Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress.

During recent years, agriculture has been undergoing a significant transformation in response to contemporary economic pressures and the escalating impact of climate change [...

Broomrapes in Major Mediterranean Crops: From Management Strategies to Novel Approaches for Next-Generation Control.

Broomrapes ( and spp.) are parasitic weeds that significantly impact the productivity of major crops in the Mediterranean region, like tomato ( spp.) and faba bean () species.

Mealworm Frass as a Novel Insect Food-Based Attractant: The Case of (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The management of (Rossi, 1790) has relied on chemical insecticides, applied as bait or cover sprays. However, concerns over insecticide resistance and environmental impact have driven the search for more effective and eco-friendly alternatives, such as mass trapping. The aim of the study was to assess a novel food-based attractant, derived from Linnaeus, 1758 excreta "Frass", for its attractiveness to adults compared to widely used commercial food-based attractants.

In Situ Conservation of Orchidaceae Diversity in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (Moroccan Part).

The focus of this study was the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM, part of the biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean Basin) and the Orchidaceae family, which is under-studied in the Moroccan part of the IBRM. For this reason, an inventory of Orchidaceae diversity and factors that could influence their in situ conservation was undertaken, employing a series of field surveys conducted in the Northern Moroccan IBRM ecosystems. In total, 42 sites were surveyed in four protected areas of the Moroccan part of the IBRM.

Biocontrol Potential of Raw Olive Mill Waste Against in Vegetable Crops.

Verticillium wilt caused by the soil-borne fungus causes severe losses to a broad range of economically important crops worldwide. Chemical disease management is ineffective; thus, alternative control strategies are needed. Olive-producing countries face the challenge of managing olive mill wastewater (OMW) in an environmentally friendly and agronomically beneficial manner.

Enhancing Abiotic Stress Resilience in Mediterranean Woody Perennial Fruit Crops: Genetic, Epigenetic, and Microbial Molecular Perspectives in the Face of Climate Change.

Enhanced abiotic stresses such as increased drought, elevated temperatures, salinity, and extreme weather phenomena severely affect major crops in the Mediterranean area, a 'hot spot' of climate change. Plants have evolved mechanisms to face stressful conditions and adapt to increased environmental pressures. Intricate molecular processes involving genetic and epigenetic factors and plant-microbe interactions have been implicated in the response and tolerance to abiotic stress.

Aphid Species in Citrus Orchards in Crete: Key Vectors of Citrus Tristeza Virus and Automated Monitoring Innovations for Alate Aphids.

(CTV) is a vector-borne virus that poses a significant threat to citrus production worldwide, inducing a variety of symptoms. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of local aphids, identification of viruliferous species, and the development of new monitoring tools are necessary to improve CTV control strategies. Herein, a 2-year survey was conducted to assess the frequency of aphid species infesting several citrus pilot orchards.

Molecular and morphological characterization of -group cyst nematodes (Heteroderidae) from Greece.

Cyst nematodes of the genus comprise 87 nominal species of economically important plant parasites, with the group one of the largest, consisting of 12 species. Samplings for cyst nematode studies were carried out from multiple locations in Greece from 2013 to 2021. Cysts of the genus were recovered from potato fields, athletic stadium turfgrass and a garlic field.

A Comparative Phytochemical Investigation of the Greek Members of the Genus Mill., with Emphasis on the Local Endemic Boiss and Orph.

The members of the genus Mill. are notable for producing a diverse range of structurally intricate secondary metabolites, being the focus of current phytochemical research. Their importance is recognized as several species hold significant ethnopharmacological value, being traditionally used to address ailments in human systems, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary conditions, among others.

Virulence of Five Root-Knot Nematodes ( spp.) on Nine Industrial Hemp ( L.) Varieties and Nematicidal Potential of Hemp Seed Extracts Against .

The most common and damaging plant parasitic nematodes are root-knot nematodes (RNK). Although hemp has been clearly infected by RNK, little information is available regarding the extent of the damage and losses caused. In addition, no information is available concerning hemp seed extracts' activity against RNK.

Altitude's Impact on the Rhizosphere Prokaryotic Communities of the Cretan Endemic Plant (L.) A.DC.

The present study examined the effect of the three different altitudes on the enzymatic activity and the prokaryotic communities of the rhizosphere of (L.) A.DC.

Predicting oil accumulation by fruit image processing and linear models in traditional and super high-density olive cultivars.

The paper focuses on the seasonal oil accumulation in traditional and super-high density (SHD) olive plantations and its modelling employing image-based linear models. For these purposes, at 7-10-day intervals, fruit samples (cultivar Arbequina, Fasola, Frantoio, Koroneiki, Leccino, Maiatica) were pictured and images segmented to extract the Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B) mean pixel values which were re-arranged in 35 RGB-derived colorimetric indexes (). After imaging, the samples were crushed and oil concentration was determined (NIR).

High-resolution gene expression atlases of two contrasting major Greek olive (Olea europaea L.) tree cultivars for oil and table olive production.

Description Of Aims And Systems Used: Olive (Olea europea L.) is one of the most economically important tree crops worldwide, especially for the countries in the Mediterranean basin. Given the economic and nutritional importance of the crop for olive oil and drupe production, we generated transcriptional atlases for the Greek olive cultivars "Chondrolia Chalkidikis" and "Koroneiki" which have contrasting characteristics in terms of fruit development, oil production properties, and use.

Response of L. (Cretan dittany) to Five Species of Root-Knot Nematodes ( spp.).

Cretan dittany ( L.) is an aromatic and medicinal plant, local endemic of the island of Crete, Greece, occurring naturally to high rocky mountain habitats. Due to its commercial interest, cultivation of this plant has been recently expanded.

Evaluation of phenolics in the analysis of virgin olive oil using near infrared spectroscopy.

Olive oil is an indispensable part of the diet in Mediterranean regions, and is appreciated worldwide for its sensory characteristics, combining a fine aroma and pleasant flavor with the high nutritional value of specific chemical compounds. However, making rapid measurements of phenolic compounds is a major challenge for the olive oil sector. The development of a new method based on near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy may be considered an important advance for the sector, as it is rapid, low-cost, non-contaminant and non-destructive.

The Elimination of Viroids through In Vitro Thermotherapy and a Meristem Tip Culture from a New Limonime Hybrid ( x var. (L.) Burm. f. x var. ).

Viruses and viroids pose a significant challenge in citriculture, and their control is crucial for plant health. This study evaluated the effectiveness of in vitro thermotherapy combined with a meristem tip culture for eliminating citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) and hop stunt viroid (HSVd) from a new limonime hybrid ( x var. x var.

Rapid real-time quantitative colorimetric LAMP methodology for field detection of Verticillium dahliae in crude olive-plant samples.

Background: Verticilium dahliae is the most important wilt pathogen of olive trees with a broad host range causing devastating diseases currently without any effective chemical control. Traditional detection methodologies are based on symptoms-observation or lab-detection using time consuming culturing or molecular techniques. Therefore, there is an increasing need for portable tools that can detect rapidly V.

Transcriptomic Approach for Investigation of spp. Resistance upon Early-Stage Broomrape Parasitism.

Tomato () is a major horticultural crop of high economic importance. and genera (broomrapes) are parasitic weeds, constituting biotic stressors that impact tomato production. Developing varieties with tolerance to broomrapes has become imperative for sustainable agriculture.

Gene Expression Profiling and Qualitative Characteristics in Delaying Flesh Softening of Avocado Fruits.

In this research, qualitative characteristics were studied under different post-harvest treatments in Hass and Fuerte cultivars of avocado () fruits. The post-harvest treatments performed in fruits of these cultivars comprised Ethrel application and plastic film (membrane) covering. The measurements of qualitative characteristics were related to color; flesh consistency; measurements of titratable acidity, total soluble solids, percentage of total phenolic contents, and ascorbic peroxidase activity; and the real-time (quantitative) polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of gene expression and enzyme activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and beta-galactosidase (β-gal).

Optimizing Agroecological Measures for Climate-Resilient Olive Farming in the Mediterranean.

In order to evaluate the potential of climate change mitigation measures on soil physiochemical properties, an experiment based on the application of five agroecological practices such as the addition of composted olive-mill wastes, recycling pruning residue, cover crops, organic insect manure, and reduced soil tillage, solely or combined, was conducted over two years (2020 to 2022) in a 48-year-old olive plantation. The results showed significant increases in soil water content during the spring and summer periods for the combined treatment (compost + pruning residue + cover crops) (ALL) compared to the control (CONT) by 41.6% and 51.

Crop Landraces and Indigenous Varieties: A Valuable Source of Genes for Plant Breeding.

Landraces and indigenous varieties comprise valuable sources of crop species diversity. Their utilization in plant breeding may lead to increased yield and enhanced quality traits, as well as resilience to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Recently, new approaches based on the rapid advancement of genomic technologies such as deciphering of pangenomes, multi-omics tools, marker-assisted selection (MAS), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing greatly facilitated the exploitation of landraces in modern plant breeding.