Franco Meggio

Comprehensive transcript profiling of two grapevine rootstock genotypes contrasting in drought susceptibility links the phenylpropanoid pathway to enhanced tolerance

Highlights Drought tolerance in the M4 grapevine rootstock genotype could be associated with a higher capability to counteract oxidative stresses by enhancing the accumulation of resveratrol in roots.

Grapevine Rootstocks Differentially Affect the Rate of Ripening and Modulate Auxin-Related Genes in Cabernet Sauvignon Berries.

In modern viticulture, grafting commercial grapevine varieties on interspecific rootstocks is a common practice required for conferring resistance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, the use of rootstocks to gain these essential traits is also known to impact grape berry development and quality, although the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. In grape berries, the onset of ripening (véraison) is regulated by a complex network of mobile signals including hormones such as auxins, ethylene, abscisic acid, and brassinosteroids. Recently, a new rootstock, designated M4, was selected based on its enhanced tolerance to water stress and medium vigor. This study investigates the effect of M4 on Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) berry development in comparison to the commercial 1103P rootstock. Physical and biochemical parameters showed that the ripening rate of CS berries is faster when grafted onto M4. A multifactorial analysis performed on mRNA-Seq data obtained from skin and pulp of berries grown in both graft combinations revealed that genes controlling auxin action (ARF and Aux/IAA) represent one of main categories affected by the rootstock genotype. Considering that the level of auxin tightly regulates the transcription of these genes, we investigated the behavior of the main gene families involved in auxin biosynthesis and conjugation. Molecular and biochemical analyses confirmed a link between the rate of berry development and the modulation of auxin metabolism. Moreover, the data indicate that this phenomenon appears to be particularly pronounced in skin tissue in comparison to the flesh.

Accumulation and effects of sulfadimethoxine in Salix fragilis L. plants: a preliminary study to phytoremediation purposes.

The application of manure to fertilize arable lands is one of the major means through which veterinary sulfonamides (SAs) enter the environment. Little is known about the capacity of woody plants to phytoremediate this class of antibiotics. To this purpose we performed preliminary studies to evaluate Salix fragilis L. response to sulfadimethoxine (SDM) by investigating both its ability to absorb and tolerate doses of SDM found in fresh faeces of treated calves. Forty cuttings were exposed to either 0, 0.5, 1, or 2 mM of SDM for one month. Decreases in photosynthetic electron transport rate and net CO2 assimilation after 25 days for the higher SDM concentrations were noticed. Moreover, alterations in root morphology of treated plants were observed and further investigated through electron microscopy. However, collected data revealed high root accumulation potential. These preliminary results are promising as they demonstrate that Salix fragilis L. can both absorb and tolerate high concentrations of SAs.

Time course of biochemical, physiological, and molecular responses to field-mimicked conditions of drought, salinity, and recovery in two maize lines

Drought and salinity stresses will have a high impact on future crop productivity, due to climate change and the increased competition for land, water, and energy. The response to drought (WS), salinity (SS), and the combined stresses (WS+SS) was monitored in two maize lines: the inbred B73 and an F1 commercial stress-tolerant hybrid. A protocol mimicking field progressive stress conditions was developed and its effect on plant growth analyzed at different time points. The results indicated that the stresses limited growth in the hybrid and arrested it in the inbred line. In SS, the two genotypes had different ion accumulation and translocation capacity, particularly for Na+ and Cl−. Moreover, the hybrid perceived the stress, reduced all the analyzed physiological parameters, and kept them reduced until the recovery. B73 decreased all physiological parameters more gradually, being affected mainly by SS. Both lines recovered better from WS than the other stresses. Molecular analysis revealed a diverse modulation of some stress markers in the two genotypes, reflecting their different response to stresses. Combining biochemical and physiological data with expression analyses yielded insight into the mechanisms regulating the different stress tolerance of the two lines.

Daily MODIS Land Surface Temperature Data for the Analysis of the Heat Requirements of Grapevine Varieties

Heat requirements for grapevine varieties have been widely used to characterize potential growing regions for viticulture. One of the most common landscape classifications is based on the Winkler Index (WI) values, defined as the total summation of daily average air temperature above 10 °C from April 1 to October 31 in the Northern Hemisphere. Mapping WI is commonly performed by spatial interpolation of temperature data collected with weather station (WS) networks. However, in complex terrain such as the European Alps, these are usually irregularly and sparsely distributed or unavailable. This renders traditional geospatial interpolation approaches unreliable. As an alternative, thermal remote sensing data, which are intrinsically spatialized, can be used. The aims of this paper are the following: (1) to provide time series of WI-value maps from 2003 to 2010, by means of the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (MOD11A1 and MYD11A1) daily data and (2) to calibrate them using ground truth data, collected by two WS networks, (3) leading to a classification of the study area into WI regions. WI values from WS data and from MODIS data exhibit a strong linear regression, close to the 1 : 1 prediction with an offset of 42.02 and a slope of 0.90. These coefficients have been used to calibrate the original map, before the following classification. The study area was found to have growing degree days that correspond to four Winkler Regions. The use of MODIS data represents a robust and straightforward method for selectively detecting areas suitable for grapevine varieties, particularly in regions with sparsely distributed WSs.