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Sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly becoming a strategic asset for global and national environmental policies and economy. A big challenge is the selection of appropriate indicators to describe the complexity of the agroecosystem management. In the present work, the sustainability of grape production, in vineyard trials of Pinot blanc and Rhine Riesling, managed with integrated (INT) and organic management (organic, with cattle manure ORG1 and organic with green manure ORG2), was compared using a multi-indicator approach. The experiment was set in 2011 (1.5 ha in Trento, Italy) and carbon footprint (CF), nitrogen footprint (NF), water footprint (WF), soil microbial diversity (alpha diversity of bacteria, fungi, oomycetes communities) and soil C stock change, were evaluated in 2018. The CF was 0.213—0.227 kg CO2-eq/kg in the INT, 0.144—0.168 kg CO2-eq/kg in ORG1 and 0.134—0.147 kg CO2-eq/kg in ORG2. The NF was around 1 g Nr/kg for the INT, 0.4 g Nr/kg for ORG1 and 0.5 g Nr/kg for ORG2. The WF, excluding the pesticides impact on grey water, was 666—708 L/kg for INT, 605—655 L/kg for ORG1 and 529—580 L/kg for ORG2. The impact of farming practices on soil microbial alpha diversity showed no significant difference among treatments for oomycetes and significantly higher indexes for fungi and bacteria in the ORG1, with INT and ORG2, being similar. No difference in bulk organic C were observed among treatments. Overall, the multi-indicator approach allowed to demonstrate that the organic management was more beneficial for most of the environmental spheres of the agroecosystem compared to integrated management, without affecting the grape yield.

BACKGROUND: Chestnut fruit quality is affected by fungal contamination. The study of the patterns of contamination in the postharvest is crucial to individuate the critical phases and propose solutions. To understand how fungal colonization varies on fruits, the composition of mycobiota was investigated in postharvest handling and in between tissues (shell and kernel). RESULTS: Fungal sequences were clustered into 308 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Biodiversity was higher in shell than kernel tissues. Results evidenced the risk of new contamination in specific phases such as the 'cold bath' and storage. Genera known as mycotoxin producers were detected in all phases. Specifically, 47 OTUs belonging to Penicillium, eight to Fusarium and two to Aspergillus genera were identified. While Fusarium spp. was sensitive to 'warm bath' phase, Penicillium spp. was largely insensitive and accumulated in storage conditions. Surprisingly, Aspergillus spp. was poorly represented. Aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, fumonisins and T‐2/HT‐2 detection was performed for shell and kernel, and process phases. Higher contamination was observed on shell than in kernel samples. While aflatoxins were within the European Union (EU) limits for dry fruits, Ochratoxin exceeded the EU limits. The present study represents the first report of fumonisins and T‐2/HT‐2 detection in chestnuts. CONCLUSION: Fungal contamination taxa is high in chestnut fruits following postharvest handling and storage. A parametrization of process phases such as the 'warm bath' is functional to reduce the risk for some taxa. For other spoilage and mycotoxigenic genera strict sanitation procedures of equipment and water must be individuated and implemented to reduce their impact. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood chips represent an important component in improving the composting of food waste by contributing to the optimization of the carbon/nitrogen ratio and providing porosity and aeration of the mass, which are determinant factors for proper aerobic fermentation and maturation processes carried out by microbial communities. This work evaluated the taxonomic complexity and functionality of the microbial communities associated with the composting process of three different w/w (wet weight) ratios of food waste and wood chips using traditional isolation methods and high throughput sequencing techniques (HTS). Results highlighted differences in the presence of specific taxa associated with certain ratios. The obtained results make a substantial contribution to understanding microbial dynamics during food waste composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Botrytis cinerea (Bc) is the causative agent of gray mold disease in wine grape bunches. Under particular climatic and edaphic conditions, typical of some wine regions, the grapes infected by this fungus can develop noble rot, the basic phenomenon for the production of sweet botrytized wines or some high‐quality dry wines, such as Amarone. The possibility of early detection of noble rot on plants and at postharvest is an interesting option for managing botrytized wines. RESULTS: The present work aimed at early detection of noble rot and monitoring its development, at postharvest, on Trebbiano wine grapes by means of destructive and non‐destructive analytical approaches (e.g., electronic nose and near‐infrared spectroscopy). The development of Bc led to substantial modifications in grape composition, including dehydration, biosynthesis, and accumulation of different compounds due to Bc metabolism, grape stress responses, or both. However, these modifications are appreciable, notably at advanced stages of infection. Consequently, a specific focus was to monitor the infection in the first 72 h post inoculation for testing, potentially through non‐destructive technologies, and to identify the real early stages of Bc development. CONCLUSION: The destructive chemical analyses performed over the 16 monitored days confirmed what is widely reported in the literature regarding the metabolic/compositional changes that occur following the development of Bc. Moreover, non‐destructive technologies allowed us to identify the evolution of Bc, even at early stages of its presence. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed priming with synthetic chemicals may be harmful to the environment and human health. Their replacement with bio-based compounds may overcome these concerns. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of wood distillate (WD) in enhancing in vitro germination of crop plants using basil, chickpea, and lettuce as case studies. Seeds of the three species were soaked for 24 h in 0.25% and 0.17% WD solutions and then left to germinate for 7 days at 20 °C in a dark germination chamber. Seed pre-treatment with 0.25% WD enhanced germination in all tested species, while 0.17% WD stimulated germination in lettuce and chickpea, but not in basil. For lettuce, 0.17% WD worked better than 0.25% WD. Radicle length of basil and chickpea increased following pre-treatment with 0.25% WD, while in lettuce, it increased after pre-treatment with 0.17% WD. Treating seeds with appropriate WD solutions is a potential strategy to improve germination of crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]