Massimo Pugliese

Interest in the rearing of Hermetia illucens L. by-products has increased in recent years. This study evaluated the effects of H. illucens frass, obtained from larvae reared on a Gainesville diet, for the control of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hansen (FOL). Greenhouse trials were conducted comparing thermally treated (70 °C for 60 min) and untreated frass applied at different concentrations (1–20% v/v). Disease severity, disease incidence, area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), and plant fresh weight were assessed. Frass application significantly reduced disease severity and incidence, compared with the inoculated untreated control, with the greatest reductions observed in the 20% thermally untreated treatment and in the 5% and 10% thermally treated treatments under the greenhouse conditions of this study. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) analysis suggested a reduction in disease progression over time. No significant differences were observed between thermally treated and untreated frass. Fresh weight was mainly influenced by frass dose, and the highest values were obtained with treatments at 10% and 20%. H. illucens frass showed preliminary potential as a sustainable starter for the suppression of Fusarium wilt of tomato under greenhouse conditions.

This study involved a systematic literature review using bibliometric analysis to examine the evolution and current trends of Biological Remediation studies. The bibliometric analysis was used for the descriptive, intellectual, social, and conceptual network analyses, while systematic reviews were used to identify the application of the Biological Remediation. A total of 4835 papers were selected and extracted from Scopus between 2020 and 2025. The publication trends, most influential countries and articles, leading journals, collaboration networks, coupling networks, and application of the Biological Remediation in various disciplines were described. This study summarized the research agenda of the Biological Remediation field, which would be helpful for researchers and funding agencies. This article highlights four new research directions in Current Bioremediation Trends: (1) understanding the interactions between petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals in composite pollution systems; (2) exploring microbial community succession during bioremediation; (3) utilizing biosurfactants to enhance contaminant solubilization and biodegradation; and (4) developing integrative, multi-mechanistic remediation approaches.

European cranberry (Viburnum opulus), Caprifoliaceae family, is an easy to grow shrub, suitable for small gardens, producing white inflorescences followed by decorative red berries. In September 2023, leaf spots were observed on three 10-year-old plants of V. opulus grown in a private garden located in Campiglia Cervo (Biella province, northern Italy). Brown spots expanded and affected a large part of the leaf surface, forming necrotic areas with irregular, indistinct margins. Affected tissues desiccated. The disease compromised the aesthetic value of the plants. Fifteen affected leaves were immersed in a solution of sodium hypochlorite (1%) for 30 seconds, then rinsed in sterile water. Several small fragments were excised from the margin of the affected tissues and plated on PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar) amended with streptomycin sulphate (25 mg/L). Fungal colonies were coarse and radiate, at first whitish, then greyish with brown shades. Pure colonies grown on PDA, under a light/dark regime (13h/11h), produced stromata that exuded cream-white drop-like conidial mass with two types of conidia. Alpha conidia were unicellular, ellipsoidal to fusiform, and measured 5.4 to 8.7 × 1.9 to 3.5 µm (mean: 6.9 × 2.6 µm, n = 50); beta conidia were unicellular, filiform, curved, and measured 20.1 to 29.6 × 1.0 to 3.2 µm (mean: 25.1 × 1.4 µm, n = 50). DNA from isolate 23-35-5 was extracted from pure culture using the E.Z.N.A. Fungal DNA Mini Kit (Omega Bio-Tek). Beta-tubulin (TUB), calmodulin (CAL) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α) regions were amplified using the primers: Bt-2a/Bt-2b (Glass et al. 1995); CAL-228F/CAL-737R (Udayanga et al. 2014) and EF1-728F/ EF1-986R (Carbone et al. 1999). Sequences of 491 (TUB), 356 (CAL), and 323 (EF1-α) base pairs were obtained (GenBank accessions: PV289771, PV289769, PV289770, respectively). BLASTn analysis of these sequences showed 100 % (TUB), 100% (CAL), and 100% (EF1-α) identity with Diaporthe eres (GenBank accessions PQ001653.1, MZ423156.1, MG281548.1, respectively). Therefore, the fungal causal agent of the disease observed on V. opulus was identified as Diaporthe (anamorph Phomopsis) eres, in agreement with the morphological characteristics of the isolates. For the pathogenicity test, the isolate 23-35-5 was grown on PDA, and from the cultures, a conidial suspension was adjusted to a final concentration of 1.6 × 105 CFU/ml. The inoculum was sprayed on the leaves of three 10-year-old plants of V. opulus grown outdoors. Three branches for each inoculated plant (about 10 leaves per branch) were closed in moistened bags for 10 days. Three healthy control plants of V. opulus were sprayed with sterile water, and their branches were maintained in the same environmental conditions. About 20 days after inoculation, the first symptoms of infection appeared on leaves from which several fungal colonies with morphological characteristics identical to the inoculated pathogen were re-isolated. No symptoms appeared in the controls. Diaporthe eres has been reported as the causal agent of leaf spots observed on V. odoratissimum var. awabuki (Wan et al. 2023). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. eres on V. opulus in Italy, and worldwide. This work provides useful information for monitoring the incidence and diagnosis of this disease whose management could become a serious problem, particularly in public gardens. The susceptibility of Viburnum spp. to D. eres should be tested to identify resistant species to manage this disease.

This study explores time series anomaly detection using a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network to identify abnormal plant conditions—both biotic and abiotic—by analyzing a stem frequency parameter. This parameter, closely linked to plant stem conductivity, serves as a novel indicator of plant hydration and overall physiological status. Four independent experiments were conducted between 28 May 2024, and 16 December 2024, and 20 tomato plants were maintained under different conditions (healthy, biotic, and abiotic stress) to assess physiological differences and develop models for early symptom detection. We used samples from healthy plants to train an LSTM neural network to predict stem frequency values 24 h ahead. The trained model was then used to forecast the behavior of stressed plants, and an anomaly was flagged whenever the predicted values significantly deviated from the measured ones. Our LSTM-based anomaly detection model successfully detected water stress conditions several days before visible symptoms appeared. However, the algorithm struggled to distinguish early signs of Fusarium infection. Despite this limitation, in most cases, the model provided early warnings of biotic stress before any visual symptoms were evident. Future research will focus on expanding the dataset to enhance the model’s ability to differentiate between various types of plant stress. This article builds upon the work presented at CAFE 2024 Cum et al., 2024, utilizing the same experimental setup but exploring a completely different approach for the early identification of stress symptoms in tomato plants.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a key herb in Mediterranean cuisine, holds substantial economic and cultural value due to its aromatic and medicinal properties. Cultivated globally, particularly in Italy’s Liguria region, basil is consumed both fresh and processed, with pesto sauce as its most notable derivative. Despite its commercial success, basil production is significantly constrained by a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens, with Peronospora belbahrii, the causal agent of downy mildew, posing the most severe threat. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of basil’s disease susceptibility and control. Special emphasis is placed on the biology, epidemiology, global spread, and diagnosis of P. belbahrii, which has become a critical challenge for both conventional and organic farming systems. Disease management strategies, including cultural practices, genetic resistance, fungicide applications, resistance inducers, and biocontrol agents, are reviewed in detail. The development of downy mildew-resistant cultivars—although limited for PDO-designated Genovese basil—has emerged as the most sustainable control measure; however, the increasing genetic variability in P. belbahrii underscores the ongoing need for integrated pest management and resistant cultivar development. Seed health and quality remain the starting points of any fully integrated approach, although the suggested management measures for basil production should be combined with appropriate cultivation techniques aimed at reducing the relative humidity of the environment, while taking into account whether basil production takes place in open fields or under protection.

The ornamental plant sector is characterized by the production of a large variety of genera, species and cultivars that are much more numerous than those of other agricultural production sectors. Many countries throughout the world are involved in an intensive exchange of potted plants, cut flowers and propagation material. This intense trade exchange favors the introduction of the causal agents of new diseases on farms, in parks, along tree-lined avenues and in city gardens. Global warming can favor plant pathogens that thrive under high temperatures. Moreover, the interaction between the ongoing increase in temperature and in the CO₂ concentration has caused a significant increase in the disease severity of many pathosystems. The numerous reports of new plant pathogens on ornamental plants in Italy in recent years fall into this context. In plant pathology research, living labs incorporate the complexities and variability of natural conditions, and they can thus be used to conduct experiments and test hypotheses. A private garden, located in the hamlet of Bariola (Piedmont, Biella province, northern Italy), has become an ideal living lab that is used to monitor the evolution of the phytosanitary situation of ornamental plants. The results obtained in this living lab are reported hereafter. Moreover, new trends in disease prevention and management, such as the adoption of appropriate prevention practices, water and fertilization management and use of environmentally friendly methods to reduce pesticide use as part of an integrated pest management approach, are also examined.