effect of stand dendrometric characters on physical and mechanical wood characteristics. The aim of this study was to verify these relationships in chestnut coppices that were 12-14 years old. Wood density, compression and bending strength, shrinkages were measured on shoots of five different stand in a vulcanic site in Monte Amiata (Central - Italy). Investigated stands differ in number of stools/ha and dominant height, diameter/basal area of the shoots. The main difference in the physical characters among the stands is density. The initial results of the study showed that physical, mechanical wood characters are more dependent by the shoot than by the site. There is a positive relationships between the number of stools/ha and density and a negative one among shoot dominant height and basal area with wood density. Spectroscopic profile by FTIR has not showed relevant differences among the stands. Wood anatomy has showed the breakpoint at cellular level.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article titled "Conservation of veteran trees within historical gardens (COVE): a case study applied to Platanus orientalis L. in central Italy" (Ciaffi et al., 2018) [1]. This article reports data on the composition of the substrates used in the different steps of Platanus orientalis micropropagation: establishment of in vitro culture, multiplication, elongation and rooting. Moreover, molecular data were used to assess the genetic fidelity of the micropropagated plants respect mother plants after three year of in vitro cultivation. Fifteen ISSR markers, used in "Determination of genetic stability of long-term micropropagated plantlets of Platanus acerifolia using ISSR markers" (Huang et al., 2009) [2] on P. acerifolia and in "Variant identification in Platanus occidentalis L. using SNP and ISSR markers" (Lee et al., 2012) [3] on P. occidentalis , were successfully employed in the present study on P. orientalis . The plant material was collected from the Renaissance garden of Villa Lante in Viterbo, Italy. It is envisioned that these data set will provide useful information for the conservation of veteran oriental plane trees of historical gardens.

Abiotic stresses have considerable negative impact on Mediterranean plant ecosystems and better comprehension of the genetic control of response and adaptation of trees to global changes is urgently needed. The single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay could be considered a good estimator of DNA damage in an individual eukaryotic cell. This method has been mainly employed in animal tissues, because the plant cell wall represents an obstacle for the extraction of nuclei; moreover, in Mediterranean woody species, especially in the sclerophyll plants, this procedure can be quite difficult because of the presence of sclerenchyma and hardened cells. On the other hand, these plants represent an interesting material to be studied because of the ability of these plants to tolerate abiotic stress. For instance, holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) has been selected as the model plant to identify critical levels of O3 for Southern European forests. Consequently, a quantitative method for the evaluation of cell injury of leaf tissues of this species is required. Optimal conditions for high-yield nuclei isolation were obtained by using protoplast technology and a detailed description of the method is provided and discussed. White poplar (Populus alba L.) was used as an internal control for protoplast isolation. Such a method has not been previously reported in newly fully developed leaves of holm oak. This method combined with SCGE assay represents a new tool for testing the DNA integrity of leaf tissues in higher plants under stress conditions.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate specific markers for pneumonia by using a non-invasive assessment of inflammatory/oxidative biomarkers in saliva accompanying a routine serum analysis. No study evaluating saliva of children with pneumonia has been published previously. Salivary analysis was performed in 15 children diagnosed with lobar pneumonia and in a parallel group of 16 children matching in age and gender in whom there was no respiratory illness, and compared to the serum analysis obtained routinely in both groups of children. Salivary flow rate was lower in the patients' group as was uric acid concentration (by 60%). Increase in salivary concentrations of almost all parameters analyzed was found: Ca, P, and Mg concentrations were higher in the patients' group by 23%, 55%, and 33%, respectively, while LDH, total protein amylase and albumin concentrations were higher by 275%, 79%, and 42%, respectively. In the serum, white cell counts and neutrophils were significantly higher, and sodium level significantly lower in the patients' group. Compositional changes were in the range of 3-80% while the saliva alterations were more profound, in the range of 42-275%. The results demonstrated in the current study indicate salivary analysis as a potentially novel tool for children with pneumonia. Human salivary collection and analysis is a non-invasive tool that could provide additional information for diagnosis and follow-up of pneumonia, especially in children. This is especially beneficial for pediatric patients, as salivary collection is simple, non-invasive, and patient-friendly., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Premise of the Study: Tamarix plants are resistant to abiotic stresses and have become invasive in North America. Their taxonomy is troublesome, and few molecular makers are available to enable species identification or to track the spread of specific invasive genotypes. Transcriptome sequencing projects offer a potential source for the development of new markers. •, Methods and Results: Thirteen polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers derived from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) from Tamarix hispida, T. androssowii, T. ramosissima, and T. albiflonum were identified and screened on 24 samples of T. africana to detect polymorphism. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight, with an average of 4.3 alleles per locus, and the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.453. •, Conclusions: Amplification products of these 13 loci were also generated for T. gallica. These new EST-SSR markers will be useful in genetic characterization of Tamarix, as additional tools for taxonomic clarification, and for studying invasive populations where they are a threat.