Rita Biasi

Linking traditional tree-crop landscapes and agro-biodiversity in central Italy using a database of typical and traditional products: a multiple risk assessment through a data mining analysis

Understanding the latent relationship between rural landscape and biodiversity conservation is of key importance when aiming to preserve food security, ecosystem services and the quality of the environment. Crop intensification negatively impacted the biodiversity of rural areas and was followed by the adoption of mono-cultural production models. The conservation of traditional agricultural landscapes (TALs) based on traditional land management approaches, ensures the conservation of the ecosystem’s complexity and high levels of biodiversity. In Europe, Mediterranean TALs are threatened by a combination of anthropogenic and natural factors. The need to preserve TALs is widely recognized despite the lack of comprehensive information and collective policy strategies. On the other hand, inventories are available for endangered cultivars, typical products and traditional agricultural practices. This study focuses on the relationship between TALs and the use of local varieties/typical products. The analysis will: (i) define, map and characterize the tree-crop based traditional landscapes in one of the Mediterranean regions (Latium, central Italy) through a land-use change detection analysis (1960–2000) and (ii) identify the most endangered TALs based on environmental risk factors, on autochthonous agro-biodiversity at risk of varietal erosion and on traditional products that risk to disappear. Results prove that the most endangered rural landscapes are the ones located on fringe and marginal lands due to climate aridity and soil erosion. The identification of the endangered TALs contributes to constructing more effective strategies for the preservation of agro-biodiversity and natural ecosystem functionality.

In-between sprawl and fires: long-term forest expansion and settlement dynamics at the wildland–urban interface in Rome, Italy

Understanding the intimate dynamics of urban–wildland interfaces in Mediterranean landscapes is particularly challenging because of multiple biophysical factors (dry or arid climate, low-quality soils, poor vegetation cover) determining an increased environmental sensitivity to human pressure. Although dense and compact cities were sprawling rapidly in the most recent decades, many suburban areas in southern Europe still preserve biodiversity-rich habitats, traditional crop mosaics and high-quality relict forest stands. Diachronic forest and settlement maps were analysed over two time intervals (1936–1974 and 1974–2006) representing different socio-economic contexts on a local scale with the aim to assess trends in forest land cover vis à vis urban growth in Rome, central Italy. Forests expanded into agricultural land during the whole time period following cropland abandonment and benefiting from a higher level of land protection from urbanisation, especially during the most recent decades. Although the broadleaved wood dominated the composition of forest fragments at the wildland–urban interface at both the beginning and the end of the study period, coniferous stands showed a slower decrease compared to other wood types, such as those dominated by chestnut or beech. The observed changes in forest composition are the result of a higher disturbance level, possibly triggered by the increase of fire frequency and severity, a higher fragmentation of natural land, intense soil sealing and a larger occurrence of invasive species. Forest diversity increased especially in areas with medium-density settlements, indicating a tendency towards more heterogeneous forest structures at the urban–wildland interface compared to natural landscapes. A long-term monitoring of settlement dynamics and woodland expansion is required to inform a sustainable management of Mediterranean suburban forests.

Tapetum and middle layer control male fertility in Actinidia deliciosa

Background and Aims Dioecism characterizes many crop species of economic value, including kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). Kiwifruit male sterility occurs at the microspore stage. The cell walls of the microspores and the pollen of the male-sterile and male-fertile flowers, respectively, differ in glucose and galactose levels. In numerous plants, pollen formation involves normal functioning and degeneration timing of the tapetum, with calcium and carbohydrates provided by the tapetum essential for male fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether the anther wall controls male fertility in kiwifruit, providing calcium and carbohydrates to the microspores. Methods The events occurring in the anther wall and microspores of male-fertile and male-sterile anthers were investigated by analyses of light microscopy, epifluorescence, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL assay) and transmission electron microscopy coupled with electron spectroscopy. The possibility that male sterility was related to anther tissue malfunctioning with regard to calcium/glucose/galactose provision to the microspores was also investigated by in vitro anther culture. Key Results Both tapetum and the middle layer showed secretory activity and both degenerated by programmed cell death (PCD), but PCD was later in male-sterile than in male-fertile anthers. Calcium accumulated in cell walls of the middle layer and tapetum and in the exine of microspores and pollen, reaching higher levels in anther wall tissues and dead microspores of male-sterile anthers. A specific supply of glucose and calcium induced normal pollen formation in in vitro-cultured anthers of the male-sterile genotype. Conclusions The results show that male sterility in kiwifruit is induced by anther wall tissues through prolonged secretory activity caused by a delay in PCD, in the middle layer in particular. In vitro culture results support the sporophytic control of male fertility in kiwifruit and open the way to applications to overcome dioecism and optimize kiwifruit production.

Multi-temporal land use and cover changing analysis: the environmental impact in Mediterranean area

ABSTRACT Human activity shapes the levels of anthropogenic pressure that depend on the land management method adopted. This has a fundamental role in the transformation of traditional landscapes. This study focuses on a representative region of the Mediterranean area with the objective to analyse the landscape’s dynamics, to detect the spatial arrangement of class patches, to identify the main agroecosystem characters and to provide a framework to assess ecosystems services. In order to assess land use/land cover changes and landscape persistence, the period between 1960 and 2012 was analysed, taking into consideration the years 1960, 2000 and 2012 using comparable land use maps. Land use and land cover analysis show an urban area growth of 24% during 2000–2012 and of 523% over between 1960 and 2012. The very high levels of land abandonment up to the year 2000 (+7216%) have reversed their trend between 2000 and 2012 (−95%). The orchards showed a relevant increase, particularly after 2000, while the vineyards were linked to the highest value of surface erosion (−74%). The outcomes showed that urban settlements can damage the ecological network with negative effects on the landscape’s environmental sustainability in proximity of significant urban centres. Instead, the ecological network is well preserved and highly associated to the agricultural areas when there is the persistence of many land uses and low urban density, despite the presence of dynamic changes.

Forest transition and urban growth: exploring latent dynamics (1936–2006) in Rome, Italy, using a geographically weighted regression and implications for coastal forest conservation

Peri-urban Mediterranean landscapes preserve high-quality environments with biodiversity strictly dependent on relict forests and mixed agroforest systems. The assessment of long-term land-use changes at the urban-wildland interface is particularly interesting for policies coping with natural land conservation and management. The dynamics of Mediterranean fringe forests were rather mixed over the last century alternating decline due to deforestation and clear-cutting up to World War II and a recovery afterwards. Forest transition theory (FTT) has been used to describe a turnaround in land-use trends for a given territory from a period of net forest area loss to a period of net forest area gain. The present paper analyses forest expansion in Rome’s province in the light of the FTT using diachronic maps, which cover two time intervals (1936–1974 and 1974–2006) corresponding to distinct socioeconomic contexts at the local scale. Our results indicate a slight increase in forest areas along the whole study period owing to natural reforestation following the abandonment of agricultural land and the higher level of forest protection. Geographically weighted regression indicates the growing importance of the urban gradient in forest dynamics. This may reflect settlement dispersion and higher disturbance to forests due to soil sealing, wildland fires, habitat fragmentation, cropland abandonment, and invasive species increase. The tendency towards a more mixed and heterogeneous woodland structure at the urban-wildland interface, especially in coastal areas, should be contrasted through sustainable land management practices integrating urban planning and environmental policies into a unique strategy for the protection of relict agroforest systems.

Biochemical Markers for Enological Potentiality in a Grapevine Aromatic Variety under Different Soil Types

Pedoclimatic conditions affect grape and wine quality. In particular, the relationship between soil and grape quality is at the core of the terroir definition. The study focuses on cv. Aleatico, an aromatic and autochthonous grapevine cultivar grown in the northern part of the Latium region (central Italy) in a heterogeneous environment (Protected Denomination of Origin Aleatico di Gradoli). Five subareas were selected to represent the environmental variability. The grape-ripening parameters, along with volatile and phenolic compounds in wines derived from the grapes from these growing areas, were analyzed to assess the relationship between soil traits and biochemical grape and wine parameters. Pedoclimatic analysis was carried out following official protocols for determination of soil texture and calculation of bioclimatic Thermal Index of Winkler. Solid-phase microextraction with gas-chromatographic and standard methods were used to measure volatile and phenolic compounds, respectively. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistical methods (analysis of variance and Pearson’s coefficient) and multivariate statistical analyses (principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis). The results showed a significant ‘soil effect’ on the biochemical composition of the grapes and wines. The soil had a significant effect on grape-ripening parameters, as the soil sand content (%) was highly correlated with concentration of total soluble solids and phenols. Soils with a sandy-loam texture and moderate skeleton content yielded the best wine performance in terms of aroma and phenolic content. The study highlighted the importance of microzonation, even in small winegrape growing areas, for more diverse and competitive wine production. The study enhances knowledge about the relationship between soil and grapevine aromatic varieties. Data indicated that identifying biochemical parameters may be indicators of enological potential according to geographic origin.