Alessandra Francini | Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (original) (raw)
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Papers by Alessandra Francini
Frontiers in Plant Science, 2019
The quality of horticultural products is the result of the interaction of different factors, incl... more The quality of horticultural products is the result of the interaction of different factors, including grower's crop management ability, genotype, and environment. Sub-optimal environmental conditions during plant growth can induce abiotic stresses and reduce the crop performance with yield reduction and quality losses. However, abiotic stresses can induce several physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses in plants, aiming to cope with the stressful conditions. It is well known that these abiotic stresses are also elicitors of the biosynthesis of many metabolites in plants, including a wide range of bioactive compounds, which firstly serve as functional molecules for crop adaptation, but they have also a great interest for their beneficial effects on human health. Nowadays, the consumer is oriented to low-energy foods with low fat content, but at the same time, growing attention is paid to the presence of bioactive molecules, which are recognized as health-related compounds and concur to the nutraceutical value of plant-derived foods. In this context, fruit and vegetables play an important role as sources of bioactive ingredients in the diet. At the cultivation level, the understanding of crop responses to abiotic stresses and how they act in the biosynthesis/accumulation of these bioactive compounds is crucial. In fact, controlled abiotic stresses can be used as tools for improving the nutraceutical value of fruit and vegetables. This review focuses on the quality of vegetables and fruits as affected by preharvest abiotic stressors, with particular attention to the effect on the nutraceutical aspects.
Molecules
Olive drupe traits (i.e., ripening index and pericarp water content) and minor components (i.e., ... more Olive drupe traits (i.e., ripening index and pericarp water content) and minor components (i.e., phenols and pigments in both fruit and oil) are important for human health and are affected by agronomic background. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fruit traits, phenols, and pigments in samples derived from different soil and water management practices. Chromatographic (UHPLC-MS/MS) and spectroscopic (1HNMR and near UV-Vis spectroscopy) techniques were employed for the characterization of olive fruits and oils. The use of various techniques allowed the identification of interesting trace compounds. We observed that most of the fruit phenols (a total of 29 compounds) were correlated with the degree of ripening: most of the phenolic acids (and their derivatives), phenolic alcohols, and secoiridoids were negatively correlated, whereas the majority of the studied flavonoids were positively correlated. The relationship between the ripening index and fruit p...
Earth, Dec 2, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Acta horticulturae, Sep 1, 2022
Partial fragments of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) genes were cloned and characterized from S... more Partial fragments of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) genes were cloned and characterized from Salvia officinalis (SoPAL) and Salvia virgata (SvPAL). Different concentrations (250 and 500 μM) of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) were used when correlation between PAL expression and rosmarinic acid (RA) accumulation was compared. The results showed that the deduced cDNA sequences of the partial genes had high similarities with those of known PAL gene from other plant species. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that exogenous application of SA led to up-regulating of the PAL expression. Further analysis showed that in S. virgata, at higher concentration of SA, higher accumulation of RA was achieved, while in S. officinalis, the higher RA accumulation was observed at lower concentration of SA. It was concluded that there was no positive correlation between the intensity of PAL transcription and the RA accumulation in the studied species. Therefore, despite of the increase in transcription rate of the PAL at the higher concentration of SA, the lower amounts of RA were accumulated in the case of S. officinalis. Consequently, the hypothesis that PAL is the rate-determining step in RA biosynthesis is not always valid and probably some other unknown factors participate in the synthesis of phenolics.
Journal of Plant Pathology, 2004
Nitric Oxide in Developing Plant Stress Resilience
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
BACKGROUNDBiofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultura... more BACKGROUNDBiofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultural sector. Vegetables can be a vector of different minor elements that have beneficial effects on human health. Selenium (Se) is an important element for human nutrition and plays a significant role in defence mechanisms. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of Se in the nutrient solutions on the crop biofortification ability, yield, and quality parameters of four baby leafy vegetables destined to the minimally processed industry. Experiments were performed on lamb's lettuce, lettuce, wild rocket, and spinach. These crops were cultivated in the floating systems with nutrient solution enriched with 0, 2.6, 3.9, and 5.2 μmol L−1 Se provided as sodium selenate.RESULTSAt harvest, Se concentrations, yield, nitrate concentration, sugars, and some mineral elements were measured. Data collected and analyses showed that yield, nitrate, sucrose, and reducing sugars were not affect...
While several studies deal with description and causes leading to aquifer overexploitation, relat... more While several studies deal with description and causes leading to aquifer overexploitation, relatively few face the challenge of reverting unbalanced situations. Since 60 years, intensive exploitation of groundwater of the lower Cornia valley aquifer system (Tuscany, Italy) resulted in consistent head lowering and water balance deficit, subsidence, reduction of groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems, and salinization of freshwater resources. There, groundwater is the only source of water for drinking, irrigation, industrial purposes and it also contributes to the water needs of the nearby Elba island. We present here the main results achieved within the EU funded LIFE REWAT project (sustainable WATer management in the lower Cornia valley through demand REduction, aquifer Recharge and river REstoration; http://www.liferewat.eu) aiming at rebalancing the water budget of the Cornia river hydrologic system by means of innovation and participatory processes.Since 2018, five demonst...
Fragaria vesca L. cv. Annabelle plants were cultivated in hydroponic system and treated for 28 da... more Fragaria vesca L. cv. Annabelle plants were cultivated in hydroponic system and treated for 28 days with control (Hoagland solution), 1 mg L− 1 of Cd, 10 µg L− 1 of glufosinate ammonium and the mix of glufosinate ammonium and Cd. Cd and glufosinate influence the photosynthetic parameters starting from day 18 and Cd alone the fruit fresh weight after 28 days of exposure. Cd in roots was upper to 200 µg g− 1DW then decrease to leaves (< 15 µg g− 1DW) reaching the lowest concentrations in fruits (< 3 µg g− 1DW). Only the metabolite 3-(hydroxymethylphosphinyl) propionic acid (MPP) of glufosinate has been detected over the detection limit in each organ analysed. Glufosinate exposure reduce fruits Ca uptake (-35% compared to control) while Cd reduce the uptake of Fe and Ca in leaves and Zn, Mn and Ca in fruits. This work proves that realistic and residual concentrations of Cd and glufosinate ammonium, that could be present in wastewater used for irrigation, have an impact of strawbe...
Plant Signaling Molecules, 2019
Abstract Phenylpropanoids have an important role in plant adaptation in different environmental c... more Abstract Phenylpropanoids have an important role in plant adaptation in different environmental conditions. Abiotic stresses usually increase the phenylpropanoids pathway with increase of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lignin. These compounds can protect plants against diseases or pests. The chemical structures of phenylpropanoids can reduce the reactive oxygen species by reducing the free radicals. Therefore, the activation of phenylpropanoid genes contemporary occurs with stress sensing in plants. Understanding the regulation of phenylpropanoids pathway can be exploited in agricultural crops and expand the cultivation even where stressful conditions represent a limiting factor. High-light conditions, low temperatures, drought, salinity, and senescence are stressful conditions that positively activate the phenylpropanoids genes. Recently, microRNAs have been demonstrated to regulate the phenylpropanoids and the synthetic miRNAs can be exploited for regulating the expression of phenylpropanoid genes. The enhancement of plant tolerance against the abiotic stresses can be obtained through the genetic improvement of plants with higher ability to accumulate phenylpropanoids.
Frontiers in Plant Science, 2019
The quality of horticultural products is the result of the interaction of different factors, incl... more The quality of horticultural products is the result of the interaction of different factors, including grower's crop management ability, genotype, and environment. Sub-optimal environmental conditions during plant growth can induce abiotic stresses and reduce the crop performance with yield reduction and quality losses. However, abiotic stresses can induce several physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses in plants, aiming to cope with the stressful conditions. It is well known that these abiotic stresses are also elicitors of the biosynthesis of many metabolites in plants, including a wide range of bioactive compounds, which firstly serve as functional molecules for crop adaptation, but they have also a great interest for their beneficial effects on human health. Nowadays, the consumer is oriented to low-energy foods with low fat content, but at the same time, growing attention is paid to the presence of bioactive molecules, which are recognized as health-related compounds and concur to the nutraceutical value of plant-derived foods. In this context, fruit and vegetables play an important role as sources of bioactive ingredients in the diet. At the cultivation level, the understanding of crop responses to abiotic stresses and how they act in the biosynthesis/accumulation of these bioactive compounds is crucial. In fact, controlled abiotic stresses can be used as tools for improving the nutraceutical value of fruit and vegetables. This review focuses on the quality of vegetables and fruits as affected by preharvest abiotic stressors, with particular attention to the effect on the nutraceutical aspects.
Molecules
Olive drupe traits (i.e., ripening index and pericarp water content) and minor components (i.e., ... more Olive drupe traits (i.e., ripening index and pericarp water content) and minor components (i.e., phenols and pigments in both fruit and oil) are important for human health and are affected by agronomic background. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fruit traits, phenols, and pigments in samples derived from different soil and water management practices. Chromatographic (UHPLC-MS/MS) and spectroscopic (1HNMR and near UV-Vis spectroscopy) techniques were employed for the characterization of olive fruits and oils. The use of various techniques allowed the identification of interesting trace compounds. We observed that most of the fruit phenols (a total of 29 compounds) were correlated with the degree of ripening: most of the phenolic acids (and their derivatives), phenolic alcohols, and secoiridoids were negatively correlated, whereas the majority of the studied flavonoids were positively correlated. The relationship between the ripening index and fruit p...
Earth, Dec 2, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Acta horticulturae, Sep 1, 2022
Partial fragments of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) genes were cloned and characterized from S... more Partial fragments of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) genes were cloned and characterized from Salvia officinalis (SoPAL) and Salvia virgata (SvPAL). Different concentrations (250 and 500 μM) of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) were used when correlation between PAL expression and rosmarinic acid (RA) accumulation was compared. The results showed that the deduced cDNA sequences of the partial genes had high similarities with those of known PAL gene from other plant species. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that exogenous application of SA led to up-regulating of the PAL expression. Further analysis showed that in S. virgata, at higher concentration of SA, higher accumulation of RA was achieved, while in S. officinalis, the higher RA accumulation was observed at lower concentration of SA. It was concluded that there was no positive correlation between the intensity of PAL transcription and the RA accumulation in the studied species. Therefore, despite of the increase in transcription rate of the PAL at the higher concentration of SA, the lower amounts of RA were accumulated in the case of S. officinalis. Consequently, the hypothesis that PAL is the rate-determining step in RA biosynthesis is not always valid and probably some other unknown factors participate in the synthesis of phenolics.
Journal of Plant Pathology, 2004
Nitric Oxide in Developing Plant Stress Resilience
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
BACKGROUNDBiofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultura... more BACKGROUNDBiofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultural sector. Vegetables can be a vector of different minor elements that have beneficial effects on human health. Selenium (Se) is an important element for human nutrition and plays a significant role in defence mechanisms. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of Se in the nutrient solutions on the crop biofortification ability, yield, and quality parameters of four baby leafy vegetables destined to the minimally processed industry. Experiments were performed on lamb's lettuce, lettuce, wild rocket, and spinach. These crops were cultivated in the floating systems with nutrient solution enriched with 0, 2.6, 3.9, and 5.2 μmol L−1 Se provided as sodium selenate.RESULTSAt harvest, Se concentrations, yield, nitrate concentration, sugars, and some mineral elements were measured. Data collected and analyses showed that yield, nitrate, sucrose, and reducing sugars were not affect...
While several studies deal with description and causes leading to aquifer overexploitation, relat... more While several studies deal with description and causes leading to aquifer overexploitation, relatively few face the challenge of reverting unbalanced situations. Since 60 years, intensive exploitation of groundwater of the lower Cornia valley aquifer system (Tuscany, Italy) resulted in consistent head lowering and water balance deficit, subsidence, reduction of groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems, and salinization of freshwater resources. There, groundwater is the only source of water for drinking, irrigation, industrial purposes and it also contributes to the water needs of the nearby Elba island. We present here the main results achieved within the EU funded LIFE REWAT project (sustainable WATer management in the lower Cornia valley through demand REduction, aquifer Recharge and river REstoration; http://www.liferewat.eu) aiming at rebalancing the water budget of the Cornia river hydrologic system by means of innovation and participatory processes.Since 2018, five demonst...
Fragaria vesca L. cv. Annabelle plants were cultivated in hydroponic system and treated for 28 da... more Fragaria vesca L. cv. Annabelle plants were cultivated in hydroponic system and treated for 28 days with control (Hoagland solution), 1 mg L− 1 of Cd, 10 µg L− 1 of glufosinate ammonium and the mix of glufosinate ammonium and Cd. Cd and glufosinate influence the photosynthetic parameters starting from day 18 and Cd alone the fruit fresh weight after 28 days of exposure. Cd in roots was upper to 200 µg g− 1DW then decrease to leaves (< 15 µg g− 1DW) reaching the lowest concentrations in fruits (< 3 µg g− 1DW). Only the metabolite 3-(hydroxymethylphosphinyl) propionic acid (MPP) of glufosinate has been detected over the detection limit in each organ analysed. Glufosinate exposure reduce fruits Ca uptake (-35% compared to control) while Cd reduce the uptake of Fe and Ca in leaves and Zn, Mn and Ca in fruits. This work proves that realistic and residual concentrations of Cd and glufosinate ammonium, that could be present in wastewater used for irrigation, have an impact of strawbe...
Plant Signaling Molecules, 2019
Abstract Phenylpropanoids have an important role in plant adaptation in different environmental c... more Abstract Phenylpropanoids have an important role in plant adaptation in different environmental conditions. Abiotic stresses usually increase the phenylpropanoids pathway with increase of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lignin. These compounds can protect plants against diseases or pests. The chemical structures of phenylpropanoids can reduce the reactive oxygen species by reducing the free radicals. Therefore, the activation of phenylpropanoid genes contemporary occurs with stress sensing in plants. Understanding the regulation of phenylpropanoids pathway can be exploited in agricultural crops and expand the cultivation even where stressful conditions represent a limiting factor. High-light conditions, low temperatures, drought, salinity, and senescence are stressful conditions that positively activate the phenylpropanoids genes. Recently, microRNAs have been demonstrated to regulate the phenylpropanoids and the synthetic miRNAs can be exploited for regulating the expression of phenylpropanoid genes. The enhancement of plant tolerance against the abiotic stresses can be obtained through the genetic improvement of plants with higher ability to accumulate phenylpropanoids.