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Olive solid waste (OSW) is a toxic by-product of olive oil production. Disposal of OSW is a major problem in many Mediterranean countries leading to increased interest in its potential as an organic fertiliser. Relatively little is known regarding the impact of augmentation with OSW and olive solid waste compost (OSWC) on soil hydraulic properties. The effect of OSW and OSWC on the hydraulic characteristics of common agricultural soils with high sand but very different silt and clay contents was analysed. Increased organic inputs induced reductions in soil bulk density and increases in air capacity, hydraulic conductivity and the water content available for plant growth (AWC) in the Sandy Clay Loam (SCL) soil. Similar patterns were observed in Loamy Sand (LS) soil augmented with OSW, but OSWC caused reductions in hydraulic conductivity, air capacity and AWC. Nonetheless, over longer timescales OSWC may benefit the hydraulic properties of loamy sand soils as the compost becomes fully incorporated within the soil structure. Augmentation with organic olive waste induced the hydraulic parameters of the sandy clay loam soil to become identical to those loamy sand (LS) with a higher available water capacity; suggesting that soil augmentation with OSW and OSWC may be an effective tool in remediating and improving degraded or organic poor soils. In terms of the improvement of hydraulic parameters, application rates of 6-8% OSW/OSWC were most beneficial for both soil types. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distinct photosynthetic physiologies are found within the Moricandia genus, both C3-type and C2-type representatives being known. As C2-physiology is an adaptation to drier environments, a study of physiology, biochemistry and transcriptomics was conducted to investigate whether plants with C2-physiology are more tolerant of low water availability and recover better from drought. Our data on Moricandia moricandioides (Mmo, C3), M. arvensis (Mav, C2) and M. suffruticosa (Msu, C2) show that C3 and C2-type Moricandias are metabolically distinct under all conditions tested (well-watered, severe drought, early drought recovery). Photosynthetic activity was found to be largely dependent upon the stomatal opening. The C2-type M. arvensis was able to secure 25–50% of photosynthesis under severe drought as compared to the C3-type M. moricandioides. Nevertheless, the C2-physiology does not seem to play a central role in M. arvensis drought responses and drought recovery. Instead, our biochemical data indicated metabolic differences in carbon and redox-related metabolism under the examined conditions. The cell wall dynamics and glucosinolate metabolism regulations were found to be major discriminators between M. arvensis and M. moricandioides at the transcription level.