This study evaluated the effects of different seed priming treatments on the ex situ propagation of the Balkan endemic species Silene sendtneri Boiss. Seeds were subjected to hydropriming, silicic acid, salicylic acid, proline and combined salicylic acid–proline treatments prior to in vitro cultivation. Following aseptic germination, seedlings were transferred to Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1 BA and 0.2 mg L−1 IBA, and their shoot multiplication response, rooting, and acclimatization success were assessed. Seed priming significantly influenced subsequent propagation stages. Plantlets derived from seeds treated with 0.5 mM salicylic acid and 10 mM proline + 0.5 mM salicylic acid exhibited the highest multiplication rates, superior morphological quality, increased rooting frequency, and the greatest acclimatization success. Hydropriming and higher proline concentrations generally resulted in reduced propagation performance. The results indicate that seed priming can influence multiple stages of the ex situ propagation process and may represent a simple and practical addition to micropropagation protocols aimed at improving conservation-oriented plant production of endemic species.

ABSTRACT Enhancing crop tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses is critical for achieving sustainable agriculture. Targeted seed‐stage interventions using natural signaling compounds (e.g., melatonin) provide a unique opportunity to establish early stress tolerance that can persist through the critical seed‐to‐seedling transition. Melatonin seed priming (MSP) is rapidly emerging as a green and climate‐smart strategy for enhancing plant stress tolerance. MSP triggers defensive molecular, biochemical, and physiological reprogramming during germination, thereby improving plant performance under subsequent stress conditions. This review synthesizes recent mechanistic insights into how MSP confers stress tolerance across diverse species by modulating redox signaling, hormonal homeostasis, and stress‐related gene networks. We elucidate the synergistic potential of MSP when combined with nanoformulations, other priming agents, or beneficial microbes. We also discuss its crosstalk with key signaling pathways to better understand the tolerance mechanisms. Furthermore, we propose a forward‐looking strategy that integrates omics, genome editing, speed breeding, and molecular phenotyping methods to improve MSP applications for the development of stress‐smart crops. Despite its potential, MSP still faces multiple challenges, including species‐specific responses, dosage variability, limited post‐priming seed storage stability, and a lack of field‐scale validation. Addressing these bottlenecks through high‐throughput screening, epigenetic memory assessment, and optimized delivery systems will be essential to fully harness the practical potential of MSP as a sustainable and green approach for future agriculture.

Seed biopriming is increasingly recognized as a strategy capable of inducing molecular memory that enhances plant performance under heavy-metal stress. Here, we investigated how biopriming Silene sendtneri seeds with Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN establishes a transcriptional state that predisposes seedlings for improved cadmium (Cd) tolerance. RNA-seq profiling revealed that primed seeds exhibited differential gene expression prior to Cd exposure, with strong upregulation of detoxification enzymes, antioxidant machinery, metal transporters, photosynthetic stabilizers, and osmoprotectant biosynthetic genes. Enrichment of gene ontology categories related to metal ion detoxification, redox homeostasis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, and cell wall organization indicated that biopriming imprints a preparatory transcriptional signature resembling early stress responses. Upon Cd exposure, primed plants displayed enhanced physiological performance, including preserved integrity, elevated antioxidant activity, particularly peroxidases in roots, higher osmolyte accumulation, stabilized micronutrient levels, and substantially increased Cd uptake and sequestration. These coordinated responses demonstrate that biopriming induces a sustained molecular memory that accelerates and strengthens downstream defense activation. These findings demonstrate that PGPR-based biopriming establishes a stable transcriptomic memory in seeds that enhances cadmium tolerance, metal sequestration, and stress resilience, highlighting its potential for improving hyperaccumulator performance in phytoremediation and stress adaptation strategies.

: Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where soil salinization is intensifying. Developing cost-effective and practical strategies to enhance seedling establishment and early vigor under saline conditions is therefore essential. In this study, we compared two seed-priming agents—1 mM proline and 25 mM NaCl—under identical hydroponic conditions to elucidate tissue-specific responses to 25 mM NaCl stress. Proline priming significantly improved shoot length (by ~23%), total chlorophyll content (by ~19%), and ascorbate peroxidase (ASPOX) activity. In contrast, NaCl priming enhanced root biomass retention (by ~38%) and peroxidase (POD) activity under salinity stress. Both priming treatments induced higher proline accumulation and antioxidant capacity, though with tissue-specific effects: proline favored aboveground resilience, while NaCl strengthened root ionic and oxidative balance. These findings highlight the complementary nature of proline and NaCl priming and support the concept of stress “memory,” whereby plants acquire enhanced readiness to cope with salinity. Integrating such priming strategies into chickpea cultivation could contribute to improved yield stability and sustainability in saline agroecosystems.

This review explores the intersection of gender, geography, and sustainability by examining the role of women in the blue economy across Europe’s Outermost Regions (ORs). Despite growing recognition of the blue economy’s role in sustainable development, there is limited understanding of how women participate in these sectors at the geographic periphery of the European Union. Using publicly available data from Eurostat, INSEE, ISTAC, and other national portals, we analyze employment patterns through a gender lens, supported by qualitative insights from case studies in regions such as the Azores, Réunion, and Guadeloupe. Due to the scarcity of disaggregated blue economy data, general labor force participation is used as a proxy, highlighting both opportunities and visibility gaps. Theoretically grounded in feminist political ecology and intersectionality, the review identifies key barriers, including data invisibility, occupational segregation, and structural inequalities, as well as resilience enablers such as women-led enterprises and policy interventions. We conclude with targeted recommendations for research, policy, and practice to support inclusive blue economies in ORs, emphasizing the need for better data systems and gender-sensitive coastal development strategies.

Traditional medicinal plants are valued for their therapeutic potential, yet the full spectrum of their bioactive compounds often remains underexplored. Recent advances in multiomics technologies, including metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics, combined with in vitro culture systems and elicitor-based strategies, have revolutionized our ability to characterize and enhance the production of valuable secondary metabolites. This review synthesizes current findings on the integration of these approaches to help us understand phytochemical pathways optimising bioactive compound yields. We explore how metabolomic profiling links chemical diversity with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, how proteomic insights reveal regulatory mechanisms activated during elicitation, and how in vitro systems enable controlled manipulation of metabolic outputs. Both biotic and abiotic elicitors, such as methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid, are discussed as key triggers of phytochemical defense pathways. Further, we examine the potential of multiomics-informed metabolic engineering and synthetic biology to scale production and discover novel compounds. By aligning traditional ethnobotanical knowledge with modern biotechnology, this integrative framework offers a powerful avenue to unlock the pharmacological potential of medicinal plants for sustainable and innovative therapeutic development.

Biflavonoids are an important group of flavonoids found in Juniperus species, yet their distribution and accumulation patterns remain insufficiently explored. In this study, we applied a method for the simultaneous quantification of seven biflavonoids to analyze different plant parts of J. communis, J. communis subsp. nana, and J. oxycedrus. In order to determinate the influence of growing location, we also analyzed J. communis samples collected from different locations. Four biflavonoids—cupressuflavone, amentoflavone, bilobetin, and hinokiflavone—were detected. In both analyzed J. communis varieties, amentoflavone was the predominant biflavonoid in cones and needles, while in J. oxycedrus, cupressuflavone was the most abundant in cones, with amentoflavone dominating in needles. Overall, biflavonoid content was significantly higher in needles than in cones, with total biflavonoid levels in needles exceeding 5 mg/g dw, highlighting the tissue-specific nature of biflavonoid biosynthesis within Juniperus species. Additionally, our results suggest that in J. communis, biflavonoid accumulation is significantly influenced by growing location.

Plants exhibit remarkable adaptability to environmental stresses, with epigenetic modifications playing a key role in stress memory and adaptation. This review explores how epigenetic mechanisms influence hormonal regulation in plants, shaping growth, development, and stress responses. Specifically, we focus on the roles of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNAs in modulating auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), and jasmonic acid (JA) pathways. These pathways influence the plant’s ability to cope with abiotic and biotic stresses and can be inherited by progeny, enhancing stress resilience across generations. By understanding the epigenetic regulation of these hormones, we aim to provide insights into how epigenetic priming can be harnessed in crop improvement to address the challenges posed by climate change.

Background: Plants face a wide range of environmental stresses that disrupt growth and productivity. To survive and adapt, they undergo complex metabolic reprogramming by redirecting carbon and nitrogen fluxes toward the biosynthesis of protective secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and lignin. Recent research has revealed that these stress-induced metabolic processes are tightly regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNAs. Methods: This review synthesizes current findings from studies on both model and crop plants, examining the roles of key epigenetic regulators in controlling secondary metabolism under stress. Special focus is placed on dynamic changes in DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and the action of small RNAs such as siRNAs and miRNAs in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Results: Evidence indicates that stress triggers rapid and reversible epigenetic modifications that modulate gene expression linked to secondary metabolic pathways. These modifications not only facilitate immediate metabolic responses but can also contribute to stress memory. In some cases, this memory is retained and transmitted to the next generation, influencing progeny stress responses. However, critical knowledge gaps remain, particularly concerning the temporal dynamics, tissue specificity, and long-term stability of these epigenetic marks in crops. Conclusions: Understanding how epigenetic regulation governs secondary metabolite production offers promising avenues to enhance crop resilience and productivity in the context of climate change. Future research should prioritize dissecting the stability and heritability of these modifications to support the development of epigenetically informed breeding strategies.

Introduction The strategic utilization of plant growth-promoting (PGP) rhizospheric bacteria is a sustainable approach to mitigating the negative effects of anthropogenic activities and excessive nickel (Ni) accumulation in plants. Given that the specific effects of symbiotic interactions depend on the direct relationship between the plant species, bacterial strain, and heavy metals (HMs), this study aimed to investigate the effects of Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN seed priming on Ni tolerance in adult Micro-Tom tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Methods Sterilized Micro-Tom seeds were bioprimed with P. phytofirmans PsJN for 24 hours and then sown into the soil. Non-primed, imbibed seeds were used as a control. After 10 days, the seedlings were transferred to a Hoagland nutrient solution. Chronic (10 μM Ni) and acute (50 μM Ni) stress conditions were induced by supplementing the Hoagland solution with Ni salt. The experiment lasted approximately 75 days, covering the complete life cycle of the plants. Various physiological and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Results Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between non-primed and bioprimed tomato plants in terms of fruit yield. Bioprimed tomatoes exhibited higher resilience to Ni stress, particularly under acute stress conditions. Non-primed tomatoes treated with 50 μM Ni showed statistically lower concentrations of chlorophyll a and total chlorophylls compared to bioprimed tomatoes. Moreover, proline content was generally lower and more stable in bioprimed plants, indicating reduced oxidative stress.The activity of antioxidant enzymes exhibited distinct patterns between nonprimed and bioprimed tomatoes. Conclusion The findings suggest that biopriming with P. phytofirmans PsJN enhances Micro-Tom tomato resilience and growth under Ni stress. This technique appears to mitigate Ni-induced stress effects, particularly at higher Ni concentrations, making it a promising strategy for improving tomato performance in Ni-contaminated environments. Future studies should explore the underlying molecular mechanisms and field applications of this biopriming approach.