A Decade after the Outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in Apulia (Southern Italy): Methodical Literature Analysis of Research Strategies.

In 2013, an outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) was identified for the first time in Europe, in the extreme south of Italy (Apulia, Salento territory). The locally identified subspecies pauca turned out to be lethal for olive trees, starting an unprecedented phytosanitary emergency for one of the most iconic cultivations of the Mediterranean area. Xf pauca (Xfp) is responsible for a severe disease, the olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), spreading epidemically and with dramatic impact on the agriculture, the landscape, the tourism and the cultural heritage of this region. The bacterium, transmitted by insects that feed on xylem sap, causes rapid wilting in olive trees due to biofilm formation, which obstructs the plant xylematic vessels. The aim of this review is to perform a thorough analysis that offers a general overview of the published work, from 2013 to December 2023, related to the Xfp outbreak in Apulia. This latter hereto has killed millions of olive trees and left a ghostly landscape with more than 8000 square kilometers of infected territory, that is 40% of the region. The majority of the research efforts made to date to combat Xfp in olive plants are listed in the present review, starting with the early attempts to identify the bacterium, the investigations to pinpoint and possibly control the vector, the assessment of specific diagnostic techniques and the pioneered therapeutic approaches. Interestingly, according to the general set criteria for the preliminary examination of the accessible scientific literature related to the Xfp outbreak on Apulian olive trees, fewer than 300 papers can be found over the last decade. Most of them essentially emphasize the importance of developing diagnostic tools that can identify the disease early, even when infected plants are still asymptomatic, in order to reduce the risk of infection for the surrounding plants. On the other hand, in the published work, the diagnostic focus (57%) overwhelmingly encompasses all other possible investigation goals such as vectors, impacts and possible treatments. Notably, between 2013 and 2023, only 6.3% of the literature reports addressing the topic of Xfp in Apulia were concerned with the application of specific treatments against the bacterium. Among them, those reporting field trials on infected plants, including simple pruning indications, were further limited (6%).

Metabolomic NMR analysis and organoleptic perceptions of pomegranate wines: Influence of cultivar and yeast on the product characteristics.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits are a historical agricultural product of the Mediterranean basin that became increasingly popular in the latest years for being rich in antioxidants and other micronutrients, and are extensively commercialized as fruits, juice, jams and, in some Eastern countries, as a fermented alcoholic beverage. In this work, four different pomegranate wines specifically designed using combinations of two cultivars (Jolly Red and Smith) and two yeast starters with markedly different characteristics (Saccharomyces cerevisiae Clos and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ex-bayanus EC1118) were analyzed. The chemical characterization of the wines together with the originating unfermented juices was performed by 1H NMR spectroscopy metabolomic analysis. The full spectra were used for unsupervised and supervised statistical multivariate analysis (MVA), namely Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and sparse PCA (SPCA). The MVA of the wines showed a clear discrimination between the cultivars, and a smaller, yet significant, discrimination between the yeasts used. In particular, a higher content of citrate and gallate was observed for the Smith cv. and, on the contrary, a statistically significant higher content of fructose, malate, glycerol, 2,3 butanediol, trigonelline, aromatic amino acids and 4-hydrophenylacetate was observed in Jolly Red pomegranate wines samples. Significant interaction among the pomegranate cultivar and the fermenting yeast was also observed. Sensorial analysis was performed by a panel of testing experts. MVA of tasting data showed that the cultivar significantly affected the organoleptic parameters considered, while the yeast had a minor impact. Correlation analysis between NMR-detected metabolites and organoleptic descriptors identified several potential sensorially-active molecules as those significantly impacting the characteristics of the pomegranate wines.

Digitalization as driver to achieve circularity in the agroindustry: A SWOT-ANP-ADAM approach.

In the last decades, the agroindustry is facing environmental issues due particularly to food loss and waste, requiring a strong orientation towards sustainability and the circular economy (CE) paradigm. This study carries out an investigation of the role of digitalization in serving as a driver to achieve circularity in the agroindustry. A SWOT analysis was performed to assess the strengths and weaknesses (internal factors) and opportunities and threats (external factors) of digitalization in boosting circularity within agroindustry systems and identifying critical factors (CFs). Through the Analytical Network Process (ANP), an evaluation of these CFs was provided, while the Axial-Distance-Based Aggregated Measurement (ADAM) method allowed for the ranking of the strategic alternatives to better inform management decisions. This study provides valuable results that reveal the crucial role of digitalization in boosting circularity within agroindustry, highlighting the most impactful strategies driving the transition towards a circular economy. Linking the high sustainability performance of products to incentives and increasing consumer inclusion and awareness in business dynamics were found to be the most relevant strategies for making agro-industrial supply chains more circular. This study provides recommendations to lead managers' and practitioners' decisions towards the adoption of strategies, aimed at making the agro-industrial sector more adherent to the principles of circular economy and sustainability.

Coffee biowaste valorization within circular economy: an evaluation method of spent coffee grounds potentials for mortar production.

Purpose: Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are biowastes extensively generated within the coffee supply chain. Nowadays, their disposal represents an increasing environmental concern due to its toxicity and organic nature. With the estimated increase of coffee production and consumption in the upcoming years, there is an imperative need to find a proper reverse option, along with a novel industrial application, which allows for the valorization of this coffee by-product within a circular economy perspective. This study aims at investigating a potential reuse of spent coffee grounds to produce novel construction materials to be used for sustainable buildings. Methods: After having illustrated the forward flows within the coffee life cycle and the potential reverse flow options, an evaluation method based on multi-criteria analyses was elaborated to test not only the technical but also the environmental and economic performances of novel materials originating from the incorporation of SCG as an aggregate in natural hydraulic lime and geopolymer-based mortars. Moreover, we focus on the reuse of another waste streams- biomass fly ash-deriving from the paper-pulp industry, rarely investigated in both traditional construction applications and in geopolymer manufacture. The two (geopolymer- and lime-based) mortar typologies are here studied and compared as potential green material for applications in construction, with satisfying engineering performance and high insulation attitude, giving a new life to a common organic waste. Consequently, we compare eight formulations by means of multi-criteria approaches that are nowadays claimed as a useful and effective decision aiding support instrument to assess the development of new sustainable construction materials. They permit to consider simultaneously some controversial and often uncertain aspects like technological (as the usual scientific studies do), environmental, and economic (more difficult to easily approach and evaluate). For this purpose, in this paper, we have analyzed the performance of the novel bio-composite mortars using VIKOR and TOPSIS methods to rank a set of alternatives according to various evaluation criteria that often conflict one with each other. Results: Results show that adding spent coffee grounds can efficiently improve the technical and sustainable performances of the novel mortars for different applications in the building sector. The presence of SCG increases water absorption and improves the insulation performance along with an environmental impact reduction. The considered technological properties are highly promising-such as the improvement in thermal insulation. In particular, even the addition of only 5% SCG leads to a significant reduction of the thermal conductivity and consequently to a greater insulating performance. Conclusions: To date, most of the available literature on recycling SCG in construction materials do not consider mortar-based applications and, moreover, nor multi-criteria approaches. Therefore, our study proposes itself as an innovative track solution to food waste management lowering the employment of non-renewable natural resources and the costs associated to construction material production. At the same time, a novel and innovative way of such waste disposal is suggested, pursuing the sustainability and substantially reducing the environmental impact of construction and building materials. This study is a fundamental step in assessing the applicability of our designed and produced materials and its potentials to be produced at an industrial scale.

Evaluation of Virtual Water and Water Sustainability of Dairy Production in Trentino Alto Adige (North-Eastern Italy).

Dairy products play a significant role in the human diet, but they are often associated with high freshwater resource depletion. In Italy, the dairy sector represents more than 12% of the total turnover of the agri-food sector. Trentino Alto Adige is the first Italian region in terms of number of dairy farms, but it does not register a quantitatively consistent dairy production. Notwithstanding, it is characterized mostly by small-scale farms whose strengths are the Protected Designations of Origin and typical mountain productions. The present study aims at: (i) accounting for the virtual water VW of the main dairy products (milk, butter and cheese) produced in Trentino Alto Adige; (ii) estimating the renewable water resources based on the water flow assessment of the study area; (iii) assessing water sustainability comparing the virtual water consumption of the dairy sector at a regional level to the water availability. The findings show that the consumptive virtual water related to dairy production represents about 1% of the water availability in Trentino Alto Adige. Italy's domestic dairy production is expanding to meet the growing demand, but the expansion of dairy farming in water-stressed regions should be avoided, preferring instead suitable mountain regions where small-scale farms represent a lively entrepreneurial substrate.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Italian agri-food supply and value chains.

The spread of COVID-19 has not only led to many deaths but also to social and economic downturn globally. The study represents an exhaustive compilation of relevant macroeconomic data regarding the status of the agri-food sector from a demand side perspective and an overview of the food product producer and consumer prices after the shock. Its main purpose is to assess the resilience level of the agri-food sector to the coronavirus pandemic, analyzing its effect on commodity prices and focusing on the supply and value chain. The results highlight that fresh and perishable products, whose production or harvest took place during the first wave of COVID-19, have suffered price level effects, while storable products have not registered significant impacts. This phenomenon is mainly due to the vulnerability of the harvest and production phases, which affected fresh and perishable products supply, and to the resilience of transports and logistics, which instead ensured the supply of storable products to the final consumer. Especially in case of future pandemic waves, the implications and information deriving from the present analysis could support researchers, policy makers and managers, serving as an assessment tool to build suitable strategies for the whole agri-food supply chain and thus ensure sector resilience during these unprecedented times.

The Links between Human Diets and Health and Climate Outcomes in the World's Macro-Regions during the Last 50 Years.

Globally, traditional food security fears have been supplemented by concerns about food system sustainability that link current agricultural production practices to damages of environmental ecosystems and the world's climate, thus threatening the natural resource base of future generations. This paper aims at creating a better understanding of the evolution of diet sustainability from 1961 to 2013. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations were used to investigate the situation for the world as a whole as well as for its macro-regions Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. We define diet sustainability by (a) the share of daily per capita calorie intake derived from vegetable/plant products and (b) the variety of vegetable/plant products consumed, measured by the Simpson diversity index. Moreover, total calorie consumption is considered. Then the correlations between diet sustainability and (a) macro-regional life expectancy rates and (b) food system greenhouse gas emissions are calculated. The results show that diet sustainability has not changed much during the last 50 years. Moreover, the nexus between diets and health and climate outcomes is not fully evident at the macro-regional level. Therefore, Malthus 2.0, i.e., scientific food pessimism, should be avoided. In particular, the limitations of dietary contributions to human and planetary health ought to be more widely acknowledged.

Adoption of Precision Farming Tools: The Case of Italian Farmers.

The process of adopting innovation, especially with regard to precision farming (PF), is inherently complex and social, and influenced by producers, change agents, social norms and organizational pressure. An empirical analysis was conducted among Italian farmers to measure the drivers and clarify "bottlenecks" in the adoption of agricultural innovation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the socio-structural and complexity factors that affect the probability to adopt innovations and the determinants that drive an individual's decisions. Preliminary results found high levels of adoption among younger farmers, those that had a high level of education, those with high intensity of information, with large farm sizes, and high labor intensity. A logit model was used to understand the role played by labor intensity and perceived in the adoption process. In light of the Common Agricultural Policy Reform post 2020, the findings suggest relevant policy implications, such as the need to increase awareness of PF tools and foster dissemination of information aimed at reducing the degree of perceived complexity.

Post-Adversities Recovery and Profitability: The Case of Italian Farmers.

Insurance represents one of the main instruments, together with other risk management mechanisms, to face the adverse effects produced by natural calamity that, despite their growing intensity and the enormous costs, are still perceived as "exceptional". Risk management is an important part of farming, and it is a concern for those governments which aim at achieving their agricultural policy targets. In this context, crop insurance can also represent a financial mitigation tool for farmers to face climate change consequences. This study is focused on the Italian case analyzing the evolution of public support and its effect on risk management policy in agriculture. Our research, based on panel data regressions, provides two different levels of analysis. The first one evaluates how the reimbursed value issued by insurance companies in favor of agricultural firms, as recovery from natural adversities, affects farmers' profitability. The second one evaluates how the reimbursed value is used in farm management. The results of the analysis demonstrating the significance of insurance variables and their positive effect on the profitability of the farms, represent a strong advance in the farm risk management field.

Groundwater nitrate contamination and agricultural land use: A grey water footprint perspective in Southern Apulia Region (Italy).

In this paper, we present a new approach based on the Grey Water Footprint (GWF) concept for the determination of groundwater nitrate contamination, with a focus on the agricultural impact in the Southern Apulia Region (Italy). The GWF assessment allows us to highlight wells where nitrate contamination is higher and for which a verification of the nature of contamination is necessary, potentially identifying certain contexts associated with risk factors present in the area. Data show higher nitrate GWF values for vineyards than for olive groves, particularly in areas used for the production of table grapes. Indeed, it is possible to observe that the Western Ionian-Tarantino arch is characterized by a high average level of the GWF indicator, area characterized by an agricultural land use (vineyards, orchards, simple arable land). Another important area is the Brindisi plain, predominantly characterized by an agricultural vocation and a related fertilizer use. The situation in the whole Salento peninsula is more heterogeneous. The results of the GWF show high values in equally distributed points with a clear frequency in the coastal areas of the Ionic arch (Eastern Tarantino and Salento). The Water Footprint methodology and in particular the GWF approach used in this study conceives a useful indicator for the agricultural policy planning processes, a criterion to establish land use management according to the status of hydrological basin and a tool for assessing the pollution monitoring programs.

Water footprint and economic water productivity of Italian wines with appellation of origin: Managing sustainability through an integrated approach.

In the agribusiness wine is certainly a very interesting sector to analyze. The specific aim of this work is to assess water efficiency and economic water productivity for the Italian wines with Appellation of Origin (AO). This assessment could represent a potential management instrument to improve production performances from a more integrated perspective, pursuing new market trends. The study is related to Italy, the first worldwide producer, and analyzes the available data of AO wines, which globally have specific features, being strictly connected with the territory and its background. The results show the top and bottom five AO wines in terms of crop water use and economic water productivity and their trends during the period 2011-2015, based on average annual change rates. Results of this study are relevant for the wine sector since they can guide decision makers on vine variety selection in the context of micro- and macro-level sustainability of water resource use.

Virtual water trade of agri-food products: Evidence from italian-chinese relations.

At global scale, the majority of world water withdrawal is for the agricultural sector, with differences among countries depending on the relevance of agri-food sector in the economy. Virtual water and water footprint could be useful to express the impact on the water resources of each production process and good with the objective to lead to a sustainable use of water at a global level. International trade could be connected to the virtual water flows, in fact through commodities importation, water poor countries can save their own water resources. The present paper focuses on the bilateral virtual water flows connected to the top ten agri-food products traded between Italy and China. Comparing the virtual water flow related to the top 10 agri-food products, the virtual water flow from Italy to China is bigger than the water flow in the opposite direction. Moreover, the composition of virtual water flows is different; Italy imports significant amounts of grey water from China, depending on the different environmental strategies adopted by the two selected countries. This difference could be also related to the fact that traded commodities are very different; the 91% of virtual water imported by Italy is connected to crops products, while the 95% of virtual water imported by China is related to the animal products. Considering national water saving and global water saving, appears that Italy imports virtual water from China while China exerts pressure on its water resources to supply the exports to Italy. This result at global scale implies a global water loss of 129.29millionm3 because, in general, the agri-food products are traded from the area with lower water productivity to the area with the higher water productivity.