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Environmental quality can be positively or negatively affected by agricultural practices depending on cropping systems and farm conditions. The

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Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, a plant species common in the Mediterranean basin, produces several bioactive compounds, some of which have herbicidal effects. A number of greenhouse and field experiments were carried out in order to evaluate if these effects could be obtained also by using the whole plant biomass, to identify the efficacious doses, determine their effects on seed germination and weed emergence, and to evaluate influence of soil characteristics on biomass efficacy. The experiments carried out evidenced that: (i) the dried biomass completely hampers plant emergence when high doses (30–40 kg biomass m−3 of soil) are mixed into the soil, or delays it at a lower dose (10 kg m−3); (ii) the detrimental effects are not affected by soil type. The exploitation of the D. viscosa dried biomass appears to be a feasible option in weed management practices and its potential is discussed.

A first checklist of the vascular flora of vineyards belonging to the DOC area "Gioia del Colle" is presented. The area is located in centre of the Apulia Region in Southern Italy. In all, 186 species are reported. So far, literature has lacked any systematic data on the flora of vineyards. Perrino, E. V. & Calabrese, G.: Vaskularna flora vinograda u području zaštićenog geografskog porijekla "Gioia del Colle" (Apulija, južna Italija): preliminarni podaci. Nat. Croat., Vol. 27, No. 1, 41-55, 2018, Zagreb. U radu se predstavlja prvi popis vaskularne flore vinograda u području zaštićenog geografskog porijekla "Gioia del Colle". Područje se nalazi u centru regije Apulija na jugu Italije. Navodimo ukupno 186 vrsta. Dosad u literaturi nije bilo sustavnih podataka o flori vinograda. Ključne riječi: regija Apulija, zaštićeno geografsko porijeklo Gioia del Colle, vinogradi, Italija, vaskularna flora PAPAVERACEAE Fumaria capreolata L. subsp. capreolata -T -Me

<abstract> <p>Biodiversity loss is a pressing challenge. This is particularly so in regions where the pressure on ecosystems is high such as in the Sahel region. This pressure is due, inter alia, to different land uses such as pastoralism. In this context, the present systematic review analyses the state of research on the nexus between pastoralism and biodiversity in West Africa. In particular, it explores the relationships between pastoralism (cf. agro-pastoralism, sylvo-pastoralism, agro-sylvo-pastoralism), on the one hand, and plant diversity, animal diversity, and ecosystem diversity, on the other hand. The paper also analyses the bibliometrics of the research field. A search performed in March 2021 on the Web of Science yielded 205 documents and 73 of them were included in the systematic review. The bibliometric analysis suggests an increasing interest in the research field, especially in Burkina Faso and Benin, but also the weakness of the domestic research system as a large share of the selected documents is authored by researchers based outside West Africa. In general, the scholarly literature shows a negative impact of pastoralism on plant diversity (cf. richness, abundance, composition) and animal diversity (cf. wild herbivorous mammals, predators, birds, insects) in West Africa. However, the literature analysis suggests that the effects of pastoralism are rather mixed. They are context-specific and depend on many factors such as grazing intensity and livestock species. The effects on plant diversity differ between woody (trees and shrubs) and herbaceous species. There is a general trend towards the erosion of indigenous livestock genetic diversity due to uncontrolled mating and cross-breeding. The impacts of pastoralism on ecosystem diversity are mainly due to changes in land use and habitat fragmentation. Further multi-country, comparative studies are needed to better qualify the interactions, complementarities and possible conflicts between the different pastoralism-related land uses and biodiversity conservation in West Africa.</p> </abstract>