Influence of Chabazite Zeolite Foliar Applications Used for Olive Fruit Fly Control on Volatile Organic Compound Emission, Photosynthesis, and Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae Rossi) is the most dangerous pest of olive fruits and negatively influences the chemical and sensory quality of the oil produced. Organic farms have few tools against this pest and are constantly looking for effective and sustainable products such as geomaterials, i.e., zeolite. Since a particle film covers the canopy, a study was carried out on the olive tree's responses to zeolite foliar coating. The tested treatments were natural zeolite (NZ), zeolite enriched with ammonium (EZ), and Spintor-Fly® (SF). EZ was associated with higher photosynthetic activity with respect to the other treatments, while no differences were found between SF and NZ. Foliar treatments affect the amount of BVOC produced in both leaves and olives, where 26 and 23 different BVOCs (biogenic volatile organic compounds) were identified but not the type of compounds emitted. Foliar treatment with EZ significantly affected fruit size, and the olive fruit fly more frequently attacked the olives, while treatment with NZ had olives with similar size and attack as those treated with Spintor-Fly®; no difference in oil quantity was detected. Oil produced from olives treated with NZ presented higher values of phenolic content and intensities of bitterness and spiciness than oils from those treated with EZ and SF. According to the results of this study, using zeolite films on an olive tree canopy does not negatively influence plant physiology; it has an impact on BVOC emission and the chemical and sensory characteristics of the oil.

Distinct Particle Films Impacts on Olive Leaf Optical Properties and Plant Physiology

The olive fruit fly is worldwide considered a major harmful pest of the olive agroecosystem. In Italy, the fruit fly infestation is traditionally countered by spraying chemical insecticides (e.g., dimethoate), but due to the recent ban of dimethoate by the Reg EU2019/1090 and the increasing awareness of consumers of food sustainability, the interest in developing chemical-free alternatives to pesticides, such as the use of particle-films, is rising. A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of different particle films (kaolin-base and zeolitite-base) on leaf gas exchanges and leaf optical properties. Results showed that with the dust accumulation on the leaves’ surface, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water use efficiency were significantly lower in kaolin-treated olive trees compared to those treated with zeolitite and to the control, while olive trees treated with zeolitite showed physiological parameters similar to the untreated plants. Microstructural differences of different particle film on the leaf and olive surfaces emerged by ESEM observations also influenced leaf optical properties. Oils produced by zeolitite-treated plants show higher intensities of gustatory and olfactory secondary flavors compared to kaolin and test oils.

Chemical Ecology of Capnodis tenebrionis (L.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): Behavioral and Biochemical Strategies for Intraspecific and Host Interactions

This study focuses on several aspects of communication strategies adopted by adults of the Mediterranean flat-headed root-borer Capnodis tenebrionis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Morphological studies on the structures involved in mate recognition and acceptance revealed the presence of porous areas in the pronota in both sexes. These areas were variable in shape and size, but proportionally larger in males. The presence of chaetic, basiconic, and coeloconic sensilla in the antennae of both males and females was verified. Bioassays revealed stereotyped rituals in males and the involvement of female pronotal secretions in mate recognition and acceptance. During the mating assays, the female’s pronotum was covered by a biologically inert polymeric resin (DenFil^TM), which prevented males from detecting the secretions and from completing the copulation ritual. The use of the resin allowed for the collection of chemical compounds. GC-MS analysis of the resin suggested it may be used to retain compounds from insect body surfaces and revealed sex-specific chemical profiles in the cuticles. Since adult C. tenebrionis may use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from leaves or shoots, the VOC emission profiles of apricot trees were characterized. Several volatiles related to plant-insect interactions involving fruit tree species of the Rosaceae family and buprestid beetles were identified. To improve understanding of how VOCs are perceived, candidate soluble olfactory proteins involved in chemoreception (odorant-binding proteins and chemosensory proteins) were identified using tissue and sex-specific RNA-seq data. The implications for chemical identification, physiological and ecological functions in intraspecific communication and insect–host interactions are discussed and potential applications for monitoring presented.

Composition and emission of VOC from biogas produced by illegally managed waste landfills in Giugliano (Campania, Italy) and potential impact on the local population

The composition in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) of the biogas produced by seven landfills of Giugliano (Naples, Campania, Italy) was determined and VOC emission rates assessed to verify if these compounds represent a potential threat to the population living nearby. VOC composition in the biogas could not be predicted, as heterogeneous waste was dumped from the late 1980s to the early 2000s and then underwent biological degradation. No data are available on the amount and composition of VOC in the biogas before the landfills closure as no operational biogas collection system was present. In this study, VOC composition was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), after collecting samples from collection pipes and from soil fractures in cover soil or capping. Individual VOC were quantified and data compared with those collected at two landfills in Latium, when they were still in operation. Relevant differences were observed, mainly due to waste aging, but no specific VOC revealing toxic waste dumping was found, although the concurrent presence of certain compounds suggested that dumping of industrial wastes might have occurred. The average VOC emission was assessed and a dispersion model was run to find out if the emitted plume could affect the health of population. The results suggested that fugitive emissions did not represent a serious danger, since the concentrations simulated at the neighboring cities were below the threshold limits for acute and chronic diseases. However, VOC plume could cause annoyance at night when the steady state conditions of the atmosphere enhance pollutants accumulation in the lower layers. In addition, some of the emitted VOC, such as alkylbenzenes and monoterpenes, can contribute to tropospheric ozone formation.

Carbon balance and energy fluxes of a Mediterranean crop

This paper is based on the analysis of a long-term mass (carbon dioxide, water vapour) and energy (solar radiation) balance monitoring programme carried out during years 2010 and 2012 in an irrigated orange orchard in Sicily, using the Eddy Covariance (EC) method. Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide and its evergreen orchard may have a great potential for carbon sequestration, but few data are currently available. In the study, the role of the orchard system in sequestering atmospheric CO2 was analyzed, thus contributing to assess the carbon balance of the specie in the specific environment.Vertical energy fluxes of net radiation, soil heat, sensible heat and latent heat fluxes were measured at orchard scale by EC. Evapotranspiration (ET) values were compared with upscaled transpiration data determined by the sap flow heat pulse technique, evidencing the degree of correspondence between instantaneous transpirational flux at tree level and the micrometeorological measurement of ET at orchard level.

Seasonal variation of monoterpene emission from Malus domestica and Prunus avium

Emission rates of monoterpenes released by apple (Malus domestica Borkh) and cherry (Prunus avium L.) were estimated at different phenological stages. These measurements employed a dynamic flow-through Teflon chamber, sample collection onto cartridges filled with graphitized carbon and thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for identification and quantification of the emitted volatiles. At full bloom the release of monoterpene hydrocarbons from cherry flowers was 1213 ng g(-1) dry weight (DW) h(-1), exceeding by approximately three-fold the emission rate of apple flowers (366 ng g(-1) DW h(-1)). Observed seasonal variations in biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions ranged over several order of magnitudes. At fruit-set and ripening stages, in fact, the hydrocarbon emission dramatically decreased reaching the lowest values at harvest time when leaves were fully mature (3-9 ng g(-1) DW h(-1)). Wide diversity in the composition of compounds from the species studied was also recorded. At blooming, linalool contributed significantly to the monoterpene emission from apple (94% of the emitted carbon) while alpha-pinene and camphene represented on average more than 60% of the total emitted volatiles from cherry flowers. Among the monoterpenes identified in flowers, alpha-pinene, camphene and limonene were also found in the foliage emission of both species. Fruit trees are relevant monoterpene emitters only at blooming and thus for a short period of the vegetative cycle. When leaves are fully developed, the carbon loss due to monoterpene emissions related to the photosynthetically carbon gain is negligible.