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The exploitation of industrial crops for the production of ligno-cellulosic compounds and vegetable oil on marginal lands relies on efficient harvesting and logistics’ strategies. The present deliverable goes through the difficulties encountered from harvesting to dispatchment of indrustrial crops highlighting prons and cons of the currently available technologies to improve the whole value chain in the following categories: lignocellulosic crops (fiber, herbaceous perennial and Short-Medium Rotation Coppice (SRC-MRC)) and oil crops. The two sections are indipendently investigated focusing on harvesting and densifiction of the biomass to reduce cost and increase profitability. The information provided within the present document was gathered from experimental data collected on fields, from literature review and background knowledge gained from collaboration in previous research projects. Regarding fiber crop (in particular hemp) it is possible to say that there are several solutions available to harvest this species, which should be properly selected according to the crop features and to the aim of the cultivation, i.e. fiber and seed-fiber. Focusing on lignocellulosic crops, the present deliverable focused mainly on miscanthus, describing the possible alternative solutions which are generally based on cutting the plants and densify them through chipping and/or baling. Harvesting systems for SRC and MRC have been instead experiencing a substantial change in the last years, shifting from dedicated systems for biomass harvesting and densification to semi or fully mechanized harvesting approaches, derived from forestry sector, in order to produce fiber wood from the main stem and biomass from branches and tops. Finally, concerning oil crops, it is possible to say that, among the investigated ones, camelina and castor can efficiently be harvested with conventional combine harvesters equipped with cereal and sunflower header respectively. Castor bean harvesting is instead still a great challenge, indeed the present deliverable highlights how a sunflower header is a better option than a cereal one, but however many concerns are still present regarding seed loss and quality of the collected product.

Assessing the sustainability of agri-food chains is challenging for several reasons. It should account for the impacts on environmental, social, and economic wellbeing simultaneously, considering both the individual links in the chain and the chain as a whole. The primary aim of this study is to assess the conditions for meeting the sustainability criteria of a legume-based agri-food chain in Slovenia. Therefore, a quantitative sustainability assessment methodology was developed, using a multi-stakeholder approach, which upgraded the traditional SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Our approach, called ‘Multi-SWOT’, aggregates the SWOT table inputs identified by stakeholders into factors, themes and focus areas, according to their importance for the agri-food chain, for each sustainability pillar, and links in the chain. By accounting for the relative number of incentives (beneficial factors) and barriers (constraint factors) we identified those factors that enhance the sustainability of the Slovenian legume-based agri-food chain and the factors jeopardising it. The incorporation of multi-stakeholder perspectives presents an innovative approach that adds value to a standard SWOT analysis. The study serves as a guide to help decision-makers better understand the multidimensionality of sustainability and identify effective activities to support and strengthen the current legume agri-food chain in Slovenia.

It has been reported that 31% of the rivers and six of nine major coastal bays in China have suffered from eutrophication, caused by elevated concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). In addition, > 60% of the monitored drinking water wells are severely contaminated, classified as level IV (I-V, where V is the worst) or worse. Transfers of N and P from agriculture are the main contributors to the poor water quality.China has recently introduced water protection policies to address nutrient transfers to vulnerable watercourses, such as the 2015 Water-Pollution-Prevention-Control-Action-Plan. However, this policy focuses on the management of industrial effluents and includes only two mitigation strategies related to agriculture: (i) relocation of livestock farms outside the highly populated regions, and (ii) reduction of chemical fertilizer use to increase recycling of manure in crop production. These actions have been implemented without identifying the key regions that are vulnerable for NO3- and P leaching from agriculture to groundwater and surface waters. As a result, such policies may not have the desired effect in reducing N and P contamination in waters.

The iMAR 2022 cruise “Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region” took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) between July 28th and August 4th 2022. This expedition was the second leg of the iMAR cruise funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic. It was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute (IH), the University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). During this cruise, we explored under-visited portions of the southern sector of the MAR in the Azores region and associated ridges and seamounts between 300 and 1,200 m depth (Figure 1): (1) unnamed seamount (coded B14) and Alfa seamount, (2) ridges around the Menez Gwen hydrothermal vent area, (3) A16 seamount and Cabeçote hills, (4) Sarda N and Sarda NE seamounts, (5) Farpas ridge, and (6) Voador seamount. On most sampling locations, we collected multibeam data, CTD measurements, water and sediment samples, as well as towed camera video transects along with ADCP data to survey deep-sea coral and sponge communities. Water samples will be used to characterize water masses properties (nutrients and physical-chemical parameters) and also for biodiversity analyses through eDNA methods. Sediment samples (collected at 1,000 m depth) will be used for biodiversity analyses through faunal studies and eDNA methods, the presence of microplastics, granulometry analyses, and physical-chemical studies. Although the data has yet to be analysed in detail, the iMAR 2022 cruise revealed some exciting discoveries. We have identified new areas that fit the FAO definition of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VME), and compiled valuable scientific information to inform the development of policies that promote the preservation of the natural heritage, ensuring the sustainable use of the deep sea, minimizing negative impacts on these vulnerable ecosystems.

Hyperlinks to EU and some non-EU funded Nature-based Solution projects and platforms, 2016 to 2026. Some projects do not have websites at the time of upload. This information will be updated on an annual basis. Now updated to include new projects for 2023. Suggested citation: Collier, M.J. (2023) Hyperlinked compendium of nature-based solutions projects 2016-2026. NovelEco Project. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10161134

The quantification of pollution sources' contributions is a crucial element for implementing the Directives on Air Quality (2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC). Within the ICARUS project, the source apportionment of PM2.5 in six cities of Europe (Athens, Brno, Ljubljana, Madrid, Thessaloniki, and Stuttgart) was assessed using datasets of measurements made in two different seasons (summer and winter) and two modeling tools: the Lenschow approach and the Positive Matrix Factorization. In order to increase the reliability and robustness of the results, an inter-comparison exercise was carried out with two receptor models for the same datasets: the Principal Component Analysis and the Positive Matrix Factorization model run by a different institution. It was observed that the Lenschow approach does not show the same results as the receptor models and therefore cannot be used to design strategies for urban air quality planning but just as a qualitative method. The comparison of the receptor models led to the validation of the results. Five sources have been found to be the main sources of PM2.5 in all the participating cities, namely, traffic, secondary inorganic aerosols (nitrates and sulphates), resuspension of soil dust, heating systems (biomass burning and/or fuel oil combustion) and industry. Geographical and seasonal variations have been observed, especially for heating sources hence, air quality measures at a local scale should be designed for the abatement of air pollution.

Aquaculture is a growing industry where facilities require robust strategies to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Using effective biocides as disinfectants in biosecurity plans is essential to implement a comprehensive safety program. Although the majority of high-level commercial biocides acting effectively on the free-living planktonic pathogens seldom are also helpful on the more complex biofilm structures. Here, we evaluated the antimicrobial time-efficacy of three disinfectant biocides, Virkon™Aquatic (VirA), peracetic acid (PerA), and hydrogen peroxide (HydP) upon Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio alginolyticus, and Photobacterium damselae subspecies piscicida against their both living strategies. By using the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations sufficient on the free-living planktonic state (MIC; MBC) and biofilms (MBIC; MBEC), we determined in vitro the susceptibility of each bacterial strain against three different individual concentrations of VirA, PerA, and HydP were added at 1, 5, and 10 minutes intervals. We found that PerA and VirA had the highest bactericidal efficacies against all bacteria' free-living planktonic state and biofilm. Kinetically, PerA achieved a significantly quicker positive result in both cases and did not vary among strains, while the weakest HydP required longer than 10 min to act effectively. Besides, we conducted a short in vivo safety trial using juvenile Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Disinfectants were poured each at the suggested MIC in the water of triplicate tanks per group holding fish. Mortality started as early as 12 h post-addition in the VirA group, while PerA and HydP did it so much later. Whatever the case, all groups achieved no more than 50% mortality after 24 h, showing the affordable risk these disinfectants possess for fish. Together, our results strongly support the use of biocides as disinfectants in aquaculture facilities and highlight PerA as the most effective fighting against biofilms produced by V. anguillarum, V. harveyi, V. alginolyticus, and P. damselae subsp. piscicida. {"references": ["doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.736004"]}

The document contains all the primers identified for the screening of genes tested for their potential as biomarkers to predict quality performance in gilthead sea bream and European sea bass larvae and juveniles in the context of PERFORMFISH (WP2). The spreadsheet has the following information: Pathway, phisiologic process in which the gene is involved; name of protein that gene produces; gene code; acession nº, code given in the consulted databases and the sequence extracted for primer design; FW and RV primer, forward and reverse primer sequence specific for target gene; melt temperature, optimized temperature that primers work at ; amplicon size, size in base pairs of the product produced with the primers; eff%, efficency of primers; r2; source, the origin of the primers, "in house" or "literature" (including available DOI. Each pair of primers are classified using a "traffic light" system indicating their validation status.