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At present, there is limited knowledge about the possible utilization of the fat fraction derived from Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae processing. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the replacement of soybean oil with HI larvae fat in broiler finisher diet, on the quality and sensory traits of their meat. At 21 days of age, 120 male broiler chickens were randomly allocated to three experimental groups (5 replicates and 8 birds/pen): a basal control diet (C), and two groups in which either 50% or 100% of the soybean oil was replaced with HI larvae fat (the HI50 and HI100 group, respectively). At day 48, 15 birds (3 birds/pen) per group were slaughtered, and breasts and legs were excised and used for meat quality evaluations. Breast and leg physical meat quality, nutritional composition and sensory profile remained substantially unaffected by the dietary treatments. In contrast, the dietary incorporation of HI larvae fat modified the fatty acid (FA) profile of both the breast and leg meat cuts: the proportion of saturated fatty acids increased (p < 0.0001) to the detriment of the polyunsaturated (PUFA) fraction (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the meat n-6/n-3 ratio increased in the HI50 and HI100 groups compared to the C group. HI larvae fat dietary inclusion decreased the monounsaturated fatty acids in the breast (p = 0.0012) but not in the leg meat. Further research should focus on the improvement of the FA profile of the larvae through substrate modulation, or by combining HI larvae with a PUFA-rich feedstuff in feed formulations.

The severity of F. oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans on rocket plants grown under simulated climate change conditions has been studied. The rocket plants were cultivated on an infested substrate (4 log CFU g-1) and a non-infested substrate over three cycles. Pots were placed in six phytotrons in order to simulate different environmental conditions: 1) 400-450 ppm CO2, 18-22°C; 2) 800-850 ppm CO2, 18-22°C; 3) 400-450 ppm CO2, 22-26°C, 4) 800-850 ppm CO2, 22-26°C, 5) 400-450 ppm CO2, 26-30°C; 6) 800-850 ppm CO2, 26-30°C. Substrates from the infested and control samples were collected from each phytotron at 0, 60 and 120 days after transplanting. The disease index, microbial abundance, leaf physiological performances, root exudates and variability in the fungal profiles were monitored. The disease index was found to be significantly influenced by higher levels of temperature and CO2. Plate counts showed that fungal and bacterial development was not affected by the different CO2 and temperature levels, but a significant decreasing trend was observed from 0 up to 120 days. Conversely, the F. oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans plate counts did not show any significantly decrease from 0 up to 120 days. The fungal profiles, evaluated by means of polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), showed a relationship to temperature and CO2 on fungal diversity profiles. Different exudation patterns were observed when the controls and infested plants were compared, and it was found that both CO2 and temperature can influence the release of compounds from the roots of rocket plants. In short, the results show that global climate changes could influence disease incidence, probably through plant-mediated effects, caused by soilborne pathogens.

AbstractGlobal impact models represent process-level understanding of how natural and human systems may be affected by climate change. Their projections are used in integrated assessments of climate change. Here we test, for the first time, systematically across many important systems, how well such impact models capture the impacts of extreme climate conditions. Using the 2003 European heat wave and drought as a historical analogue for comparable events in the future, we find that a majority of models underestimate the extremeness of impacts in important sectors such as agriculture, terrestrial ecosystems, and heat-related human mortality, while impacts on water resources and hydropower are overestimated in some river basins; and the spread across models is often large. This has important implications for economic assessments of climate change impacts that rely on these models. It also means that societal risks from future extreme events may be greater than previously thought.

The conversion of renewable biomasses into biofuels and chemicals represents a strategic way to reduce the use of fossil feedstock, by contributing in switching to a more sustainable society. The use of agro-industrial wastes does not subtract resources destined for food consumption. In addition, waste utilization would result in a reduction of its accumulation, with a consequent decrease of environmental impact and financial losses due to the relevant disposal. In this context, a wide variety of exploitable agricultural resources can be used to support this sustainable growth. However, the characterization represents the first step towards a targeted and proficient exploitation of the chemical and energetic potential of a residual biomass. In this work, some representative residual (Mexican) biomasses were investigated: pepper residues (Hungarian yellow and red variety), coconut shells (Cocos nucifera), flamboyant pods (Delonix regia), seeds of avocado (Persea Americana), palm (Palma de Coroco) and nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) were chemically characterized and the relevant potential applications for the synthesis of biofuels and fine chemicals were specifically evaluated. Lipids, structural carbohydrates, and lignin were specifically valorized in a proficient cascade of technologies, which aim to exploit the correspondent potential, according to the principles of biorefinery and circular economy.

The objectives of this study were to examine the possibility of reducing the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of harvesters during cut-to-length operations by applying various technical settings to the machine through the machine's own software package. The adjustment of machine settings had an effect on the fuel consumption per unit product (l m3) and can reduce the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in cut-to-length harvesting operations. The main factor significantly affecting both fuel consumption and productivity was stem size. The study involved three cut-to-length machines operating in thinning with comparable stand environment and silvicultural prescriptions. The novelty of this work is in exploring the fuel saving potential of simple adjustments of machine settings in cut-to-length harvesting machines. Such adjustments have an impact on fuel efficiency and may reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in cut-to-length harvesting operations. This work may result in a reduction of energy consumption and environmental pollution, thereby contributing to cleaner production. This study bridges the gaps between research, development and implementation: it offers practical solutions that may affect manufacturers as well as practitioners and entrepreneurs in the field. The outcome of this study may result in innovative technology development with less impact on the environment.

Summary Optimal stomatal theory predicts that stomata operate to maximise photosynthesis (Anet) and minimise transpirational water loss to achieve optimal intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE). We tested whether this theory can predict stomatal responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2), and whether it can capture differences in responsiveness among woody plant functional types (PFTs). We conducted a meta‐analysis of tree studies of the effect of eCO2 on iWUE and its components Anet and stomatal conductance (gs). We compared three PFTs, using the unified stomatal optimisation (USO) model to account for confounding effects of leaf–air vapour pressure difference (D). We expected smaller gs, but greater Anet, responses to eCO2 in gymnosperms compared with angiosperm PFTs. We found that iWUE increased in proportion to increasing eCO2 in all PFTs, and that increases in Anet had stronger effects than reductions in gs. The USO model correctly captured stomatal behaviour with eCO2 across most datasets. The chief difference among PFTs was a lower stomatal slope parameter (g1) for the gymnosperm, compared with angiosperm, species. Land surface models can use the USO model to describe stomatal behaviour under changing atmospheric CO2 conditions.