The increase in soil salinity has a negative effect on the growth and yield of plants. Mitigating the negative effects of soil salinity is therefore a difficult task and different methods are being used to overcome the negative effects of salt stress on crop plants. One of the often-used approaches is seed priming that can increase plants’ vigor and resilience. In this paper, we tested the effects of hydropriming, proline priming, and salicylic acid priming on the mitigation of the negative effects of salt stress on two bell pepper varieties (Capsicum annuum L.): Herkules and Kurtovska kapija. Sweet bell pepper seeds were primed following desiccation to achieve the original water content, and subsequently cultivated in salt-supplemented medium. The positive effects on vigor (in the form of increased germination and seedling establishment) as well as on level of tolerance for salt stress were recorded for both cultivars. The positive effects varied between the priming treatments and pepper cultivar used. The results of germination, seedling performance, photosynthetic pigments, and osmolytes were measured for seedlings grown from unprimed and primed seeds with under 0, 25, and 50 mM of NaCl. Both cultivars demonstrated greater germination when primed with proline and salicylic acid, while the Herkules cultivar demonstrated a higher tolerance to salt when proline was used as the priming agent. Priming with salicylic acid and proline in the seed improved germination and seedling performance, which could be related to the increase in proline content in the seedlings.

This paper aimed to characterize the phytochemical profile and bioactivities of 22 plant species used in the traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The utilization of plants in traditional medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina holds significant importance, not only as a reflection of cultural heritage but also as a sustainable and time-tested approach to healthcare, fostering a harmonious connection between nature and well-being. The comprehensive analyses encompassed the determination of total phenolic and flavonoid content, alongside assessing antioxidant activity using DPPH and FRAP assays. Additionally, antimicrobial activity was tested against S. aureus. ssp. aureus, MRSA, P. aeruginosa, S. abony and C. albicans. Many of the analyzed plant extracts showed a high phenolic content (C. avellana, V. myrtillus) and antioxidant activity (C. avellana, V. myrtillus, B. pendula, S. officinale, E. angustifolium, J. globifera ssp. hirta). The majority of extracts showed good antimicrobial activity for S. aureus ssp. aureus and MRSA. The E. angustifolium extract was effective against all tested bacterial strains, with MIC values ranging from 1.25-10 mg/mL. The research identified significant levels of secondary metabolites and identified plant species with potent antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The study also revealed significant correlations among various phytochemical parameters and bioactivities.

Biflavonoids are dimeric forms of flavonoids that have recently gained importance as an effective new scaffold for drug discovery. In particular, 3′-8″-biflavones exhibit antiviral and antimicrobial activity and are promising molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases as well as cancer therapies. In the present study, we directly compared 3′-8″-biflavones (amentoflavone, bilobetin, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin, and sciadopitysin) and their monomeric subunits (apigenin, genkwanin, and acacetin) and evaluated their radical scavenging activity (with DPPH), antifungal activity against mycotoxigenic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium verticillioides), and inhibitory activity on enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase). All the tested compounds showed weak radical scavenging activity, while antifungal activity strongly depended on the tested concentration and fungal species. Biflavonoids, especially ginkgetin and isoginkgetin, proved to be potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, whereas monomeric flavonoids showed higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity than the tested 3′-8″-biflavones. Amentoflavone proved to be a potent α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitor, and in general, 3′-8″-biflavones showed a stronger inhibitory potential on these enzymes than their monomeric subunits. Thus, we can conclude that 3′-8″-dimerization enhanced acetylcholinesterase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase activities, but the activity also depends on the number of hydroxyl and methoxy groups in the structure of the compound.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) gene family is organized in two subfamilies: (i) 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) genes and (ii) CCD genes. NCED genes are essential for catalyzing the first step of the abscisic-acid (ABA) biosynthesis, while CCD genes produce precursors of the strigolactones hormone. The functional characterization of these gene subfamilies has not been yet performed in chickpea and lentil. Herein, were identified and systematically characterized two NCED and five CCD genes in the chickpea and two NCED and six CCD genes in lentil. After in silico sequence analysis and phylogeny, the expression profile of the NCED/CCD genes was determined by meta-analysis and real-time PCR in plants under different stress conditions. Sequence data revealed that NCED/CCD genes are highly conserved between chickpea and lentil. This conservation was observed both at gene and protein sequence levels and phylogenetic relationships. Analysis of the promoter sequences revealed that all NCED/CCD genes have a considerable number of cis-regulatory elements responsive to biotic and abiotic stress. Protein sequence analysis evidenced that NCED/CCD genes share several conserved motifs and that they have a highly interconnected interaction network. Furthermore, the three-dimensional structure of these proteins was determined and indicated that some proteins have structures with considerable similarity. The meta-analysis revealed that NCED/CCD genes are dynamically modulated in different organs and under different stress conditions, but they have a positive correlation with plant tolerance. In accordance, real-time PCR data showed that both NCED and CCD genes are differentially modulated in plants under drought stress. Particularly, CaNCED2, CaCCD5, LcNCED2, LcCCD1, and LcCCD2 genes have a positive correlation with improved plant tolerance to drought stress. Therefore, this study presented a detailed characterization of the chickpea and lentil NCED/CCD genes and provided new insights to improve abiotic stress tolerance in these two important crops.

Cadmium (Cd) is considered one of the most toxic heavy metals to living organisms, being very persistent in soil and non-biodegradable, thus posing a long-term hazard to plants and humans. In recent years, the application of different molecules at the seed level, known as chemical seed priming, has been studied as a method to improve stress tolerance in plants. In the present study, we tested the effect of hydro-priming and proline priming of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds on germination, photosynthetic pigments, and metal metabolism under cadmium stress. Plants primed with proline showed better germination under cadmium stress (100% versus 84% for non-primed and hydro-primed seeds). Priming with 20 mM of proline increased the chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll contents by 40.8% and 18.6%, respectively, while these parameters decreased in other seedlings under Cd stress. Similarly, 20 mM of proline improved the uptake of Zn and Fe in roots under Cd stress. This indicates that 20 mM of proline treatments may be beneficial for maintaining a normal photosynthetic capacity and mineral uptake under Cd stress, but further metabolomics and transcriptomic data should reveal the exact mechanisms of action.

Epigenetic modifications play a vital role in the preservation of genome integrity and in the regulation of gene expression. DNA methylation, one of the key mechanisms of epigenetic control, impacts growth, development, stress response and adaptability of all organisms, including plants. The detection of DNA methylation marks is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying these processes and for developing strategies to improve productivity and stress resistance of crop plants. There are different methods for detecting plant DNA methylation, such as bisulfite sequencing, methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism, genome-wide DNA methylation analysis, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, MS and immuno-based techniques. These profiling approaches vary in many aspects, including DNA input, resolution, genomic region coverage, and bioinformatics analysis. Selecting an appropriate methylation screening approach requires an understanding of all these techniques. This review provides an overview of DNA methylation profiling methods in crop plants, along with comparisons of the efficacy of these techniques between model and crop plants. The strengths and limitations of each methodological approach are outlined, and the importance of considering both technical and biological factors are highlighted. Additionally, methods for modulating DNA methylation in model and crop species are presented. Overall, this review will assist scientists in making informed decisions when selecting an appropriate DNA methylation profiling method.

As sessile organisms, plants have evolved different strategies to defend themselves against various biotic stressors. An important aspect of the complex response of plants to biotic stress is the emission of volatile compounds (VOCs), which are involved in direct and indirect plant defence mechanisms. Indirect plant defences include a range of plant traits that mediate defence against herbivores and play an important ecological role by not only utilising plants-' own capabilities but also signalling and attracting natural enemies of herbivores. Often the combination of volatiles emitted is specific to herbivores; they are consequently recognised by parasites and other predators, providing a clear link between the volatile signature and the prey. In this review, we focus on indirect plant defence and summarise current knowledge and perspectives on relationships between plants, aphids, and parasitic wasps.

To improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlaying seed priming, RNA transcriptome analysis was performed using primed and non-primed seeds of Silene sendtneri. Seed priming was performed by submergence in 1% silicic acid for 24h at 4°C, followed by rinsing with sterilised water and desiccation to original moisture content. Silene sendtneri is a species with no sequenced genome and annotation of de novo assembly of transcriptome was done against several species. Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated that genes related to heavy metal transporters and heat shock proteins are differentially expressed after priming with silicic acid. Within these gene categories, genes such as heavy metal-associated isoprenylated plant protein 26-like (log2fold -8.79) were downregulated, while others such as heavy metal ATPase 5 (log2fold 6.46), heat shock factor protein HSF30-like isoform X1 (log2fold 5.98) were upregulated.

The global increase in temperature and associated meteorological disruptions, such as the earlier onset of high temperatures and disruptions in precipitation, are becoming severely limiting factors in crop cultivation. Chickpea, as a cool season crop, is under the direct influence of heat and drought stress that is not only affecting this crop in its podding stage but, with current climate trends, the drought and heat are now also affecting earlier stages, such as flowering. The deteriorating effects of heat and droughts include reduced flowering, abortion of flowers and absence of podding; thus, this is severely affecting crop yield. Further research has been conducted to identify the genes correlated to higher stress tolerance and to utilize them in developing more tolerant varieties. Different alleviation approaches have been also tested and it has been determined that some positive effects can be seen in supplementation with Zn through melioration of water relations, seed priming and some transgenic and genome editing approaches. Breeding strategies for future chickpea varieties have been focused on the identification of varieties with more tolerant traits for an improved yield under stressed conditions. In this review, we have reviewed recent strategies and biotechnological approaches that have been used with chickpea crops to address the two major abiotic stresses (heat and drought) linked to future climate change.

In the era of plastic pollution, plants have been discarded as a system that is not affected by micro and nanoplastics, but contrary to beliefs that plants cannot absorb plastic particles, recent research proved otherwise. The presented review gives insight into known aspects of plants' interplay with plastics and how plants' ability to absorb plastic particles can be utilized to remove plastics from water and soil systems. Microplastics usually cannot be absorbed by plant root systems due to their size, but some reports indicate they might enter plant tissues through stomata. On the other hand, nanoparticles can enter plant root systems, and reports of their transport via xylem to upper plant parts have been recorded. Bioaccumulation of nanoplastics in upper plant parts is still not confirmed. The prospects of using biosystems for the remediation of soils contaminated with plastics are still unknown. However, algae could be used to degrade plastic particles in water systems through enzyme facilitated degradation processes. Considering the amount of plastic pollution, especially in the oceans, further research is necessary on the utilization of algae in plastic degradation. Special attention should be given to the research concerning utilization of algae with restricted algal growth, ensuring that a different problem is not induced, "sea blooming", during the degradation of plastics.

Salvia L. is the largest genus in the family Lamiaceae, with about 1,000 species and a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Salvia species are used in both traditional and conventional medicines, and other numerous industries, such as spices and perfumes. The number of papers dealing with Salvia exceeds 12,000 and mostly investigates their chemical composition and bioactive properties. A smaller proportion of papers however consider environmental factors, mostly on the effects of microclimate conditions on its geographic distribution along an altitudinal or longitudinal gradient, and very few studies can be found on the effects of emerging stressors on the commercial production of sages of medicinal and economical importance. Here, we summarize available data on the essential oil composition of three economically important sages from the Mediterranean area, that is, Salvia officinalis, Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia, and Salvia fruticosa, and the effects of climate-related environmental stressors on their chemical profiles. Environmental stress factors, such as an increase in soil salinity and aridity, and changes in annual average temperatures, are going to impose a serious risk on the commercial production of sage essential oils, which are commercially produced in many European countries. This review highlights the already confirmed effects of these stressors on three selected Salvia species and consequently the importance of mitigating the effects of climate change on the commercial production of these essential oils.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) is one of the most distinctive plants, characterized by excellent resistance to various environmental conditions. It is used as an ornamental plant and is recognized as a medicinal plant in both traditional and Western medicine. Its bioactive potential is associated with the presence of flavonoids and terpene trilactones, but many other compounds may also have synergistic effects. Flavonoid dimers—biflavonoids—are important constituents of ginkgophytopharmaceuticals. Currently, the presence of 13 biflavonoids has been reported in ginkgo, of which amentoflavone, bilobetin, sciadopitysin, ginkgetin and isoginkgetin are the most common. Their role in plants remains unknown, but their bioactivity and potential role in the management of human health are better investigated. In this review, we have provided an overview of the chemistry, diversity and biological factors that influence the presence of biflavonoids in ginkgo, as well as their bioactive and health-related properties. We have focused on their antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities as well as their potential role in the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. We also highlighted their potential toxicity and pointed out further research directions.