We examined adaptations in histochemical composition and chemical element content in pine needles caused by pollution stress. Phenol content and trace element concentrations were measured in mature needles of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Pinus pinea L. from an urban ecosystem (the city of Palermo, Italy) and compared with samples collected in periurban sites where air pollution is presumably lowe...

Silvicultural thinning usually improves the water status of remaining trees in water-limited forests. We evaluated the usefulness of a dual stable isotope approach (d 13C, d 18O) for comparing the physiological performance of remaining trees between forest stands subjected to two different thinning intensities (moderate versus heavy) in a 60-yearold Pinus halepensis Mill. plantation in semiarid...

Photoinhibition was examined in four co-occurring Mediterranean evergreen tree species during two consecutive winters. In response to low temperatures and saturating light, Juniperus phoenicea L., Pinus halepensis Mill., Quercus coccifera L. and Q. ilex ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. exhibited marked chronic photoinhibition, indicated by low predawn maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem I...

AIM The identification and evaluation of lichen metabolite production by the epiphytic lichenized ascomycete Ramalina lacera collected from different substrates: Crataegus sinaicus, Pinus halepensis, and Quercus calliprinos. METHODS Chemical constituents were characterized by GC MS, HPLC, HR TLC, and other chemical methods. RESULTS The most abundant fatty acids were alpha-linolenic acid, ol...

Low, moderate and high rates (3, 5 and 7 g/l, respectively) of two controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) types, Osmocote 9–13–18 and Osmocote 17–10–10 were evaluated for their effects on production of containerized Pinus halepensis planting stock. Both formulations had similar patterns of nutrient release, with high release rates during the first 2–3 months, in contrast with minimum seedling upta...

A study was undertaken to establish the susceptibility of two recently colonized sand fly species, Phlebotomus perniciosus and P. papatasi to some insecticides. A laboratory colony of P. papatasi, unexposed to insecticides for a period of ten years, was used as reference strain. Bioassay tests were carried out according to the WHO standard protocols based on the mortality rates recorded at diff...

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) are important vectors of human pathogens. Moreover, they possess monoxenous parasites, including gregarines of the genus Psychodiella Votypka, Lantova, and Volf, which can negatively affect laboratory-reared colonies, and have been considered as potential candidates in biological control. In this study, effects of the gregarine Psychodiella sergent...

Visceral leishmaniasis is a deadly parasitic disease that is transmitted via the bite of a female sand fly, Phlebotomus argentipes. The highest burden of this disease is in northern India. In 2005, India embarked on an initiative with Nepal, Bangladesh, and the World Health Organization to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis by 2015. With the goal of 1 case in 10,000 people still unmet, it is prud...