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The efficient handling of nitrogen has become a critical issue in modern agriculture, from a financial standpoint, as well as in regard to reducing the environmental impacts of using an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer. Manure compost is useful for maintaining or raising soil chemical levels without excessive NO3− accumulation; however, for the best grain yield, it should be combined with N fertilizer. Via this study, we aimed to develop an optimal decision support system that indicates when to initiate fertilization based on nitrogen-limited (N-limited) crop growth dynamics. An optimal nitrogen fertilizer (N-fertilizer) management system increases crop yield while maintaining a balance between fertilizer supply and crop demand. This study used the N-limited crop growth model (LINTUL3) to develop an optimal decision support system. In this work, we formulated and resolved two optimization challenges: (i) maximization of biomass growth; and (ii) maximization of growth with the least cost paid on N-fertilizer and its application. Furthermore, two case studies were developed based on the number of fields: (i) optimization for a single field, and (ii) optimization for multiple fields. In the case of multiple fields, it is hypothesized that a fertilizer treatment for one field can leak to other fields and affect the nitrogen dynamics of different fields. Finally, numerical simulations were carried out supporting the theory developed in the paper. The simulations showed that when the proposed work was employed to achieve the goal of optimal nitrogen management for a crop, a 28% to 53% increase in biomass growth under certain scenarios was attained.

AbstractBackgroundAlpaca (Vicugna pacos), llama (Lama glama), vicugna (Vicugna vicugna) and guanaco (Lama guanicoe), are the camelid species distributed over the Andean high-altitude grasslands, the Altiplano, and the Patagonian arid steppes. Despite the wide interest on these animals, most of the loci under selection are still unknown. Using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data we investigated the occurrence and the distribution of Runs Of Homozygosity (ROHs) across the South American Camelids (SACs) genome to identify the genetic relationship between the four species and the potential signatures of selection.ResultsA total of 37 WGS samples covering the four species was included in the final analysis. The multi-dimensional scaling approach showed a clear separation between the four species; however, admixture analysis suggested a strong genetic introgression from vicugna and llama to alpaca. Conversely, very low genetic admixture of the guanaco with the other SACs was found. The four species did not show significant differences in the number, length of ROHs (100-500 kb) and genomic inbreeding values. Longer ROHs (> 500 kb) were found almost exclusively in alpaca. Seven overlapping ROHs were shared by alpacas, encompassing nine loci (FGF5, LOC107034918, PRDM8, ANTXR2, LOC102534792, BSN, LOC116284892, DAG1andRIC8B) while nine overlapping ROHs were found in llama with twenty-five loci annotated (ERC2, FZD9, BAZ1B, BCL7B, LOC116284208, TBL2, MLXIPL, PHF20, TRNAD-AUC, LOC116284365, RBM39, ARFGEF2, DCAF5, EXD2, HSPB11, LRRC42, LDLRAD1, TMEM59, LOC107033213, TCEANC2, LOC102545169, LOC116278408, SMIM15, NDUFAF2andRCOR1). Four overlapping ROHs, with three annotated loci (DLG1, KAT6BandPDE4D) and three overlapping ROHs, with seven annotated genes (ATP6V1E1, BCL2L13, LOC116276952, BID, KAT6B, LOC116282667andLOC107034552), were detected for vicugna and guanaco, respectively.ConclusionsThe signatures of selection revealed genomic areas potentially selected for production traits as well as for natural adaptation to harsh environment. Alpaca and llama hint a selection driven by environment as well as by farming purpose while vicugna and guanaco showed selection signals for adaptation to harsh environment. Interesting, signatures of selection onKAT6Bgene were identified for both vicugna and guanaco, suggesting a positive effect on wild populations fitness. Such information may be of interest to further ecological and animal production studies.

IntroductionTomato is a high economic value crop worldwide with recognized nutritional properties and diverse postharvest potential. Nowadays, there is an emerging awareness about the exploitation and utilization of underutilized traditional germplasm in modern breeding programs. In this context, the existing diversity among Greek accessions in terms of their postharvest life and nutritional value remains largely unexplored.MethodsHerein, a detailed evaluation of 130 tomato Greek accessions for postharvest and nutritional characteristics was performed, using metabolomics and transcriptomics, leading to the selection of accessions with these interesting traits. ResultsThe results showed remarkable differences among tomato Greek accessions for overall ripening parameters (color, firmness) and weight loss. On the basis of their postharvest performance, a balance between short shelf life (SSL) and long shelf life (LSL) accessions was revealed. Metabolome analysis performed on 14 selected accessions with contrasting shelf-life potential identified a total of 206 phytonutrients and volatile compounds. In turn, transcriptome analysis in fruits from the best SSL and the best LSL accessions revealed remarkable differences in the expression profiles of transcripts involved in key metabolic pathways related to fruit quality and postharvest potential. DiscussionThe pathways towards cell wall synthesis, polyamine synthesis, ABA catabolism, and steroidal alkaloids synthesis were mostly induced in the LSL accession, whereas those related to ethylene biosynthesis, cell wall degradation, isoprenoids, phenylpropanoids, ascorbic acid and aroma (TomloxC) were stimulated in the SSL accession. Overall, these data would provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism towards enhancing shelf-life and improving flavor and aroma of modern tomato cultivars.

Urban Open Spaces (UOS) are green infrastructures that provide social and ecosystem services. Green public areas contribute to mitigation and adaptation strategies for addressing climate changes, but their maintenance has a significant cost. Frequent grass cutting operations must be carried out during growing periods to ensure the safe livability of UOS to citizens. In the present paper, a geo database was developed to map green public areas of the city of Latina (Lazio Region, Central Italy) by using a multisource dataset according to the European INSPIRE Directive. The GreenCAL Tool was implemented. Two algorithms to determine UOS extension and the necessary budget for grass cutting operations are used, considering the contribution of different mowing (i.e., mulcher, lawnmower, or brush cutter) and UOS extension itself (~160 ha). The implemented processing chain allowed us to simulate forestation of abandoned areas and potential CO2 sequestration values. Two different scenarios of maintenance programs were also implemented to reduce more than 60% of operational cost according to: (1) different use of UOS; (2) their position within the urban area; (3) guidelines of Italian working group on public green management; and (4) management of vegetal residues. The management of the latter, derived by mowing, contribute to more than 23% of the budget allocated to maintain UOS. Besides the long-term environmental and health perspective, the short-term impact of the present applied research is relevant for a geomatic approach, green public procurements, as well as land use and climate interactions. The alternative management of UOS discussed in the present paper can also reduce organic waste production if the mowing within the UOS is managed as a resource for agriculture rather than urban waste.

Climate services are one of the tools that can support the agriculture sector to address the impacts of climate change on agricultural production systems, not only considering climatic aspects but also social needs. This work describes the knowledge co-production journey of the EU-funded project MED-GOLD to create an end-to-end climate service for wine sector users. In this work, co-production is understood as an iterative, interactive and collaborative process among an interdisciplinary group of scientists and users that were engaged, involved, and empowered. The co-production process included activities to raise awareness on the vulnerability of grape and wine production to climate change, exchange knowledge between climate service providers and users, and co-develop customised climate services, such as the MED-GOLD Dashboard. Lessons learned are that repeated interaction between scientists and users allow to better frame research questions, jointly decide how to address these questions, and test the outcomes with feedback from real-world decision-makers. Furthermore, having a user who co-developed the service and helped assess its added value was key to ensure that it could truly inform decision-making needs and to promote its broader uptake by the wine sector community. Although the MED-GOLD Dashboard constitutes the most tangible result of this collaboration, the outcomes of co-production also encompass the joint learning process, the shared sense of ownership, and the co-creation of new knowledge between scientists and stakeholders. Nevertheless, further research will be needed to understand how the knowledge coproduced with a single user can be scaled up to users with other profiles and requirements. "Article signat per 15 autors/es: Marta Terrado, Raül Marcos, Nube González-Reviriego, Ilaria Vigo, Andria Nicodemou, Antonio Graça, Marta Teixeira, Natacha Fontes, Sara Silva, Alessandro Dell'Aquila, Luigi Ponti, Sandro Calmanti, Marta Bruno Soares, Mehri Khosravi, Federico Caboni " The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 776467 (MED-GOLD) and 869565 (VitiGEOSS).

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) profiling, sample georeferentiaton, and geostatistics are applied to evaluate the spatial variability of metabolic expression of durum wheat in fields managed by precision agriculture. Durum wheat at three different vegetation stages, grown in two different places of the Basilicata region, in Italy, is analyzed by NMR. The spatial variability, within each field, of metabolites, quantified by NMR, is evidenced by appropriate geostatistic tools through the definition of a suitable metabolic index. Metabolic maps are compared to highlight the effects of soil and farming strategies.