Microbial biostimulants are increasingly proposed as sustainable tools to enhance crop performance and resilience under climate change. However, their ecophysiological effects and underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, particularly in woody perennial species. This study investigated the effects of MICOSAT F® microbial biostimulant on growth and ecophysiological traits of two-year-old Olea europaea L. cv. Leccino plants under controlled greenhouse conditions. For the first time, we integrated agronomic measurements with dendrochronological analyses and intra-annual assessments of carbon and nitrogen concentration (C%, N%) and their stable isotope composition (δ¹³C, δ¹5N) in tree rings. Biostimulant-treated trees exhibited significantly larger stem diameter, height, lateral branching, and total biomass compared with controls. Treated trees showed lower stem wood C%, suggesting increased C allocation to non-structural carbohydrates and belowground symbionts. Furthermore, treated trees displayed significantly depleted δ¹³C values with reduced interannual variation, indicating enhanced stomatal conductance and more stable photosynthetic discrimination. Depleted δ¹5N signatures reflected a shift toward microbially-mediated N acquisition pathways rather than increased absolute N availability. These findings demonstrate that MICOSAT F® biostimulant fundamentally alters plant C and N metabolism, promoting growth while enhancing physiological stability - key traits for potential climate resilience in sustainable olive cultivation systems.

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.), a key crop in Mediterranean climates, is increasingly affected by climate variability. Over the last several decades, the Umbria region of central Italy, with its long-standing olive-growing tradition, has experienced a rise in extreme summer droughts, severely impacting water availability. This makes it an ideal case study for investigating olive tree responses to climatic stress. In this study, we examined the adaptive strategies of three economically important cultivars – Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki – grown as mature trees (7 years old) between 2020 and 2023. We combined dendrochronological techniques, wood anatomical analyses, and intra-seasonal δ¹³C profiling to assess growth dynamics, structural adjustments, and eco-physiological responses across four growing seasons. Our results revealed distinct cultivar-specific strategies in response to climate variation. In Arbequina and Arbosana, δ¹³C values showed significant correlations with current-year spring and summer climate conditions, as well as with conditions during the preceding winter, reflecting a more isohydric behavior. In contrast, Koroneiki exhibited a more anisohydric strategy: its δ¹³C values were primarily influenced by precipitation from the previous winter, indicating a reliance on stored carbon reserves to support early-season growth. Wood anatomical traits further supported these differences. Koroneiki exhibited higher vessel density and a greater proportion of lumen area, traits that enhance water transport efficiency. It also achieved the highest stem basal area and fruit production among the three cultivars, reaching 10.2 kg/tree in 2023. These characteristics highlight Koroneiki’s potential as a drought-resilient cultivar suited for future orchard designs in Mediterranean regions increasingly affected by heat and water stress.

In Italy, beech and Turkey oak are among the most widespread tree species, thriving across various climatic zones. However, rising temperatures and prolonged droughts significantly affect their physiological performance and growth dynamics. To assess their long-term responses to climate change, mature beech and Turkey oak trees were studied in Central Italy at an elevation of 450 m. Using dendrochronological and stable isotope analyses (1981–2020), their growth patterns and physiological adaptations were evaluated. Beech exhibited a higher growth rate, with a basal area increment (BAI) of 17.1 ± 1.1 cm2 year−1, compared to Turkey oak, showing a BAI of 12.7 ± 0.96 cm2 year−1. Both species actively responded to increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. Additionally, spring and the previous summer’s climatic conditions played a key role in growth, while summer temperature and precipitation influenced carbon discrimination. For beech, correlations between BAI and iWUE (intrinsic water efficiency, defined as the ratio between photosynthesis and stomatal conductance) were initially weak and not statistically significant. However, the correlation became significant, strengthening steadily into the early 2000s, likely related to thinning of the beech trees. For Turkey oak, the correlation was already significant and strong from the beginning of the analysis period (1981), persisting until the late 1990s. Our findings suggest that both species actively adjust their iWUE in response to an increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, while Turkey oak’s iWUE and BAI relationship remains unaffected by the likely thinning, beech benefits from reduced competition for light, nutrients, and water. Despite climate change’s impact on marginal populations, microclimatic conditions allow beech to outperform Turkey oak, a species typically better suited to drier climates.

In this study the interannual and seasonal dynamics of carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition (δ13C, δ18O), and the resulting intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in xylem rings of Olea europaea L. were investigated. The study was conducted on two high-quality Italian olive cultivars (cv Moraiolo and cv Maurino), grown in central Italy, during the seasons 2020–2022. Variations in both C and O isotope compositions revealed seasonal patterns characterised by the lowest values within the transition from late to early wood rings and the highest values within the transition from early to late wood. The wider seasonal range of δ13C, δ18O and iWUE observed in cv Moraiolo highlighted its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. During periods of summer stress, Moraiolo trees close their stomata to reduce transpiration rates, prioritising water conservation to sustain growth. In contrast, Maurino displayed less flexibility in vary its iWUE based on water availability, exhibiting limited responsiveness to environmental fluctuations. The relationship between ecophysiological traits and above-ground development of each caultivar was also discussed.

The characterization and mapping of fuel types is one of the most important factors to consider in the development of accurate fire behavior models. This study introduces a new methodology for generating a fuel map that can be easily updated on an annual basis. The method involves identifying associations between the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land cover MCD12Q1 classes and the fuel-type classes categorized by the Canadian Fire Behavior Prediction System (FBP). For this purpose, MCD12Q1 Land Cover Type 1 data (MODIS LCM) were collected for the Canadian region. Concurrently, the Canadian fuel-type map implemented in the Fire Behavior Prediction System (FBP FTM) served as the reference dataset. Both MODIS LCM and FBP FTM were reclassified into a new Canadian FTM (NC-FTM) based on seven fuel-type classes. The method involves three key steps: (1) adapting MODIS LCM and FBP FTM for the classification of the Canadian region, (2) removing ambiguity, and (3) characterizing and assessing the accuracy of the new fuel-type classification using a confusion matrix classification algorithm. The achieved accuracy for the new classification exceeds 85%, highlighting the effectiveness of the approach. The use of MODIS LCM offers a cost-effective method for the annual characterization and mapping of fuel types, providing a practical improvement to the FBP model for Canada. Furthermore, with the proposed methodology, a fuel-type map can be generated for other specific areas of interest in the boreal region.

<p>The stable presence of humans in the Alps dates back to the Bronze Age and peaked in the mid-19th century, deeply shaping the landscape and allowing the co-evolution of numerous plant and animal species. Since the 1950s, socio-economic changes have led to the gradual depopulation of mountain areas, and the consequent abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral activities. The rupture of the long-established balance between man and nature has triggered a process of transition, further exacerbated and accelerated by climate change. The Belmont Forum project ABRESO (Abandonment and rebound: Societal views on landscape and land-use change and their impacts on water and soils) started in 2021 and aims at advancing the understanding of mitigation and adaptation strategies to environmental change, through an international partnership involving five countries (the United States, France, Italy, Japan and Taiwan). Italy contributes to the project with three case studies: Gran Paradiso National Park, Val Grande National Park and the Tesino highlands are investigated in the Italian Alps. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to study the impact of the abandonment of traditional activities on ecosystem services provisioning, such as biodiversity conservation and soil sustainability, as well as the actual perception of the ongoing environmental changes by different stakeholders and its subsequent integration into local land management practices and policies. The land use and land cover change occurring due to land abandonment can have profound implications in the critical zone (CZ), inducing changes in soil, vegetation, carbon fluxes and water resources. This project integrates the natural and social sciences approaches to study the evolution of ecosystems in response to these factors. More specifically, advanced techniques that integrate Earth Observation, biogeochemical analyses and socio-economic investigation are used in the Italian sites to understand in which extent geo-biophysical and social landscapes reciprocally interact. The environmental variables collected for ecosystem monitoring and to study and upscale the ongoing dynamics in the CZ include snow cover and phenology parameters, soil organic carbon, and land use change maps extracted from time series of satellite imagery, validated via in situ measurements. Then, the observed processes will be compared to the perception of different stakeholders (local population, policy makers, tourists, business keepers, etc.) to unveil new insights into the way land use change in the mountain areas influence and is influenced by the local land management practices and policies.</p>

This paper presents, for the first time, a method for the rapid quantification of β-carotene in olive oil by Raman spectroscopy. Using a 532 nm Raman laser source, our procedure requires only one drop (100 µL) of oil, for β-carotene content to be determined. Results show that β-carotene content is associated with the lutein/β-carotene ratio, a parameter whose value describes how healthy the olives were before processing, specifically whether an olive fly attack occurred. Since olive fly attacks are not always visible to the oil producers, this method gives them the means to control the validity of the prevention strategies they adopted.

In C-3 plants, carbon isotope composition (delta C-13) is influenced by isotopic effects during diffusion from the atmosphere to the chloroplasts and carboxylation reactions. This work aimed to demonstrate if delta C-13 of leaf soluble carbohydrates (delta C-13(leaves)) and of dry matter from new-growth shoots (delta C-13(shoots)) of Prunus plants subjected to a period of water deficit was related to water use efficiency (WUE). For this purpose, three interspecific Prunus hybrids rootstocks (6-5, 7-7 and G x N) were gradually subjected to drought and then rewatered. Soil water content (SWC) decreased from 26.1 to 9.4% after 70 days of water shortage, when plants reached values of predawn leaf water potential (LWP) ranging from-3.12 to-4.00 MPa. Gas exchange, particularly net photo-synthetic and transpiration rates, differed among the three hybrids, leading to different values of WUE. After 70 days of drought, a significant delta C-13 increase of 5.86, 4.28 and 4.99 parts per thousand was observed in 6-5, 7-7 and G x N, respectively. Significant correlations between 813C and other parameters (substomatal CO2/atmospheric CO2 ratio, stomatal conductance and stem water potential) were found in all hybrids. The rewatering phase caused a recovery of the physiological status of the plants. The isotope composition of delta C-13 (shoots) was correlated with the average WUE measured during the whole experiment. delta C-13(leaves) and delta C-13(shoots) were positively related (r = 0.87; p < 0.001). The isotopic signature was a reliable screening tool to identify Prunus genotypes tolerant to drought stress. The results suggest the possibility of using delta C-13 as an integrated indicator of level of drought stress in plants subjected to prolonged stress conditions.

Areas covered by seminatural grasslands have been in constant decline for decades in Europe. This trend is particularly strong for mountain territories, where such traditional agricultural practices as cattle grazing are no longer economically feasible. This study was conducted in the subalpine pasture of Cinte Tesino (TN, Italy), where local farmers have applied the following different management strategies: shorter and longer grazing durations during the season and a complete abandonment for the last 15 years. We aimed to study how these different management strategies impact the functioning and diversity of vegetation and the chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. Species richness was higher in plots subjected to longer grazing with a prevalence of D. caespitosa in terms of biomass share. A decline in species richness in abandoned plots was accompanied by an increase in the share of other graminoids in collected biomass. A concomitant increase in leaf N concentration and light availability in grazed plots resulted in higher photosynthetic efficiency in some species, as revealed by the δ13C of plant tissues. Soils under grazing were characterised by a higher concentration of total and extractable N, almost doubled microbial biomass C and increased extracellular enzymes activity, evidencing nutrient cycling mobilization. While the microbial pool was characterised by lower mineralization rates, C was lost from the soil with 15 years of abandonment. The longer grazing season demonstrated to be the most beneficial, promoting species richness, C accumulation and better soil microbial functioning. A change in soil pH from strongly acidic to moderately acidic with longer grazing is likely one of the important factors adding to the success in the functioning of primary producers and decomposers in this site.

Carotenoids play an important role in the stability, freshness, and nutritional value of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO). However, the carotenoid content in EVOO changes over time as a function of olive ripening and degrading events. A reliable quality marker is the ratio between the two most abundant carotenoids, namely lutein and β-carotene, since the second degrades more rapidly. Thus, to obtain a fast quantification of the lutein/β-carotene ratio in olive oil could deserve a certain interest. Resonant Raman spectroscopy is a rapid and non-destructive technique, widely applied for food chemical characterization. In this work, using high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy as calibration techniques, we present a reliable method to assess the lutein/β-carotene ratio in EVOO using a single Raman spectrum. The novel approach deserves several methodological and applicative interests, since it would allow rapid, on-site screening of EVOO quality and authenticity, especially if implemented as a portable system.

In this study, grafted and own-rooted young hazelnut plants of three high-quality cultivars were cultivated in Central Italy to investigate possible differences in growth, fruit and flower production, and physiological processes encompassing water uptake, photosynthetic variables and non-structural carbohydrate allocation. Stable isotopes and photosynthetic measurements were used to study carbon and water fluxes in plants. For the first time, an ecophysiological study was carried out to understand the seasonal growth dynamics of grafted plants in comparison with own-rooted plants. The own-rooted hazelnuts showed rapid above-ground development with large canopy volume, high amount of sprouts and earlier yield. The grafted plants showed greater below-ground development with lower canopy volumes and lower yield. However, later, the higher growth rates of the canopy led these plants to achieve the same size as that of the own-rooted hazelnuts and to enter the fruit production phase. Different seasonal behaviour in root water uptake and leaf photosynthesis-related variables was detected between the two types of plants. The grafted plants showed root development that allowed deeper water uptake than that of the own-rooted hazelnuts. Moreover, the grafted plants were characterized by a higher accumulation of carbohydrate reserves in their root tissues and by higher stomatal reactivity, determining significant plasticity in response to seasonal thermal variations.

The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is commonly used to detect spatiotemporal changes of vegetation cover. This study modeled the spatiotemporal changes of land cover on Pianosa Island, Italy, in the period 1999–2015, using the multi-temporal Landsat images. Since the end of the 1990s, the natural vegetation has been re-colonizing an area of abandoned agricultural land and the island is undergoing a process of re-naturalization in harsh (drought and hot) environmental conditions. Hence, it is an ideal test site to monitor the effects of anthropogenic and climatic stressors on vegetation dynamics under Mediterranean climate. In this work, we proposed a new statistical approach based on a pixel-by-pixel analysis of multi-temporal Landsat images. Mean (µ) and standard deviation (σ) values of the NDVI images taken in 2015 were used for the determination of the pixel thresholds (µ ± 3σ). The evaluation of land cover change was carried out by comparing the µ value of a single NDVI pixel for 2015 with the same pixel of different years of the study period. The results indicate that surface reflectance (SR) Landsat images are more suitable in detecting the vegetation dynamics on the island than the top of atmosphere (TOA) ones and highlight an increasing trend of vegetation cover on Pianosa Island, mainly during the early seven years following the land abandonment in all the main land cover classes: abandoned crops and pastures, Mediterranean macchia, and woodland. However, the abandoned agricultural and pasture areas showed a higher increase in the vegetation cover and a shift in the shape of the normalized frequency distribution of the SR NDVI data during the study period, suggesting that a colonization process from other vegetation classes is occurring (i.e., Mediterranean macchia and trees are colonizing the abandoned land, partly replacing herbaceous species). Our data highlight that the statistical approach applied in this study is suitable for detecting vegetation cover changes associated with anthropogenic and climatic drivers in a typical Mediterranean environment and could be proposed as a new methodological approach in several other land monitoring studies.

Deicing agents cause soil salinization and degradation in urban areas. We assessed the capacity of urban lawns to maintain carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling with increasing soil salinity. The sensitivity to soil salinity of the main ecosystem players: plants and microorganisms were assessed considering their complex interactions between each other and environment. The effects of low and moderate soil salinization by common deicing agent (NaCl) were evaluated in mesocosms planted with two urban lawns: Lolium perenne and mixture of grasses. Mesocosm-, plant-, and soil-level gas exchange were assessed on a short-term (days) and long-term (months) scales. Microbial response was characterized by analyzing the microbial properties and activities of nine enzymes. Carbon balance remained independent on the salinity due to cancelling effect of lowered gross primary production (GPP, -20%), decreased C input by plants into the soil (-40% for mixture) balanced by slower microbial decomposition of organic matter (-20%) and so, lower soil respiration (-35%). GPP declined as a long-term response by a combination of stomatal constraint on photosynthesis with leaf respiration increase. Toxic effects of salinization on soil respiration were observed only for temperatures above 15 degrees C. Microbial community with high C:N ratio (common for fungi) was the most sensitive to salinization. The death of microbial biomass (-31% for Lolium) and cell lysis increased soil enzyme activities (+38% for Lolium). We conclude that C balance of urban lawns remain homeostatic at secondary salinization. Temperature effects and plant-microbial interactions will determine C and nutrients cycling under salinity stress in urban lawns.

This chapter discusses recent results obtained in the study of carbon isotope discrimination, especially in carbohydrate, in relation to photosynthesis, productivity and Plant water-use efficiency (WUE) in species. It discusses the relevance of the analysis of carbon isotope discrimination in plant carbohydrates for studying variation in plant productivity and WUE during the ontogeny. The fractionation of carbon isotopes during photosynthesis depends on physical and chemical processes. Extensive reviews have covered the area of carbon isotope discrimination and its physical and chemical basis. Carbon isotope discrimination measured in grain, leaves and other structural carbon pools was positively correlated with grain yield and, generally with biomass production.

During the “El Niño”- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event 2009–2010, trophic state uni (TSI’s) and multimetric (TRIX’s) indexes were determined in the north coast of the Río de la Plata (RdlP). The relationships of such indexes with the hydrological, physical and chemical parameters were explored to identify climatic variability or anthropogenic effects on the eutrophication process. Eleven oceanographic sampling campaigns at 25 stations were conducted along the north coast of RdlP from 2009 to 2011. Temperature, salinity and oxygen saturation, water transparency (Secchi depth), chlorophyll (Chl a) content and total nutrient concentrations (total nitrogen and phosphorous) were determined. Trophic indexes (TSI Chl a, TSI TP, TRIX NP-Voll. and TRIX NP-Mvdeo.) were quantified and the RdlP flow was measured. RdlP flow showed significant differences between ENSO phases, with higher values during “El Niño” (EN), negative and significant correlations with salinity, Secchi depth and positive with total nutrients. The trophic status indexes showed spatial and temporal variability and associations with flow, physical and chemical parameters. Trophic state indexes showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity and were strongly associated to environmental conditions (hydrological and seasonal oscillations) during the study period but also to the anthropogenic factors affecting the north coast of RdlP. The system has been classified as mesotrophic to hypertrophic, depending on the selected indicator. According to these results, we suggest the use of a multimetric trophic state indicator, i.e., the TRIX index, as explains better the causes and effects of the eutrophication processes. To implement the TRIX index, (TRIX NP-Mvdeo.) we suggest researchers to consider a large number of local records (Chl a, nutrients, oxygen) at seasonal scales. This index is adapted to the environmental conditions of the study zone and complemented with other community structure indexes, and should be used for eutrophication assessment programs in the north coast of RdlP.

The variability in carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of the main olive oil fatty acids, together with their relative contents, have been measured in 60 monovarietal olive oils, produced from plants grown in the same orchard and harvested at five ripening stages. The fatty acid content was mainly influenced by the cultivar, without significant changes during ripening. On the contrary, the fatty acid δ13C value varied from October to December reflecting physiological responses to environmental variations. ANOVA-Simultaneous Component Analysis (ASCA) was applied to explore the sample variability among factors and interactions. In particular harvest date resulted the main factor affecting our multivariate dataset and OA δ13C resulted the most discriminating parameter related to this factor. On the other side, LA relative content displayed the highest sensitivity to the range of cultivar variability, suggesting that this parameter may be used as a useful tool for studying inter-varietal differences in olive oils. The results find possible application in olive oil authentication and traceability studies.

The carbon cycle plays a central role in Earth’s climate and in biosphere functioning, as it controls the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thus the greenhouse effect. Besides the deep, “geological” and slow carbon cycle, associated with plate tectonics, volcanism, and surface rock weathering (e.g., Broecker, 2018), living organisms generate a “fast” carbon cycle with fluxes greatly exceeding the geological ones. Once more, this is an example where the emergence of a biosphere has dramatically modified the planetary cycles and processes, enhancing the rate of energy and matter exchange between the different reservoirs. In this framework, an especially interesting concept was developed at the dawn of this century: the planetary “Critical Zone”, that is, that thin living layer between the (almost) undisturbed rock matrix below and the top of vegetation canopy (NRC 2001, Giardino and Houser 2015). In this layer, which we can also call the “Earth living skin”, one can witness the action of physical, chemical, geological, biological and hydrological processes that interact with each other at multiple space and time scales and support the terrestrial ecosystem. Mountain regions participate in the global carbon cycle with their own and unique characteristics, and host especially interesting Critical Zones that are exposed to extreme weather conditions, frostdefrost cycles, and lately to the effects of widespread de-glaciation: reduction of seasonal snow cover, permafrost thawing, and glacier melting. In this sense, high-elevation Alpine areas are somewhat similar to Arctic tundra regions, also dramatically affected by temperature rise. At lower elevations, on the other hand, land-use changes, abandonment of traditional practices and unsustainable development are affecting the dynamics of vegetation and soils, with complex effects on the Critical Zone. In the NextData project, we have supported and extended a network of ground measurement stations in the Italian mountains, devoted to the estimate of the carbon fluxes and to the study of the mountain Critical Zone. In this chapter we report on some of the measurement methods employed and on the measurement facilities that were installed, and discuss some of the results of the measurement campaigns.