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Glacier surface velocity is a crucial information to assess the impact of global warming on glaciers, since it is related to the ice thickness; its variations provide information on mass balance and, in general, on the current state of glacier “health”. Moreover, velocity anomalies are often an indicator of glacier instabilities. Therefore, attention has been dedicated to surveying glacier velocity. Historically, surface velocity was the first quantitative variable measured on glaciers since the 19th century, using phototheodolites. In the last decades, terrestrial monoscopic digital time-lapse cameras (TLC) have permitted to conduct automatic surveying for long periods at high spatial and temporal resolutions using digital image correlation. Even though terrestrial time-lapse imagery is currently a consolidated technique in glacier monitoring, the number of dedicated publications is relatively small. In particular, possible strategies, limitations and potentialities have never been systematically reviewed.This work aims to illustrate the typical procedures required to monitor glacier surface velocity using terrestrial monoscopic TLC, which can be synthetically listed as: 1) correct deployment of the equipment and image acquisition; 2) data pre-processing: 2.1) image selection, 2.2) colour/feature enhancement and 2.3) image registration; 3) data processing: displacement measurement using image correlation; 4) data post-processing: 4.1) outlier correction, 4.2) image geocoding and 4.3) time-series extraction. We describe possible inconveniences that can arise during the survey – e.g., image misregistration, distortion and defocusing, illumination and chromatic variation (shadows, snow patches), presence of outliers, and geocoding issues – and provide some guide lines to minimise such problematics. We present six study cases in the European Alps – Planpincieux, Grandes Jorasses, Freney and Brenva glaciers in the Mont Blanc massif, and Western and Eastern Fellaria glaciers in the Bernina massif – that feature different monitoring equipment, site geometry and glacier morphodynamics to illustrate possible solutions for terrestrial imagery monitoring.The results revealed that terrestrial TLC provided high spatial resolution and acquisition frequency to detect small kinematic sectors and fast-occurring velocity anomalies, which would be difficult to identify using alternative approaches (e.g., satellites or topographic). However, like other passive optical sensors, the principal limitation is that they are affected by poor visibility and cannot acquire during the night. This study highlighted the great potentiality of TLC in glacier kinematics surveying, which can be conducted using either professional cameras or low-cost webcam and IP cameras, according to the scope and financial availability. The contained costs and ease of installation make TLC a very high benefit-to-cost tool and permit the development of strategies for widespread glacier monitoring at a regional scale with relatively low financial efforts.

With the aim of designing new metallosupramolecular architectures for drug delivery, research has focused on porous 3-dimensional (3D)-metallacages able to encapsulate cytotoxic agents protecting them from metabolism while targeting them to cancer sites. Here, two self-assembled [Pd2L4]4+ cages (CG1 and CG2) featuring 3,5-bis(3-ethynylpyridine)phenyl ligands (L) exo-functionalised with dipyrromethene (BODIPY) groups have been synthesised and characterised by different methods, including NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. 1H NMR spectroscopy studies shows that the cages are able to encapsulate the anticancer drug cisplatin in their hydrophobic cavity, as evidenced by electrostatic potential (ESP) analysis based on XRD studies. The stability of the cages in an aqueous environment, and in the presence of the intracellular reducing agent glutathione, has been confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The luminescence properties of the cages enabled the investigation of their cellular uptake and intracellular localisation in human cancer cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In melanoma A375 cells, cage CG1 is taken up via active transport and endocytic trafficking studies show little evidence of transport through the early endosome while the cages accumulated in melanosomes rather than lysosomes. The antiproliferative activity of the lead cage was investigated in A375 together with two breast cancer cell lines, SK-BR-3 and MCF7. While the cage per se is non-cytotoxic, very different antiproliferative effects with respect to free cisplatin were evidenced for the [(cisplatin)2⊂CG1·BF4] complex in the various cell lines, which correlate with its different intracellular localisation profiles. The obtained preliminary results provide a new hypothesis on how the subcellular localisation of the cage affects the cisplatin intracellular release.

Funder: MS Society, Funder: Isaac Newton Trust; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004815, Background: Helminth-associated changes in gut microbiota composition have been hypothesised to contribute to the immune-suppressive properties of parasitic worms. Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system whose pathophysiology has been linked to imbalances in gut microbial communities. Results: In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, qualitative and quantitative changes in the faecal bacterial composition of human volunteers with remitting multiple sclerosis (RMS) prior to and following experimental infection with the human hookworm, Necator americanus (N+), and following anthelmintic treatment, and compared the findings with data obtained from a cohort of RMS patients subjected to placebo treatment (PBO). Bacterial 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing data revealed significantly decreased alpha diversity in the faecal microbiota of PBO compared to N+ subjects over the course of the trial; additionally, we observed significant differences in the abundances of several bacterial taxa with putative immune-modulatory functions between study cohorts. Parabacteroides were significantly expanded in the faecal microbiota of N+ individuals for which no clinical and/or radiological relapses were recorded at the end of the trial. Conclusions: Overall, our data lend support to the hypothesis of a contributory role of parasite-associated alterations in gut microbial composition to the immune-modulatory properties of hookworm parasites.

Background Growing evidence points towards a role of gastrointestinal (GI) helminth parasites of ruminants in modifying the composition of the host gut flora, with likely repercussions on the pathophysiology of worm infection and disease, and on animal growth and productivity. However, a thorough understanding of the mechanisms governing helminth-microbiota interactions and of their impact on host health and welfare relies on reproducibility and replicability of findings. To this aim, in this study, we analysed quantitative and qualitative fluctuations in the faecal microbiota composition of lambs vaccinated against, and experimentally infected with, the parasitic GI nematode Teladorsagia circumcincta over the course of two separate trials performed over two consecutive years. Methods Two trials were conducted under similar experimental conditions in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In each trial, lambs were randomly assigned to one of the following experimental groups: (i) vaccinated/infected, (ii) unvaccinated/infected and (iii) unvaccinated/uninfected. Faecal samples collected from individual animals were subjected to DNA extraction followed by high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and bioinformatics and biostatistical analyses of sequence data. Results Substantial differences in the populations of bacteria affected by immunisation against and infection by T. circumcincta were detected when comparing data from the two trials. Nevertheless, the abundance of Prevotella spp. was significantly linked to helminth infection in both trials. Conclusions Despite the largely conflicting findings between the two trials, our data revealed that selected gut microbial populations are consistently affected by T. circumcincta infection and/or vaccination. Nevertheless, our study calls for caution when interpreting data generated from in vivo helminth-microbiome interaction studies that may be influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic host-, parasite- and environment-related factors. Graphical Abstract

Introduction: Nosocomial infections represent a major problem for the health-care systems worldwide. Currently, diagnosis relies on microbiological culture, which is slow and has poor sensitivity. While waiting for a diagnosis, patients are treated with empiric broad spectrum antimicrobials, which are often inappropriate for the infecting pathogen. This results in poor patient outcomes, poor antimicrobial stewardship and increased costs for health-care systems. Areas covered: Clinical metagenomics (CMg), the application of metagenomic sequencing for the diagnosis of infection, has the potential to become a viable alternative to culture that can offer rapid results with high accuracy. In this article, we review current CMg methods for the diagnosis of nosocomial bloodstream (BSI) and lower respiratory-tract infections (LRTI). Expert opinion: CMg approaches are more accurate in LRTI compared to BSI. This is because BSIs are caused by low pathogen numbers in a high background of human cells. To overcome this, most approaches focus on cell-free DNA, but, to date, these tests are not accurate enough yet to replace blood culture. The higher pathogen numbers in LRTI samples make this a more suitable for CMg and accurate approaches have been developed, which are likely to be implemented in hospitals within the next 2–5 years.

In the National park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni (South Italy), a portion of a chestnut forest was converted in 2012 into an agricultural system in order to crop a local variety of bean. We investigated the effect over time of the conversion on the functional diversity of the soil microbial community by two different approaches: the catabolic response profile, based on the short time CO2 evolution induced by 25 simple organic substrates and the Biolog community level physiological profile (CLPP), based on the growth of microorganisms on 31 different substrates. The soils were sampled at 13, 17, 29, 41 and 49 months after the soil use change. The results showed that the soil use change did not produce evident modifications of the substrate utilization patterns, but rather a general decrease in the activity in the agricultural soils, as a consequence of the reduction in organic matter content. The results also showed seasonal effects on the substrate utilization profiles and on the calculated functional diversity indexes. The two approaches appeared to be complementary: Degens catabolic response profile was more able to discriminate between the two systems, whereas the Biolog was more able to highlight the variability among samplings.

Background The multifaceted interactions between gastrointestinal (GI) helminth parasites, host gut microbiota and immune system are emerging as a key area of research within the field of host-parasite relationships. In spite of the plethora of data available on the impact that GI helminths exert on the composition of the gut microflora, whether alterations of microbial profiles are caused by direct parasite-bacteria interactions or, indirectly, by alterations of the GI environment (e.g. mucosal immunity) remains to be determined. Furthermore, no data is thus far available on the downstream roles that qualitative and quantitative changes in gut microbial composition play in the overall pathophysiology of parasite infection and disease. Results In this study, we investigated the fluctuations in microbiota composition and local immune microenvironment of sheep vaccinated against, and experimentally infected with, the ‘brown stomach worm’ Teladorsagia circumcincta, a parasite of worldwide socio-economic significance. We compared the faecal microbial profiles of vaccinated and subsequently infected sheep with those obtained from groups of unvaccinated/infected and unvaccinated/uninfected animals. We show that alterations of gut microbial composition are associated mainly with parasite infection, and that this involves the expansion of populations of bacteria with known pro-inflammatory properties that may contribute to the immunopathology of helminth disease. Using novel quantitative approaches for the analysis of confocal microscopy-derived images, we also show that gastric tissue infiltration of T cells is driven by parasitic infection rather than anti-helminth vaccination. Conclusions Teladorsagia circumcincta infection leads to an expansion of potentially pro-inflammatory gut microbial species and abomasal T cells. This data paves the way for future experiments aimed to determine the contribution of the gut flora to the pathophysiology of parasitic disease, with the ultimate aim to design and develop novel treatment/control strategies focused on preventing and/or restricting bacterial-mediated inflammation upon infection by GI helminths.

Green waste composts are obtained from agricultural production chains, their suppressive properties are increasingly being developed as a promising biological control option in the management of soil-borne phytopathogens. The wide variety of microbes harbored in the compost ecological niches may regulate suppressive functions through not yet fully known underlying mechanisms. This study investigates alpha- and beta-diversity of the compost microbial communities, as indicators of the biological features. Our green composts displayed a differential pattern of suppressiveness over the two assayed pathosystems. Fungal and bacterial densities, as well as catabolic and enzyme functionalities did not correlate with the compost control efficacy on cress disease. Differences in the suppressive potential of composts can be better predicted by the variations in the community levels of physiological profiles indicating that functional alpha-diversity is more predictive than that which is calculated on terminal restriction fragments length polymorphisms (T-RFLPs) targeting the 16S rRNA gene. However, beta-diversity described by nMDS analysis of the Bray&ndash, Curtis dissimilarity allowed for separating compost samples into distinct functionally meaningful clusters and indicated that suppressiveness could be regulated by selected groups of microorganisms as major deterministic mechanisms. This study contributes to individuating new suitable characterization procedures applicable to the suppressive green compost chain.

In the present study, 133 bacterial isolates from 11 composted aromatic plant wastes were selected for their ability to inhibit the mycelial growth of the soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotinia minor and Rhizoctonia solani. Successively, a subset of 35 from them were further characterized for their ability to control, in vivo, rocket damping-off caused by the two fungi. Moreover, the isolates were characterized for morphology of the colonies, Gram reaction, siderophore production, P-solubilization and for the presence of antimicrobial lipopeptide genes in the genome. The screening for the in vitro antagonisms showed a mycelial growth reduction ranging between 31.7% and 56.1% for R. solani and 34.4% and 59.4% for S. minor. All the isolates were not able to produce siderophores and some of them were able to solubilize P. The isolates contained two or more of the five lipoproteins coding genes investigated in this study. The most promising isolates were identified at species level by 16S-rRNA partial gene sequence analysis and were grouped in two main clusters related to Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens reference strains. Results indicated that Bacillus isolates from compost are good candidates for application in the biocontrol of cultivated plants.

In the last decades, use of biodiesel, produced by oil seeds, has widely increased. Defatted seed cakes are the most important byproducts of biodiesel production chain and their agricultural valorization is becoming a global challenge. The aim of this study was to characterize carbon molecular composition of several seed cakes (Brassica carinata A. Braun, Brassica napus L. and several components of Helianthus annuus L. seed wastes) by means of 13C CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy and evaluate their short-term effects on soil microbial activities, in two intensive horticulture systems. Defatted seed cakes used in this study have relevant differences in chemical composition and significant conditioning effects on soil microbiota. Seed cakes from sunflower were characterized by a higher content of celluloses, as carbohydrates composition, while Brassicaceae seed cakes were rich in more biochemical stable compounds and secondary metabolites, such as glucosinolates precursors of anti-microbial molecules. These latter ones, along with the larger amount of carbon molecules with an highest biochemical stability, negatively affected microbial growth resulting, generally, in lower soil activities. In conclusion, this study unraveled, for the first time, the molecular carbon composition of several biofuel byproducts and showed how the seed cakes can be evaluate for soil amendments, thus permitting to convert byproducts from biofuel chain to co-products useful in agriculture.

The multifaceted interactions occurring between gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic helminths and the host gut microbiota are emerging as a key area of study within the broader research domain of host-pathogen relationships. Over the past few years, a wealth of investigations has demonstrated that GI helminths interact with the host gut flora, and that such interactions result in modifications of the host immune and metabolic statuses. Nevertheless, whilst selected changes in gut microbial composition are consistently observed in response to GI helminth infections across several host-parasite systems, research in this area to date is largely characterised by inconsistent findings. These discrepancies are particularly evident when data from studies of GI helminth-microbiota interactions conducted in humans from parasite-endemic regions are compared. In this review, we provide an overview of the main sources of variance that affect investigations on helminth-gut microbiota interactions in humans, and propose a series of methodological approaches that, whilst accounting for the inevitable constraints of fieldwork, are aimed at minimising confounding factors and draw biologically meaningful interpretations from highly variable datasets.

The concerns of people over the wide use of chemicals are determining an increasing attention to more eco-friendly management practices in agriculture. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are emerging as important beneficial microbial inoculants because of their capability to promote plant growth and improve plant protection. We performed RNASeq to analyze gene expression profiling at 24, 48 and 72 h post inoculation (hpi) by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CREA 16 (Pf-16), a PGPR previously isolated from Pisum sativum rhizosphere and with proven growth promotion activity on tomato plants, to unravel the extent of transcriptome reprogramming of tomato roots during the colonization. Pf-16 induces transcriptional reprogramming mainly at 24 and 72 hpi particularly affecting the down-regulation of genes. During the investigated time span, two phases can be clearly distinguished. In the first phase, within the first 48 h, Pf-16 strongly represses R-genes, calcium/calmodulin-mediated signaling and various transcription factors involved in the salicylic and jasmonic acid metabolism. Even more, Pf-16 blocks ethylene biosynthesis/signaling and protease-dependent mechanisms. At a later stage, from 48/72 h onwards, an intimate relationship between tomato roots and Pf-16 is established as a result of cell wall modifications. Finally, Pf-16 triggers the up-regulation of genes associated with plant growth promotion. Based on the main findings derived from this research, a model that gathers and describes the molecular events of outmost importance during tomato roots-Pf-16 interaction is proposed.

A forest soil located in the “Parco Nazionale del Cilento e del Vallo di Diano”, Salerno, Italy, has been partly converted to a crop field by deforestation and a deep tillage (mouldboard plowing), characterized by an inversion of soil profile at a depth of 1 m, followed by plowing. In this study, we compare soil quality in a crop field and in the adjacent unchanged forest. Soil samples were collected from the two sites few months after the use change and characterized for main chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, organic C, total N, available P, cation exchange capacity) and microbiological (enzyme activities related to cycles of major nutrients, catabolic response profiles, microbial and fungal biomass) properties. We found a depletion of 50 % in soil organic C content in the crop field in comparison with forest, which indicates that the quality of the top layer of the soil decreased, with consequent deep alteration of the C cycle. The drop of organic matter content determined serious effects on soil microbial activity. Microbial and fungal biomass, as well as all enzyme activities, were decreased. The soil catabolic response profiles showed a significant reduction in functional diversity in the cultivated compared to the forest soil. Among the investigated properties, dehydrogenase and β-galactosidase activities, ergosterol content and catabolic evenness showed the highest sensitivity to the soil use change, suggesting that they could be assumed as indicators of the stress induced by this use change.

Summary Intensive agricultural systems negatively affect soil quality principally because of a reduction in soil organic matter (OM). Sustainable practices providing organic amendments could be useful to maintain or increase OM content in agricultural soils, preserving and improving soil fertility. In this study, biomass with a large C:N ratio was applied to intensively farmed agricultural soils to maximize the increase of soil OM and hence chemical and biochemical fertility. In particular, 30 and 60 t ha−1 of two mixtures of compost and scraps from poplar pruning, A1 and A2, with different C:N ratios (15 and 25, respectively), were applied to soils of two farms (F1 and F2) in a Mediterranean area (southern Italy) on an annual basis for two consecutive years. An effective, long-lasting increase of soil OM, on average of 60 and 55% in F1 and F2 soils, respectively, was reached at the end of the experiment. As well as a progressive increase in the C:N ratio, total N and available P also increased with organic amendments, with positive effects on soil microbial activity as demonstrated by the enhancement of the seven studied enzymatic activities. Principal component analysis demonstrated different responses to various organic amendments between F1 and F2 soils because of their geopedological diversity. The results indicate that the C:N ratio of the mixture is an important factor, but what is the best rate of addition to use is still not obvious. The use of a smaller amount (30 t ha−1) of the A1 mixture (10:1 compost:wood) appears, in these types of soils, to be the most suitable strategy to produce significant benefits.

Herein, we report the draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CREA-C16, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that was isolated from the rhizosphere of Pisum sativum L. plants. The genome sequence is ~6 Mb in size, with a G+C content of 60.1%, and includes 4,457 candidate protein-encoding genes.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of vertebrates is inhabited by a vast array of organisms, i.e., the microbiota and macrobiota. The former is composed largely of commensal microorganisms, which play vital roles in host nutrition and maintenance of energy balance, in addition to supporting the development and function of the vertebrate immune system. By contrast, the macrobiota includes parasitic helminths, which are mostly considered detrimental to host health via a range of pathogenic effects that depend on parasite size, location in the GI tract, burden of infection, metabolic activity, and interactions with the host immune system. Sharing the same environment within the vertebrate host, the GI microbiota and parasitic helminths interact with each other, and the results of such interactions may impact, directly or indirectly, on host health and homeostasis. The complex relationships occurring between parasitic helminths and microbiota have long been neglected; however, recent studies point towards a role for these interactions in the overall pathophysiology of helminth disease, as well as in parasite-mediated suppression of inflammation. Whilst several discrepancies in qualitative and quantitative modifications in gut microbiota composition have been described based on host and helminth species under investigation, we argue that attention should be paid to the systems biology of the gut compartment under consideration, as variations in the abundances of the same population of bacteria inhabiting different niches of the GI tract may result in varying functional consequences for host physiology.

In the last decades, worldwide biofuel production increased up to 105 billion liters in 2010; in this year, the world's first biodiesel producer was the European Union. Biodiesel is produced from a variety of oils, mainly soybean, Brassicaceae and sunflower. One of the most important biodiesel production byproducts are seed meals. The most common use of seed meals is for animal nutrition, but another potential use is agricultural soil organic amendments. Soil biological and biochemical properties have been widely used as soil quality indicators, due to their quick response to changes in soil management. Although there are many studies on the effects of regular amendments on respiration and enzymatic activities of the soil, very few papers refer to the effect of seed meals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of seed meal amendment on soil respiration and enzymatic activities (alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, arylsulphatase and β-glucosidase). The two seed meals used were obtained from Brassica carinata (A.) Braun (Ethiopian mustard) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The study was carried out, from June 2007 to October 2007, at an experimental farm of CRA-ORT, Battipaglia, in the Sele River (Plain Salerno, Campania Region, Italy). The results of this study support an alternative use of seed meals as organic amendments. Generally, a significant positive response of enzymatic activities, evaluated in this study, to the addition of seed meals, indicates a beneficial effect on soil quality as regards microbial activity.

The natural microbial activity in the unsaturated soil is vital for protecting groundwater in areas where high loads of biodegradable contaminants are supplied to the surface, which usually is the case for airports using aircraft de-icing fluids (ADF) in the cold season. Horizontal and vertical distributions of microbial abundance were assessed along the western runway of Oslo Airport (Gardermoen, Norway) to monitor the effect of ADF dispersion with special reference to the component with the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD), propylene glycol (PG). Microbial abundance was evaluated by several biondicators: colony-forming units (CFU) of some physiological groups (aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophs and microscopic fungi), most probable numbers (MPN) of PG degraders, selected catabolic enzymatic activities (fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolase, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase). High correlations were found between the enzymatic activities and microbial counts in vertical soil profiles. All microbial abundance indicators showed a steep drop in the first meter of soil depth. The vertical distribution of microbial abundance can be correlated by a decreasing exponential function of depth. The horizontal trend of microbial abundance (evaluated as total aerobic CFU, MPN of PG-degraders, and FDA hydrolase activity) assessed in the surface soil at an increasing distance from the runway is correlated negatively with the PG and COD loads, suggesting the relevance of other chemicals in the modulation of microbial growth. The possible role of potassium formate, component of runway de-icers, has been tested in the laboratory by using mixed cultures of Pseudomonas spp., obtained by enrichment with a selective PG medium from soil samples taken at the most contaminated area near the runway. The inhibitory effect of formate on the growth of PG degraders is proven by the reduction of biomass yield on PG in the presence of formate.

Conventional agriculture that uses extensive tillage without organic inputs to soils can cause a degradation in soil quality. The improvement of soil organic matter (SOM) content can be achieved through the use of organic amendments. Application of organic amendments, such as compost, is a reliable tool to improve soil quality. On-farm composting is an ecological technology and can be used to recycle agricultural waste materials, such as animal manure or crop residues, that can be incorporated into the soil to improve soil quality. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize, by CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy and chemical properties, a commercial organic waste compost and an on-farm compost and, then, to compare their use as organic amendments on soil quality. A greenhouse study on intensive agricultural soils of Southern Italy was done. The following amendments, as soil treatment, were used: a municipal compost (MC), with C:N 13.3, and an on-farm compost (OF), with C:N 17.1, applied at the rate of 8.5 and 6.0 Mg DM ha−1, respectively. After one, four, eight, twelve and fifteen months soil samples were collected and analyzed for chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, limestone, CEC, available phosphorus, organic carbon, total nitrogen and exchangeable bases) and microbial (urease, phosphomonoesterase, β-glucosidase, total hydrolytic activity and Biolog Ecoplate™) properties. MC compost was characterized by larger electrical conductivity and exchangeable Na+ content with respect to OF compost, while this latter was characterized by about twice of organic carbon (470 g kg−1). As showed by CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy, OF compost was characterized not only by cellulosic polysaccharides, but also significant amounts of both alkyl components and lignin derivatives. An effective increase of soil organic carbon (SOC) in plots under MC (+36%) and OF (+25%) composts, respectively, was reached at the end of the experiment. Soil amendments improved soil biological functions as revealed by a general trend of positive effects on hydrolase activity, phosphomonoesterase, β-glucosidase as well as urease. EC and exchangeable Na+ were considerably larger only in the plots under MC compost (25% and 19%, respectively), with respect to control plot. The possible increase of soil salinity after compost amendment may negatively affect soil quality in the long-term. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the supply of compost produced on-farm, can enhance soil biological and biochemical properties, without the drawbacks of municipal composts, representing a promising alternative to the latter and an important way to reuse wastes produced by cultivation and processing of vegetables.

Il lavoro che si vuole presentare è frutto del secondo workshop internazionale Maritime Identity and Urban Regeneration for Sustainable Development of SeasideCities, coordinato dal prof. Massimo Clemente - CNR- IRiSS - e dalla prof. Caterina Arcidiacono - Università Federico II di Napoli tenutosi nella sua seconda edizione presso la Stazione Marittima di Napoli dal 9 al 13 novembre. L'esperimento progettuale proposto è il risultato del lavoro di un gruppo di architetti e psicologi di comunità, volto all'individuazione di proposte e azioni che mirano alla rigenerazione integrata dell'isolotto di Nisida, in zona Coroglio a Napoli. Oltre alla rilevante valenza paesaggistica e naturalistica di questo luogo, si è conformato nei secoli il suon carattere di "chiusura" rispetto alla città amplificato dalle diverse Forze Armate che occupano le aree più strategiche del golfo e da un immobilismo politico e istituzionale che lascia l'area in una condizione di sospensione. A partire dalla natura sociale e morfologica dei luoghi, l'obiettivo della proposta è "aprire Nisida alla città e la città a Nisida", attraverso relazioni di mutuo scambio e arricchimento (associazionismo, autoproduzione, valorizzazione turistica) tra gli "abitanti dell'isola" e la città, prevedendo quindi il passaggio graduale da un sistema blindato ad un sistema più permeabile. A supporto, le proposte di intervento architettonico e urbano scandiscono nel tempo il ritmo di apertura dell'isola alla cittadinanza, auspicando la collaborazione delle istituzioni nel processo di graduale avvicinamento della popolazione alle bellezze e alle iniziative sull'isola.

Olive Mill Wastewater (OMW), a C-rich organic waste with high contents of both toxic phenols and valuable nutrients, is yearly produced in large amounts in the Mediterranean area. A possible recycling option is to spread it on agricultural land, provided that phytotoxic effects are neutralized. Research studies were performed on the use of OMW for soil fertigation in a laboratory model system. It consisted of a soil, representative of lands with dramatic water deficiency and very poor in organic matter content, supplied with a given amount (80 m3 ha−1) of OMW as such (crude OMW, c-OMW) and after the removal of its toxic phenolic compounds (dephenolized OMW, d-OMW). Dephenolized OMW was produced in a soil-slurry stirred reactor containing an agricultural soil as catalyst. Several biochemical properties as well as the residual phytotoxicity of the soil with and without the two OMW amendments were monitored over time (0–42 days). The tested enzymes, as well as the microbial and chemical soil properties, showed different patterns in response to both crude and dephenolized OMW addition and time of incubation. As a general response several properties of the soil, mainly biological, changed suddenly or at the most within 0–14 days after the addition of the both kinds of OMW. Thereafter, most of them returned to their original values, showing the soil's resilience capability. As compared to c-OMW amendment, the addition of d-OMW to the soil resulted in a smaller impact onto soil performance as attested by the complete recovery of the soil germination capability, a less inhibitory effect of some enzymatic activity (urease) and higher values of the respiratory quotient qCO2. The application of OMW, mainly after removal of its phenolic components, may be suggested as a good strategy for restoring soils in semiarid area and poor in organic matter.

In the Mediterranean region, difficult climate conditions and inadequate land management have led to a reduction of the organic matter content of soils. As a solution, municipal solid waste (MSW) compost and sewage (S) sludge were investigated for their effectiveness in maintaining soil fertility. Clayey-loamy soil was amended with 0, 40, and 80 t ha -1 of MSW compost or S sludge and cultivated with Triticum durum. Soil was sampled 15 and 70 days after sowing, and the activities of arylsulphatase, phosphatase, dehydrogenase (DH), β-glucosidase (β-GLU), urease, and catalase (CAT) were assayed. The wheat was harvested after 68 days, then soil properties as well as plant growth and K + and Na + contents were determined. Almost all soil enzymatic activities were significantly (P < 0.01) affected by amendment dose, sampling time, and their interaction. At 15 days, MSW compost had a moderate effect on DH, β-GLU, and CAT activities under both applied doses. A significant increase of all the measured activities was observed after 70 days at either 40 t ha -1 or 80 t ha -1 (ranged between 16%-160% and 10%-81%, respectively), likely providing a long-term nutrient release. The activities of arylsulphatase, phosphatase, DH, CAT, and β-flu (only with the lower dose) were strongly enhanced at 15 days after S sludge treatment. After 70 days, an increase of the enzymatic activities occurred with S sludge, although its beneficial effect was reduced mainly at 80 t ha -1 presumably because of the presence of micropollutants in the sludge. Plant growth was significantly improved by 40 and 80 t ha -1 of compost (93% and 126%, respectively); however, less impact was observed with S sludge. Overall, the results suggest that addition of MSW compost could enhance the fertility of degraded soils and promote plant growth.

Losses of soil organic carbon often occur because of intensive agricultural practices that lead to removal of organic carbon following harvest production and to insufficient inputs. Organic amendments can be a very appropriate matrix for enhancing organic carbon content in very stressed agricultural soils. In general, they, enhancing soil organic matter, play an important role in environmental matrices due, for example, to their capacity in retaining water, in interacting with organic and inorganic pollutants, and in enhancing nutrient availability to plants. For this reason, the understanding of the mechanisms with which organic amendments interact with other chemicals in the environment is of paramount importance. The attention was focused on farms near Sele river (Campania region, Italy), an area characterized by intensive agriculture. Two farms, with contrasting geopedologic properties (clay vs. sandy), were selected in order to study the effect of different doses of organic amendments containing compost from municipal solid wastes and wood-wastes (scraps of poplars pruning), at different ratio.. The organic fractions were extracted from soil, after one and twelve months from amendment, and were analysed in order to understand their elemental composition and properties by FT-IR, CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy and FFC-NMR relaxometry. Results showed an important role of soil geopedologic characteristics and experimental time in the evolution of humic acids. In fact, in less aerobic conditions, such occur in a clay soil, the organic matter was more stable, rich in carbonyl groups belonging to aldehydes and ketones, whereas more aerobic conditions, such occur in a sandy soil, the organic matter had undergone a faster degradation, due to due to oxidative conditions and more intensive microbial activity.

Vegetable cultivation under plastic tunnels is a steadily growing agricultural sector but concern developed over environmental sustainability of this farming system. Our aim was to identify organic amendments with a biochemical quality that effectively balance the trade-off between organic carbon recovery, in terms of increasing soil organic C stock, and nutrient mineralization. A three-year field experiment was carried out in two farms of southern Italy characterized by plastic tunnel cultivation and contrasting soil characteristics. Two compost-wood mixtures were used, with final C/N ratio of 15 and 25, and supplied in two doses (30 and 60Mgha-1). Vegetable yield was assessed by monitoring 14 cropping cycles, and soil quality by determining 18 soil parameters including chemical and biological properties. Crop yields were significantly higher in amendment plots, compared to unamended control plots under plastic tunnel, for 12 out of 14 cropping cycles. Combined application of compost and wood allowed an effective recovery of soil C content within three years. Soil amendments improved soil biological functions as revealed by a general trend of positive effects on dehydrogenase, phosphatase and β-glucosidase as well as on soil respiration. The higher C/N ratio mixture determined only a short-term restriction of mineral nitrogen availability. Organic amended plots showed a significant increase in soil exchangeable Na+ and electrical conductivity compared with untreated controls. Compost-woody combination can be used to recover soil carbon stock and fertility and, at the same time, to support vegetable production under plastic tunnels. However, the possible increase of soil salinity after compost amendment may negatively affect soil quality in the long-term. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Soil is a highly complex system in which bacteria play a dominant role. Soil microorganism biodiversity is extremely important for sustaining the nutrient cycles of soil ecosystems. The diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities can be influenced by agricultural management. The use of amendments, such as the incorporation of compost into the soil, strongly affects soil microbial communities directly or indirectly. The use of compost can be an important tool to control soil-borne pathogens. Certain groups of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) present in compost produce metabolites, such as siderophores and antibiotics, with specific suppressive activity against soil-borne pathogens: among these compost bacteria, species of Pseudomonas and Bacillus are very important. In this study, we investigated the effects of increasing doses of compost on the density of several cultivable soil microbial groups in an agricultural system of Southern Italy. The number of total bacteria, total fungi, siderophore-producing bacteria (principally Pseudomonas spp.) and spore-forming bacteria (principally Bacillus spp.) was evaluated over a period of five months. Moreover, we analyzed the ability of spore-forming bacteria isolated from soil and compost to inhibit, in vitro, five soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi (Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Sclerotinia minor, Fusarium solani, Pyrenochaeta lycopersici). The number of total bacteria and siderophore-producing bacteria was greater in the soil treated with compost than in soils treated with mineral fertilization or not manured, with an increase related to the dose of compost applied. Moreover, the compost used in this study produced a substantial increase in the number of spore-forming bacteria in the soil. Approximately 80% of these bacteria were able to inhibit the soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Sclerotinia minor, Fusarium solani and Pyrenochaeta lycopersici. These results show that compost from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes furnishes a high number of spore-forming bacteria exhibiting antibiotic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The application of compost can change the composition of the soil microbial community, modifying the relationships among microorganisms, both competitive and/or antagonistic, producing a decrease in the activity of plant pathogens. These results were in agreement with the decrease in the symptoms of disease on tomato plants cultivated in the soils treated in this study.

The effectiveness of compost supply at several doses (0, 50, 100, and 150 t/ha) to a saline soil was studied using municipal solid waste (MSW) and palm waste (PW) composts. The experiment was carried out in pots under cultivation of Polypogon monspeliensis (halophyte forage species) and Hordeum vulgare (common forage species) and lasted three months. The investigation focused on some selected soil physico-chemical properties, soil microbial biomass, and ten soil enzymatic activities; Arylsulfatase (ARY), dehydrogenase (DEH), β-glycosidase (β-GLU), protease (PRO), urease (URE), invertase (INV), Fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAH), catalase (CAT), acid and alkaline phosphatases (PHO). Both amendments improve markedly the saline soil quality. They ameliorate the physico-chemical properties. The increase of soil pH is regarded as an interesting fact and is usually proportional to the compost application rate. Electrical conductivity increased proportionally to the applied rates. Soil carbon and nitrogen amounts were also improved and the highest raise (7.5-folds) was noted for carbon. According to the substantial increase of the organic matter, levels of measured microbial biomass and several enzyme activities in saline soil were improved. DEH activity which proposed as a measure of overall microbial activity exhibited a significant increase only at dose 2 (100 t/ha). Consequently, One hundred tones of composts per hectare, under which some enzymes exhibited an optimal of activity and metal accumulation can be minimized, appeared an interesting rate for saline soil amendment.

Propylene glycol (PG) is a main component of aircraft deicing fluids and its extensive use in Northern airports is a source of soil and groundwater contamination. Bacterial consortia able to grow on PG as sole carbon and energy source were selected from soil samples taken along the runways of Oslo Airport Gardermoen site (Norway). DGGE analysis of enrichment cultures showed that PG-degrading populations were mainly composed by Pseudomonas species, although Bacteroidetes were found, as well. Nineteen bacterial strains, able to grow on PG as sole carbon and energy source, were isolated and identified as different Pseudomonas species. Maximum specific growth rate of mixed cultures in the absence of nutrient limitation was 0.014 h(-1) at 4 °C. Substrate C:N:P molar ratios calculated on the basis of measured growth yields are in good agreement with the suggested values for biostimulation reported in literature. Therefore, the addition of nutrients is suggested as a suitable technique to sustain PG aerobic degradation at the maximum rate by autochthonous microorganisms of unsaturated soil profile.

Concerns about groundwater contamination as well as pesticide residues in food and soil have fuelled vigorous debates about the sustainability of chemical-intensive agriculture. Search has been prompted for agronomic strategies with lower environmental hazards. In this multidisciplinary study we compared the characteristics of soils from 20 agricultural farms selected in five geographical areas of Southern Italy with different soil types. In each farm, fields with management regime classified as high-input (HIMR, intensive cultivation under plastic tunnels) or low-input (LIMR, tree orchards) were selected. Soil samples were analyzed for 31 parameters including physical and chemical properties (bulk density, water holding capacity, texture, pH, limestone, electrical conductivity, organic C to a depth of 0-20 and 20-40cm, total N, P2O5, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, cation exchange capacity), enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, arylsulphatase, β-glucosidase, phosphatase and urease) and microbiological features (potential respiration, functional diversity of microbial populations by BIOLOG EcoPlates™, microbial biomass, fungal mycelium, culturable actinomycetes, bacteria and fungi, pseudomonads and bacterial species richness by 16S rDNA-DGGE). Finally, a soil bioassay was performed in order to evaluate the plant growth of a biotest plant (Lactuca sativa) and soil suppressiveness of the Rhizoctonia solani-L. sativa pathosystem.Results showed that many soil properties were influenced by management regime more than by the sampling area. Compared to LIMR, HIMR soils consistently had reduced soil organic C (-24%), enzymatic activities, microbial biomass and fungal mycelium (-40% and -18%, respectively), functional diversity (-18%) and bacterial species richness (-14%). On the contrary, the same soils showed a remarkable increase in the values of the parameters related to the mineral soil fraction (electrical conductivity +370%; P2O5 +72%; Na+ +86%). Management regime did not affect cation exchange capacity, pH, limestone and soil texture. The lettuce bioassay showed a higher plant growth (+17%) in the LIMR compared to HIMR soils, despite the lower content of mineral nutrients. Suppression of R. solani was not influenced by management regime, but significant differences were recorded among farms. Differences among the assessed soil parameters indicate a trend of soil quality deterioration under the high-input management regime. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Environmental pollution is growing more and more due to the indiscriminate and frequently deliberate release of hazardous, harmful substances. Research efforts have been devoted to develop new, low-cost, low-technology, eco-friendly treatments capable of reducing and even eliminating pollution in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and soil environments. Among biological agents, enzymes have a great potentiality to effectively transform and detoxify polluting substances because they have been recognized to be able to transform pollutants at a detectable rate and are potentially suitable to restore polluted environments. This brief review will examine some classes of pollutants and enzymes capable of transforming them effectively into innocuous products. Particular attention will be devoted to pollutants with a high polluting potential such as polyphenols, nitriles, PAHs, cyanides and heavy metals. The enzymatic processes developed and implemented in some of these detoxification treatments will be examined in details. The main advantages as well as the main drawbacks that are still present in the extensive application of enzymes in the in situ restoration of polluted environments will be discussed.

Intensive agriculture is a farming system characterised by a large use of inputs, causing a large pressure on the environment. As peculiar and efficient example of intensive agriculture cultivation under plastic tunnels provides several advantages for farmers due to improvement of microclimatic conditions coupled with a relatively low investment costs. In the Mediterranean Basin such cultivation systems reach about 200,000 ha mainly in Spain, Turkey, Italy, and Morocco. As downside, intensive agriculture negatively affects soil fertility principally because of a loss in soil organic matter. Sustainable practices providing organic amendments could be a useful tool to maintain or increase organic matter content in agricultural soils, preserving and improving soil fertility. An improved knowledge of management factors affecting soil quality is crucial to plan farming systems that effectively maintain soil fertility. Therefore, this review focuses on the potential value of organic amendments in the recovery of soil fertility, in particular in sites under plastic cover intensive farming system. Following a brief overview of the effects of intensive agriculture on soil, the review describes various organic amendments used in agriculture and their benefits on soil fertility, to conclude with the need, in the future researches, to identify organic amendments able to maximize a recovery of soil fertility.

We present a regional inventory of rock glaciers ( n = 1514) and protalus ramparts (228) for the Lombardy region, central Italian Alps. To identify and classify the landforms we inspect three sequential air-orthophoto mosaics and a 2 m-DSM, and conduct confirmatory field work. The inventory forms an empirical basis to analyze: (i) the relative contribution of hillslope (i.e., talus slopes) and glacial (i.e., moraines) sediment stores to rock glacier sediment supply; (ii) linkages between the landforms inventoried and local topographic attributes; (iii) the spatial variability of periglacial activity in relation to a parsimonious set of environmental variables (i.e., elevation, precipitation, and lithology); and (iv) the effects of the Pleistocene–Holocene climatic transition on the distribution of intact and relict landforms. This analysis reveals that the elevation of rock glacier termini can vary over 200 m as a function of slope aspect. In turn, the distribution of rock glaciers among aspect categories is controlled by the structure of the valley network that promotes NW and SE exposures. Talus rock glaciers prevail numerically over the glacier-related typology, even though the latter population appears to have increased during the Holocene. Relict and intact rock glaciers have distinct spatial patterns in that the former display, on average, a 400-m elevation drop and a less clustered distribution towards northern aspects, suggesting that they have developed in more “permafrost-prone” climatic conditions. Analyzing the study region through a 27.5 km-grid has been instrumental for showing that the rock glacier specific area and terminus elevation are: (i) positively correlated with terrain elevation; and (ii) negatively correlated with mean annual precipitation. As a consequence, in relation to Holocene generalized atmospheric temperature rise, intact rock glaciers have progressively disappeared from the wetter and milder portions of the central Italian Alps. Analysis of rock glacier occurrence across litho-tectonic sectors does not provide conclusive dependences and requires further analysis. This inventory, which represents a necessary preliminary step for modelling the spatial distribution of discontinuous permafrost at the regional scale, fills a critical geographic gap in the context of ongoing permafrost research in the European Alps (e.g., PermaNET).