Elisa Pellegrino

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna | SSSUP · Land Lab

Characterization and selection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) taxa to design inocula tailored to meet a spectrum of needs is a crucial first step to achieve specific beneficial agronomic functions. Commonly, commercial microbial inocula are based on generalist single AM fungal taxa, having low genetic variability and not offering efficiency...

Contrasting life-history characteristics of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal families may have important implications for mycorrhizal functioning. Nevertheless, the effect of inoculation with AM fungi having different life-history strategies on the quality parameters of tomato fruits was not investigated. In this study, fruit and sauce quality of...

Bioremediation of pharmaceuticals has gained large research efforts, but there is still a need to improve the performance of bioremediation systems by selecting effective organisms. In this study, we characterized the capability to remove clarithromycin (CLA) and diclofenac (DCF) by the bacterium Streptomyces rochei, and the fungi Phanerochaete chr...

Purpose Plant microbial biostimulants, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), enhance nutrient concentration in fruits, including tomato. However, field studies on tomato AMF inoculation are scarce. AMF species belonging to Gigasporaceae and Glomeraceae families known to vary in life-history strategies may determine differential effects on pla...

In the ecosystem, the plant microbiome is often in association with other microorganisms like bacteria, actinobacteria, and fungi that carry on different roles for the ecosystem. The functional microbiome of the rhizosphere has been studied widely for improvement and enhancement of crop productivity which directly supports a farmer first and later...

Bioremediation of pharmaceuticals (PhCs) has gained large research efforts, but there is still a need to improve the performance of bioremediation systems by selecting effective organisms. In this study, we characterized the capability to remove clarithromycin (CLA) and diclofenac (DCF) by the bacterium Streptomyces rochei, and the fungi Phanerocha...

Weed development is one of the major constraints to cereal cropping systems in Southern Africa with potential severe crop losses. Understanding weed community responses to different conservation agriculture (CA) components (i.e., no-tillage, NT; crop rotation, R; and mulching, M) and/or their combinations is crucial in Southern Africa where farmers...

Purpose: In the scenario of an increased atmospheric CO2 concentration, nutrients are reduced in all vegetables. In this context, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could enhance nutrient concentration in edible portions of plants, including tomato. However, field studies on tomato AMF inoculation are scarse. AMF species belonging to Gigasporaceae...

Weeds are responsible for major crop losses worldwide but can provide beneficial agroecosystem services. This study aimed to elucidate how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in weeds respond to host identity and conservation agricultural practices. The study was carried out at two locations in Southern Africa during off-season and in-season maize c...

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on yield and quality was investigated on a set of seven bread wheat genotypes with varying years of release, including five old genotypes and two modern varieties. A two-year field trial was conducted in central Italy under rainfed conditions. The effect of AM fungal seed coating was proved by assess...

Under conservation agriculture (CA), soil aggregates physically protect soil organic C, creating microhabitats with heterogeneities in nutrient availability. These may become rich in microbial taxa with structured interconnections, and thus maintain the equilibrium between C sources and sinks. A long-term experiment on tillage and N fertilization w...

Conservation agriculture (CA) can sustainably increase crop productivity through improved soil chemical, physical, and biological properties, among others. However, the implementation of all its three main components (i.e., no-tillage, organic soil cover/mulch, and crop diversification) in southern Africa is often challenging, resulting in variable...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are promoted as biofertilizers due to potential benefits in crop productivity, and macro- and microelement uptake. However, crop response to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation is context-dependent, and AMF diversity and field establishment and persistence of inoculants can greatly contribute to variation in...

This study investigated the occurrence of 12 pharmaceuticals (PhCs) in surface water in Central Italy, aiming to improve the estimation of the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) by normalizing the loads to the number of inhabitants of the drainage system in rural, periurban, and urban areas. We performed two sampling campaigns assessing th...

The stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) promoted by conservation agriculture (CA) depends on soil aggregation. Aggregation protects SOC and creates heterogeneous microhabitats hosting diverse soil biota which in turn promote aggregation. A long-term experiment, studying the interaction of tillage with nitrogen (N) fertilization on a soybean-...

Direct transfer of zinc between plants is channelled by common mycorrhizal network of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and evidenced by changes in expression of zinc transporter genes in fungus and plant The role that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play in plant-to-plant transfer of Zn has not yet been investigated. The present work is the first th...

Conservation agriculture has been promoted to sustainably intensify food production in smallholder farming systems in southern Africa. However, farmers have rarely fully implemented all its components, resulting in different combinations of no-tillage, crop rotation, and permanent soil cover being practiced, thus resulting in variable yield respons...

The role that common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) play in plant‐to‐plant transfer of zinc (Zn) has not yet been investigated, despite the proved functions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in crop Zn acquisition. Here, two autotrophic Medicago truncatula plants were linked by a CMN formed by Rhizophagus irregularis. Plants were grown in vitro in...

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plants and animals, and Zn deficiency is a widespread problem for agricultural production. Although many studies have been performed on biofortification of staple crops with Zn, few studies have focused on forages. Here, the molecular mechanisms of Zn transport in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) were investi...

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for both plants and animals, and Zn deficiency is one of the most widespread problems for agricultural production. Although many studies have been performed on the biofortification of staple crops with Zn, few studies have focused on forage crops. In this study the molecular mechanisms of Zn transport-related...

In plant-fungus phenotyping, determining fungal hyphal and plant root lengths by digital image analysis can reduce labour and increase data reproducibility. However, the degree of software sophistication is often prohibitive and manual measuring is still used, despite being very time-consuming. We developed the HyLength tool for measuring the lengt...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) promote crop growth and yield by increasing N and P uptake and disease resistance, but the role of field AMF inoculation on the uptake of micronutrients, such as Fe and Zn, and accumulation in plant edible portions is still not clarified. Therefore, we studied the effect of field inoculation with Rhizophagus irreg...

In the Mediterranean, long-term impact of typical land uses on soil fertility have not been quantified yet on replicated mixed crop-livestock farms and considering the variability of soil texture. Here, we report the effects, after 15 years of practice, of two legume-winter cereal rotations, olive orchards and vineyards on microbiological and chemi...

Conservation agriculture is globally recommended for increasing soil C and reducing greenhouse gases emissions by modifying soil physical, chemical and biological properties and processes. We assessed the impact of long-term conservation tillage and N fertilization in wheat-soybean rotation on soil aggregate distribution, nutrients stocks and funct...

Soil biodiversity accomplishes key roles in agro-ecosystem services consisting in preserving and enhancing soil fertility and nutrient cycling, crop productivity and environmental protection. Thus, the improvement of knowledge on the effect of conservation practices, related to tillage and N fertilization, on soil microbial communities is critical...

Background Increasing zinc (Zn) concentrations in crops is important for alleviation of human Zn deficiency. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) contribute to plant Zn uptake, but their contribution to Zn in the edible portion of crops has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to quantify the mycorrhizal pathway of Zn uptake into grain of whea...

The question of whether tillers are a burden or a resource in durum wheat is of concern in the variable Mediterranean climates. The contribution of tillers to grain yield was investigated in commercial cultivars differing in time to anthesis, tillering and spike size, in response to three sowing dates:mid-autumn (recommended), winter, and early spr...

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Despite the extensive cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) maize and considerable number of scientific reports on its agro-environmental impact, the risks and benefits of GE maize are still being debated and concerns about safety remain. This meta-analysis aimed at increasing knowledge on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits of G...

Background and aims Since actual production of wheat often leads to human Fe and Zn deficiency, a better understanding of the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculation for micro-nutrient uptake of durum wheat is needed. Methods Effects of AMF field inoculation and N availability were evaluated on an old and a modern durum wheat v...

There are two problematic solid residues from agriculture and agro‐industry, produced in vast amounts in rural areas: those from coffee bean production and processing and those deriving from the extraction process of olive oil. Notwithstanding these residues originat‐ ing in different geographical areas, they have striking similarities. They both d...

The effect of field foliar Fe and Zn biofortification on concentration and potential bioavailability of Fe and Zn and health-promoting compounds was studied in wholemeal flour of two common wheat varieties (old vs modern). Moreover, the effect of milling and bread making was studied. Biofortification increased the concentration of Zn (+78%) and its...

There are two problematic solid residues from agriculture and agro-industry, produced in vast amounts in rural areas: those from coffee bean production and processing and those deriving from the extraction process of olive oil. Notwithstanding these residues originating in different geographical areas, they have striking similarities. They both de...

Preceding crop greatly affects the agronomic and economic performance of durum wheat, but its interaction with tillage intensity was scarcely investigated at the early transition from conventional to reduced tillage. This work was aimed at studying how preceding crop determines the performance of durum wheat during the early transition from convent...

Land-use change is known to be a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services in Mediterranean areas. However, the potential for different host plants to modulate the effect of land-use intensification on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community composition is still poorly understood. To test the hypothesis that low land-use intensity pr...

This study aims to provide first insights on the impact of land-use intensification and soil properties in shaping the composition of N-cycling microbial communities in Mediterranean peaty soils drained for agricultural purposes. An intensively cultivated peaty soil represented by an intensive maize cropping system was compared with an extensive gr...

Preceding crop greatly affects the agronomic and economic performance of durum wheat, but its interaction with tillage intensity was scarcely investigated at the early transition from conventional to reduced tillage. This work was aimed at studying how preceding crop determines the performance of durum wheat during the early transition from convent...

Land-use change is known to be a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services in Mediterranean areas. However, the potential for different host plants to modulate the effect of land-use intensification on community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is still poorly understood. To test the hypothesis that low land-use intensity...

Bioenergy crops play a key role in the current agricultural policies. Recently, changes in national and international policies promoted the use of renewable energy and several researches have been performed on the non-food chain. Large attention has been given to the economic-productive and energetic aspects of biomass crops, while few studies have...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous plant root symbionts and have beneficial effects on soil quality, plant growth, and nutrition. All these benefits are declining with agricultural intensification, and little is known on how the AMF community composition varies in relation to this. Here, we investigated the effects of land use intens...

To meet the projected demand for food, world production must increase up to 50% by 2030. Since agricultural production might level off or even decline in many regions for the strong decrease of soil organic matter, filling the gap between actual and potential yield is crucial. In degraded and low fertility Mediterranean soils, the theoretical yield...

Anthropogenic effects on soil fungi have been poorly investigated in peaty soils, where they have a crucial role in the maintenance of soil fertility and in the regulation of nutrient cycles. In this study, we assessed the effects of land-use intensification on the composition of fungal communities in Mediterranean peaty soils drained for agricultu...

Worldwide climate is likely to become more variable or extreme with increases in intense precipitation. In Mediterranean areas, climate change will increase the risks of droughts, flash floods and soil erosion. Despite rainfall intensity being a key factor in erosive processes, in these areas information on extreme rainfall intensity and the associ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can benefit the growth and yield of agriculturally significant crops by improving mineral uptake, disease resistance and drought tolerance of plants. We conducted a meta-analysis of 38 published field trials with 333 observations to determine the effects of root colonization by inoculated and native AMF on nutrien...

Bioenergy crops play a key role in current agriculture. Changes in the European policies promoted the use of renewable energy and several researches were performed on the non-food sector. So far, the agronomical aspects and economics of such crops have been largely evaluated, but few studies have been performed on the quality of soil after their lo...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous plant root symbionts and have beneficial effects on soil fertility, plant growth and nutrition, but all these benefits are declining upon agricultural intensification. Therefore it is important to study the impact that agricultural intensification may have on AMF community structure and diversity taki...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are mutualistic symbionts living in the roots of 80% of land plant species, and developing extensive, belowground extraradical hyphae fundamental for the uptake of soil nutrients and their transfer to host plants. Since AM fungi have a wide host range, they are able to colonize and interconnect contiguous plants by...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) establishing beneficial symbiosis with most crop plants have gained a growing interest as agro-ecosystem service providers able to sustain crop productivity and quality. In this study we tested the agronomic relevance of field-inoculated locally sourced and foreign inocula on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), one of...

Since 1930, a large part of the Massaciuccoli Lake coastal marshy area (Tuscany, Italy) has been drained for agricultural purposes by means of a complex network of artificial drains and pumping stations. In the drained areas, peat soils, with values of organic matter up to 50% in some cases, are largely present (Pistocchi et al., 2012). Conventiona...

In the last century, most peatlands were reclaimed for agricultural purposes, which led to peat degradation and to severe subsidence, and thus too wet conditions for crops. In some areas this has therefore led to wide agricultural abandonment. However, studies on the effect of agricultural abandonment as a potential restoration tool are lacking. In...

Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRGs) are promising crops for second generation biofuels. In Italian environments the aboveground productivity of these species has been widely studied since 1990s. However, the interest in investigating the belowground biomass of PRGs has arisen only recently. In this work we explored the root distribution of giant r...

Wetlands are species-rich habitats performing valuable ecosystem services such as flood protection, water quality enhancement, food chain support and carbon sequestration. In the course of history, worldwide natural wetland ecosystems have been reclaimed for agriculture, loosing their original character with reduction of biodiversity and performanc...

Under natural conditions peatlands play an important role in the global C cycle as a long-term sink of atmospheric C and are sensitive to disturbances such as management. Intensive agriculture involving their drainage has been shown to lead to major problems linked to oxidation, subsidence and severe CO2 emissions. With regard to soil quality, arbu...

The Massaciuccoli lake basin (Tuscany, Italy), characterized by a Mediterranean climate, is a typical artificially drained coastal floodplain impacted by excess nutrient loading primarily from agricultural activities. Due to the complex hydrological setting of the area and to the high soil organic matter content (up to 50%) problems such as phospho...

Wetlands cover about 6% of the world landscape. Within such lands, the global dominant classes, bogs and fens, are highly important for the C cycle and in particular peatlands, sequestering about one-third of the terrestrial C, are critical ecosystems, which need to be largely investigated for their microbial diversity and roles. So far, more than...

• Inoculation of crop plants by non-native strains of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi as bio-enhancers is promoted without clear evidence for symbiotic effectiveness and fungal persistence. To address such gaps, the forage legume Medicago sativa was inoculated in an agronomic field trial with two isolates of Funneliformis mosseae differing in the...

In the last decade, the change of energy concept induced by global warming and fossil fuel depletion together with the advances in agri-culture towards a multifunctional and a more sustainable use of rural areas promoted the development of biomass crops. In this regard, Populus is largely utilised in short-rotation forestry (SRF), as it is known to...

In sustainable agriculture, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal inoculation in agronomical management might be very important, especially when the efficiency of native inocula is poor. Here, we assessed the effect of native and exotic selected AM fungal inocula on plant growth and nutrient uptake in a low input Trifolium alexandrinumeZea mays crop r...

Bioenergy crops play an ecologically and economically fundamental role as an alternative to agri-food productions and as renewable energy sources. Little attention has been focused on soil quality following conversion of agricultural lands to biomass crops. Here, we assessed the impact of a 10-year-old short- rotation coppice (SRC) poplar stand on...

In the last decade, the change of energy concept induced by global warming and fossil fuel depletion together with the advances in agriculture towards a multifunctional and a more sustainable use of rural areas promoted the development of biomass crops. In this regard, Populus is largely utilised in short-rotation forestry (SRF), as it is known to...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in host plant growth and health, nutrient and water uptake, plant community diversity and dynamics. AM fungi differ in their symbiotic performance, which is the result of the interaction of two fungal characters, infectivity and efficiency. Infectivity is the ability of a fungal isolate to estab-lis...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in host plant growth and health, nutrient and water uptake, plant community diversity and dynamics. AM fungi differ in their symbiotic performance, which is the result of the interaction of two fungal characters, infectivity and efficiency. Infectivity is the ability of a fungal isolate to establish...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are key organisms of the soil/plant system, influencing soil fertility and plant nutrition, and contributing to soil aggregation and soil structure stability by the combined action of extraradical hyphae and of an insoluble, hydrophobic proteinaceous substance named glomalin- related soil protein (GRSP). Since the...

Arbuscular mycorrhizas are symbiotic associations that play a key role in plant nutrition by absorbing and translocating mineral nutrients from soil to host plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which are considered natural biofertilizers, show diverse levels of performance, depending on the ability of different isolates to promote plant growth and...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are mutualistic symbionts living in the roots of 80% of land plant species, and developing extensive, below-ground extraradical hyphae fundamental for the uptake of soil nutrients and their transfer to host plants. Since AM fungi have a wide host range, they are able to colonize and interconnect contiguous plants b...

We investigated the functional significance of extraradical mycorrhizal networks produced by geographically different isolates of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) species Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices. A two-dimensional experimental system was used to visualize and quantify intact extraradical mycelium (ERM) spreading from Medicago...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in host plant growth and health, nutrient and water uptake, plant community diversity and dynamics. AM fungi differ in their symbiotic performance, which is the result of the interaction of two fungal characters, infectivity and efficiency. Infectivity is the ability of a fungal isolate to estab-lis...

In the last decade, the change of energy concept induced by global warming and fossil fuel depletion together with the advances in agri-culture towards a multifunctional and a more sustainable use of rural areas promoted the development of biomass crops. In this regard, Populus is largely utilised in short-rotation forestry (SRF), as it is known to...

Bioenergy crops play a key role in the current agricultural policies. Recently, changes in national and international policies promoted the use of renewable energy and several researches have been performed on the non-food chain. Large attention has been given to the economic-productive and energetic aspects of biomass crops, while few studies have...

La glomalina è una glicoproteina di recente scoperta, prodotta in grande quantità dai funghi micorrizici arbuscolari (AM). Nei suoli, la quantità di glomalina è risultata essere correlata con i principali parametri di fertilità. In questo lavoro viene valutato il cambiamento nei contenuti di glomalina e di aggregati stabili all'acqua (WSA 1-2mm), i...

Bioenergy crops play a key role in the current agricultural policies. Recently, changes in national and international policies promoted the use of renewable energy and several researches have been performed on the nonfood chain. Large attention has been given to the economic-productive and energetic aspects of biomass crops, while few studies have...