The Italian chestnut crop is forecast to increase by 20% compared to last year, despite being lower than anticipated due to the summer drought. Coldiretti's monitoring of the harvest of the fruit symbolizing autumn suggests this trend, with the organization estimating a national output of roughly 45 million kg, an increase in both quantity and quality that brings it near to levels seen a decade ago. Due to the presence of the chestnut gall cynipid (Dryocosmus kuriphilus) from China, which for years has infested the woods along the Peninsula, causing the formation of galls in the plants, that is, swelling of the buds of various shapes and sizes, a return is anticipated in many areas where it had even been threatened with extinction. A global biological war has been launched against this foe with the introduction of a natural enemy, the bug Torymus sinensis. The low levels of cynipid were likely caused by a confluence of the natural antagonist the Torymus sinensis and the drought. However, we are still a long way from the fruitful glories of the past for what Giovanni Pascoli referred to as "the Italic bread tree," a symbol of fall in the textbooks of many generations of young students. It's worth noting that although 829 million kilograms of chestnuts were harvested in 1911, just 55 million kilograms were harvested 10 years ago. Despite the catastrophic drought that has devastated the agricultural zones, the situation around the Peninsula is actually differentiated, with output potential on the rise. The examination reveals that the fruits are tiny in size, but the chestnuts are of superior quality, very delicious, and nutritious.
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