Germination of seeds is known to affect the nutritional composition of cold-pressed oils. This study focused on the effects of germination on the antioxidants and oxidative stability of linseed and sunflower seed oil. As hypothesized, germination led to increased antioxidant activities and tocopherol, chlorophyll and carotenoid content. Analysis revealed a 37.2 ± 3.5-fold and 11.6 ± 1.5-fold increase in polyphenol content in linseed and sunflower seed oil from germinated seeds, respectively. Using LC-HRMS/MS, profiles with up to 69 polyphenolic substances were identified in germinated seed oils for the first time. Germination promoted lipid hydrolysis, as evidenced by NMR, with overall significant decreases in triacylglycerol content leading to increased diacylglycerol and free fatty acid values. Rancimat measurements predicted a 4.10 ± 0.52-fold longer shelf-life for germinated linseed oil. This study successfully demonstrated the potential of germination to develop PUFA-rich oils with enhanced antioxidant capacity and oxidative stability.

Grapevine Bois noir (BN) is associated with infection by “Candidatus Phytoplasma solani” (CaPsol). In this study, an array of CaPsol strains was identified from 142 symptomatic grapevines in vineyards of northern, central, and southern Italy and North Macedonia. Molecular typing of the CaPsol strains was carried out by analysis of genes encoding 16S rRNA and translation elongation factor EF-Tu, as well as eight other previously uncharacterized genomic fragments. Strains of tuf-type a and b were found to be differentially distributed in the examined geographic regions in correlation with the prevalence of nettle and bindweed. Two sequence variants were identified in each of the four genomic segments harboring hlyC, cbiQ-glyA, trxA-truB-rsuA, and rplS-tyrS-csdB, respectively. Fifteen CaPsol lineages were identified based on distinct combinations of sequence variations within these genetic loci. Each CaPsol lineage exhibited a unique collective restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern and differed from each other in geographic distribution, probably in relation to the diverse ecological complexity of vineyards and their surroundings. This RFLP-based typing method could be a useful tool for investigating the ecology of CaPsol and the epidemiology of its associated diseases. Phylogenetic analyses highlighted that the sequence variants of the gene hlyC, which encodes a hemolysin III-like protein, separated into two clusters consistent with the separation of two distinct lineages on the basis of tufB gene sequences. Alignments of deduced full protein sequences of elongation factor-Tu (tufB gene) and hemolysin III-like protein (hlyC gene) revealed the presence of critical amino acid substitutions distinguishing CaPsol strains of tuf-type a and b. Findings from the present study provide new insights into the genetic diversity and ecology of CaPsol populations in vineyards.

This study investigated the relationship between yield, thousand kernel weight (TKW), and crude protein of soft white winter wheat–club variety (Barbee) and soft white winter wheat common variety (Zvezdana) susceptible to leaf rust and powdery mildew under different cultivation practices. Results revealed divergence in associations between yield, TKW, and crude protein loss of winter wheat varieties susceptible to obligate pathogens. Under the same level of leaf rust infection, N-input limited yield loss of the two varieties but not to the same extent. TKW loss was affected only by variety×cultivation practice and was significantly correlated with yield loss (r = −0.727, p = 0.011) and crude protein loss (r = −0.600, p = 0.05) only in club winter wheat. We suspected that Ninput affects the difference in the relationship between yield and TKW loss among varieties. Crude protein and yield loss had a low association (R² = 18%, p = 0.05). Finally, this study indicated that more attention should be paid to the determination of pathogen pressure that triggers yield loss. It also pointed out that yield, TKW, and crude protein response to fungicides could differ in susceptible varieties. The contribution of fungicide to yield enhancement was highly associated with the specific reaction of the variety to pathogen infection rather than solely the disease level itself.

Symptoms of Calosphaeria canker were observed on sour cherry trees in the Stip region of North Macedonia. Fungal isolates were obtained from the infected twigs and branches showing external symptoms of twig dieback, occasionally followed by amber-coloured gummy exudates and brown to black vascular streaking in tissue cross-sections. The fungus was identified as Calosphaeria pulchella (Pers.: Fr.) J. Schröt (syn. Calosphaeriophora pulchella Réblová, L. Mostert, W. Gams & Crous), based on its morphology, and this identification was confirmed by sequence comparison in the GenBank database using the internal transcribed spacer region (RBK02_ITS1-ITS4) of the rDNA. The sequences had 100% identity and 100% query coverage with C. pulchella reference isolate SJC-6+ITS Internal transcribed spacer 1. Pathogenicity tests conducted on sour cherry and apricot trees showed that the obtained isolates were pathogenic to sour cherry, but not to apricot. This is the first report of Calosphaeria pulchella on sour cherry trees in North Macedonia, and in the Balkan region. This study increases understanding of the status of C. pulchella as a pathogen in this region.

Although rоutinе pesticide analysеs are mostly performed using GC-MS, GC-MS/MS and/or LC-MS/MS, some pesticides especially those with relatively high MRLs and good detector response could also be precisely quantified with less sensitive equipment which gives the opportunity to some laboratories to expand their scope of work. The study focuses on HPLC-DAD method development for detection of folpet in barley grain. QuEChERS method was performed for extraction after which, additional clean-up was performed using PSA and polypropylene filtration. Pesticide separation was achieved using mobile phase of acidified CAN (pH 2.5) and water. The initial mobile phase was 60:40% (v/v), the elution gradient starts from 80:20% (v/v) to 100:0% (v/v) in 7 min and holds 100:0% (v/v) up to 8.5 min at a flow rate of 1 ml/min after which in the next 6.5 min the column was re-equilibrated to 40% phase-B. Calibration was performed using matrix-matched calibration standards. The obtained limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.18 and 0.55 mg/kg, respectively, and the linear regression coefficient was 0.9973. Recovery, repeatability and reproducibility were investigated at three fortification levels (0.1 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, and 1.6 mg/kg) and were found acceptable with relative standard deviation less than 10%. The method was applied for the analysis of three barley grain samples obtained from different producers and showed that folpet was present in one sample below the LOQ. Overall, the developed method is suitable for the determination of folpet in barley grains at levels below the established MRL of 1 mg/kg.