From microbiome to biostimulants: unlocking the potential of tomato root endophytes.

Background: Microbe-based biostimulants offer a sustainable and promising alternative to synthetic inputs, potentially reducing or replacing conventional inputs in crop management. Studying the native microbiota, particularly endophytic microbes, helps in selecting those that are naturally adapted to persist and to enhance plant growth under specific environmental conditions. This study aims to define the endophytic microbiota adapted to tomato crops by selecting discriminant amplicon sequence variant (ASVs) that are enriched during key plant growth stages and found in the core microbiota.

Water retting process with hemp pre-treatment: effect on the enzymatic activities and microbial populations dynamic.

Proper retting process of hemp stems, in which efficient separation of cellulose fiber from the rest of the stem is promoted by indigenous microorganisms able to degrade pectin, is essential for fiber production and quality. This research aimed to investigate the effect of a pre-treatment dew retting in field of hemp stalks on the pectinolytic enzymatic activity and microbiota dynamic during lab-scale water retting process. A strong increase in the pectinase activity as well as in the aerobic and anaerobic pectinolytic concentration was observed from 14 to 21 days, especially using hemp stalks that were not subjected to a pre-retting treatment on field (WRF0 0.

Inoculation with a microbial consortium increases soil microbial diversity and improves agronomic traits of tomato under water and nitrogen deficiency.

Microbial-based biostimulants, functioning as biotic and abiotic stress protectants and growth enhancers, are becoming increasingly important in agriculture also in the context of climate change. The search for new products that can help reduce chemical inputs under a variety of field conditions is the new challenge. In this study, we tested whether the combination of two microbial growth enhancers with complementary modes of action, 76A and T22, could facilitate tomato adaptation to a 30% reduction of optimal water and nitrogen requirements.

Fungal Biodeterioration and Preservation of Miniature Artworks.

The study of biodeterioration is an important issue to allow the best conservation and prevent the decay of cultural heritage and artworks. In Naples (Italy), a particular museum (Museodivino) preserves the miniature artworks representing Dante's Divine Comedy and Nativity scenes, executed with organic-based materials in walnut and clay shells. Since they showed putative signs of biodeterioration, the first aim of this study was to verify the presence of microbial colonization.

Impact of conservation tillage on wheat performance and its microbiome.

Winter wheat is an important cereal consumed worldwide. However, current management practices involving chemical fertilizers, irrigation, and intensive tillage may have negative impacts on the environment. Conservation agriculture is often presented as a sustainable alternative to maintain wheat production, favoring the beneficial microbiome.

Extremophilic Microorganisms for the Green Synthesis of Antibacterial Nanoparticles.

The biogenic synthesis of nanomaterials, i.e., synthesis carried out by means of living organisms, is an emerging technique in nanotechnology since it represents a greener and more eco-friendly method for the production of nanomaterials.

Effects of Ionizing Radiation and Long-Term Storage on Hydrated vs. Dried Cell Samples of Extremophilic Microorganisms.

A main factor hampering life in space is represented by high atomic number nuclei and energy (HZE) ions that constitute about 1% of the galactic cosmic rays. In the frame of the "STARLIFE" project, we accessed the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator (HIMAC) facility of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba, Japan. By means of this facility, the extremophilic species and were irradiated with high LET ions (i.

A novel bio-solid phase extractor for preconcentrations of Hg and Sn in food samples.

An ecofriendly preconcentration method was developed based on the use of Geobacillus galactosidasius sp. nov immobilized on Amberlite XAD-4 as an adsorbent for the preconcentrations of Hg and Sn. SEM-EDX performed for the investigation of surface functionality and morphology.

Prokaryotic Diversity of the Composting Thermophilic Phase: The Case of Ground Coffee Compost.

Waste biomass coming from a local coffee company, which supplied burnt ground coffee after an incorrect roasting process, was employed as a starting material in the composting plant of the Experimental Station of the University of Naples Federico II at Castel Volturno (CE). The direct molecular characterization of compost using C-NMR spectra, which was acquired through cross-polarization magic-angle spinning, showed a hydrophobicity index of 2.7% and an alkyl/hydroxyalkyl index of 0.

Development and Application of Low-Cost and Eco-Sustainable Bio-Stimulant Containing a New Plant Growth-Promoting Strain TL13.

The use of beneficial microbes as inoculants able to improve fitness, growth and health of plants also in stress conditions is an attractive low-cost and eco-friendly alternative strategy to harmful chemical inputs. Thirteen potential plant growth-promoting bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat plants cultivated under drought stress and nitrogen deficiency. Among these, the two isolates TL8 and TL13 showed multiple plant growth promotion activities as production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, ammonia, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase production, the ability to solubilize phosphate as well as exerted antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens as spp.

P-Solubilizing MS1B15 With Multiple Plant Growth-Promoting Traits Enhance Barley Development and Regulate Rhizosphere Microbial Population.

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) have been reported to increase phosphate (P) content and plant growth. Their application in agricultural systems is an eco-friendly alternative strategy for limiting negative environmental impact of chemical fertilizers and increasing costs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize new putative PSB to use as inoculum to enhance plant growth and increase P bioavailability in soil.

Graphene-Based and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Monitoring the Physio-Chemical Response of Thermophilic Bacterial Spores to Low Temperatures Exposure.

Monitoring the spore life cycle is one of the main issues in several fields including environmental control, sustainable ecosystems, food security, and healthcare systems. In this framework, the study of the living organism resistance to extreme conditions like those mimicking space environments is particularly interesting. The assessment of the local change of the pH level can be extremely useful for this purpose.

Effectiveness of Plant Beneficial Microbes: Overview of the Methodological Approaches for the Assessment of Root Colonization and Persistence.

Issues concerning the use of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides that have large negative impacts on environmental and human health have generated increasing interest in the use of beneficial microorganisms for the development of sustainable agri-food systems. A successful microbial inoculant has to colonize the root system, establish a positive interaction and persist in the environment in competition with native microorganisms living in the soil through rhizocompetence traits. Currently, several approaches based on culture-dependent, microscopic and molecular methods have been developed to follow bioinoculants in the soil and plant surface over time.

Bio-cleaning of nitrate salt efflorescence on stone samples using extremophilic bacteria.

For the first time, we propose the use of an extremophilic bacterium to remove nitrate salt efflorescence from the surfaces of stone samples. A haloalkaliphilic bacterium was selected "ad hoc" for its ability to reduce nitrates; i.e.

Anaerobic Process for Bioenergy Recovery From Dairy Waste: Meta-Analysis and Enumeration of Microbial Community Related to Intermediates Production.

Dairy wastes are widely studied for the hydrogen and methane production, otherwise the changes in microbial communities related to intermediate valuable products was not deeply investigated. Culture independent techniques are useful tools for exploring microbial communities in engineered system having new insights into their structure and function as well as potential industrial application. The deep knowledge of the microbiota involved in the anaerobic process of specific waste and by-products represents an essential step to better understand the entire process and the relation of each microbial population with biochemical intermediates and final products.

Resistance and Raman spectroscopy analysis of Parageobacillus thermantarcticus spores after γ-ray exposure.

Spores of the genus Bacillus are able to resist ionizing radiations and therefore they are a suitable biological model for studies in Astrobiology, i.e. the multidisciplinary approach to the study of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and in the universe.

-Based Biostimulants Modulate Rhizosphere Microbial Populations and Improve N Uptake Efficiency, Yield, and Nutritional Quality of Leafy Vegetables.

Microbial inoculants such as -based products are receiving great interest among researchers and agricultural producers for their potential to improve crop productivity, nutritional quality as well as resistance to plant pathogens/pests and numerous environmental stresses. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effects of -based biostimulants under suboptimal, optimal and supraoptimal levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization in two leafy vegetables: Iceberg lettuce ( L.) and rocket ( Mill.

The effect of bacterial and archaeal populations on anaerobic process fed with mozzarella cheese whey and buttermilk.

Dairy wastes can be conveniently processed and valorized in a biorefinery value chain since they are abundant, zero-cost and all year round available. For a comprehensive knowledge of the microbial species involved in producing biofuels and valuable intermediates from dairy wastes, the changes in bacterial and archaeal population were evaluated when H, CH and chemical intermediates were produced. Batch anaerobic tests were conducted with a mixture of mozzarella cheese whey and buttermilk as organic substrate, inoculated with 1% and 3% w/v industrial animal manure pellets.

Vibrio coralliirubri sp. nov., a new species isolated from mucus of red coral (Corallium rubrum) collected at Procida island, Italy.

Strain Corallo1 was isolated from mucus of red coral (Corallium rubrum) at Punta Pizzaco (Procida island, Naples, Italy). It was characterised as a Gram-stain negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium. Strain Corallo1 was found to show positive responses for cytochrome-c oxidase, catalase, reduction of nitrate and nitrite, β-galactosidase activity and hydrolysis of starch, xylan, peptone, Tween 40, Tween 80 and casein.

Pre-treatment and inoculum affect the microbial community structure and enhance the biogas reactor performance in a pilot-scale biodigestion of municipal solid waste.

During anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste, organic matter is converted to methane, carbon dioxide, and other organic and inorganic compounds through a complex cooperation among different microbial groups with different metabolic activities. Here, culture-dependent and independent approaches provided evidence for examining the relationship between bacterial and archaeal communities and methane production in a pilot-scale anaerobic digestion. The abundance of aerobic and anaerobic functional groups of C and N cycles, such as cellulolytic, pectinolytic, amylolytic and proteolytic bacteria, was high at the beginning of the experiment and was drastically decreased after anaerobic digestion.

Aeribacillus composti sp. nov., a thermophilic bacillus isolated from olive mill pomace compost.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming, thermophilic bacterium, strain N.8, was isolated from the curing step of an olive mill pomace compost sample, collected at the Composting Experimental Centre (CESCO, Salerno, Italy). Strain N.