Enrico Vito Perrino

Aegilops (Poaceae) in Italy: taxonomy, geographical distribution, ecology, vulnerability and conservation

ABSTRACT Aegilops L. includes wild species from which, over millennia, man has cultivated forms of Triticum L. Ten species of Aegilops occur in Italy. Three species are allochthonous and eight out of ten species are recorded in the Apulia region. Five out of the ten species have been included in Red Lists. Each taxon is presented and discussed, citing old and new sites of occurrence, by examining specimens from many different herbaria, and describing their ecology and habitats, according to the Directive 92/43 EEC. A new taxonomic key, for the identification of all Aegilops species growing in Italy, is provided. The occurrence of Aegilops caudata L., A. peregrina (Hack. in J. Fraser) Maire & Weiller and A. speltoides Tausch in Italy is doubtful.

Flora and plant genetic resources of ancient olive groves of Apulia (Southern Italy)

A floristic study of vascular flora of ancient olive groves of Apulia (Italy) was carried out from 2009 to 2011. Research was made in the fields and in the ecological infrastructures of four olive groves, located in protected areas: National Park of Gargano, Park of Dune Costiere, State and Marine Natural Reserve of Torre Guaceto and of Le Cesine. Floristic analysis was carried out by Raunkiaer and Braun-Blanquet. Biological forms and chorological types were named according to Raunkiear. Overall, 408 taxa were identified, of which 332 species, 73 subspecies and 3 varieties, belonging to 275 genera and 74 families. A small segment of 18 taxa, out of 408, was considered of conservation interest. For these taxa the topography of the collecting site, plant community, population density, degree of vulnerability and habitats were recorded, according to the Directive 92/43/EEC. Another segment of 111 taxa, out of a total of 408, was considered important for usage, which for the sake of presentation has been divided in five arbitrary categories: food crops, fodder crops, medicinal, aromatic and officinalis, crop wild relatives and edible wild species. For each of these taxa, an attempt to provide relevant information was made. Only two taxa, i.e., Muscari parviflorum and Aegilops uniaristata are common to both segments. The work was carried out within the competence of the LIFE+ CENT.OLI.MED. (LIFE07 NAT/IT/000450) project, with the aim to gather information for improving conservation and management of olive groves of Apulia, as well as of their related wild life.

Short-term effects of different soil management practices on biodiversity and soil quality of Mediterranean ancient olive orchards

Environmental quality can be positively or negatively affected by agricultural practices depending on cropping systems and farm conditions. The Mediterranean basin is one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots on Earth characterized, among others, by the presence of ancient olive orchards. Natural value, environmental quality and cultural heritage linked to extensive farming practices would allow characterizing them as “high natural-value farmlands”. Due to the simplification of agricultural practices aimed at decreasing production costs, the practice of leaving the soil bare is widespread in Mediterranean ancient olive orchards (AOOs); consequently, degradation of soil quality and reduction of plant biodiversity are increasing. Grassingis an alternative practice based on covering the soil with selected autochthonous plant species that was proposed as an alternative to leaving the soil bare, to decrease the cost of soil management and preserving in the meantime soil quality and biodiversity. The present work regards the analysis of the impact of different soil management systems and the evaluation of two different grassing types: natural cover and seed mixtures available on market based on the species present and previously recorded in the monumental olive orchards. In the Torre Guaceto State Nature Reserve, in Apulia Region, South Italy, on the Adriatic coast, from 2011 to 2013, in six olive groves, a comparison was done considering the following agricultural practices: conventional with bare soil, organic with soil covered with seed mixtures available and organic left to natural cover. The comparison was carried on by monitoring the above ground biodiversity of the fields and by investigating the soil quality parameters (physical, chemical and biological soil properties). The research aimed (i) to further investigate whether organic farming practices are able to improve plant biodiversity and soil quality in Mediterranean AOOs; (ii) to define a minimum indicators’ set (MDS) to evaluate the agricultural practices effectiveness in the environmental performance; (iii) to achieve and collect further information about the short-term effects of the grassing on biodiversity and soil quality. Few soil quality indicators showed responsiveness in describing the effects of management systems and of the grassing on biodiversity and soil properties. Among the organic systems tested, differences were found in the performance of the different mixtures used for the grassing. A clear positive influence of the organic management systems was found on some soil quality parameters and on biodiversity.

New alien vascular species for the flora of southern Italy

Abstract In the present work new or confirmed alien not-cultivated vascular plants are reported for the flora of the southern Italy regions: Acalypha virginica, Alcea biennis subsp. biennis, Bidens subalternans, Cardamine occulta, Casuarina equisetifolia, Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus deodara, Chamaeiris orientalis, Cotula coronopifolia, Elodea canadensis, Eragrostis mexicana subsp. virescens, Euphorbia nutans, Fagopyrum esculentum, Ficus microcarpa, Hesperocyparis arizonica, Hesperocyparis glabra, Kalanchoë × houghtonii, Lantana camara subsp. aculeata, Lemna minuta, Ligustrum sinense, Lobelia erinus, Lonicera japonica, Oenothera lindheimeri, Panicum capillare, Persicaria capitata, Phyla nodiflora, Schinus molle, Sedum palmeri, Sesbania punicea, Solanum elaeagnifolium, Solanum sisymbriifolium and Veronica peregrina. Furthermore, Lantana montevidensis is new for the Italian alien flora, Asparagus asparagoides and Tradescantia pallida are reported for the first time in continental Italy, whereas Cucurbita moschata, Nandina domestica and Taxodium distichum are new for the Italian peninsula. Moreover, field surveys in Campania allow us to update at regional level the naturalization status of Euphorbia nutans (naturalized) and Ligustrum sinense (casual). The new data confirm that new non-native species are continuously introduced into the flora of southern Italy and it is noteworthy that several species, widely used in the reforestation since the middle of the last century, have undergone naturalization in recent years.