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Papers by AGOSTINO SORGONA'

Microbial Mitigation of Stress Response of Food Legumes, 2020

Root exudates play an essential role in plant-soil-abiotic stress interactions. However, we still... more Root exudates play an essential role in plant-soil-abiotic stress interactions. However, we still know little about the influence of stress combinations on the root exudation profile. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, here we test the effect of drought, heat stress, and their combination on the maize root exudates, also considering the differences that might exist between root types (seminal and primary) and root zones (apical and sub-apical). In addition, we built an analytical framework that relate the root exudation profile with the characterization of the rhizosphere bacterial community, enabling us to dissect the interactions between specific root exudates and microbial taxa. Our results suggest that the composition of root exudates has a different outcome according to the single or combined stress and to the root zone but not between root types. Further, we found that stress-specific exudates influence the relative abundance of specific microbial taxa, some of which ...

Advances in Citrus Nutrition, 2012

Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient for growth, fruit yield, and quality of citrus plants... more Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient for growth, fruit yield, and quality of citrus plants. In order to reduce both the requirements for costly nitrogen fertilizers and environmental pollution of soil and water, the improvement of the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) on citrus plants is fundamental in sustainable agriculture. In this chapter, a critical overview on the definitions of NUE and its components, nitrogen uptake (NUpE), and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) was provided, together with current knowledge and future challenges to understand and manipulate NUE in citrus plants. Further, the different N fertilizer use strategy in combination with irrigation to increase the NUE in citrus species was explained. The nitrogen content, the removal and the partitioning among the citrus organs, and the N availability in citrus soils provided a comprehensive picture of the N economy in citrus trees and soil orchards, and the basis of the NUE. However, an important approach for improving the NUE in citrus plants was to understand the regulation of the morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms controlling plant nitrogen economy such as nitrogen uptake, translocation, assimilation, and remobilization. This approach accompanied by new techniques in molecular biology, root biology, plant-soil interactions, and modeling will provide an accurate criteria to discriminate between the nitrogen-efficient and inefficient citrus plants. Finally, the future challenges for improving NUE in citrus species considering both the “agronomic” and “physiological” approaches were discussed.

Natural Product Research, 2013

Foliar volatiles and essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, a Mediterranean plant species... more Foliar volatiles and essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, a Mediterranean plant species belonging to the Labiatae family, were investigated for their phytotoxic activities on seed germination and root growth of crops (Lactuca sativa L. and Raphanus sativus L.) and weed species (Lolium perenne L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L.). Foliar volatiles of C. nepeta (L.) Savi strongly inhibited both germination and root growth of lettuce, and its essential oils, especially at 125, 250 and 500 μL/L, inhibited both processes in lettuce, radish and A. retroflexus L. species, while displaying a little effect on L. perenne L. By GC-MS, 28 chemicals were identified: 17 monoterpenes, 8 sesquiterpenes, 1 diterpene and 2 miscellaneous. Pulegone was the main constituent of the C. nepeta (L.) Savi essential oils. The terpenic components of essentials oils were probably responsible for the phytotoxic activities.

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2009

The Editors would like to thank the following reviewers for their assistance: Chedly Abdelly Suza... more The Editors would like to thank the following reviewers for their assistance: Chedly Abdelly Suzanne Abrams David Alabadi Marino Arnao Tadao Asami Carol Auer Belay Ayele C. Bailly Frantisek Baluska Juan Barcelo Lenore Barkan Stefan Bartram Richard Beckett Gerard Bishop Fitzgerald Booker Gerd Bossinger Rubén Bottini Margaret Boulton Melissa Brechner Adina Breiman Ray Bressan Edward Calabrese Jychian Chen Kang Chong I. Ciereszko Morris Cline Steve Clouse Jerry Cohen Jan Cordewener J. T. Cothren James Craigie Grant Cramer Richard Criley Theresa Culley K. Dehesh Kay Denyer Luis Destefano-Beltran Alessandra Devoto Walter Dewitte Emmy Dhooghe Karel Dolezal Danielle J. Donnelley Robert Edwards Mondher El Jaziri Don Elfving Erik Ervin Anne Fennell Louise Ferguson M. G. Fernandes I. Feussner Thierry Franck Henk Franssen Jonathan Frantz Kenji Fujino Atsunori Fukuda Martin Fulda Junping Gao Carlos Garcia-Mata Chris Gehring Maria A. Germana Hernâni Gerós M. J. Giroux Michael Glenn Xiaoping Gou

Environmental Pollution, 2001

Water-stressed trees exposed to elevated CO 2 had higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activi... more Water-stressed trees exposed to elevated CO 2 had higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities than water-stressed control trees.

ABSTRACT Seventeen wild plant species from the Mediterranean area (Calabria, Southern Italy) were... more ABSTRACT Seventeen wild plant species from the Mediterranean area (Calabria, Southern Italy) were assayed for their allelopathic activity and as potential source of new natural herbicides for weed control. The inhibitory effects of aqueous extracts of 17 Mediterranean plant spp. were studied on seed germination and root elongation of Lactuca sativa L. of these 4-species [Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, Hypericum hircinum L. ssp. Majus (Aiton) Robson, Artemisia arborescens L. and Euphorbia rigida Bieb] proved most inhibitory to weeds and lettuce seedlings. Root elongation proved more sensitive than seed germination. The phytotoxicity of aqueous extracts of most phytotoxic plant species persisted till 112 days. The aqueous extracts inhibited the seed germination and root growth of Chenopodium album, Sinapis alba, Echinochloa crus-galli weeds. C. album and S. alba weeds were most sensitive to all aqueous extracts, while E. crus-galli was most tolerant. In pot experiments, plant residues caused stronger inhibition in shoot than in roots. The phytotoxicity followed the order: A. arborescens > E. rigida > C. nepeta ≈ H. hircinum. These results might help in developing the natural Mediterranean plant extracts for weeds control.

Trees, 2018

Key message The in situ 3D root architecture of Olea europea was described by a semi-automatic 3D... more Key message The in situ 3D root architecture of Olea europea was described by a semi-automatic 3D digitizing approach, which permitted the estimation of the biomass and carbon content of coarse roots in the soil environment. Abstract Coarse roots, the skeleton of the root system, are of primary importance for soil exploration and plant anchorage and only recently have been recognized as playing a major role in "long-term" carbon sequestration. Despite this role, the 3D architecture of coarse roots represents a gap in knowledge on the biomass and carbon allocation within the root system and, consequently, below-ground carbon sequestration capacity. Using a semi-automatic 3D digitizing approach (3 Space Fastrak plus Long Ranger), the 3D distribution in the soil environment of coarse root biomass and C content and how these parameters were affected by manual and mechanical (trunk shaker) harvesting methods were quantified in a high-density olive orchard. The below-ground C content at stand level was estimated to be 11.93 Mg C ha −1 and distributed at deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in the form of first-and second-order branching roots. The present study also revealed that the mechanical harvesting method significantly increased both the angle of growth (0° = vertically downwards) of first-order lateral roots and the stump biomass, but neither the biomass allocation nor the C content was increased within the first three branching orders.

Contemporary Engineering Sciences, 2016

Skidding by heavy forestry machinery can affect soil physical properties. We assessed the effects... more Skidding by heavy forestry machinery can affect soil physical properties. We assessed the effects of ground-based skidding on soil bulk density and total porosity in a southern Italian forest. Treatments included a combination of four levels of traffic intensity (1, 5, 10, and 15 passes) of a John Deere 548H rubber skidder and two levels of slope (< 20% and > 20%). Further, soil bulk density and total porosity were evaluated at different distances from the track (BT). The results 1096 A.R. Proto et al. indicated soil bulk density increased with traffic frequency, while soil total porosity decreased. Further, slope steepness did not affect soil physical properties but interacted with the number of passes to affect soil total porosity. The critical value for this parameter occurred after 15 passes on a < 20% slope and six machine passes on a > 20% slope. The statistically significant impacts of the skidder on soil physical properties were evident at distances of up to 2 m from each side of the skidding trail. The latter finding suggests special attention should be taken during the skidding operations to minimize the adverse effects of groundbased skidding on soil physical properties.

Microbial Mitigation of Stress Response of Food Legumes, 2020

Root exudates play an essential role in plant-soil-abiotic stress interactions. However, we still... more Root exudates play an essential role in plant-soil-abiotic stress interactions. However, we still know little about the influence of stress combinations on the root exudation profile. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, here we test the effect of drought, heat stress, and their combination on the maize root exudates, also considering the differences that might exist between root types (seminal and primary) and root zones (apical and sub-apical). In addition, we built an analytical framework that relate the root exudation profile with the characterization of the rhizosphere bacterial community, enabling us to dissect the interactions between specific root exudates and microbial taxa. Our results suggest that the composition of root exudates has a different outcome according to the single or combined stress and to the root zone but not between root types. Further, we found that stress-specific exudates influence the relative abundance of specific microbial taxa, some of which ...

Advances in Citrus Nutrition, 2012

Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient for growth, fruit yield, and quality of citrus plants... more Nitrogen (N) is the most important nutrient for growth, fruit yield, and quality of citrus plants. In order to reduce both the requirements for costly nitrogen fertilizers and environmental pollution of soil and water, the improvement of the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) on citrus plants is fundamental in sustainable agriculture. In this chapter, a critical overview on the definitions of NUE and its components, nitrogen uptake (NUpE), and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) was provided, together with current knowledge and future challenges to understand and manipulate NUE in citrus plants. Further, the different N fertilizer use strategy in combination with irrigation to increase the NUE in citrus species was explained. The nitrogen content, the removal and the partitioning among the citrus organs, and the N availability in citrus soils provided a comprehensive picture of the N economy in citrus trees and soil orchards, and the basis of the NUE. However, an important approach for improving the NUE in citrus plants was to understand the regulation of the morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms controlling plant nitrogen economy such as nitrogen uptake, translocation, assimilation, and remobilization. This approach accompanied by new techniques in molecular biology, root biology, plant-soil interactions, and modeling will provide an accurate criteria to discriminate between the nitrogen-efficient and inefficient citrus plants. Finally, the future challenges for improving NUE in citrus species considering both the “agronomic” and “physiological” approaches were discussed.

Natural Product Research, 2013

Foliar volatiles and essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, a Mediterranean plant species... more Foliar volatiles and essential oils of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, a Mediterranean plant species belonging to the Labiatae family, were investigated for their phytotoxic activities on seed germination and root growth of crops (Lactuca sativa L. and Raphanus sativus L.) and weed species (Lolium perenne L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L.). Foliar volatiles of C. nepeta (L.) Savi strongly inhibited both germination and root growth of lettuce, and its essential oils, especially at 125, 250 and 500 μL/L, inhibited both processes in lettuce, radish and A. retroflexus L. species, while displaying a little effect on L. perenne L. By GC-MS, 28 chemicals were identified: 17 monoterpenes, 8 sesquiterpenes, 1 diterpene and 2 miscellaneous. Pulegone was the main constituent of the C. nepeta (L.) Savi essential oils. The terpenic components of essentials oils were probably responsible for the phytotoxic activities.

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2009

The Editors would like to thank the following reviewers for their assistance: Chedly Abdelly Suza... more The Editors would like to thank the following reviewers for their assistance: Chedly Abdelly Suzanne Abrams David Alabadi Marino Arnao Tadao Asami Carol Auer Belay Ayele C. Bailly Frantisek Baluska Juan Barcelo Lenore Barkan Stefan Bartram Richard Beckett Gerard Bishop Fitzgerald Booker Gerd Bossinger Rubén Bottini Margaret Boulton Melissa Brechner Adina Breiman Ray Bressan Edward Calabrese Jychian Chen Kang Chong I. Ciereszko Morris Cline Steve Clouse Jerry Cohen Jan Cordewener J. T. Cothren James Craigie Grant Cramer Richard Criley Theresa Culley K. Dehesh Kay Denyer Luis Destefano-Beltran Alessandra Devoto Walter Dewitte Emmy Dhooghe Karel Dolezal Danielle J. Donnelley Robert Edwards Mondher El Jaziri Don Elfving Erik Ervin Anne Fennell Louise Ferguson M. G. Fernandes I. Feussner Thierry Franck Henk Franssen Jonathan Frantz Kenji Fujino Atsunori Fukuda Martin Fulda Junping Gao Carlos Garcia-Mata Chris Gehring Maria A. Germana Hernâni Gerós M. J. Giroux Michael Glenn Xiaoping Gou

Environmental Pollution, 2001

Water-stressed trees exposed to elevated CO 2 had higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activi... more Water-stressed trees exposed to elevated CO 2 had higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities than water-stressed control trees.

ABSTRACT Seventeen wild plant species from the Mediterranean area (Calabria, Southern Italy) were... more ABSTRACT Seventeen wild plant species from the Mediterranean area (Calabria, Southern Italy) were assayed for their allelopathic activity and as potential source of new natural herbicides for weed control. The inhibitory effects of aqueous extracts of 17 Mediterranean plant spp. were studied on seed germination and root elongation of Lactuca sativa L. of these 4-species [Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi, Hypericum hircinum L. ssp. Majus (Aiton) Robson, Artemisia arborescens L. and Euphorbia rigida Bieb] proved most inhibitory to weeds and lettuce seedlings. Root elongation proved more sensitive than seed germination. The phytotoxicity of aqueous extracts of most phytotoxic plant species persisted till 112 days. The aqueous extracts inhibited the seed germination and root growth of Chenopodium album, Sinapis alba, Echinochloa crus-galli weeds. C. album and S. alba weeds were most sensitive to all aqueous extracts, while E. crus-galli was most tolerant. In pot experiments, plant residues caused stronger inhibition in shoot than in roots. The phytotoxicity followed the order: A. arborescens &amp;gt; E. rigida &amp;gt; C. nepeta ≈ H. hircinum. These results might help in developing the natural Mediterranean plant extracts for weeds control.

Trees, 2018

Key message The in situ 3D root architecture of Olea europea was described by a semi-automatic 3D... more Key message The in situ 3D root architecture of Olea europea was described by a semi-automatic 3D digitizing approach, which permitted the estimation of the biomass and carbon content of coarse roots in the soil environment. Abstract Coarse roots, the skeleton of the root system, are of primary importance for soil exploration and plant anchorage and only recently have been recognized as playing a major role in "long-term" carbon sequestration. Despite this role, the 3D architecture of coarse roots represents a gap in knowledge on the biomass and carbon allocation within the root system and, consequently, below-ground carbon sequestration capacity. Using a semi-automatic 3D digitizing approach (3 Space Fastrak plus Long Ranger), the 3D distribution in the soil environment of coarse root biomass and C content and how these parameters were affected by manual and mechanical (trunk shaker) harvesting methods were quantified in a high-density olive orchard. The below-ground C content at stand level was estimated to be 11.93 Mg C ha −1 and distributed at deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in the form of first-and second-order branching roots. The present study also revealed that the mechanical harvesting method significantly increased both the angle of growth (0° = vertically downwards) of first-order lateral roots and the stump biomass, but neither the biomass allocation nor the C content was increased within the first three branching orders.

Contemporary Engineering Sciences, 2016

Skidding by heavy forestry machinery can affect soil physical properties. We assessed the effects... more Skidding by heavy forestry machinery can affect soil physical properties. We assessed the effects of ground-based skidding on soil bulk density and total porosity in a southern Italian forest. Treatments included a combination of four levels of traffic intensity (1, 5, 10, and 15 passes) of a John Deere 548H rubber skidder and two levels of slope (< 20% and > 20%). Further, soil bulk density and total porosity were evaluated at different distances from the track (BT). The results 1096 A.R. Proto et al. indicated soil bulk density increased with traffic frequency, while soil total porosity decreased. Further, slope steepness did not affect soil physical properties but interacted with the number of passes to affect soil total porosity. The critical value for this parameter occurred after 15 passes on a < 20% slope and six machine passes on a > 20% slope. The statistically significant impacts of the skidder on soil physical properties were evident at distances of up to 2 m from each side of the skidding trail. The latter finding suggests special attention should be taken during the skidding operations to minimize the adverse effects of groundbased skidding on soil physical properties.