Gianfranco Romanazzi

Marche Polytechnic University | Università degli Studi di Ancona · Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences

Monilinia fructicola is the most common and destructive brown rot agent on peaches. Knowledge of gene expression mediating host–pathogen interaction is essential to manage fungal plant diseases. M. fructicola putative virulence factors have been predicted by genome investigations. The pathogen interaction with the host was validated. Five M. fructi...

Induced resistance (IR) based on elicitors application aims to strengthen plant defenses, rather than directly targeting pathogens. These compounds are less toxic than conventional pesticides and are useful in reducing their use. Strategies based on COS–OGA, Swinglea glutinosa, and low copper doses were tested in this three-year (2021–2023) field i...

The agricultural use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and growth regulators may represent a serious public health and environmental problem worldwide. All this has prompted the exploration of alternative chemical compounds, leading to exploring the potential of chitosan and PGPB in agricultural systems as a potential biotechnological solution...

Sour cherry is a non-climacteric fruit that quickly loses its quality after harvest, so effective storage and packaging are essential to minimize postharvest decay. Our study aimed to (i) evaluate fruit decay incidence during shelf-life for both freshly harvested and six-week-cold-stored sour cherry fruits, comparing normal atmospheric conditions w...

The global diversity of fungi has been estimated between 2 to 11 million species, of which only about 155 000 have been named. Most fungi are invisible to the unaided eye, but they represent a major component of biodiversity on our planet, and play essential ecological roles, supporting life as we know it. Although approximately 20 000 fungal gener...

Over the past few decades, social agriculture, a component of multifunctional agriculture, has grown in popularity due to its numerous benefits for a variety of people, including those with learning and intellectual disabilities. A survey was conducted to assess social agricultural courses or modules offered by tertiary institutions. The study foun...

Among grapevine yellows, Bois noir (BN), associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’, represents the biggest threat in the main wine-growing areas worldwide, causing significant losses in berry quality and yields. BN epidemiology involves multiple plant hosts and several insect vectors, making considerably complex the development of effective m...

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Dear Participants thanks for joining and taking your valuable contribution the #PostharvestAncona2024 congress, in which we will have the final meeting of PRIMA project "Innovative Sustainable technologies TO extend the shelf-life of Perishable MEDiterranean fresh fruit, vegetables and aromatic plants and to reduce WASTE (StopMedWaste, https://sto...

Tuber melanosporum is an ascomycete that forms ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbioses with a wide range of host plants, producing edible fruiting bodies with high economic value. The quality of seedlings in the early symbiotic stage is important for successful truffle cultivation. Numerous bacterial species have been reported to take part in the truffle b...

Essential oils (EOs) extracted from aromatic or medicinal plants are biodegradable, safe, and regarded as alternatives to chemical pesticides to reduce fungal species attacking different crops. In this study, thirty EOs at 0.5 mg/mL were evaluated for in vitro growth inhibition of the main postharvest fungi, which are Alternaria alternata, Botrytis...

Fungicides are usually applied on strawberries to manage gray mold, induced by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. In this study, four reduced-risk fungicides (formulations of pyrimethanil, PYR, 175 mL/hL; boscalid, BOS, 80 g/hL; combination fludioxonil, FLU, +cyprodinil, CYP, 110 g/hL) were applied before harvest for the management of post-harve...

Monilinia spp. are among the main fungal pathogen affecting peaches, and they can cause severe pre- and postharvest losses. Development of smart packaging technologies (e.g., volatile indicators), facilitating infection detection and preventing other fruit from being contaminated, is still limited. In this study, we compared for the first time the...

Use of novel alternative compounds in agriculture is being promoted to reduce synthetic pesticides. An in vitro study was conducted to evaluate antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of chitosan hydrochloride (CH) and COS (chito-oligosaccharides)-OGA (oligo-galacturonides) at concentrations of 1%, 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.1%, 0.05%, and 0.025%. COS-OGA at...

Seedborne pathogens represent a critical issue for successful agricultural production worldwide. Seed treatment with plant protection products constitutes one of the first options useful for reducing seed infection or contamination and preventing disease spread. Basic substances are active, non-toxic substances already approved and sold in the EU f...

Botrytis spp. and Sclerotinia spp. are fungal plant pathogens of major agricultural importance. These related fungi, both of the family Sclerotiniaceae, target many economically important crops, and a lot of fungicides are currently employed worldwide in an effort to control them. Urgent interventions are required to better understand these pathoge...

Gray mold and brown rot, caused respectively by Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia spp., are fungal diseases responsible for significant losses during the storage of fruit and vegetables. Nowadays, the control of postharvest diseases is shifting towards more sustainable strategies, including the use of plant secondary metabolites. In this study, the an...

Ensuring food production has the capacity to meet the needs of populations worldwide requires not only innovative production methods, but also strategies to minimize food waste. Currently, around one third of the harvested fruits and vegetables ends up being wasted before consumption, due to multiple factors, such as overproduction or accidents dur...

Citation: Toffolatti, S.L.; Davillerd, Y.; D'Isita, I.; Facchinelli, C.; Germinara, G.S.; Ippolito, A.; Khamis, Y.; Kowalska, J.; Maddalena, G.; Marchand, P.; et al. Are Basic Substances a Key to Sustainable Pest and Disease Management in Agriculture? An Open Field Perspective. Plants 2023, 12, 3152. Abstract: Pathogens and pests constantly challen...

Gray mold and Rhizopus rot, which is caused by Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, respectively, are the most destructive forms of postharvest decay of the strawberry fruit. In this work, we tested the effectiveness of the control on the postharvest decay of the strawberry fruit (Fragaria × ananassa Duch cv. ‘Monterey’) following postharvest...

Improving the sustainability of agriculture and, at the same time, reducing the adverse effects of synthetic pesticides on human health requires effective alternatives that improve the productivity while maintaining the food quality and safety. Basic substances are relatively novel compounds that can be used in plant protection without neurotoxic o...

Seed is a critically important basic input of agriculture, because sowing healthy seeds is essential to food production. Using high quality seed enables less use of synthetic pesticides in the field. Seedborne pathogens can reduce yield quantity and quality of the crops produced. Seed treatments protect plant seedlings from pathogen attacks at emer...

Harvested fruit and vegetables are perishable, subject to desiccation, show increased respiration during ripening, and are colonized by postharvest fungal pathogens. Induced resistance is a strategy to control diseases by eliciting biochemical processes in fruits and vegetables. This is accomplished by modulating the progress of ripening and senesc...

Both chitosan (CTS) and chitooligosaccharide (COS) can promote fruit healing. However, whether the two chemicals regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis during wound healing of pear fruit remains unknown. In this study, the wounded pear fruit (Pyrus bretschneideri cv. Dongguo) was treated with a 1 g L-1 CTS and COS. We found CTS and COS...

Xylem anatomy may change in response to environmental or biotic stresses. Vascular occlusion, an anatomical modification of mature xylem, contributes to plant resistance and susceptibility to different stresses. In woody organs, xylem occlusions have been examined as part of the senescence process, but their presence and function in leaves remain o...

Grapevines are one of the most intensely treated crops with a high potential risk to health and biodiversity. Thus, the distribution control of agrochemicals is crucial to obtain a high quality and sustainable product for intensive viticulture. Although the search for systems to reduce the waste of chemical products is consistent in some countries,...

Postharvest fruit loss is caused by the absence of advanced handling and storage technologies and the quiescent presence of fungal pathogens. Therefore, there is a growing demand for sustainable decisions for the planet. This study focused on the use of two types of edible coatings: one was based on the essential oil of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. v...

Strawberry is a perishable fruit with a limited shelf life after harvest due to deterioration of quality and the development of gray mold, Rhizopus rot and other minor diseases. In this study, the effectiveness of commercial compounds based on chitosan, phosphoric acid plus micronutrients, and sweet orange essential oil (EO) in reducing decay and o...

Fresh fruits and vegetables contain high percentage of water and continue metabolic activity after being harvested, resulting in ripening, increased sensitivity to decay-causing fungi, and consequent loss and waste. Edible coatings are prepared from naturally occurring renewable sources and can contribute to reducing waste, respecting environment,...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development planned 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure a better present and future for our planet and the people that are living on it. The European Union joined Agenda 2030 and included some of them in the Farm to Fork strategy of European Green Deal, which plans a list of measures within 2030, includ...

The European chestnut characterizes both the landscape and economy of mountainous Italian areas. In recent years, new canopy disorders have been reported: “chestnut yellows”, often ascribed to phytoplasma and/or nutrient deficiency, and “chestnut mosaic”, associated with a virus (ChMV). Therefore, research was carried out in four Italian regions to...

La strategia Farm to Fork dell’European Green Deal pianifica per i prossimi anni un’agricoltura sempre più sostenibile, con una serie di indicatori, fra i quali il dimezzamento dell’uso dei prodotti chimici di sintesi, l’aumento delle superfici a biologico al 25% ed il dimezzamento degli sprechi, talvolta dovuti a malattie postraccolta e quindi cor...

(1) Background: the production of onion seeds is limited by the competition between seeds and the vegetative organs and by scape lodging. However, information on the effects of plant growth regulation on onion seed production is scarce. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the seed yield components and germination ability of onion seeds as affe...

Overall, 180 yeasts and bacteria isolated from the peel of citrus fruits were screened for their in vitro antagonistic activity against Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum, causative agents of green and blue mold of citrus fruits, respectively. Two yeast and three bacterial isolates were selected for their inhibitory activity on mycelium growth....

Brassicaceae products have been extensively studied for their biofumigant activity; despite this, few investigate their effect on soil proprieties. This paper aims to describe the effect on soil fertility by adding the seed meal of Brassica carinata at three different doses corresponding to field dose (3 tons/ha), 10 and 100 fold this dose in organ...

Grapevine Bois noir (BN) is associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’. It has been recorded in vineyards throughout Europe as well as in different countries in Asia, where it now constitutes a threat to Iranian viticulture. BN is strictly dependent on ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains, wild host plants, and insect vectors. The molecular typing of ‘Ca....

Synthetic pesticides are widely used to protect crops from pathogens and pests, especially for fruits and vegetables, and this may lead to the presence of residues on fresh produce. Improving the sustainability of agriculture and, at the same time, reducing the adverse effects of synthetic pesticides on human health requires effective alternatives...

Monilinia species are among the most devastating fungi worldwide as they cause brown rot and blossom blight on fruit trees. To understand the molecular bases of their pathogenic lifestyles, we compared the newly assembled genomes of single strains of Monilinia fructicola , M. fructigena and M. laxa , with those of Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia s...

BACKGROUND The grape volatile fraction determines to a great extent its aroma, which is one of the most important characteristics influencing wine quality and consumer preferences. Grapevine downy mildew (GDM) is one of the most important and devastating diseases of grapevines worldwide. In this study, the impact on the volatile composition of cv....

Esca disease is one of the most important grapevine trunk diseases. It seriously reduces the quality and quantity of grapevine production, and results in a shorter vineyard lifespan. Previous studies have suggested that wide xylem vessel diameter favours development on grapevine of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, one of the fungi involved in esca, thu...

Background: Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) is responsible for grape infection and damage to the winemaking and table grape sectors. Although anti-Botrytis chemicals are available, they are considered unsustainable for resistance phenomenon and adverse effects on the environment and human health. Research is focused on developing alternative approac...

Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum is an important seedborne pathogen of squash ( Cucurbita maxima ). The aim of our work was to develop a rapid and sensitive diagnostic tool for detection and quantification of S. cucurbitacearum in squash seed samples, to be compared with blotter analysis, that is the current official seed test. In blotter analysis,...

Botrytis cinerea is an economically devastating necrotrophic fungus that is responsible for gray mold infection of table grapes. Fungicides application remains the most common approach in its control. However, in consideration of food and environmental safety, safe and eco-friendly alternatives are desirable to manage gray mold. Pterostilbene is a...

The search for innovative solutions for GDM management is promoted by the limitations that have been placed on the use of cupric compounds in agriculture. The EU Regulation 1981/2018 restricts the maximum quantity of copper allowed per year (i.e., an average of 4 kg/ha) and inserts copper in the list of active ingredients candidate to substitution,...

The greatest challenge for the avocado (Persea americana Miller) industry is to maintain the quality of the fruit to meet consumer requirements. Anthracnose is considered the most important disease in this industry, and it is caused by different species of the genus Colletotrichum, although other pathogens can be equally important. The defense mech...

Anthracnose of papaya (Carica papaya L.) caused by the fungus Colletotrichum spp. is one of the most economically important postharvest diseases. Coating with chitosan (CS) and Ruta graveolens essential oil (REO) might represent a novel eco-friendly method to prevent postharvest anthracnose infection. These compounds show both antimicrobial and eli...

In this work we analyzed the relationship among native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and vine roots affected by esca, a serious grapevine trunk disease. The AMF symbiosis was analyzed on the roots of neighboring plants (symptomatic and asymptomatic to esca) in 14 sites of three vineyards in Marche region (central–eastern Italy). The AMF coloni...

Brown rot is the most important disease of stone fruits, causing significant losses both in the field and after harvest. The main casual agents are the fungi Monilinia laxa, M. fructigena, and M. fructicola. M. laxa and M. fructigena are widespread in Italy, the first one mainly on stone fruit and the second one on pome fruit. M. fructicola is a qu...

Brown rot are worldwide fungal diseases caused by Monilinia spp. (phylum Ascomycota) in pome- and stone-fruit trees of the Rosaceae family causing severe yield losses during both field production and postharvest processing. Among these, Monilinia fructigena causes severe losses, especially on in pome fruit culture. The aim of this study was to prov...

and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization, France Under the European Union aegis, a new round of non-competitive projects is being initiated via Euphresco. The topic description developed within the consortium created within Euphresco research coordination is the development of the basic substance for management of pests/vectors via natural c...

Oaks are dominant and key tree species in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. However, in recent decades, oak forests have been heavily impacted by oak decline, a worldwide phenomenon exacerbated by climate change. The charcoal disease agent Biscogniauxia mediterranea is involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak formations in a variety of contexts....

Esca is one of the most common grape leaf diseases that seriously affect grape yield, causing a loss of global production in the range of 20%-40%. Therefore, a timely and effective identification of the disease could help to develop an early treatment approach to control its spread while reducing economic losses. For this purpose the use of compute...

Subtropical fruit such as avocados (Persea americana), mangoes (Mangifera indica L.), and papayas (Carica papaya L.) are economically important in international trade and predominantly exported to European destinations. These fruits are highly consumed due to their health benefits. However, due to long-distance shipping and the time required to rea...

Oaks are a dominant and key tree species in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. However, in recent decades, oak forests have been heavily impacted by oak decline, a worldwide phenomenon exacerbated by climate change. The charcoal disease agent Biscogniauxia mediterranea is involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak formations in a variety of context...

El fruto de yaca es afectado por diversos patógenos en la etapa de postcosecha entre los que se encuentra el hongo Rhizopus stolonifer agente causal de la pudrición blanda. Para el control de este patógeno se utilizan fungicidas que dañan el medio ambiente y afectan la salud humana. Esta situación llevaa buscar alternativas seguras entre las que se...

Essential oils are gaining interest as environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides for management of seedborne pathogens. Here, seven essential oils were initially tested in vivo for disinfection of squash seeds (Cucurbita maxima) naturally contaminated by Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium fujikuro,...

Background: The role of fungi in cocoa crops is mainly associated with plant diseases and contamination of harvest with unwanted metabolites such as mycotoxins that can reach the final consumer. However, in recent years there has been interest in discovering other existing interactions in the environment that may be beneficial, such as antagonism,...

Essential oils represent novel alternatives to application of synthetic fungicides to control against seedborne pathogens. This study investigated seven essential oils for in vitro growth inhibition of the main seedborne pathogens of cucurbits. Cymbopogon citratus essential oil completely inhibited mycelial growth of Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearu...