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Agronomy
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Agro-Environmental Sustainable Exploitation of Halophyte, Medicinal and Aromatic Species from...
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Agro-Environmental Sustainable Exploitation of Halophyte, Medicinal and Aromatic Species from Marginal Areas

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 3900

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angelica Giancaspro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering (DAFNE), University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia FG, Italy
Interests: plant breeding, crop genetics, tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses; molecular markers; genetic maps; in vitro tissue culture
Dr. Pedro Garcia-Caparros

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Superior School Engineering, University of Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: abiotic stresses; halophytes; plant physiology; reactive oxygen species; salt stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop scientists are coping with the challenge of adapting agricultural systems to low-input requirements, in addition to ensuring high productivity, quality, and food security in an ongoingly changing climate. Traditional crops are severely affected by environmental changes, causing yield and quality losses, whereas most plant species from marginal areas can face adverse conditions, ensuring productivity and supplying a wide range of applications such as animal feed or traditional/gourmet/functional foods. This SI aims at collecting the most valuable research on the exploitation of spontaneous species and landraces from marginal areas, including medicinal, aromatic, and halophyte plants. We welcome reviews and research papers on the following topics: micropropagation, biodiversity, the fingerprinting of genetic resources, the molecular basis of trait adaptation to stress, soil–microbe–plant interactions for reductions in chemical fertilizers input, the evaluation of the antimicrobial/antifungal activity of medicinal and halophyte plant extracts, the production of low-environmental-impact bio-stimulants and bio-pesticides for plant growth promotion and sustainable pathogen control, the nutritional characterization of marginal species and their use in fortified healthier foods for the valorization of local unexploited resources, and traditional productions, sustainable nature-based solutions for soil/water management and remediation in marginal areas.

Dr. Angelica Giancaspro
Dr. Pedro García-Caparrós
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marginal species
  • halophytes
  • salt tolerance
  • stress adaptation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1185 KiB  
Article
After-Ripening and Stratification Improve the Germination of the Cakile maritima Scop. (Brassicaceae) from the Apulia Region, Italy
by Giulia Conversa, Lucia Botticella and Antonio Elia
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 2127; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14092127 - 19 Sep 2024
Viewed by 537
Abstract
Understanding seed germination is crucial for refining the propagation techniques of Cakile maritima, a wild halophyte species with significant potential for biosaline agriculture. However, research on seed germination within intact fruits of this species is limited. Four trials were conducted to study [...] Read more.
Understanding seed germination is crucial for refining the propagation techniques of Cakile maritima, a wild halophyte species with significant potential for biosaline agriculture. However, research on seed germination within intact fruits of this species is limited. Four trials were conducted to study the seed germination of a population from the Apulia region. The focus was on seeds that had undergone after-ripening for 3 years (20AR3) or 2 years (20AR2) (both collected in 2020), or 1 year (22AR1) (collected in 2022), and freshly harvested seeds in 2022 (22AR0) and 2023 (23AR0). The seeds were either incubated as naked or moist-stratified within intact fruits. A portion of 2022 AR0 siliques was submerged in saline water before stratification. The naked seeds collected in 2022 and 2020 (22AR0 and 20AR2) did not germinate, whereas a portion of the 23AR0 (67%), 20AR3, and 22AR1 (45%, irrespective of after-ripening) lots quickly (T50 = 3.5 days) germinated, underlining a lower dormancy level for seeds harvested or dry stored in 2023. Seed germination in the intact fruits was lower than the naked seeds, confirming the role of the pericarp in inducing seed dormancy. Stratification of the shelled seeds was much more effective in improving the germination time (140 days) and levels in the 23AR0 (81%), 20AR3, and 22AR1 (66%, irrespective of after-ripening) lots than in the 22AR0 (34%) and 20AR2 (61%) ones, which required 240 days to germinate. The saline solution imbibition of fruit seems only to delay the occurrence of the maximum emergence. The physiological seed dormancy of this C. maritima population has been proven, which may be variable in depth according to the year of fruit collection, ranging from intermediate to non-deep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Environmental Sustainable Exploitation of Halophyte, Medicinal and Aromatic Species from Marginal Areas)
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13 pages, 928 KiB  
Article
Valorization of Mediterranean Species of Thyme for the Formulation of Bio-Herbicides
by Rym Boukhalfa, Claudia Ruta, Saida Messgo-Moumene, Generosa J. Calabrese, Maria Pia Argentieri and Giuseppe De Mastro
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 2077; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14092077 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 492
Abstract
This study focused on the evaluation of the phytotoxic activity of four essential oils (EOs) from the Mediterranean species of Thymus sp. pl., namely Thymus algeriensis Boiss. et Reut., T. ciliatus Desf. subspecies coloratus (Boiss. et Reut.) Batt., T. vulgaris L. ecotype Fasano [...] Read more.
This study focused on the evaluation of the phytotoxic activity of four essential oils (EOs) from the Mediterranean species of Thymus sp. pl., namely Thymus algeriensis Boiss. et Reut., T. ciliatus Desf. subspecies coloratus (Boiss. et Reut.) Batt., T. vulgaris L. ecotype Fasano and T. vulgaris cultivar L. Varico 3, to identify new biomolecules with herbicide potential. The chemical characterization of EOs was performed by GC-MS. The evaluation of the phytotoxicity of the EOs was conducted under in vitro conditions, and the inhibition of germination and seedling growth of Lolium perenne L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L. were assessed. Five concentrations (100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 µL/100 mL) were considered. Phytochemical analysis revealed a great diversity of compounds. T. algeriensis and T. ciliatus EOs were characterized by the absence of carvacrol and a low content of thymol in T. ciliatus. On the contrary, T. vulgaris ecotype Fasano and T. vulgaris cultivar Varico 3 were characterized by an important content of p-cymene, thymol and carvacrol. All the EOs expressed a potent phytotoxic activity against the tested species. The total inhibition of seed germination and seedling growth were recorded for the highest concentrations of all the EOs. T. vulgaris ecotype Fasano expressed the most effective activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Environmental Sustainable Exploitation of Halophyte, Medicinal and Aromatic Species from Marginal Areas)
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Review

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24 pages, 1108 KiB  
Review
Potential Use of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria to Enhance Growth and Soil Fertility in Marginal Areas: Focus on the Apulia Region, Italy
by Angela Racioppo, Annalisa d’Amelio, Alessandro De Santis, Antonio Bevilacqua, Maria Rosaria Corbo and Milena Sinigaglia
Agronomy 2023, 13(12), 2983; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13122983 - 3 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2248
Abstract
Soil degradation is a global problem and refers to the reduction or loss of the biological and economic productive capacity of the soil resource. In Europe, the countries most affected by soil degradation are undoubtedly those of the Mediterranean basin. Among these, Italy [...] Read more.
Soil degradation is a global problem and refers to the reduction or loss of the biological and economic productive capacity of the soil resource. In Europe, the countries most affected by soil degradation are undoubtedly those of the Mediterranean basin. Among these, Italy shows clear signs of degradation, with different characteristics, especially in the southern regions, where climatic and meteorological conditions strongly contribute to it. Apulia, the Tavoliere plain in particular, is a fragile and very sensitive ecosystem due to its intrinsic characteristics and the level of anthropic exploitation. Agricultural production pays the highest price, as increasing desertification due to climate change and the loss of agricultural land severely limit the extent of land available to produce food for an ever-growing population. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) could be a low-cost and long-term solution to restore soil fertility, as they provide a wide range of benefits in agriculture, including increasing crop productivity, improving soil nutrient levels and inhibiting the growth of pathogens. This review shows how PGPB can be used to improve the quality of soils, their impact on agriculture, their tolerance to abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, heavy metals and organic pollutants) and their feasibility. The use of PGPB could be promoted as a green technology to be applied in marginal areas of Apulia to increase soil fertility, reduce pollution and mitigate the impacts of abiotic stresses and climate change. This is supported by a series of studies showing that the growth of plants inoculated with PGPB is superior to that of non-inoculated plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Environmental Sustainable Exploitation of Halophyte, Medicinal and Aromatic Species from Marginal Areas)
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