Search

Contaminated land, that is unsuitable for food production, represents an alternative option for crops producing feedstock for bioproducts and bioenergy, which would otherwise be in competition with food production. It has been estimated that there are more than 10 million major contaminated sites worldwide, while in the European Economic Area (EEA)-39 countries the registered contaminated sites are up to 650000. Even though often perceived solely as a problem, contaminated areas could instead become a real asset that needs to be valued. One of the aims of MAGIC project was to screen the most promising industrial crops for cultivation on contaminated and saline soils. The effects of the heavy metals Cd, Pb, Ni and Zn on fifteen industrial crops were examined, namely on: biomass sorghum, camelina, cardoon, castor bean, crambe, Ethiopian mustard, giant reed, hemp, lupin, miscanthus x giganteus, pennycress, safflower, switchgrass, tall wheatgrass, and wild sugarcane (African fodder cane). The experiments were conducted following the same methodology and protocols by all partners involved.

Additional file 6: Figure S5. Three-dimension PCA for RNAseq correlation. Principal Component coordinates were calculated using sample read counts. Figure S6 - Hierarchical clustering map for differential expression genes.

Additional file 3: Figure S3. Flowchart of sequencing and de novo assembly of A.donax leaf and root transcriptome under cadmium treatment.

Additional file 4: Figure S4. Length distribution of transcripts and unigenes.

Additional file 2: Figure S2. Effect of cadmium treatment on morpho-biometric and physiological parameters of A. donax G10 ecotype. A) Main stem height per pot. B) Biomass dry weight. C) Net photosynthesis efficiency.

An article about an applied theatre research project in Rehab Centres and Youth Centres in Italy. The research projects which ran over a number of years used Greek Tragedy and theatre processes as a means of communal therapy., Immaginate di entrare in una stanza scarsamente illuminata con alcune candele disposte in semicerchio e, al centro, un giovane alto e snello con capelli castano chiaro, leggermente spettinati, seduto su uno sgabello, che suona la più triste delle melodie su una vecchia chitarra acustica vintage, colore di uno sprazzo di sole. L’uditorio è in silenzio e pienamente immerso nell’atmosfera creata dalla musica. Lui guarda le sue dita sul manico della chitarra e la fa piangere. Il giovane chiude gli occhi per un momento, mentre le sue dita navigano attraverso una complessa improvvisazione che porta a termine la musica. Silenzio. Ha gli occhi ancora chiusi e, improvvisamente, alza lo sguardo direttamente sull’uditorio che siede sul pavimento vicino a lui, appena oltre il semicerchio di candele. Sembra che il suo sguardo sia diretto a ciascuno dei presenti. Poi, con una voce profonda e gentile, si prende il suo tempo per rivelare la sua storia intima., peer-reviewed

Uncertainty in predictions of long-term yields of perennial grasses makes business plans untenable in the short run. Long-term data across varied environments, including marginal lands, will help in preventing uncertainty while providing farmers and entrepreneurs with sound information to estimate reliable and affordable strategies on what, where, and how long to grow perennial grasses. In the present study, the long-term yields (11 to 22years) of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deuter), and giant reed (Arundo donax L.) grown in northern and southern Mediterranean environments are reported. Switchgrass was grown in Greece and northern Italy, giant reed in southern and northern Italy, and miscanthus in southern Italy. Furthermore, lowland and upland switchgrass ecotypes were compared in Greece. Despite similar biomass productions (9.8 and 10.0Mg DM ha−1 for uplands and lowlands, respectively), the upland ecotypes showed a significantly higher yield stability (CV of 24 and 32% for uplands and lowlands, respectively) over a 17-year period. Biomass yield varied considerably across years and locations; giant reed outperformed switchgrass under northern Italy environment (21.2 and 13.6Mg DM ha−1 for giant reed and switchgrass, respectively). Annual yield of switchgrass was 30% higher in the north than south Mediterranean; miscanthus showed intermediate production compared to giant reed and switchgrass (average of 22years) and a CV similar to switchgrass. In summary, these results evidence that multi-location, long-term trials are strongly needed to reduce uncertainties on crop yield variability and provide more accurate data from which optimized socio-economic and environmental predictions can be achieved.

Figure S6. Phylogenetic relationship among A. donax salt responsive clusters and orthologues belonging to different plant sources. a cluster 14,027–155,903 homolog of Phramites australis Na+/H+ antiporter (NHX1). b cluster 14,027–181,583 homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana Na+/H+ exchanger 2 (NHX2). c cluster 14,027–182,899 homolog of Oryza sativa CBL-interacting protein kinase 1 (CIPK1-SOS2-like). d cluster 14,027–182,899 homolog of Oryza sativa CBL-interacting protein kinase 24 (SOS2). e cluster 14,027–54,233 homolog of Setaria italica cation transporter (HKT9). f cluster 14,027–231,386 homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana persulfide dioxygenase (ETHE1). (DOCX 171 kb)

Figure S1. Effect of salt stress upon G2, G18 and G20 ecotype morpho-biometric and physiological parameters. . a Leaf number per pot. b Stem number per pot. c Main stem height. d SPAD. e Net photosynthesis. f Dry biomass (PDF 97 kb)

Table S2. Distribution of KEGG pathways for DEGs in the three sample sets. (DOCX 15 kb)

In this paper the suitability of three perennial, herbaceous, lignocellulosic grasses ( Arundo donax , Saccharum spontaneous spp. aegyptiacum and Miscanthus x giganteus ) for the production of second-generation bioethanol in semi-arid Mediterranean environment was studied. Crops were established in spring 2002, supplying irrigation and nitrogen fertilization up to 2004/2005 growing season. Subsequently, crops were grown without any agronomic input and harvested annually. Data reported in this paper refers to 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 growing seasons. Aboveground dry matter (DM) yield was higher in Arundo (35.4±2.1 Mg ha –1 in 2009 and 32.2±1.9 Mg ha –1 in 2010 harvest) than in Saccharum (27.3±2.0 and 23.9±1.9 Mg ha –1 , respectively) and Miscanthus (19.6±2.8 and 17.2±1.6 Mg ha –1 , respectively). Structural polysaccharides of the raw material were higher in Miscanthus (63.4% w/w) followed by Saccharum (61.5% w/w) and Arundo (57.6% w/w). The same trend was identified for the cellulose content (41.0%, 36.8% and 34.6%, respectively). The highest values in the total hemicellulose complex were observed in Saccharum (24.7%), followed by Arundo (23.1%) and Miscanthus (22.4%). The composition of structural polysaccharides leads to a higher theoretical ethanol yield (TEY) from one dry ton of Miscanthus feedstock (kg DM Mg –1 ), followed by Saccharum and Arundo . On the other hand, the TEY per unit surface (Mg ha –1 ) was greater in Arundo than in Saccharum and Miscanthus . When compared to other lignocellulosic sources used in the second-generation bioethanol technology, such as agricultural residues, woody species and other herbaceous perennial crops, Arundo , Saccharum and Miscanthus showed a great potential in terms of TEY ha –1 . Given the high levels of biomass yield and composition of structural polysaccharides, the three species might be introduced into the Mediterranean cropping systems to supply lignocellulosic biomass for second-generation industrial plants or bio-refineries.