Salento Area Research Articles

Assessment of Fatty Acid and Oxylipin Profile of Resprouting Olive Trees Positive to Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in Salento (Apulia, Italy).

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca ST53 (XFP), the causal agent of olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), was thoroughly investigated after a 2013 outbreak in the Salento region of Southern Italy. Some trees from Ogliarola Salentina and Cellina di Nardò, susceptible cultivars in the Gallipoli area, the first XFP infection hotspot in Italy, have resprouted crowns and are starting to flower and yield fruits. Satellite imagery and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index analyses revealed a significant improvement in vegetation health and productivity from 2018 to 2022 of these trees. Lipid molecules have long been recognized as plant defense modulators, and recently, we investigated their role in XFP-positive hosts and in XFP-resistant as well as in XFP-susceptible cultivars of olive trees. Here, we present a case study regarding 36 olive trees (12 XFP-positive resprouting, 12 XFP-positive OQDS-symptomatic, and 12 XFP-negative trees) harvested in 2022 within the area where XFP struck first, killing millions of trees in a decade. These trees were analyzed for some free fatty acid, oxylipin, and plant hormones, in particular jasmonic and salicylic acid, by targeted LC-MS/MS. Multivariate analysis revealed that lipid markers of resistance (e.g., 13-HpOTrE), along with jasmonic and salicylic acid, were accumulated differently in the XFP-positive resprouting trees from both cultivars with respect to XFP-positive OQDS symptomatic and XFP-negative trees, suggesting a correlation of lipid metabolism with the resprouting, which can be an indication of the resiliency of these trees to OQDS. This is the first report concerning the resprouting of OQDS-infected olive trees in the Salento area.

Tourist itineraries for Sustainable Mobility: an application in the Salento Area (Italy)

The purpose of this work is to define the design process, implemented through an analytical methodology, of two sustainable mobility tourist routes in a specific area of southern Italy (Salento); methodology applicable to other territorial realities. This design process was developed in the context of the 2014/2020 Interreg V-A Greece-Italy cross-border cooperation strategic project called "AI SMART_Adriatic Ionian Small Port Network". It takes into account the analysis of existing Plans and Programs at different levels (Sustainable Mobility Urban Plans; cycling routes; Territorial Plans, etc.), the analysis of statistical data in the area related to employment and tourism; the interlocution with key stakeholders, the analysis of architectural, landscape and food and wine surpluses. These routes have been defined for the interaction of the port of Otranto with the hinterland territories and with the opposite Ionian coast to promote the sustainable and inclusive transnational tourist fruition of the Apulian territory. The genesis of the two thematic itineraries stems from the need/willingness to valorise some areas of Salento through the connection of significant nodes in terms of landscape, architectural and historical value, which define two routes with Pulsano and Otranto as their vertices. The project brings together the potential of the Salento as an area with a strong tourist value, with the theme of sustainable mobility, suggesting the seasonality of travel of each, to meet the needs of deseasonalization of an area with a high summer and seaside tourism vocation.

Rurality as a driver of tourist demand in the Salento area: a systemic approach

ABSTRACT After the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak, the Salento area (Southern Italy) needs a strategic plan aimed at disclosing the potentials of rurality. The study aim is to establish empirical evidence regarding the importance of the cultural, heritage and territorial components in acting as drivers for tourism flows. Using weighted least squares (WLS) regression models, the study analyses the 145 municipalities within the provinces of Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce. The proposed models estimate the relationship between tourist arrivals and numbers and territorial independent variables. Results demonstrate that rurality is a driver of tourist demand and reveal some specific components which allow for an increase in tourism growth, particularly agritourism locations as places where agricultural multifunctionality is realised. Policymakers may benefit from the results, which can be considered foundational for the development of territorial strategies aimed at creating alternative income for the local communities and restoring damages caused by the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak.

Valorization of a Local Italian Pear (Pyrus communis L. cv. ‘Petrucina’)

In recent decades, the food production chain has undergone transformations that have profoundly affected the way food is supplied, causing changes in the quality of the final products. Moreover, biodiversity is seriously threatened worldwide, and the valorization of local germplasm is a priority goal for most sectorial policies in Europe and elsewhere. Southern Italy and the Mediterranean basin present a vast heritage of fruit tree cultivars that is gradually being lost. Through this work, we aim to valorize a well-adapted local pear cultivar named Petrucina from the Salento area (southeastern Italy, Apulia region), which has never been studied before in detail. With this aim, the nutritional and nutraceutical features of pear flesh were characterized and compared with a reference pear cultivar that is widespread and well-known in Europe (cv. ‘Conference’). Petrucina fruits have shown a peculiar aromatic compound profile, and a content of up to 398.3, 30.9, and 4.7 mg/100 g FW of malic acid, citric acid, and ascorbic acid, respectively, much higher than that of Conference fruits. Additionally, Petrucina flesh presents a more than triple total phenolic content and an antioxidant activity more than double that of Conference, making Petrucina a true functional food that deserves wide appreciation.

The Significance of Xylem Structure and Its Chemical Components in Certain Olive Tree Genotypes with Tolerance to Xylella fastidiosa Infection.

Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) is a devastating plant disease caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). Exploratory missions in the Salento area led to the identification of putatively Xf-resistant olive trees (putatively resistant plants, PRPs) which were pauci-symptomatic or asymptomatic infected plants belonging to different genetic clusters in orchards severely affected by OQDS. To investigate the defense strategies employed by these PRPs to contrast Xf infection, the PRPs were analyzed for the anatomy and histology of xylem vessels, patterns of Xf distribution in host tissues (by the fluorescent in situ hybridization technique-FISH) and the presence of secondary metabolites in stems. The xylem vessels of the PRPs have an average diameter significantly lower than that of susceptible plants for each annual tree ring studied. The histochemical staining of xylem vessels highlighted an increase in the lignin in the parenchyma cells of the medullary rays of the wood. The 3D images obtained from FISH-LSM (laser scanning microscope) revealed that, in the PRPs, Xf cells mostly appeared as individual cells or as small aggregates; in addition, these bacterial cells looked to be incorporated in the autofluorescence signal of gels and phenolic compounds regardless of hosts' genotypes. In fact, the metabolomic data from asymptomatic PRP stems showed a significant increase in compounds like salicylic acid, known as a signal molecule which mediates host responses upon pathogen infection, and luteolin, a naturally derived flavonoid compound with antibacterial properties and with well-known anti-biofilm effects. Findings indicate that the xylem vessel geometry together with structural and chemical defenses are among the mechanisms operating to control Xf infection and may represent a common resistance trait among different olive genotypes.

A Case of Subclinical Malaria in the Salento Area (Apulia Region-Southern Italy) Identified by DASIT’s Sysmex XN 2000 Blood Cell Counter

A Case of Subclinical Malaria in the Salento Area (Apulia Region-Southern Italy) Identified by DASIT’s Sysmex XN 2000 Blood Cell Counter

Incidence of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers in Salento (Southern Italy): A 15-Year Retrospective Analysis from the Cancer Registry of Lecce.

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) include basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), as well as a wide range of rare skin tumors. NMSCs is the most frequently diagnosed type of tumor among Caucasians. We aimed at estimating the incidence and mortality of NMSCs in the Salento area (Lecce province, Southern Italy), whose population is assumed to experience heavy and frequent sun exposure due to climatic/environmental factors, both for working and leisure activities. We computed the incidence of NMSCs in the Province of Lecce by examining the comprehensive real-world data collected by the local cancer registry, which covers all the 830,000 inhabitants, over a period of fifteen years (from 2003 to 2017), with a focus on the latest 5 years (2013-2017) for the analysis of the different histologic morphologies of these tumors. The incidence of NMSCs has been described in terms of absolute frequencies, crude rates and age-adjusted direct standardized rates (DSR). Joinpoint analysis was used to examine temporal trends in the incidence of NMSCs and estimate annual percent changes (APCs). During the period of 2003-2017, the incidence of NMSCs reached a direct standardized rate (DSR) of 162.62 per 100,000 in men (mortality 1.57 per 100,000) and 89.36 per 100,000 in women (mortality 0.52 per 100,000), respectively. The incidence significantly increased among both men and women across the entire period. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), with its different morphologies, represented about 67.6% of the NMSCs in men (n = 2139 out of a total of 3161 tumors observed between 2013 and 2017) and about 75.8% of the NMSCs in women (n = 1718 out of a total of 2264 tumors from 2013 to 2017), thus accounting for the vast majority of NMSCs. The results are consistent with the literature data carried out both at national and international level. Proper monitoring of this phenomenon through timely reporting and recording of all new NMSC cases is necessary to develop new preventive strategies.

Ulía

Ulía is the word for olive in the Salento area of Italy. Ulía is also the word meaning’ I’d like to/ love to’, in the local dialect. The linguistic assonances are only one of the many dimensions that link olive trees and humanity, past and future, nature and desire. Recently, Salento’s hundreds-years-old olive trees have been attacked by a disease called Xylella Fastidiosa. In this paper, I analyze the presence and role of both Pagan and non-Pagan ‘neo-animist’ political discourses oriented toward the cure, preservation, tutelage and guardianship of Salento’s olive trees under threat of felling and eradication.

First report of Ceratocystis ficicola causing wilt disease on common fig (Ficus carica) in Italy.

Common fig (Ficus carica L.) in is one of the most important crops in the Mediterranean area. In Italy, it is grown on a total area of 2118 ha. In Apulia (South-eastern Italy), the annual production of fig exceeds 3200 tons annually and together with olive and grapevine, they characterize the Apulian agricultural panorama. In September 2021, symptoms of a vascular wilt disease and, in severe cases, decline tree mortality were observed in Salento area (Apulia). Symptomatic Affected plants showed symptoms of leaf wilt and different stages of disease expression, which begins with leaf chlorosis on shoots, followed by wilting, extensive defoliation and twig dieback. On the main branches andlower part of the trunk and in some cases on lateral branches, bark cracks and cankers were observed and extended wood discoloration was detected in cross sections. In two orchards located in Salice Salentino (Site 1) and Squinzano (Site 2), where disease incidence exceeded 80%, 3-5 wood discs per tree were gathered from affected tissues from two (Site 1) and four (Site 2) trees. Isolations were performed on malt extract agar 2% amended with 0.5 g L-1 streptomycin sulfate. A Ceratocystis species was recovered from all samples trees with high frequencies (83.3%). Two-week-old colonies on potato dextrose agar showed black ascomata with 300-600 µm wide bases and 1100-2250 µm long necks. On the tips of the necks, ascospores (5-6x4-5 µm) exuded in creamy white sticky masses. Endoconidia (5-9x4.5-7 µm) were abundant, cylindrical, aseptate, and produced in chains. Two monoconidial representative strains CRSFA.Cer.033 (Site 1) and CRSFA.Cer.035 (Site 2) were deposited in the DISSPA Di.S.S.P.A. collection of the University of Bari. Species identification was done through sequence analyses of rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) using ITS5/ITS4 primers (White et al. 1990), elongation factor 1 alpha gene (TEF) using EF1/EF2 (O'Donnell et al. 1998) and RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2) gene using RPB2-5F/FRPB2fRPB2-7cR (Liu et al. 1999). Sequences were deposited in NCBI GenBank (accession numbers: OQ329983-OQ335969 (ITS), OQ352265-OQ352266 (TEF), OQ352268-OQ352267 (RPB2)). The sequences of both Apulian isolates were identical. BLAST searches revealed high similarity to the sequences of two isolates of Ceratocystis ficicola Kajitani and Masuya from Japan: ex-type CMW38543 and CMW38544, specifically 98.41% identity matching with KY685076 (ITS), 100% with KY685079 (TEF), and 99.87% with KY685083 and KY685082 (RPB2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted, on six common fig 'Dottato' seedlings by inoculating one year-old twigs with mycelium plugs (Bolboli et al. 2022). Control plants were inoculated with PDA plugs without mycelium. After one month, all inoculated twigs showed symptoms of wilt. Forty days post-inoculation, the bark of inoculated twigs was removed, and longitudinal and transverse sections revealed wood discolorations extending above and below the inoculation point. Ceratocystis ficicola was consistently reisolated from symptomatic tissues and identified as described above, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. Neither symptoms nor positive isolations were observed in control seedlings. The pathogen was first described in 2011 in Japan (Kajitani and Masuya, 2011) where it currently affects all fig-producing areas. In 2018, it was reported for the first time in the EPPO region in Greece (Tsopelas et al., 2021), and to our knowledge, this is the first report on its detection in Italy. Since February 2022, C. ficicola has been included in the EPPO alert list because of its potential to cause tree mortality and the difficulty of its eradication. Regional national surveys are therefore urgently needed to determine its distribution in the fig growing areas of Italy and limit its spread. References Bolboli, Z., et al. 2022. Mycol. Prog. 21:89. doi: 10.1007/s11557-022-01834-9 Kajitani, Y., and Masuya, H., 2011. Mycoscience 52:349. doi: 10.1007/s10267-011-0116-5 Liu, Y. J., et al. 1999. Mol. Biol. and Evol. 16:1799. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026092 O'Donnell, K., et al. 1998. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:2044. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.5.2044 Tsopelas, P., et al. 2021. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 60:337. doi: 10.36253/phyto-12794 White, T. J., et al. 1990. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego. doi: 10.1016/0307-4412(91)90165-5.

«Chi si aspetterebbe un Pordenone a Gallipoli?»

The Saint Francis of Assisi with three angels crowning him in a day landscape and two donors in prayer has been known at least since the end of the seventeenth century in the church of San Francesco in Gallipoli, in the province of Lecce (currently the Saint Francis is relocated in the Diocesan Museum - section of Gallipoli “Mons. Vittorio Fusco”). In 1951 Giovanni Urbani brought it to the national attention of art history studies as the work of one of Titian’s greatest contemporaries, Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis known as Pordenone, based on an intuition of Sabino Jusco. Yet the provenance of the higher quality sixteenth-century work in a church in the Salento area remains mysterious. The direct inspection of the Saint Francis, including recent exhibitions and restoration interventions, made it possible to re-examine in depth or for the first time the issues concerning the genesis, chronology, paths and commissioning of the painting.

The Epidemiology and Control of “Olive Quick Decline Syndrome” in Salento (Apulia, Italy)

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca sequence type 53 was found to be associated with olive trees showing extensive twig and branch dieback and plant death in the Gallipoli area of Salento and the common name of “olive quick decline syndrome” (OQDS) was given to the disease. Repeated interceptions in Europe and Italy of ornamental coffee plants originated from Central America, jointly in phylogenetic analyses of many strains of the pathogen, indicated this origin as the most probable source of its introduction in Salento. Drought events could have been conducive to the initial outbreaks of the disease. Subsequently, the pathogen largely spread over the territory according to a “stratified dispersal” model. The high susceptibility of the local cultivars Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò, a low soil content of zinc, copper, and manganese, improper pruning, and adverse climatic events could have further contributed to the spread of the pathogen. The polyphagous insect Philaenus spumarius L. is the main vector of the bacterium in the area. The adults were detected X. f. subsp. pauca-positive in early May, and their incidence was higher during spring and early autumn when they efficiently spread the bacterium among the olive trees. Many other host plant species can host the bacterium, and some of them can act as a “reservoir” for the disease spread. The aggressive fungus Neofusicoccum mediterraneum Crous, M.J. Wingf. And A.J.L. Philips, could also be involved in OQDS. A sustainable control strategy for reducing the incidence and severity of X. f. subsp. pauca in the olive groves of Salento that allows the trees to produce is presented and discussed. Resilient trees of Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò have been observed in the heavily infected areas of Salento.

Landscape and Vegetation Patterns Zoning Is a Methodological Tool for Management Costs Implications Due to Xylella fastidiosa Invasion

Philaenus spumarius (Linnaeus 1758, hereafter Ps) is considered one of the main insect vectors responsible for the spread of an alien biota, Xylella fastidiosa (Wells 1987, hereafter Xf), in the Salento area, Apulia region (Southern Italy). Effective management of this biological invader depends on the continuous surveillance and monitoring of its insect vector. As such, this research elicits the invasion drivers (i.e., landscape and vegetation indicators) that influence the abundance and the dynamics of this vector and, consequently, the spatial spread of this bacterium in this Italian region. For this purpose, a spatial pattern clustering methodological approach is considered. The results reveal that spatial variation and territorial differentiation may differ from zone to zone in the same invaded area, for which effective management and monitoring planning should be addressed. Further, six agro-ecosystems zones have been identified with respect to five indicators: (i) vegetation index, (ii) intensity of cultivation, (iii) cultural diversity, (iv) density of agricultural landscape elements, and (v) altitude. This paper has public implications and contributes to an understanding of how zoning of an infected area, by an alien biota, into homogenous zones may impact its effective management costs. This approach could also be applied in other countries affected or potentially affected by the phenomenon of Xf invasion.

“If You Dance Alone, You Cannot Be Healed”: Relational Ontologies and "Epistemes of Contagion" in Salento (Italy)

In this article I focus on neo-animist, relational ontologies that are active within and beyond contemporary Pagan communities in the Salento area of Italy. By addressing case-studies such as "spiritual neotarantismo," the querelle around the Xylella Fastidiosa epidemics that has been affecting olive trees, and NoTAP activism, I argue that many Salentinians today pursue health and well-being by embracing neo-animist attitudes that consider human and non-human persons alike as kin. By analyzing these neo-animist stances in conversation with the work of the philosopher Roberto Esposito, I will offer examples of ways of being in which "contact, relationality, and being in common" are not "liquidated" (Esposito, Welch, and Lemm 2021a), but fostered and put at the center of personal and collective practices of well-being and of political activism.

Contribution of Intermediate and High Trophic Level Species to Benthic-Pelagic Coupling: Insights From Modelling Analysis

Benthic-pelagic coupling (BPC) is a combination of downward (from pelagic to benthic) and upward (from benthic to pelagic) flows of organic matter and nutrients mediated by trophic interactions in the food web. Hydrological changes in marine ecosystems affect BPC patterns at several temporal and spatial scales. Thus, a food-web perspective help to to quantify and disentangle the role of ecosystem components and high trophic levels species in the BPC. This study investigated the spatio-temporal variability of energy and matter flows between the benthic and pelagic domains in two areas (Salento and Calabria) of the Northern Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea) during two different periods. The region is subject to large-scale oceanographic changes, e.g., the Adriatic-Ionian Bimodal Oscillating Systems (BiOS), that might result in relevant spatial and temporal BPC changes. Four food-web models describe the trophic structure, the role of ecosystem components and energy flows in the Salento and Calabrian areas, during two BiOS periods, the anticyclonic (1995-1997) and the cyclonic phases (2003-2005). The food webs are described by 58 functional groups obtained by aggregating species into ecological domains, depth gradients and biological traits. The role of species in the BPC has been quantified using a new Benthic-Pelagic Coupling Index calculated on the basis of food web flows estimated by models. The results highlight the pivotal role of deep faunal communities, in which demersal and benthopelagic species sustain upward energy flows towards the pelagic domain and shelf faunal communities. Temporal changes driven by BiOS affect the trophic state of the deep communities resulting in considerable variations in their amount of consumption flows. In addition, the presence of submarine canyons seems to better support the stability of the Calabrian food web in both investigated periods, whereas geomorphological traits of the Salento area seem to support greater pelagic production during the cyclonic period than the anticyclonic one. Benthopelagic species show an important role as couplers. In particular, Aristaemorpha foliacea, Hoplostetus mediterraneus, Macrourids and Plesionika martia are important couplers of bathyal communities in both areas.

Screening of Olive Biodiversity Defines Genotypes Potentially Resistant to Xylella fastidiosa.

The recent outbreak of the Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), caused by Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xf), is dramatically altering ecosystem services in the peninsula of Salento (Apulia Region, southeastern Italy). Here we report the accomplishment of several exploratory missions in the Salento area, resulting in the identification of thirty paucisymptomatic or asymptomatic plants in olive orchards severely affected by the OQDS. The genetic profiles of such putatively resistant plants (PRPs), assessed by a selection of ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, were compared with those of 141 Mediterranean cultivars. Most (23) PRPs formed a genetic cluster (K1) with 22 Italian cultivars, including ‘Leccino’ and ‘FS17’, previously reported as resistant to Xf. The remaining PRPs displayed relatedness with genetically differentiated germplasm, including a cluster of Tunisian cultivars. Markedly lower colonization levels were observed in PRPs of the cluster K1 with respect to control plants. Field evaluation of four cultivars related to PRPs allowed the definition of partial resistance in the genotypes ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Nocellara Messinese’. Some of the PRPs identified in this study might be exploited in cultivation, or as parental clones of breeding programs. In addition, our results indicate the possibility to characterize resistance to Xf in cultivars genetically related to PRPs.

Antitumor and antimigration effects of Salvia clandestina L. extract on osteosarcoma cells.

Salvia clandestina L. is a wild perennial species present in the Salento area of Italy. Here, we examined the in vitro effects of an aqueous extract of S. clandestina L. on the MG‐63 osteosarcoma cell line. The extract reduced osteosarcoma cell viability mainly by way of apoptosis, as we observed (1) upregulation of gene and protein expression of p53, cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors p21WAF1 and p27Kip1, and proapoptotic BAX; (2) activation of caspases; and (3) induction of a sub‐G1 peak in the cell cycle. The mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) JNK1/2 and p38 are activated and involved in the intracellular effects of the S. clandestina extract, as preincubation with the JNK1/2 inhibitor SP600125 or the p38 inhibitor SB203580 significantly decreased S. clandestina extract–induced cytotoxicity and inhibited increase in p53, p21WAF1, p27Kip1, and BAX. SP600125 also inhibited mRNA levels for all the aforementioned proteins, while SB203580 only affected p53 mRNA. Furthermore, S. clandestina extract treatment counteracted epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition, inhibited cell migration, and decreased the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase MMP2. In addition, S. clandestina extract enhanced the cytotoxic activity of cisplatin on MG‐63 cells through downregulation of the Akt/PKB protein kinase. We conclude that S. clandestina extract may be a novel agent for osteosarcoma treatment.

Olive Cultivars Susceptible or Tolerant to Xylella fastidiosa Subsp. pauca Exhibit Mid-Term Different Metabolomes upon Natural Infection or a Curative Treatment.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, is a bacterial phytopathogen associated with the “olive quick decline syndrome” (OQDS) causing severe economic losses to olive groves in Salento area (Apulia, Italy). In a previous work, we analyzed by 1H-NMR the metabolic pattern of naturally infected Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò susceptible cultivars untreated and treated with a zinc-copper citric acid biocomplex and we observed the treatment related variation of the disease biomarker quinic acid. In this study, we focused also on the Leccino cultivar, known to exhibit tolerance to the disease progression. The 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach was applied with the aim to characterize the overall metabolism of tolerant Leccino in comparison with the susceptible cultivars Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò under periodic mid-term treatment. In particular, we studied the leaf extract molecular patterns of naturally infected trees untreated and treated with the biocomplex. The metabolic Leccino profiles were analyzed for the first time and compared with those exhibited by the susceptible Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola salentina cultivars. The study highlighted a specificity in the metabolic response of the tolerant Leccino compared to susceptible cultivars. These differences provide useful information to describe the defensive mechanisms underlying the change of metabolites as a response to the infection, and the occurrence of different levels of disease, season and treatment effects for olive cultivars.

Assessment of the Hyperspectral Data Analysis as a Tool to Diagnose Xylella fastidiosa in the Asymptomatic Leaves of Olive Plants.

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial pathogen affecting many plant species worldwide. Recently, the subspecies pauca (Xfp) has been reported as the causal agent of a devastating disease on olive trees in the Salento area (Apulia region, southeastern Italy), where centenarian and millenarian plants constitute a great agronomic, economic, and landscape trait, as well as an important cultural heritage. It is, therefore, important to develop diagnostic tools able to detect the disease early, even when infected plants are still asymptomatic, to reduce the infection risk for the surrounding plants. The reference analysis is the quantitative real time-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (qPCR) of the bacterial DNA. The aim of this work was to assess whether the analysis of hyperspectral data, using different statistical methods, was able to select with sufficient accuracy, which plants to analyze with PCR, to save time and economic resources. The study area was selected in the Municipality of Oria (Brindisi). Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) indicated that the most important bands were those related to the chlorophyll function, water, lignin content, as can also be seen from the wilting symptoms in Xfp-infected plants. The confusion matrix of CDA showed an overall accuracy of 0.67, but with a better capability to discriminate the infected plants. Finally, an unsupervised classification, using only spectral data, was able to discriminate the infected plants at a very early stage of infection. Then, in phase of testing qPCR should be performed only on the plants predicted as infected from hyperspectral data, thus, saving time and financial resources.

Predisposing Factors for “Olive Quick Decline Syndrome” in Salento (Apulia, Italy)

Recently, a new severe disease has been reported in the Salento area (Apulia region, southern Italy) in the multimillennial olive agro-ecosystem, given the common name “olive quick decline syndrome” (OQDS). Together with Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, some pathogenic fungi such as Phaeoacremonium spp. have been found associated with the disease. The main predisposing factors to the disease seem to be local cultivar susceptibility, depletion of some micronutrients in the soil that could be related to some agronomical practices favoring the depletion of soil fertility, an incorrect pruning cycle, climatic changes that result in increased soil waterlogging, and frost and drought events. The possible synergistic action of microorganisms other than X. f. subsp. pauca cannot be excluded. The features characterizing the areas where OQDS first appeared and subsequently spread, described and discussed here, would point to a rather fragile environment where one or more adverse climatic and/or edaphic factors could have acted together. The intrinsic peculiarities and management of the Salento olive agro-ecosystem could also have played a fundamental role in enhancing the virulence of X. f. subsp. pauca once introduced from abroad.

How Authenticity and Tradition Shift into Sustainability and Innovation: Evidence from Italian Agritourism.

This study investigates the topic of innovation strategies based on tradition in the wake of sustainability, in the agritourism sector, as derived from the phenomenon of multifunctionality in agriculture. The results reveal that the tangible and intangible resources that originate from tradition are drivers for innovation. The research highlights how tradition, as grounded on diverse foundations, is able to generate novel products and services stemming from an innovative arrangement of past events, particularly the identity of a place, which brings out its authenticity and makes it even more attractive. In this paper, we delve into the multifaceted outcomes that tangible and intangible traditions have on the innovation and distinctive standing of this rising accommodation offer with regard to post-productivism agriculture, and how this is accomplished while also looking for sustainability. The sourced dataset is based on a qualitative investigation of 10 cases in the Salento area of Puglia, a region of southern Italy. Tradition-grounded strategies proved to have several viable routes leading to innovation and bear positive impacts on the territory and the creation of value, yielding significant results both for scholars and practitioners.