Plant stress induced by high temperature is a problem in wide areas of different regions in the world. The trend of global warming is going to enhance the effects of heat stress on crops in many cultivation areas. Heat stress impairs the stability of cell membranes and many biological processes involving both primary and secondary metabolism. Biostimulants are innovative agronomical tools that can be used as a strategy to counteract the detrimental effect of abiotic stresses, including heat stress. In this work, two biostimulants based on Ascophyllum nodosum extracts (named Phylgreen) and based on animal L-α amino acids (named Delfan Plus) were applied as priming treatments to Arabidopsis thaliana plants subjected to heat stress exposure. Plants at the vegetative stage were treated with biostimulants 12 h before high temperature exposure, which consisted of maintaining the plants at 37 ± 1 °C for 4 h. Transcriptional profiles, physiological, and biochemical analyses were performed to understand the mode of action of the biostimulants in protecting the plants exposed to short-term heat stress. At a physiological level, chlorophyll, chlorophyll a fluorescence, phenolic index, total anthocyanins, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured, and significant variations were observed immediately after stress. Both biostimulants were able to reduce the oxidative damage in leaves and cell membrane. Transcriptomic data revealed that upregulated genes were 626 in Phylgreen and 365 in Delfan Plus, while downregulated genes were 295 in Phylgreen and 312 in Delfan Plus. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the biostimulants protected the plants from heat stress by activating specific heat shock proteins (HPS), antioxidant systems, and ROS scavengers. The results revealed that the biostimulants effectively induced the activation of heat stress-associated genes belonging to different transcription factors and HSP families. Among the heat shock proteins, the most important was the AtHSP17 family and in particular, those influenced by treatments were AtHPS17.4 and AtHPS17.6A, B, showing the most relevant changes.
<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The Italian Plan for Cultural Heritage Education identifies in the training related to cultural heritage the possibility of contributing to the cultural and social improvement of the life of every person, also developing, through a conscious use, the sense of belonging to one or more cultures and territory.</p><p>Given these potentialities, the document reveals a lack of responses to training needs and underlines how the launch of educational courses that put school and university in synergy in the places of culture are among the priorities to be achieved in the period 2016-2018. The Italian Digital School Plan also stresses the importance of a renewed educational approach and effort to promote heritage and provides that all students are offered courses on the digital management of Cultural Heritage. The interest in the heritage, after all, is identified by European policies as part of the right of every citizen to freely participate in cultural life.</p><p>The ScAR (School Activates Resources) project, aims to respond to these requests with an experimental and methodologically innovative action, set in a context rich in critical issues and on a fragile and ScARcely recognized heritage such as that of a part of the Milanese urban periphery. The aim of the project is to promote the shared knowledge of the latent urban patrimony and increase, especially in young people, the sense of belonging to the neighbourhoods, the sense of active citizenship and the responsibility in the common good’s care. Another priority is to provide schools with tools for educational innovation, inclusion, and technological update, to limit early school leaving.</p>
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