Area In Southern Spain Research Articles

Utilization of phosphogypsum and red mud in alfalfa cultivation

In this work, the utilization of phosphogypsum (PG), a waste coming from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers, as fertilizer for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) crops was investigated using pot experiments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of both phosphogypsum and red mud (RM) in two soils representative of the pasture production area in Southern Spain. The morpho-physiological parameters of biomass, plant height, number of stems and number of leaves, as well as the chemical parameters of soil content, were measured. High doses of PG inhibited seed germination in some treatments. In addition, the treatment substrate (2550 g soil + 50 g kg−1 PG + 100 g kg−1 RM) also affected seed germination, possibly due to the large amount of RM. The application of PG and RM to the soil increased the availability of important nutrients for alfalfa, such as phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). The results demonstrate that the treatment with PG significantly improved the uptake of P in alfalfa.

Experts’ opinion on the sustainable use of nematicides in Mediterranean intensive horticulture

Aim of study: Root-knot nematodes are considered a common limiting factor to reaching premium quality and economically viable yields in horticultural crops. Soil disinfestation with agrochemical fumigants has been the main nematode control method until their recent ban due to environmental and social concerns. This paper explores farmers and agricultural advisors’ opinion and preferences on the sustainable use of available nematode control methods, considering sustainability as an integration of nematicidal effectiveness, reduction of environmental harmful effects and preservation of human health. Area of study: This study has been carried out between farm advisors of intensive horticultural crop areas in Southern Spain. Material and methods: Farm advisors’ opinion and preferences on the use of nematicides was evaluated following an opinion survey and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The analysis done was exploratory. Main results: Providing that current available control methods give enough nematicidal effectiveness to get a profitable yield, the group of farm advisors showed a great consciousness on the use of sustainable alternatives for nematode control in intensive horticultural crops, prioritizing biosolarization as the first option, followed by biopesticides and fumigant nematicides in third place. The use of ozone and non-fumigant nematicides with high toxicity profiles were considered the last options, but new generation nematicides with lower ecotoxicity profiles are also considered as an important tool in sustainable nematode management. Research highlights: These results provide a prediction of farmers' responses to the sustainable use of nematicides promoted by the European Union when agrochemical fumigants are banned.

Analysis of the predictive potential of good clinical response of plasma levels of clozapine in patients with resistant schizophrenia in an area of southern Spain

IntroductionResistant schizophrenia is a schizophrenia subtype characterized by a non-ability to respond to an appropriate antipsychotic treatment in dosage and duration by the patients. These patients show a lower prognostic and symptomatology. The unique drug which has shown efficacy for resistant schizophrenia treatment is clozapine, which is effective in suicide and aggressive behaviour prevention too. Whereas clozapine has numerous and serious adverse effects such as agranulocytosis risk. Because of this, and for guaranteeing an accurate diagnosis of resistant schizophrenia, distinguishing this from pseudo-resistance due to a poor tracing of schizophrenia, clozapine’s plasmatic levels monitoring is recommended in Spain by many clinical practise-guidelines.ObjectivesThis studio has the objective of determining if altered clozapine’s plasmatic levels have predictive potential of therapeutical response and answering what clinical and sociodemographic variables are associated to these anormal plasmatic levels.MethodsIn this work, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out in which clinical and sociodemographic data obtained by the Mental Health Unit of the Jerez de la Frontera University Hospital were collected within the research project entitled: "Role of social cognition as a factor psychosocial functioning of the schizophrenic patient” (ECOFUN), of all the participating patients (in total the sample was 141 patients, of which 40 are in treatment with clozapine).ResultsThe sample of patients has a mean age of 44 years and medium-high educational levels. The vast majority are men and do not currently consume substances of abuse, and when this consumption occurs, tobacco and alcohol are the most consumed substances. Their total scores on the PANSS and Markova Barrios scales are generally very disparate, but with average values of 55 and 16. It has been obtained as results that there is no significant statistical correlation between the plasma levels of clozapine and the values of the PANSS scale and its subscales in the patients. On the other hand, patients treated with clozapine would present clinical and sociodemographic characteristics practically identical to those of patients treated with other antipsychotics, especially their values on the PANSS scale. In addition, plasma levels of clozapine are correlated, although not significantly, with an improvement in the positive symptomatology of schizophrenia.ConclusionsAs a conclusion, unusually higher values of clozapine are correlated significantly with lower values in positive symptomatology in schizophrenia, but plasmatic levels are not correlated significantly with values of PANSS scale.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Review of a sample of episodes of forced medication in an area of southern Spain

IntroductionForced medication is one of the most frequently used coercive measures in acute mental health units. It is a practice that can lead to physical, psychological and psychopathological consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures to reduce its use. In this sense, it is interesting to study the variables that can be associated with its use, and thus take measures accordingly.ObjectivesThis study attempts to identify the number of forced medication episodes between July 2017 and December 2018 treated in the catchment area of the Mental Health Service at Jerez Hospital. As a secondary objective, it pursues to identify the factors that conducted to the use of forced medication with the intention of being able to reduce the use of these measures.MethodsA descriptive and retrospective study has been developed reviewing the total number of episodes of forced medication. Patients admitted and discharged from hospital between July 2017 and December 2018 treated in the Mental Health Service at Jerez Hospital. Data were extracted from medical records.ResultsThe total number of episodes of forced medication identified was 330. In these episodes, the average age was 41 years, with a predominance of 74% of the male gender. The most used route in the episodes was intramuscular (94.8%), in addition, more than 50% needed the association of two drugs, the most used were haloperidol and olanzapine. The 32.7% of the episodes also required the use of mechanical restraint and 44.2% required the presence of security service.Image:ConclusionsWe present the descriptive analysis of a further study currently been conducted in hour hospital which means to stablish predictive factors for the use of forced medication. We therefore intend to create patient profile, as well as new measures specifically directed to these factors with which to diminish the use of forced medication.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Application of the Analysis Time Series and Multispectral Images for the Estimation of the Conditions of the Vegetation Covers of the Natural Areas of Southern Spain

It has been scientifically proven that climate change is a reality. In subarid Mediterranean limates, this fact is observed in the irregular distribution of rainfall, resulting in alternating periods of more or less prolonged drought with episodes of torrential rains concentrated in short periods of time. We have selected 11 natural areas in southern Spain, where we will observe these circumstances and where a series of ecosystems composed of vegetation covers of a high ecological value are found. We start from the question of whether these climatic circumstances are really deteriorating them. For this study, we propose a method that combines three analysis techniques: the design of the time series, the application of vegetation indices, and the use of techniques analysis of changes in land use. From the combination of these techniques in the period from 1997 to 2021, we have observed that there have been a dynamic of changes in land use that has maintained its original characteristics by more than 70%, so it is possible to affirm that the adaptation of ecosystems to climatic conditions has occurred satisfactorily. However, this general statement shows some particularities which are those that we will show in this work.

Public healthcare costs associated with long-term exposure to mixtures of persistent organic pollutants in two areas of Southern Spain: A longitudinal analysis.

BackgroundPolychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that had been banned or restricted in many countries, including Spain. However, their ubiquity still poses environmental and human health threats. ObjectiveTo longitudinally explore public healthcare costs associated with long-term exposure to a mixture of 8 POPs in a cohort of residents of two areas of Granada Province, Southern Spain. MethodsLongitudinal study in a subsample (n = 385) of GraMo adult cohort. Exposure assessment was performed by analyzing adipose tissue POP concentrations at recruitment. Average primary care (APC) and average hospital care (AHC) expenditures of each participant over 14 years were estimated using the data from their medical records. Data analyses were performed by robust MM regression, weighted quantile sum regression (WQS) and G-computation analysis. ResultsIn the adjusted robust MM models for APC, most POPs showed positive beta coefficients, being Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) significantly associated (β: 1.87; 95% Confidence interval (95%CI): 0.17, 3.57). The magnitude of this association increased (β: 3.72; 95%CI: 0.80, 6.64) when the analyses were restricted to semi-rural residents, where β-HCH was also marginally-significantly associated to APC (β: 3.40; 95%CI: −0.10, 6.90). WQS revealed a positive but non-significant mixture association with APC (β: 0.14; 95%CI: −0.06, 0.34), mainly accounted for by β-HCH (54%) and HCB (43%), that was borderline-significant in the semi-rural residents (β: 0.23; 95%CI: −0.01, 0.48). No significant results were observed in G-Computation analyses. ConclusionLong-term exposure to POP mixtures might represent a modifiable factor increasing healthcare costs, thus affecting the efficiency of the healthcare systems. However, and owing the complexity of the potential causal pathways and the limitations of the present study, further research is warranted to fully elucidate ascertain whether interventions to reduce human exposure should be considered in healthcare policies.

Patterns of clozapine use, misuse and disuse in a mental health area in southern Spain

IntroductionEvidence supports clozapine as the best treatment in terms of efficacy, effectiveness and well-being, and as the gold standard in treatment-resistant psychotic disorders. Clozapine remains still underused, suffering initiation delays from 1.1 to 9.7 years. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of data about patterns of use, showing high variability worldwide (0.6-189.2/100. 000 inhabitants).ObjectivesThe main objective of this work is to carry out an analysis of the use of clozapine in our mental health catchment area. Thus, off-label use, the percentage of patients with clozapine depending on diagnosis, age and sex, and its use in mono and polytherapy are established. Besides, dosage and time between the first contact and the start of treatment with clozapine are recorded.MethodsA descriptive study has been developed on the patients with clozapine who consulted in the catchment area of the Jerez Mental Health Service between 2018 and 2019. Data were extracted from medical records.ResultsFrom our population of 456.752 inhabitants, 449 patients received clozapine. 278 (61.9%) had a schizophrenia diagnosis; 33 (7.3%) delusional disorder and 34 (7,6%) schizoaffective disorder. The off-label use of clozapine was 19,1 %. The average mean dose used was 246,2 mg/day and 59% of the patients on clozapine were on polytherapy. Only 14,7% of these patients had a previous trial with clozapine on monotherapy.ConclusionsRates of polytherapy, previous trials of clozapine monotherapy, off label use, rates of discontinuation and other variables are to be considered to precisely map the adequate use of clozapine in clinical settings.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Prevalence of treatment resistant schizophrenia according to minima TRRIP criteria in a mental health catchment area in southern Spain

IntroductionThe response to antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia varies from 14 to 34% in first episodes, and from 45 to 61% in more chronic patients. Nevertheless, the concept of treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is still a matter of great controversy. Recently, an international group of experts has developed the TRRIP criteria to define treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS), including an ultra-resistance category for clozapine resistant patients. Up till now, there is a scarcity of epidemiological data of TRS with TRRIP criteria.ObjectivesThis study attempts to identify the population diagnosed of schizophrenia that fulfils the minima TRRIP criteria for TRS in our mental health catchment area.MethodsA descriptive and retrospective study has been developed on the patients diagnosed of schizophrenia (ICD.10, F.20) in the catchment area of the Mental Health Service at Jerez Hospital between 2018 and 2019. TRRIP criteria were applied for two independent researchers and, in case of disagreement, consensus was reached by using the LEAD procedure.ResultsThe total number of ICD-10 schizophrenic patients identified was 590, from a population of 456.752 in 2019. A group of these, 206 patients (35%) qualified as TRS according to the minima TRRIP criteria, 50% were positive subtype and the rest the negative one. 46.8% were treated with clozapine.ConclusionsConsensus criteria of TRS minimise the heterogeneity of epidemiological data in literature. Our data suggest a prevalence rate of TRS lower than that of similar studies. Accordingly, a comprehensive understanding of this population would undoubtedly contribute to improve preventive and therapeutic strategies.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Historic public paths in rural areas: engine of development and origin of new conflicts

PurposeIn this article, the authors analyse a complex social process affecting historic public paths in rural areas in southern Spain. Despite the fact that urban populations are demanding the enhancement of this type of natural heritage for tourism, sports and recreational use, some parts of the network have been abandoned or usurped.Design/methodology/approachThe study is multidisciplinary, comprising three interlinked studies. The cartographic study comprises an inventory of public paths in rural areas based on administrative sources. The legal study analyses local, regional and national regulations governing agricultural, environmental, heritage, sports and tourism uses of the infrastructure. The sociological study analyses social discourses on the uses of public paths, and identifies conflicts between farmers, landowners, environmentalists, sportspeople and tourists.FindingsThe preliminary results identified an important public paths network in Andalusia, approximately 160,000 km. The legal study found that there are laws regulating use, although local authorities do not monitor compliance or provide solutions to enhance management. The sociological study determined the attribution of environmental, cultural and economic value to public paths, but also the existence of conflicts between rural and urban populations.Research limitations/implicationsGiven that this is ongoing research, only state of the art and some preliminary albeit sufficiently consistent results are presented.Practical implicationsThe results could help to guide public policy and governance of public paths.Social implicationsPublic paths promote rural development and a green/sustainable economy.Originality/valueThe research results and conclusions are original.

Geobotanical field activities for learning landscape interpretation concepts and methods for university students

The landscapes of various areas of southern Spain are studied, for this we rely on the methodology previously established by other researchers, through which a complete diagnosis of a territory is reached, since the series and geoseries of vegetation are revealed. Being a study of natural reality, the abstract character presented by concepts such as sigmetum, sinassociation, series, geoserie, climatófilo, edafoxerofilo, catena; it is perfectly clarified to the student, which makes the student progress efficiently, coming to the fore the acquisition of practical knowledge compared to theoretical ones. For this reason practical teaching acquires preponderance, since it not only provides knowledge, but also development of cognitive and psychomotor skills, which are essential in the acquisition of skills and development of the individual's personality.

An Evapotranspiration Evolution Model as a Function of Meteorological Variables: A CFD Model Approach

The study of meteorological variables and evapotranspiration in open spaces using the three spatial dimensions represents a technical challenge since the high computational resources required only enable the problem to be addressed on a very small scale. This research sets forth a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics numerical model, characterized by its simplicity, which allows problems to be addressed over large areas (scale of kilometres). Similarly, the corresponding design and software developments carried out allow for a more dynamic introduction of meteorological and evapotranspiration boundary conditions. In the numerical domain created, the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations are solved, supplemented by a multispecies model (to distinguish the movements of dry air, evapotranspiration and air humidity) and one of solar radiation. The numerical model was applied to a semi-arid area in southern Spain, obtaining the three-dimensional special evolution of evapotranspiration, temperature, air humidity and wind velocity, specifically concerning its variation in horizontal and vertical planes of the three-dimensional domain, as well as vertical profiles at discrete points.

Optimal retrofit solutions considering thermal comfort and intervention costs for the Mediterranean social housing stock

There is an impending need to retrofit the existing social housing stock to improve thermal comfort and to reduce energy demand. This research proposes calibrated building stock models to assess thermal comfort of the social housing stock of southern Spain (Mediterranean area). Several retrofit strategies are optimised using a genetic algorithm to obtain the best retrofit solutions, considering three objectives: annual overheating hours (%), annual undercooling hours (%) and investment costs (€/m2). Results are shown for four different climatic areas in southern Spain. This study finds that it is possible to retrofit the aforementioned stock considering investment costs from approximately 20–200 €/m2. The percentage of improvements for each climatic area are as follows: in Sevilla (B4 climatic area), investments costs up to 50 €/m2 led to 40% and 20% annual overheating and undercooling hours. In Cádiz, (A3 climatic area), 15% and 22% overheating and undercooling hours were achieved with medium-cost solutions (50–100 €/m2). In Almería (A4 climatic area), also medium-cost strategies reported approximately 15% and 30% overheating and undercooling hours. In Granada (C3 climatic area), 15% and 38% overheating and undercooling hours were obtained with medium-cost measures. Yet, applying high-cost solutions (100–200 €/m2) only significantly improved thermal comfort in Almería and Sevilla.

Building an Agroecological Process towards Agricultural Sustainability: A Case Study from Southern Spain

The urgent need to implement agricultural systems that provide greater sustainability and resilience to the challenges of the climate change process has meant that alternative paradigms for agri-food systems and agriculture have become more relevant in recent times. In this study, we present the building process and consolidation of an agro-ecological project (Extiercol) in a rural area of southern Spain, with a prolonged depopulation process and close connections to nearby urban areas. Through participatory action research, the specific objectives of this study are (1) to describe the agroecological collective process from its creation by a youth association to its establishment as a viable agricultural project; (2) to identify the drivers for the development of this type of transition process towards agricultural sustainability and (3) to analyse urban-rural alliances in the establishment of agroecological projects. Finally, the replicability of this project was assessed, with a special focus on the main barriers to be addressed in order to implement this agricultural system such as difficult to land access or a negative perception of sustainable management by farmers. Through this study we have shown how the connection between the food production area and nearby urban areas can be achieved through an agroecological project.

A Study of the Differences among EFL/ESL Methods for Reading Comprehension and Language Awareness

The present paper reports on the effectiveness of the Grammar-Translation Method, Communicative Language Teaching and Content and Language Integrated Learning upon reading comprehension and language awareness. The study recruited a convenience sample of 164 Spanish students from a rural area in southern Spain who randomly received these three ESL/EFL methods. The research was focused on two hypotheses. Firstly, L2 reading learning is more effective from CLT and CLIL than GTM despite of being visual skills the main core of translation methods. Secondly, CLT and CLIL demand more contextual learning, so these methods consider pragmatic awareness more relevant than GTM. Results showed CLT method offered more similar results among the reading comprehension tasks (p<.01). However, from a descriptive study, GTM obtained the best performance globally. Pragmatic awareness performed the weakest area among all three methods. However, the interaction between reading comprehension and language awareness suggested that the intervention was more supportive for CLT. Also, significant intra-gender differences according to the learning methodology were provided. Study limitations and future research recommendations also were discussed.

Assessing year-round phenology and reproduction of the migratory painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in a Mediterranean area in southern Spain

The painted lady, Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758), migrates seasonally between Africa and Europe with a northward multigenerational migration from Africa to Europe in spring and a southward migration from Europe to Africa in autumn. However, little is known about the year-round phenology of this species in southern regions in the Mediterranean Basin. In this study the year-round phenology and reproduction of painted ladies was recorded during a seven-year period (2014-2020) at 7 lowland sites (< 80 m a.s.l) near the coast of CĂĄdiz (southern Spain). Overall, a total of 2341 painted lady butterflies (or 0.56 butterflies/km) were recorded along 4186 km of transects of the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS). Data pooled for all sites and years indicate a migration of painted ladies in autumn (mid and late October), another peak in abundance in winter (late February) and finally a migration in spring (late May). Abundance, however, varied greatly between sites and years. In July 2019, a spectacular migration of painted ladies was recorded across the study area that was also recorded in other European countries a few weeks later. Territorial behaviour of males, including hill-topping and courtship, oviposition and immature stages were recorded in autumn and winter. Reproductive behaviour was not recorded in spring or summer. Painted ladies were most abundant during the autumn migration, less abundant in spring and much less abundant in winter. This study confirms that the southern tip of Western Europe close to North Africa is an important stop-over region during the migration of painted ladies although numbers fluctuate enormously between years and sites. To my knowledge, this is the first time that the timing of year-round migration and the reproduction of painted ladies in the autumn-winter months have been described for a southern European population.

Multitemporal Landslide Inventory and Activity Analysis by Means of Aerial Photogrammetry and LiDAR Techniques in an Area of Southern Spain

This paper deals with the use of aerial photogrammetry and LiDAR techniques to analyze landslide activity over a long time span—just over 32 years. The data correspond to several aerial surveys (1984, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016) covering an area of about 50 km2 along highway A-44, near Jaén (Southern Spain). An ad hoc combined photogrammetric and LiDAR aerial survey of 2010 was established as the reference flight. This flight was processed by means of direct orientation methods and iterative adjustments between both data sets. Meanwhile, historical flights available in public geographical data servers were oriented by transferring ground control points from the reference flight. Then, digital surface models (DSMs) and orthophotographs were generated, as well as the corresponding differential models (DoDs), which, after the application of filters and taking into account the estimated uncertainty of ± 1 m, allowed us to identify true changes on the ground surface. This analysis, complemented by photointerpretation, led us to obtain a landslide multitemporal inventory in the study area that was analyzed in order to characterize the landslide type, morphology and activity. Three basic typologies were identified: rock falls–collapses, slides and flows. These types present different morphometric properties (area, perimeter and height interval) and are associated with different conditions (height, slope, orientation and lithology). Moreover, a set of monitoring areas, common for the different flights, was also used to analyze the activity throughout the study period. Thus, some more active periods were identified (2009–2010, 2010–2011, 2011–2013 and 1996–2001) among other less active ones (1984–1996, 2001–2005, 2005–2009 and 2013–2016), which are related to rainy events and dry years, respectively.

Combining of MASW and GPR Imaging and Hydrogeological Surveys for the Groundwater Resource Evaluation in a Coastal Urban Area in Southern Spain

This paper conceptualizes and evaluates the groundwater resource in a coastal urban area hydrologically influenced by peri-urban irrigation agriculture. Adra town in southern Spain was the case study chosen to evaluate the groundwater resource contributed from the northern steep urban sector (NSUS) to the southern flat urban sector (SFUS), which belongs to the Adra River Delta Groundwater Body (ARDGB). The methodology included (1) geological and hydrogeological data compilation; (2) thirteen Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), and eight Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles to define shallow geological structures and some hydrogeological features; (3) hydrogeological surveys for aquifer hydraulic definition; (4) conceptualization of the hydrogeological functioning; and (5) the NSUS groundwater resource evaluation. All findings were integrated to prepare a 1:5000 scale hydrogeological map and cross-sections. Ten hydrogeological formations were defined, four of them (Paleozoic weathered bedrock, Pleistocene littoral facies, Holocene colluvial, and anthropogenic filling) in the NSUS contributing to the SFUS. The NSUS groundwater discharge and recharge are, respectively, around 0.28 Mm3 year−1 and 0.31 Mm3 year−1, and the actual groundwater storage is around 0.47 Mm3. The groundwater renewability is high enough to guarantee a durable small exploitation for specific current and future urban water uses which can alleviate the pressure on the ARDGB.

A study of the differences among EFL/ESL methods for reading Comprehension and language awareness

The present paper reports on the effectiveness of the Grammar-Translation
 Method, Communicative Language Teaching and Content and Language Integrated Learning upon reading comprehension and language awareness. The study recruited a convenience sample of 164 Spanish students from a rural area in southern Spain who randomly received these three ESL/EFL methods. The research was focused on two hypotheses. Firstly, L2 reading learning is more effective from CLT and CLIL than GTM. Secondly, CLT and CLIL demand more contextual learning. Results showed CLT method offered more similar results among the reading comprehension tasks (p<.01). However, from a descriptive study, GTM obtained the best performance globally. In all three methods, scores were weakest for pragmatic awareness. However, the interaction between reading comprehension and language awareness suggested that the intervention was more supportive for CLT. Also, significant intra-gender differences according to the learning methodology were found. Study limitations and future research recommendations also were discussed.

In-depth analysis of soil management and farmers’ perceptions of related risks in two olive grove areas in southern Spain

This manuscript presents a questionnaire-based study aimed to provide a detailed analysis on the different soil management carried out by olive farmers in two representative olive-growing areas in southern Spain (Cordoba and Estepa), their perceptions on cover crop use and the possible influence of the different types of farms and farmers’ typologies on these perceptions. Our results show a relatively large variability of soil management, with fourteen options, as a result of a combination of different alternatives for bare soil and cover crops with the use or not of pruning residues, but with a great similarity between both areas. The results indicate a high adoption of soil conservation measures in the two study areas, with 63% of farmers using cover crops and 80% a mulch of pruning residues, higher than that reported in previous studies in Southern Spain, and a trend of lower use of these techniques by less experienced and younger farmers. This high penetration of soil conservation measures resulted in a significant reduction of soil erosion risk, as indicated by the relatively low values for the cover and management factor (C) of RUSLE, also calculated and presented in this study, but also the possibility of focusing further efforts on farmers with less experience. Our results indicate the persistence of a minor, but relevant, percentage of farmers using bare soil management (37%) and no mulching (20%), with a moderate concern on the impact of soil erosion on soil degradation and provision of ecosystem services. This suggests the need to concentrate efforts also on this cluster of farmers to enhance the success of what seems to be a remarkable expansion of the use of soil conservation measures in recent decades in Southern Spain, but also in similar areas in the Mediterranean basin.

Climatic drivers of Verticillium dahliae occurrence in Mediterranean olive-growing areas of southern Spain.

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae, is one of the most harmful diseases in Mediterranean olive-growing areas. Although, the effects of both soil temperature and moisture on V. dahliae are well known, there is scant knowledge about what climatic drivers affect the occurrence of the pathogen on a large scale. Here, we investigate what climatic drivers determine V. dahliae occurrence in olive-growing areas in southern Spain. In order to bridge this gap in knowledge, a large-scale field survey was carried out to collect data on the occurrence of V. dahliae in 779 olive groves in Granada province. Forty models based on competing combinations of climatic variables were fitted and evaluated using information-theoretic methods. A model that included a multiplicative combination of seasonal and extreme climatic variables was found to be the most viable one. Isothermality and the seasonal distribution of precipitation were the most important variables influencing the occurrence of the pathogen. The isothermal effect was in turn modulated by the seasonality of rainfall, and this became less negative as seasonality increases. Thus, V. dahliae occurs more frequently in olive-growing areas where the day-night temperature oscillation is lower than the summer-winter one. We also found that irrigation reduced the influence of isothermality on occurrence. Our results demonstrate that long-term compound climatic factors rather than "primary" variables, such as annual trends, can better explain the spatial patterns of V. dahliae occurrence in Mediterranean, southern Spain. One important implication of our study is that appropriate irrigation management, when temperature oscillation approaches optimal conditions for V. dahliae to thrive, may reduce the appearance of symptoms in olive trees.