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The authors report updated notes on the acclimatization, distribution, areas suitable for cultivation and, potential use of Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae) in southern Italy. Based on observations carried out on the plants cultivated in Bari and the Botanical Garden of Palermo, and on ecological requirements of the species it is possible to consider A. spinosa as a woody species easily adaptable to the coastal climate of southern Italy.

Mushrooms contain many bioactive compounds, mainly poly- and oligosaccharides, known to have benefits for human health. Polysaccharides from mushrooms exhibited immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, as well as antitumor activity. Furthermore, some mushrooms showed to have potent antioxidant properties due to the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and tocopherols. These beneficial properties of mushrooms bioactive compounds indicate their potential use as performance-enhancing natural feed additives for livestock animals. In this regard, the use of mushrooms and mushroom-derived products has largely been investigated in the feeding of poultry species, showing positive effects on immune system, microbial and parasite control in the intestines, antioxidant protection, and overall animal health and production. Until now, however, few studies have reported the effects of mushroom-based diets on the health status and productive responses of ruminant livestock animals. Accordingly, a study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of diets supplemented with fungus myceliated grains (FMG) fed to dairy ewes on intestinal parasite control, milk production and fatty acid (FA) profile, and cheese oxidative stability. During an 8-week period, 21 Valle del Belice ewes were divided into 3 homogeneous groups which were fed with hay ad libitum and 1.3 kg/day per ewe of one of 3 isoproteic and isofibrous concentrates containing faba bean (50%), barley (30%) and sorghum grains (20%), these latter included as FMG or non-myceliated grains; accordingly, the FMG were supplied at levels of 20% (FMG20), 10% (FMG10) or 0% (FMG0). FMG were prepared by incubating sterile sorghum grains with mycelia of selected mushrooms at 25°C for 8 weeks, then they were dried at 60°C for 24 h and stored at 4°C until used. The ewes fed FMG20 diet showed comparable dry matter (DM) and nutrients intake, a reduction in intestinal parasite infection, a tendency towards increased milk yield, and a higher milk casein content (4.8% vs 4.3% and 4.3% in FMG20, FMG10 and FMG0; P

The neglected Herbarium of Emanuele Taranto Rosso (Sicily, 1801-1887). Emanuele Taranto Rosso, eclectic naturalist of the XIX Century, founded a scientific and didactic centre of Natural History and Archaeology in Caltagirone, one of the towns in the province of Catania in eastern Sicily (southern Italy). In this paper, we report and evaluate the size of his herbarium donated to the centre. According to the published catalogue, originally the Herbarium of Taranto Rosso comprised 776 specimens, which included wild and cultivated plants collected by this skillful researcher in the surroundings of Caltagirone. In addition, the Herbarium contained several specimens purchased or exchanged with other Sicilian naturalists. Currently this collection includes only 393 exsiccata. The revision of these specimens, long since forgotten in the Lyceum “Bonaventura Secusio” of Caltagirone, gives useful information in order to evaluate the contribution of Taranto Rosso to the knowledge of the Sicilian flora. Our study includes also the list of the taxa and the analysis of the most significant specimens.

Sono riportati i risultati del progetto"Sviluppo della tartuficoltura in Sicilia"

The analysis carried out by Doores et al. (1) and Venturini et al. (2) on the total bacterial load tested in wild and cultivated fresh mushrooms highlight values ranging between 3.7 and 9.3 log ufc/g. Due to the absence of pathogens, the microbiological quality of mushrooms analysed by the above-mentioned authors has been considered good. On the basis of data reported in literature we have also extended the observations with frozen and dried mushrooms in order to evaluate the mesophilous bacterial and fungal load. In particular the presence/absence of Escherichia coli (Migula,1895) Castellani & Chalmers, 1919, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes (Murray et al.1926) Pirie 1940 was analysed. The aim of this paper is also to evaluate the quality and safety of mushrooms daily consumption by consumers. 30 samples of mushrooms (10 cultivated fresh mushrooms identified with letter A 1-10; 10 dried mushrooms identified with letter B 1-10 and, 10 frozen mushrooms identified with letter C 1-10) were taken from large-scale distribution markets, mini-markets and small markets owned by migrants. The frozen mushrooms were contained in packages of Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Imbach 1946 and packages of Boletus edulis Bull. Besides mixed packages of A. bisporus, Pholiota nameko (T. Itô) S. Ito & S. Imai, Boletus luteus L., Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. and, Lentinula edoses (Berk.) Pegler were analysed. Other analyzed frozen mushrooms were a mixture of A. bisporus, Agrocybe aegerita (V. Brig.) Singer, P. ostreatus and, P. cornucopiae (Paulet) Rolland and a mixed package of A. bisporus and P. ostreatus. The fresh mushrooms (A. bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus) were purchaed from the grocery store. Dried mushrooms (L. edodes) were purchased from shops owned by Chinese migrants. The microbiological analysis were carried out in the laboratory of the Center of Mycological Control belonging to the Sanitary Agency of the province of Palermo (southern Italy). The total bacterial load was analysed in 25 g of mushrooms (1:10 diluition) according to the rule ISO 4833:2004 (3). Moulds and yeasts were analysed according to the report ISTISAN 96/35 (4). Salmonella sp. was checked through the criteria of analysis ruled by UNI EN ISO 6579:2008 (5). The methodology of ISO 16649-2:2001 (6) was used to test the Escherichia coli positive beta-glucorinidase. Listeria monocitogenes was tested accordino to the rule ISO 11290-1:2005 (6). The total count in Petri dishes was made using the formula reported in ISO 7218:2007 (7). The cultura media were provided by the concern Lickson srl (Vicari, province of Palermo). The nomenclature follows the List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). L. monocitogenes and Salmonella spp. were not found in the analysed mushrooms. On the contrary a sample of fresh mushrooms from a supermarket of the town of Palermo was polluted by E. coli. The count of E. coli positive beta-glucorinidase correspond to 1.7  104 cfu/g. The value of total bacterial count in all the mushrooms analysed varies from a minimum of 3.8  102 cfu/g found in dried mushrooms (L. edodes) to a maximum 2.6  108 ufc/g in a fresh sample of mixed mushrooms (A. bisporus and P. ostreatus) in the supermarket. As regards moulds and yeasts the value varies from zero in dried mushrooms (L. edodes, B. edulis) to 4.4  104 ufc/g in fresh mushrooms (A. bisporus). The results obtained showed that an analyzed sample of mushroom had a high pollutant load of E. coli. As known this bacterium is responsible of intestinal infections that can result in serious extra-intestinal infections. Besides E. coli is involved in drug resistance and thus have a significant impact on human health. Since the packaging of fresh mushrooms polluted by E. coli was purchased from a supermarket belonging to the mass distribution highlights the need and importance of sanitary controls for the protection of the consumers. The recent warning from the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) that Italy is the second country in the EU as largest food borne diseases (especially salmonellosis) reinforces the need to respect to meet the parameters set out in Regulation 2073/2005 but also the checking of the proper handling of mushrooms during cultivation and packaging, including compliance with good hygienic practices by insiders.

In Mediterranean and in southeast Europe the activities of a significant part of the population are traditionally linked with agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry. However, many rural communities are experiencing serious difficulties associated with low income per person and poor employment prospects combined with increased demographic decline. Alternative activities such as the collection and trading of wild edible mushrooms as well as the cultivation of choice species could contribute at providing valuable solutions both in financial and environmental terms. The total number of fungal species which are considered having edible and/or medicinal value is over 2300.1 Most of them form large conspicuous sporophores (i.e. mushrooms) during their life-cycle, which are either harvested from the wild or cultivated on a wide range of plant and agro-industrial residues and by-products. Foraying and picking of wild edible mushrooms has a long tradition in most European countries; therefore it constitutes a significant socioeconomic activity, while at the same time reflects local knowledge and social practices that are worth preserving. Recent food market tendencies reveal a high demand potential for wild edible mushrooms among urban consumers. In those cases that wild fungi are not well-known because pertinent knowledge was not spread within families or local communities, people avoid their harvest; instead they are oriented at consuming cultivated mushrooms which become increasingly popular. This latter type of activity is tightly associated with environmental protection through recycling and valorization of low-value substrates together with the conservation of some highly sought-after mushroom species. The Mycoticon project (EU, LdV-ToI) involves Universities, Technological, and Research Institutions as well as local stakeholders and associated end-users from four European countries, i.e. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. These partners combine their experience and expertise at developing an integrated educational and training package together with its respective tools to meet the demands of suitable targetgroups willing to create collective entrepreneurship schemes for exploiting the economic potential of wild mushrooms in rural areas. Ultimately, the objective is to facilitate the generation of a new source of non-subsidized income and create new jobs in areas desperately in need of both. In parallel, local people are expected to be presented with incentives to adopt sustainable management and harvesting practices for wild edible mushrooms together with basic knowledge on mushroom cultivation. Among other anticipated deliverables, national reports were compiled for each participating country as regards the current knowledge/situation on diversity, harvest and trade of wild edibl mushrooms as well as on commercial mushroom production. In addition, a voluminous textbook was prepared4 which provided a detailed description of 22 choice edible and 11 selected poisonous mushrooms (together with many other related taxa) of significance in all four countries. Moreover, it included general information about biology and ecology of mushroom fungi, their common habitats/ecosystems, proper harvest practices and suitable food preservation methods, relevant legislation and conservation issues, and basic guidelines for the cultivation of the most popular species together with prospects for developing tourism activities associated with mushrooms. All of them formed the basis for the development of an innovative training material established both on paper and online by creating a moodle web-page (http://moodle.teilar.gr/). This electronic tool was assembled in four languages (English, Italian, Greek and Bulgarian) and it now provides a user-friendly and flexible modular training course through which e-self-assessment and e-accreditation could be also accomplished. The training package complies with EQF rules and it will be further structured according to EC-VET provisions. Its content is anticipated to enhance the development of pertinent skills and subsequently increase employment of qualified people in rural areas. Furthermore, it provides the prerequisites for combining local assets and resources into mushroom products that meet consumers’ expectations. Such activities constitute a highly recommended approach in Europe since rural income could derive from integrated direct and indirect recourses (by also supporting conservation and environmental sustainability) and not only by the primary agricultural production.

The first record of Elaphomyces maculatus from Sicily is reported. The presence of E. citrinus in Sicily, first indicated a century ago by Mattirolo in his monograph on hypogeous fungi of Sardinia and Sicily, is confirmed. Notes on the taxonomy, ecology and distribution of these two infrequent hypogeous fungi are provided.

According to projects and practices that the Italian botanists and ecologists are carrying out for bringing “more nature in the city”, new insights for a factual integration between ecological perspectives and more consolidated aesthetic and agronomic approaches to the sustainable planning and management of urban green areas are provided.

The kingdom Fungi comprises one of the most diverse groups of living organisms. They are numerous, ubiquitous and undertake many roles both independently and in association with other organisms. Fungi display a wide diversity of forms also mirrored by functional diversity and play such a dominant role in human society that they are arguably biotechnologically the most important group of organisms. Ex situ conservation of fungi, not only guarantees correct management and conservation of biodiversity, but also its exploitation in different fields. This article describes the major biological resource centres dealing with fungi in Italy and gives several examples of fungal exploitation in different fields of applications.