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Although native to Australia, Eucalyptus species are found throughout Europe. At present, they are located mainly in the Iberian Peninsula and Eucalyptus globulus is the most commonly planted species. Climate forecasts anticipate an expansion of Eucalyptus to other regions of Europe. The fast growth of E. globulus, together with its resprouting ability and wood properties, has promoted the use of this species in the Iberian Peninsula. The total volume of E. globulus harvested there was close to 14 million m3 in 2019. Eucalyptus species represent the main source of raw material for the pulp and paper industries and provide an important source of income to non-industrial owners. Being exotic fast-growing trees, their expansion has also been associated with negative environmental impacts. The species therefore poses a series of challenges, while also generating opportunities. The objectives of this review paper are: (1) to summarize the importance of Eucalyptus plantations in Europe; (2) to analyse the opportunities and challenges of this genus in present and future plantations in Europe; (3) to assess to what extent forest management, at both stand and landscape levels, can reduce negative impacts; (4) to make policy and management recommendations that may support the use of this genus in other European regions. These aims are accomplished based on a thorough literature review, particularly focused on research developed in the Iberian Peninsula.

This work presents a new process, based on the green nanoparticles Fe 3 O 4 and magnetization coupling for the treatment of saline well water. In this context, iron nanoparticles were synthesized using Eucalyptus globulus leaves. The nanomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and infrared for identification. Batch experiments were conducted to illustrate the optimal parameters related to contact times and the mass of nanoparticles. The latter marked an optimal contact time of 100 min and a mass of 56 mg/L accompanied by a magnetic treatment for a contact time of 48 min. The results showed a significant ( R 2  = 0.93) water salinity reduction (67%) and a potential for improvement in the germination of tomato seeds (81%) through the investigation of the evolution of the length of the roots, the stems, and the number of germinated seeds. Graphical Abstract Coupling MNPs-magnetic field for reducing water salinity

Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract (EGL) is a phytocomplex associated with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, but a comprehensive characterization of its chemical composition and its relationship with biological activity remains limited. In this study, we combined untargeted metabolomic profiling with functional antibacterial and antibiofilm assays to characterize EGL and to investigate the relationship between its chemical composition and biological activity. Untargeted UHPLC–TWIMS–QTOF analysis revealed a complex profile dominated by polyphenols and pentacyclic triterpenoids. Targeted quantification identified asiatic acid and ursolic acid as major triterpenoid components, present at concentrations of 47.29 ± 0.13 µg/mL and 16.12 ± 0.32 µg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of EGL were evaluated against clinically relevant Gram-positive pathogens, including Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Streptococcus mutans. The two major triterpenoids identified in the extract, asiatic acid and ursolic acid, were tested separately as reference compounds to explore their individual antibacterial and antibiofilm activity in comparison with the whole extract. EGL inhibited bacterial growth with MIC values ranging from 62.5 µg/mL to 437.5 µg/mL, while the triterpenoids showed stronger activity, with MIC values of 2 µg/mL for ursolic acid and 4 µg/mL for asiatic acid against Streptococcus pyogenes. In antibiofilm assays, asiatic acid and ursolic acid showed MBIC values between 2 and 32 µg/mL, whereas the whole extract displayed partial inhibitory activity. Pre-exposure of bacterial cultures to EGL or its major triterpenoids enhanced antibiofilm efficacy, reducing MBIC values by up to fourfold. Overall, these results indicate that EGL is a chemically characterized multicomponent system with measurable antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive pathogens. The study highlights the importance of integrating chemical profiling with functional assays to better understand the activity of complex phytocomplexes and supports further investigation of phytochemical-based strategies targeting early stages of biofilm formation.

Objective: The Eucalyptus globulus leaf powder (EgP) was used in this study to evaluate its effects on the productive performance, physical quality of eggs, and profitability of Isa Brown laying hens. Materials and Methods: A total of 400 20-week-old Isa Brown laying hens were randomly allocated into 5 groups of 4 replicates each, with 20 hens per pen for 24 weeks. The groups comprised 0% EgP without AGP (negative control, group T-); 0% EgP with the use of AGP (positive control, group T+); 0.25% EgP without AGP (group T1); 0.5% EgP without AGP (group T2); and 1% EgP without AGP (group T3). Results: The study revealed that the average laying rate was higher in T2 hens with a higher average egg weight, similar to T3. The feed conversion ratio was statistically lower in the EgP and AGP groups than in the negative control group. With storage duration, the eggshell weight was higher, and the Haugh unit significantly decreased less than that of hens treated with EgP compared to the control groups. The gross operating income was positive only for T2 and T3 hens during the 30th to 44th week (phase 2 of laying), and in this phase, the use of E. globulus leaf at 0.5% realized a margin of 10.63 F CFA on the production of an egg compared to the antibiotic group. Conclusion: The inclusion of 0.5% EgP in the diet of hens resulted in the highest level of profitability and egg quality observed throughout the 24-week production period.

Micro- and Nano-Fibrillated Cellulose (MNFC) have gained increasing attention due to their remarkable properties, but their production usually requires an intensive multi-step process. This study proposes to find a novel approach involving steam explosion for the production of lignin-containing micro- and nano-fibrillated cellulose (L-MNFC) using Eucalyptus globulus bark as a new lignocellulosic feedstock. Eucalyptus globulus bark was first pre-treated by steam explosion in alkaline conditions (200 °C, 8 min) or by soda cooking in a rotating autoclave (170 °C, 60 min), refined and then ground until gels formed. The chemical composition of the pulps was studied with ion chromatography and FTIR-ATR. The morphology of the products was studied with measurements of suspension turbidity and Morfi Neo, optical and atomic force microscopies. Nanopapers were produced from L-MNFC to investigate mechanical properties. Results obtained showed that steam explosion produced pulps with slightly higher lignin content (≈ 9%), containing shorter fibers (≈ 400 µm) and higher amounts of fines (≈ 86%) compared to soda cooking (≈ 5%, ≈ 560 µm and 66%, respectively). AFM images of SteamEx L-MNFC gels showed a web-like structure containing lignin nanoparticles. Graphical abstract

Hardwoods commonly have high mechanical properties, which makes them interesting for structural use, but softwoods dominate the structural timber market in Europe. Tensile strength classes are recommended for engineered wood products. However, current European standards do not provide tensile strength classes for hardwoods and the declaration of tensile properties from machine grading in the industry is not yet possible. The present paper aims to contribute to the revision of European standards through the technical group CEN/TC124/WG2/TG2: Tensile strength classes for hardwoods, of the European Standardisation Committee. An experimental campaign which involved machine grading and tensile testing of over 569 boards of Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) from Spain and Portugal was made. Six new tensile strength classes were defined, from ET24 (ft,0,k = 24 N/mm2, Et,0,m = 18 kN/mm2 and ρk = 590 kg/m3) to ET42 (ft,0,k = 42 N/mm2, Et,0,m = 23 kN/mm2 and ρk = 640 kg/m3). Machine grading made possible the definition of six strength class combinations. Four combinations resulted in 40% of the sample being assigned to the higher strength class, with low percentages of rejection (varying between 1% and 14%). This demonstrates the high mechanical properties of the species and the performance improvement of machine grading with respect to current visual grading.

A better understanding of wood form–structure–function relationships and potentialities can lead to an enormous pool of fascinating solutions and inventions. In this research advances from both the anatomical and the mechanical points of view, the principles, fundamentals and concept generators derived from the inherent relationship between green tissue-microstructure and physical–mechanical properties of two representative woody species. Specifically, a total of 120 small-clear samples cut from six (e.g., three per wood species) Eucalyptus globulus (i.e., hardwood) and Cupressus macrocarpa (i.e., softwood) trees were sampled and tested to determine the tissue transitions per age group (e.g., juvenile, mature and senile) in terms of density, area, roundness and sphericity of vessel elements, longitudinal tracheids and longitudinal/ray parenchyma cells. Moreover, the studied green tissue-microstructure transitions were compared and analysed with the corresponding physical–mechanical properties [i.e., green density, moisture content, modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE)] of each species, which in turn were acquired from 159 tests carried out according to the German Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN standards). The results herein show mature and senile wood tissues are more rigid and mechanically resistant than juvenile ones, which is partially influenced by the progressive increment in cell-wall thickness as the wood-tissue ages, and this process is of greater magnitude for the eucalyptus species. Indeed, this representative hardwood species was found superior in terms of mechanical resistance to the progression of stresses due to a complex porous vascular system that becomes stronger as the tissue-microstructure ages. The design principles underlying the natural architectures of both studied green tissues provide concept generators for potential biomimetic and engineering applications, e.g., eucalyptus species are suitable for structural applications, whereas the superior flexibility found in the cypress species could be well bio-mimicked into composite panels, where the balance between strength and rigidity is of high relevance.

The endophytic strain Chaetomium cupreum isolated from metal-contaminated soil was inoculated in Eucalyptus globulus roots to identify genes involved in metal stress response and plant growth promotion. We analyzed the transcriptome of E. globulus roots inoculated with C. cupreum. De novo sequencing, assembly, and analysis were performed to identify molecular mechanisms involved in metal stress tolerance and plant growth promotion. A total of 393,371,743 paired-end reads were assembled into 135,155 putative transcripts. It was found that 663 genes significantly changed their expression in the presence of treatment, of which 369 were up-regulated and 294 were down-regulated. We found differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding metal transporters, transcription factors, stress and defense response proteins, as well as DEGs involved in auxin biosynthesis and metabolism. Our results showed that the inoculation of C. cupreum enhanced tolerance to metals and growth promotion on E. globulus. This study provides new information to understand molecular mechanisms involved in plant–microbe interactions under metals stress.

The problem of water pollution by persistent substances and microorganisms requires solutions that materials such as silver-modified titanium dioxide can provide due to their excellent photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties. However, the synthesis methods conventionally used to obtain these materials involve toxic chemical reagents such as sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The search for alternative synthesis methods that use environmentally friendly substances, such as the biosynthesis method, was evaluated. Silver-titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO2) was synthesized by a Eucalyptus globulus L. extract as a reductive agent through sol-gel and microwave-assisted sol-gel processes. Four different solvents were tested to extract secondary metabolites to determine their roles in reducing silver nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles with sizes from 11 to 14 nm were obtained in the anatase phase, and no narrowing of the bandgap was observed (3.1–3.2 eV) for the Ag-TiO2 materials compared with the pure TiO2. Interestingly, the bacterial inhibition values were close to 100%, suggesting an effective antimicrobial mechanism related to the properties of silver. Finally, by the physicochemical characterization of the materials and their antimicrobial properties, it was possible to obtain a suitable biosynthesized Ag-TiO2 material as a green option for water disinfection that may be compared to the conventional methods.

Indirect genetic effects (IGEs) are heritable effects of individuals on trait values of their conspecifics. IGEs may substantially affect response to selection, but empirical studies on IGEs are sparse and their magnitude and correlation with direct genetic effects are largely unknown in plants. Here we used linear mixed models to estimate genetic (co)variances attributable to direct and indirect effects for growth and foliar disease damage in a large pedigreed population of Eucalyptus globulus. We found significant IGEs for growth and disease damage, which increased with age for growth. The correlation between direct and indirect genetic effects was highly negative for growth, but highly positive for disease damage, consistent with neighbour competition and infection, respectively. IGEs increased heritable variation by 71% for disease damage, but reduced heritable variation by 85% for growth, leaving nonsignificant heritable variation for later age growth. Thus, IGEs are likely to prevent response to selection in growth, despite a considerable ordinary heritability. IGEs change our perspective on the genetic architecture and potential response to selection. Depending on the correlation between direct and indirect genetic effects, IGEs may enhance or diminish the response to natural or artificial selection compared with that predicted from ordinary heritability.