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In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development. By analysing how promoting agricultural diversification can enhance food system adaptability to evolving environmental conditions, fostering sustainability and resilience, we discuss recent findings that underscore the main benefits and limitations of these crops from agricultural, food science, and health perspectives, all crucial for responsible and sustainable adoption. Thus, by using a sustainable and holistic approach, this revision analyses how the integration of NUS crops into Mediterranean agrifood systems can enhance agriculture resilience and food quality addressing environmental, nutritional, biomedical, economic, and cultural dimensions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with monoculture practices and bolstering local economies and livelihoods under new climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a promising and versatile crop due to its remarkable adaptability to diverse environments and the exceptional nutritional value of its seeds. Nevertheless, despite the recent extensive research on quinoa seeds, the straw associated with this crop has received comparatively little attention. The valorisation of this by-product provides an opportunity to improve the overall outcomes of quinoa cultivation. In this work, three quinoa varieties were evaluated for two years (2019 and 2020) under three different Mediterranean water environments (irrigation, fresh rainfed, and hard rainfed), aiming to assess the straw yield and nutritional quality and to study the changes in the crop nutritional uptake associated with different water environmental conditions. The nutritional analysis included the quantification of the ash, crude protein, crude fat, minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg), and fibre (gross fibre (GF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), hemicellulose, cellulose) contents. As the results reveal, most of the parameters evaluated were susceptible to change mainly with the water environment but also with the genotype (or their interaction), including the yield, crude protein, relative feed value (RFV), and mineral content, which generally decreased under water-limiting conditions. Moreover, a comparative analysis revealed that straw Ca, Mg, and K contents were generally higher than in seeds. Overall, this study demonstrates that quinoa straw quality is genotypic and environmentally dependent, and these factors should be considered when aiming at improving straw feed value for livestock nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When colonizing new ranges, plant populations may benefit from the absence of the checks imposed by the enemies, herbivores, and pathogens that regulated their numbers in their original range. Therefore, rates of plant damage or infestation by natural enemies are expected to be lower in the new range. Exposing both non-native and native plant populations in the native range, where native herbivores are present, can be used to test whether resistance mechanisms have diverged between populations. Datura stramonium is native to the Americas but widely distributed in Spain, where populations show lower herbivore damage than populations in the native range. We established experiments in two localities in the native range (Mexico), exposing two native and two non-native D. stramonium populations to natural herbivores. Plant performance differed between the localities, as did the abundance of the main specialist herbivore, Lema daturaphila. In Teotihuacán, where L. daturaphila is common, native plants had significantly more adult beetles and herbivore damage than non-native plants. The degree of infestation by the specialist seed predator Trichobaris soror differed among populations and between sites, but the native Ticumán population always had the lowest level of infestation. The Ticumán population also had the highest concentration of the alkaloid scopolamine. Scopolamine was negatively related to the number of eggs deposited by L. daturaphila in Teotihuacán. There was among-family variation in herbivore damage (resistance), alkaloid content (scopolamine), and infestation by L. daturaphila and T. soror, indicating genetic variation and potential for further evolution. Although native and non-native D. stramonium populations have not yet diverged in plant resistance/constitutive defense, the differences between ranges (and the two experimental sites) in the type and abundance of herbivores suggest that further research is needed on the role of resource availability and adaptive plasticity, specialized metabolites (induced, constitutive), and the relationship between genealogical origin and plant defense in both ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry faces a significant challenge in addressing both the housing crisis and climate change. To mitigate this challenge, there has been a push toward the incorporation of industrialization in the construction process to improve product quality, reduce execution times, and lower production costs. However, it is also crucial to implement materials with sustainable characteristics to decrease the environmental impact of housing. In light of this, the present study analyzes the environmental and economic impacts through the development(design) of a modular construction system using materials with low environmental impact. Specifically, the structural components of the system are constructed using plywood boards, thermal insulation is provided by wheat straw, and the interior finish is made of clay plaster. The Skylark 250 model served as the chassis for the structure, with the wheat straw being applied through a blowing process and the clay plaster applied manually. Thermal transmittance, energy demand, environmental impact, and economic analysis were all evaluated for this solution. The study results yielded a modular housing solution with an energy demand of 55 (kWh/m2/year), which, when paired with photovoltaic panels, meets the Net Zero challenge. In terms of construction time, the proposed system requires 44% less time than traditional construction methods and is 29% less expensive economically, making it an attractive option for the housing market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downy mildew, caused by Peronospora variabilis, is the most important quinoa disease worldwide. However, little is known about the resistance mechanisms acting against this disease. The study goals were to identify quinoa accessions showing resistance to P. variabilis under Spanish field conditions and to characterize the resistance mechanism involved. Towards these objectives, a total amount of 229 accessions of Chenopodium quinoa and one accession of each of the species Chenopodiun berlandieri subs. nutillae, Chenopodium ugandae, and Chenopodium opulifolium were screened for resistance to P. variabilis under field conditions in Córdoba, Spain, during two seasons. The response to P. variabilis in the accessions showed a continuous distribution ranging from complete resistance to high susceptibility. Fifteen resistant and one susceptible accessions were selected for further histological studies. Histological results showed that resistance to downy mildew in quinoa acts mainly at the stage of colony establishment. In resistant accessions, no colonies were formed or success in colony establishment was significantly reduced compared with the susceptible control. Hypersensitive response was associated with colony abortion in a number of the resistant accessions. This work is the first proof of hypersensitive reaction occurrence in quinoa as a response to P. variabilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a stereo feature-based method using SIFT (Scale-invariant feature transform) descriptors. We use automatic feature extractors, matching algorithms between images and techniques of robust estimation to produce a DTM (Digital Terrain Model) using convergent shots of a rock glacier.The geomorphologic structure observed in this study is the Veleta rock glacier (Sierra Nevada, Granada, Spain). This rock glacier is of high scientific interest because it is the southernmost active rock glacier in Europe and it has been analyzed every year since 2001. The research on the Veleta rock glacier is devoted to the study of its displacement and cartography through geodetic and photogrammetric techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting the relationship between the nutritional properties of seeds and the genetic background constitutes an essential analysis, which contributes to broadening our knowledge regarding the control of the nutritional quality of seeds or any other edible plant structure. This is an important aspect when aiming at improving the nutritional characteristics of crops, including those of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (quinoa), which has the potential to contribute to food security worldwide. Previous works have already described changes in the nutritional properties of quinoa seeds due to the influence of the environment, the genotype, or their interaction. However, there is an important limitation in the analyses carried out, including the outcomes that can be translated into agronomical practices and their effect on seed quality. In the present study, several seed nutritional-related parameters were analyzed in 15 quinoa cultivars grown in a particular environmental context. Important agronomical and nutritional differences were found among cultivars, such as variations in mineral or protein contents and seed viability. More importantly, our analyses revealed key correlations between seed quality-related traits in some cultivars, including those that relate yield and antioxidants or yield and the germination rate. These results highlight the importance of considering the genotypic variation in quinoa when selecting improved quinoa varieties with the best nutritional characteristics for new cultivation environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is receiving increasing attention globally due to the high nutritional value of its seeds, and the ability of this crop to cope with stress. In the current climate change scenario, valorization of crop byproducts is required to support a climate-smart agriculture. Furthermore, research works characterizing and evaluating quinoa stems and their putative uses are scarce. In this work, straw yield and composition, and the relative feed value of five quinoa varieties, were analyzed in two consecutive years (2017–2018) under field conditions in Southwestern Europe. High temperatures were recorded during the 2017 growing season resulting in significantly decreased straw yield and improved feed value, associated with compositional changes under elevated temperatures. Crude protein, ash, phosphorus, and calcium contents were higher under high temperatures, whereas fiber contents decreased. The relative feed value was also higher in 2017 and differed among varieties. Differences among varieties were also found in straw yield, and contents of phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. Overall, the results presented here support a sustainable quinoa productive system by encouraging straw valorization and shedding light on the mechanisms underlying heat-stress responses in this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]