Forestry Research Centre

Coastal agriculture is increasingly affected by salinization as sea-level rise, subsidence, river regulation, and water withdrawals combine with more frequent drought and heat extremes. In recent years, a key advance has been the ability to link seawater intrusion (SWI) to crop impacts by integrating satellite observations with targeted field measurements.At the global scale, cropland distribution and low-elevation coastal metrics reveal a clear mismatch between where impacts are reported and where exposure is likely. Documented hotspots include the Mediterranean, South and South-East Asia, and the Bohai Sea region, while extensive low-lying coastal croplands remain weakly monitored. A screening based on coastal proximity and elevation indicates ~87 Mha of cropland potentially vulnerable to SWI-related salinization (Ghirardelli et al. 2025). This estimate is useful to guide monitoring and prioritization. The global synthesis also highlights recurring combinations of drivers—drought and low flows, pumping, subsidence, and saline surface-water incursions—that promote salt accumulation in soils.At the regional scale, results from the Po River Delta (Italy) illustrate how drought can trigger rapid salinity increases and measurable crop impacts (Luo et al. 2024). Sentinel-2 time series of vegetation greenness and salinization-sensitive spectral information, interpreted alongside measurements of soil electrical conductivity and moisture, provide spatially explicit identification of vulnerable areas and seasons. This approach supports early warning during extreme dry summers and provides benchmarks to evaluate management actions.Mitigation is moving from single measures to combined strategies. Current evidence supports integrated portfolios that couple nature-based buffers (e.g., wetlands/mangroves that limit saline intrusion while sustaining ecosystem services) with water and soil management (rainwater harvesting and storage, efficient irrigation including precision and subsurface drip systems, and drainage improvement) and, where needed, salt-tolerant crops enabled by breeding and bioengineering (Tarolli et al. 2024).Remaining challenges include: (1) AI-enabled prediction for short-term forecasting and early warning, especially during drought and low-discharge periods; (2) process-coupled models that translate seawater intrusion into root-zone salinity, including irrigation water quality, evaporaton-driven salt concentration, capillary rise, and drainage; (3) stronger monitoring with denser networks and higher-frequency data, integrating in situ salinity/EC measurements with remote sensing; (4) a practical management protocol for coastal agriculture linking observations to irrigation, drainage, and water allocation decisions; and (5) progress in salt-tolerant crops (breeding and bioengineering), tested and deployed together with soil–water management under real coastal conditions.ReferencesGhirardelli et. al. (2025). Environmental Research Letters, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ad9bcd.Luo et al. (2024). International Soil and Water Conservation Research, doi:10.1016/j.iswcr.2023.09.009.Tarolli et al. (2024). iScience, doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.108830.

Abstract There are growing societal expectations that forests are managed for multiple benefits including carbon storage, biodiversity, health and recreation. Consequently, forest managers are increasingly expected to consider how external factors, including climate change, affect the future of their forests and the wider public benefits they provide. But traditional silvicultural methods providing production forecasts based on mensuration surveys and site conditions—supplemented with expert knowledge—do not provide insights into non‐timber ecosystem services and the unprecedented potential future changes are too complex to comprehend based on experience alone. Scenario planning, supported by ecosystem services modelling, helps to assess the future and its uncertainties in an organised way, through structured processes that push decision‐makers and planners beyond the axioms and norms of conventional wisdom. However, despite advances in modelling and mapping forest ecosystem services, they are rarely developed to be used operationally in forest planning. To learn how ecosystem services scenarios could inform forest planning, researchers and a forest manager in Scotland collaborated over a 6‐year period, co‐producing and interpreting scenarios over 17 meetings and 38 h of engagement. We distilled seven lessons that summarise how ecosystem services scenarios can assist forest planners in their tree species and management choices by improving understanding of the trade‐offs and identifying opportunities to increase both timber and non‐timber benefits. Developing useful and usable ecosystem services scenarios for forest managers requires co‐production, where transdisciplinary collaboration, an aspiration for knowledge democracy and boundary management between researchers and foresters lead to new forms of knowledge that support forest planning. With adequate resourcing and commitment, ecosystem services scenarios can raise understanding and improve forest planning for an uncertain future. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The forensic investigation of severely decomposed or skeletonized human remains poses considerable diagnostic challenges, often limiting the effectiveness of traditional autopsy approaches. This study describes a homicide case involving partially skeletonized remains recovered in an abandoned rural building, demonstrating the crucial role of Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) in determining cause and manner of death. The investigation was carried out using a multidisciplinary approach including post-mortem computed tomography (MSCT), entomological analysis, histology, immunohistochemistry, and SEM-EDS microanalysis. Entomological findings and the Total Decomposition Score (TDS=14) indicated a post-mortem interval of approximately 4-5months. Immunohistochemistry revealed extravascular positivity for Glycophorin A, confirming lesion vitality despite advanced decomposition. SEM-EDS analysis, conducted following internationally validated sampling protocols for inorganic gunshot residue (GSR) on skeletal tissues, identified characteristic particles of oxidized lead, barium, and sulphur at the orbital fracture margin, strongly indicative of a firearm entry wound. Control sampling from unaffected cranial regions was negative, confirming specificity. The colocalization of ballistic residues and fracture morphology supported the conclusion that death resulted from a cranial gunshot trauma. These findings align closely with previously published case series involving SEM-EDS analysis in similarly complex forensic contexts particularly those described by Amadasi et al. This case highlights the forensic value and reliability of SEM-EDS for detecting GSR under severe taphonomic conditions, reinforcing the necessity of integrating radiological, entomological, histological, and advanced microscopic techniques to resolve complex forensic scenarios where traditional autopsy methods are severely limited.

Flavescence dorée and Bois noir are two major grapevine yellows diseases affecting European viticulture. Accurate, early detection of the associated bacterial agents-Flavescence dorée phytoplasma (FDp) and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani'-in both grapevines and insect vectors is critical for effective disease monitoring and control. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a highly sensitive molecular tool widely used for phytoplasma detection, often implemented in multiplex formats for simultaneous identification of multiple targets. However, the integration of internal quality controls is essential to validate DNA extraction efficiency and rule out PCR inhibition. While species-specific endogenous controls are commonly used, their limited host range restricts assay flexibility. This protocol describes a novel triplex qPCR assay enabling the simultaneous detection of FDp, 'Ca. P. solani', and a universal endogenous control based on a conserved region of the eukaryotic 28S rRNA gene. This universal control allows broad applicability across diverse eukaryotic hosts, including both grapevine and key insect vectors, facilitating robust and flexible diagnostics in a single reaction setup.

In this introductory chapter, we provide an overview of phytoplasma biology and outline the historical milestones that shaped the field, from their first discovery to their current taxonomic status. We also highlight how this third edition of "Phytoplasmas: Methods and Protocols" differs from previous volumes, reflecting both the adoption of new molecular and sequencing technologies and the revival of classical approaches. Taken together, these developments illustrate the evolving trajectory of phytoplasma research and set the stage for the detailed protocols presented in the following chapters.

Abstract Floodplain ecosystems play a key role in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, as they integrate inputs from both vegetation and sediments. Promoting land uses with low anthropogenic disturbances helps maintain the function of these ecosystems as soil carbon (C) sinks. However, the tipping points along a disturbance gradient where land use transitions generate the largest SOC losses or gains remain unclear, though they are key for effective land use management and climate change mitigation. Because flood events can negatively impact labile C, determining the main origin of stable SOC, whether from plants or soil microorganisms, is also important to identify the optimal combination of land use, vegetation, and soil type for SOC stabilization in floodplains. We examined how SOC storage and stabilization vary in the floodplain of Lake Saint-Pierre, Quebec, Canada along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient of six land uses: conventional and improved croplands, temporary and permanent meadows, marshes, and forested swamps. In all 6 land uses, we quantified SOC stocks, mineral-associated organic matter - C (MAOM-C), particulate organic matter - C (POM-C), soil δ13C and sugars. Land use effects on SOC storage and stabilization were most pronounced in the topsoil (0-10 cm), with forested swamps showing the highest vegetation biomass, SOC, and MAOM-C. Microbe-derived inputs were more abundant in MAOM, whereas plant-derived C dominated POM. SOC gains increased with decreasing disturbance, with a tipping point occurring in the transition from temporary to permanent meadows. Our results highlight the importance of conserving permanent and low-disturbance land uses to promote SOC persistence in floodplain ecosystems and emphasize the central role of microbial metabolism in stabilization processes.

Soil is fundamental to life on Earth through the provision of many ecosystem services. The current model of economic development exerts significant pressure on this resource, leading to degradation processes that are accelerated by the effects of climate change. This situation hinders the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and some parts of the world have started a process to reverse this trend, among them the European Union, which has chosen the living labs approach as a strategic solution. The growing interest in this subject within the EU has led to the establishment of a new framework to design and test sustainable policies to improve soil health and management at the continental scale. This review presents State-of-the-Art information on the use of the living labs approach to improve soil health. It also introduces the SOILL Support Structure for Soil Health Living Labs (SHLLs) and Lighthouses and the significant role of the SOILL-Startup project to help establish a network of 100 such structures across the EU. Following the PRISMA methodology, the review describes the main features of SHLLs (definition, types of stakeholders, field and scale of application), as well as their current geographical distribution. The work provides information that can be used by the scientific community, policy makers, and soil stakeholders who prioritise soil health, regardless of the context in which they operate.

Agricultural activities, particularly the cleaning of pesticide sprayers, are a major source of point-source water pollution. The lack of application of effective and simple treatment methods for pesticide-contaminated wash water and wastewater in South Tyrol, Italy, necessitates innovative solutions. This study evaluates the performance of biofilters in degrading pesticides from agricultural wastewater, which accumulates during the cleaning of application equipment or the disposal of left spray liquid. Over a five-year period, three biofilters, consisting of two similar systems were tested at a wine and fruit farm in Italy. These biofilters, capable of evaporating 6000 to 8000L of water annually, achieved a 98-99% reduction in pesticide residues. However, phosphonic acid and tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI) were detected in the water going to the plant boxes, exceeding regulatory limits, along with residues of captan, acetamiprid, phosmet, and flonicamid. Analysis revealed that pesticide degradation primarily occurred in the uppermost boxes of the biofilter. Copper accumulation was notable in the first box, with minimal accumulation in lower boxes. These findings demonstrate that biofilters effectively degrade most pesticide residues, even in highly contaminated wastewater, and offer an efficient and sustainable solution for managing agricultural wastewater in fruit production and viticulture. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of biofilter performance under northern Italian climate conditions.