Medicinal and aromatic plants hold a high share of interest in Romania. To offset the harvesting of spontaneous flora and ensure the sustainable conservation of natural resources, the cropping of highly valuable plants of interest represents a priority for the current agricultural system. This study was conducted due to the need for more balance in species exploitation. Therefore, it assessed the emergence dynamics, leaf appearance, growth and development of the plants depending on row spacing and plant distance. The research was conducted at the INCDCSZ Brașov, within the Technology Department, Laboratory of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. The density of planting is the most important factor. Plants sown in continuous rows showed the highest yields of fresh and dry herbs, especially when the distance between the rows was set to 25 cm. Row-by-row distances of 50 cm ensure average values for all growth and development parameters. An increase in the row-by-row distance up to 70 cm drastically reduced the dry biomass up to 7.89 t ha⁻¹ in continuous rows, followed by a 2 and 2.5 t ha⁻¹ decrease for 15 cm and 25 cm plant-by-plant distances, respectively. Continuous row planting and a 25 cm row-by-row distance negligibly reduce the climate impact on growth and development. Greater spaces between plants leads to an average increase in individual development, but with a decrease in the total potential yield.

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) of potato is considered one of the most devastating plant diseases in the world. Most cultivated potatoes are susceptible to this disease. To NIRDPSB Brasov thirteen potato genotypes (leaves and tubers) were evaluated in laboratory conditions for phenotypic scoring against late blight. Isolates were collected from the greenhouse and inoculated with a complex race of late blight differentials (R1-R11). The best results both at the leaf and tuber level were obtained with the genotypes Sasa (R3) x Rustic (Cl1), Agria x Rustic (Cl 1), Sasa x Fribel and Sasa x Florice which provided a durable source of resistance and can be used in a future breeding program. Instead, the genotypes Sasa (R6) x Orchestra, Sasa (R8) x Orchestra, Sasa (R3) x Orchestra, Sasa (R7) x Orchestra showed sensitivity to the action of the pathogen.

Potato is one of the most important crop worldwide and unfortunately a lot of pests and pathogens impact it causing quantitative and qualitative losses every year. An experiment was conducted to the National Institute of Research and Development for Potato and Sugar Beet Brasov in 2024 to provide an integrated control strategy, based on efficient and suitable methods for technological use in poato field in actual climatic change context. The field experiment was carried out for analysing factors like climate conditions, agricultural practices, and the presence and impact of diseases and pests on the potato crop. Incidence of potato foliar diseases, late and early blight, was quantified during the vegetation, Colorado beetle was controlled by treatments and the wireworms presence and impact on tubers was observed at the harvest time. Dealing with the strategy of the European Union to reduce the use of pesticides enhancing food security and environmental quality, this study looks applying a technology with a minimum volume of pesticides, whose dose should be as low as possible. The aim of an integrated pest management strategy is to reduce the number of treatments used to control pests and diseases in potato crops, promoting the principles of sustainable agriculture

Thirteen potato genotypes with different level of resistance to potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) pathogen were characterized using non-invasive method to determinate the chlorophyll content and the late blight influence. Field experiment was conducted to NIRDPS Brasov, Romania between 2021-2022. During the vegetation were applied the usual maintenance works (hilling, herbicides), including three treatments for Colorado beetle unless late blight control with fungicides. With SPAD 502 Plus meter (Chlorophyll Meter) were carried out 3 determinations on the leaves of the middle level of 3 plants from each genotype taken into the study. For the evaluation of the results, analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used. In 2021, following the measurements, closely negative correlations were observed between SPAD values and genotypes (-0.058), respectively the date of the observations (-0.126), while in 2022, the correlation was negative between the values regarding the date of the observations (-0.065), but positive at genotypes level (0.030).

These researches were carried out in order to introduce the species Primula officinalis into the culture and to establish an ecological cultivation technology. The species Primula officinalis Hill., synonymous with Primula veris L., popularly known as cowslip, common cowslip or cowslip primrose, is a perennial, herbaceous species, being one of the 400 species of the Primula genus. In some countries from Europe, this species is on the verge of extinction, due to intensive harvesting from the spontaneous flora, grazing, deforestation and alpine herbicides. In Romania, Primula grows spontaneously, starting from the lowlands, on hills, pastures, alpine meadows, up to approximately 2300 - 2400 m altitude. It is known in folk medicine as having multiple phytotherapeutic uses. Primula has been used since the Middle Ages for the treatment of gout, headaches, migraines. The saponins found in the rhizomes and flowers are used in the phytotherapeutic treatment of bronchitis and colds due to their expectorant effects. The paper presents results regarding the influence of the nutrition space on some elements of growth and development in the species Primula officinalis, with a determining role in the amount of vegetable mass obtained.

Potato is one of the most important crop worldwide and unfortunately a lot of pests and pathogens impact it causing quantitative and qualitative losses every year. An experiment was conducted to the National Institute of Research and Development for Potato and Sugar Beet Brasov in 2024 to provide an integrated control strategy, based on efficient and suitable methods for technological use in poato field in actual climatic change context. The field experiment was carried out for analysing factors like climate conditions, agricultural practices, and the presence and impact of diseases and pests on the potato crop. Incidence of potato foliar diseases, late and early blight, was quantified during the vegetation, Colorado beetle was controlled by treatments and the wireworms presence and impact on tubers was observed at the harvest time. Dealing with the strategy of the European Union to reduce the use of pesticides enhancing food security and environmental quality, this study looks applying a technology with a minimum volume of pesticides, whose dose should be as low as possible. The aim of an integrated pest management strategy is to reduce the number of treatments used to control pests and diseases in potato crops, promoting the principles of sustainable agriculture