Crop disease management often implies repeated application of fungicides. However, the increasing emergence of fungicide-resistant pathogens requires their rotation or combined use. Tank-mix combinations using fungicides with different modes of action are often hard to manage by farmers. An alternative and unexploited strategy are bifunctional fungicides, i . e . compounds resulting from conjugation of the pharmacophores of fungicides with different mechanisms of action. In this paper we describe a new approach to antifungal treatments based on the synthesis of dual agents, obtained by merging the strobilurin and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor pharmacophores into a new entity. The compounds were tested against important fungal plant pathogens and showed good inhibition of Pyricularia oryzae and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with activity comparable to commercial fungicides. The inhibition of the cytochrome bc 1 and the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme activity confirmed that the new molecules are endowed with a dual mechanism of action. These results were further supported by molecular modelling which showed that selected compounds form stable complexes with both cytochrome b subunit and succinate dehydrogenase enzyme. This work can be considered an important first step towards the development of novel dual-action agents with optimized structure and improved interaction with the targets.

Arnica montana L. is an alpine herbaceous plant typical of nutrient-poor grasslands. It is a popular medicinal plant for the treatment of bruises, cuts and pain, and it is also an endangered alpine species. For this reason, the sustainable production of inflorescences instead of the spontaneous collection of plant material, coupled with the use of local ecotypes, should be incentivized. Inflorescences of a wild accession of arnica were compared versus an accession cultivated in Valsaviore (Italian Alps) in terms of seed germination performance and phytochemical characterization by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. The germination percentage was high (>75%) for both cultivated and wild seeds. The NMR spectra of arnica extracts were very similar and confirmed the presence of sesquiterpene compounds, esters of helenaline and dehydroelenaline. A significant high percentage of acetic acid methyl ester (38 μg/g) and the 2-methyl methyl ester of propanoic acid (31 μg/g) were found in cultivated arnica and were probably associated with fermentation processes linked to the traditional method of air drying on a trellis. The possibility of growing A. montana and a controlled local first transformation are important to incentivize local, good quality and sustainable production. The growing of seedlings “in loco” could be of great interest both for farmers and for natural conservation purposes.

3-(2-Haloacyl)-2-oxazolidinones were shown to react with enals in an asymmetric SmI 2 -promoted Reformatsky reaction to give stereochemically well-defined 3-hydroxy-4-alkenyl-and 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-alkenyl imides. Chirality transfer of the Evans (S)-oxazolidinone unit via a Zimmerman−Traxler-like transition state resulted in Reformatsky products with a relative syn-configuration. The absolute configuration of compounds obtained is opposite to the corresponding products obtained via aldol addition of boron enolates to enals using the same Evans oxazolidinones.

Spring-wells (lowland springs, “fontanili”) are elements of Po Plain (Northern Italy) with ecological and historical importance. There, spring-water flows naturally and rises to the surface at a relatively constant temperature, generating unique ecosystems dependent on the groundwater outflow. Despite their importance, they are endangered by degradation processes as the expansion of urban areas and/or the intensification of agriculture, very marked in Po Plain. This research describes four spring-wells of Po Plain from a botanical and ecological perspective through phytosociological relevés and different ecological indexes. Water chemical-physical features are also considered (pH, temperature and ammonium ion, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate, chloride and organic matters contents). Plant communities of the spring-well beds show a low number of species (5.8 ± 2.9) but also no exotic species while the vegetation of the banks has a high number of species (32.4 ± 9.8) but several of them are exotic/ornamental. The low value of the Ecological Index of Maturity of the vegetation of the banks (EIM = 4.4 ± 1.5) indicate disturbances, however moderate compared to the surrounding corn fields (EIM ~ 0). All the water samples has high ammonium content (> 0.50 ppm), the water of the spring-well B results the most polluted and both algae and Callitriche obtusangula (rare native species) grow largely in it, while spring-well C has less phosphates and more nitrite and is marked by Equisetum telmateia. Management proposals to protect and enhance the studied spring-wells, as the gradual removal of exotic species and the planting of native species, are discussed.

Multifunctional agriculture could be strategic for the recovery of some mountain areas of the Alps, and traditional crops like cereals generated study cases that triggered processes of development, such as rye in Camonica Valley (Northern Italy). However, farmers are often newcomers, and the specificities of low input agriculture make the training in agriculture fundamental. The impact of public workshops/seminars (organized by the Ge.S.Di.Mont. Research Centre of the University of Milan in Camonica Valley) on cereal cultivation between 2016 and 2021 was investigated. Moreover, rye produced in Camonica Valley was analyzed. The results show an increase in participation and a wider use of the streaming service. The percentage of participants not from an agricultural background had always remained about 50%, but decreased to 15.17% ± 5.07 in 2021, in contrast to the increase of professionals in agriculture and forestry. This is probably due to the accreditation of training activities for agronomists and foresters, and to the start of specific training projects regarding cereals. Samples of rye produced in Camonica Valley following the period of training activities were phytochemically/nutritionally characterized and compared to commercial rye. Locally produced rye proved to be comparable to the commercial one; however it showed a remarkable unevenness in secondary metabolite content and productivity, due to environmental differences and diverse agro-techniques.

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Agrobiodiversity conservation includes strategies and actions to be taken to prevent landrace loss, a worldwide problem. Landraces are local varieties that have agricultural, cultural, and historical value but most of these are not studied yet. This research aimed to study the nutritional and phytochemical characteristics of the “Copafam” bean. In addition, the sensory properties and consumers’ hedonic ratings in a model food formulation (biscuits) made by this landrace have been examined. The results show that “Copafam” had a high dietary fiber content (34.83 ± 2.48 g/100 g dw) and it resulted in a great source of secondary metabolites as polyphenols (121.36 ± 5.31 mg GAE/g dw), flavonoids (6.51 ± 0.17 mg/kg dw), and anthocyanins (28.11 ± 0.16 mg Cy3 G/kg dw), having remarkable antioxidant activity too. Biscuits made from “Copafam” bean flour were characterized by a darker color and crunchy texture, and it was considered acceptable by consumers. All these characteristics make it a resource of great interest for innovative forms of consumption like fortified foods. This research showed that landraces can represent a great resource for an innovative food industry aiming to preserve agrobiodiversity and promote the sustainable development of mountain areas.

: Platinum (Pt) drugs, including cisplatin, are widely used for the treatment of solid tumors. Despite the clinical success, side effects and occurrence of resistance represent major limitations to the use of clinically available Pt drugs. To overcome these problems, a variety of derivatives have been designed and synthetized. Here, we summarize the recent progress in the development of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) complexes with bioactive ligands. The development of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) complexes with targeting molecules, clinically available agents, and other bioactive molecules is an active field of research. Even if none of the reported Pt derivatives has been yet approved for clinical use, many of these compounds exhibit promising anticancer activities with an improved pharmacological profile. Thus, planning hybrid compounds can be considered as a promising approach to improve the available Pt-based anticancer agents and to obtain new molecular tools to deepen the knowledge of cancer progression and drug resistance mechanisms.