Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) constitute a ubiquitous group of soil microorganisms, affecting plant and soil microorganism growth. Various crop management practices can have a significant impact on the AM association. This study investigated the AMF inoculation contribution on growth and productivity of two-rowed barley crop by identifying the underlying mechanisms both in conventional and organic cropping systems. A two-year field trial was set up as a split-plot design with 2 main plots [AMF inoculation: with (AMF+) and without (AMF−)] and five sub-plots (fertilization regimes: untreated, 100% recommended dose of fertilizer in organic and inorganic form, and 60% recommended dose of fertilizer in organic and inorganic form) in three replications. According to the results, AMF+ plants presented higher plant height and leaf area index (LAI), resulting in increased biomass and, as a result, higher seed yield. With regard to the quality traits, including the nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and their utilization indices, the AMF inoculated plants showed higher values. Furthermore, the level of fertilization, particularly in an inorganic form, adversely affected AMF root colonization. Consequently, it was concluded that substitution of inorganic inputs by organic, as well as inputs reduction, when combined with AMF inoculation, can produce excellent results, thus making barley crop cultivation sustainable in Mediterranean climates.

The health-promoting effects of lentil seeds due to phenolic compounds and other antioxidants make lentils a potential source of functional food or feed ingredients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of genotype and growing environment on the phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities such as ABTS (2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays of soluble extracts from five lentil cultivars grown in ten diverse locations over a 2-year experimental period. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total proanthocyanidin content (TPAC), total hydrolyzed tannin content (TNC), tocopherols and carotenoids were investigated. The major proanthocyanidins and individual polyphenols were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Our results indicated that flavanols were the main phenolic compounds in hydrophilic extracts, followed by phenolic acids. Concerning lipophilic extracts, tocopherols and carotenoids were the main components, with γ-tocopherol and lutein being the predominant isomers, respectively. In general, both genetic and environmental effects had a strong impact on all bioactive components tested. Greater variation due to environmental effects was found for phenolic compounds (TPC, TFC and TPAC) and antioxidant activities; however, tocopherols and carotenoids revealed a high genotypic dependence. The principal component analysis highlighted the genotypes with higher content of antioxidants and stability across environments. The red lentil population “03-24L” was characterized as a promising genetic material due to its high phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity values across environments and is suggested for further investigation. In conclusion, multi-environmental trials are essential for a better understanding of the genotypic and environmental effect on phytochemical profiles of lentils and provide important information for breeding or cultivating lentil varieties of high-bioactive value.

The cultivation of cotton and in particular the quality characteristics of the fiber are mainly influenced by the growing conditions, the cultivation techniques as well as the climatic changes of the environment. The current study aimed to quantify the impact of environment, season, and their interactions on cotton fiber quality of different areas where cotton is grown in Greece. A large-scale database was created, consisting of more than 20,000 fiber samples from cotton fields of the four major cotton-producing regions of Greece (Thrace, Macedonia, Central Greece, and Thessaly) during 2016–2020, in order to evaluate thirteen fiber quality traits that were divided into four groups (fiber maturity, fiber length, color, and trash traits). The results of this work demonstrated that the effect of the environment and the interaction of the environment with year (season), were the important source of variance for almost all the qualitative characteristics studied. Regional climatic characteristics such as temperature, humidity and rainfall also significantly affected to a greater or lesser extent all quality characteristics. In conclusion, the different cultivation regions, in the broader sense of an environment that incorporates both climatic and management parameters, show stability in terms of the studied groups of quality parameters. This stability is independent of the high or low performance of the group features.

Vicia sativa L. (common vetch) is an annual legume species of high economic and ecological importance which is characterized by high nutritive value for animal feeding and its ability to adapt to various edaphic–climatic conditions. However, limited information is available about genotypic and environmental effects on agronomic, nutritional, and antinutritional traits of common vetch genotypes. Thus, in the present study, four advanced breeding lines and three commercial cultivars were evaluated for yield biomass, color assessment, fiber, crude protein (CP), and polyphenols in three locations (Spata, Larissa, and Thessaloniki) for two consecutive growing seasons (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). The effects of genotype, environment and their interaction (GXE) were significant for all the studied traits. The main source of variation for yield, color, CP, and polyphenols was the environment as it explained 71.5–89.7% of the total variation, whereas for the fibers content it was the GXE interaction. On the other hand, genotype had a much smaller effect on all the traits studied (2.9–16.6%). According to GGE biplot analysis, the ‘Alexandros’ cultivar was the most high-yielding and stable, whereas ‘Leonidas’ was the best performing in terms of nutritional and antinutritional traits. However, one advanced line combined high and stable yield biomass with high nutritive value, indicating the possibility for simultaneous improvement of both features.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most valuable horticultural crops, not only for its economic importance but also for its high nutritional value and sensory qualities. The arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungus Rhizophagus irregularis can improve plant nutrient uptake and decrease seedling transplanting shock. Although R. irregularis is one of the most extensively studied AMF species, there is a paucity of data on the effects of this species on processing tomato seedlings produced in an aerated hydroponic float system. A greenhouse experiment with four treatments and three replications was established in a completely randomized design. The treatments contained the addition of 0, 40, 80, and 120 fungal spores per L of nutrient solution (control, AMF1, AMF2, and AMF3, respectively). Root colonization analysis proved that the maximum dose of applied AMF (AMF3) supported colonization to a large extent, succeeding 36.74%. In addition, the highest values of total dry weight (1.386 g), survival rate (94.79%), N content (3.376 mg per 100 g DW) and P content (0.497 mg per 100 g DW) were also observed under AMF3 treatment. In conclusion, the application of high doses of the AM fungus R. irregularis in nutrient solutions of float system leads to a substantial improvement in the quality and growth of processing tomato seedlings.

Lentil is an important legume crop for human and animal dietary needs due to its high nutritional value. The effect of genotype and growing environment was studied on seed yield (SY), crude protein (CP) and mineral nutrients (macro and micronutrients) of five lentil genotypes grown at four diverse locations for two consecutive years under organic and conventional farming. The location within each year was considered as a separate environment (E). Data were subjected to over environment two-way analysis of variance, while a genotype (G) plus genotype × environment (GGE) biplot analysis was performed. Our results indicated the E as the main source of variation (62.3–99.8%) for SY, CP and macronutrients for both farming systems, while for micronutrients it was either the E or the G × E interaction. Different environments were identified as ideal for the parameters studied: E6 (Larissa/Central Greece/2020) produced the higher CP values (organic: 32.0%, conventional: 27.5%) and showed the highest discriminating ability that was attributed to the lowest precipitation during the crucial period of pod filling. E7 (Thessaloniki/Central Macedonia/2020) and E8 (Orestiada/Thrace/2020) had fertile soils and ample soil moisture and were the most discriminating for high micronutrient content under both farming systems. Location Orestiada showed the highest SY for both organic (1.87–2.28 t ha⁻¹) and conventional farming (1.56–2.89 t ha⁻¹) regardless the year of cultivation and is proposed as an ideal location for lentil cultivation or for breeding for high SY. Genotypes explained a low percentage of the total variability; however, two promising genotypes were identified. Cultivar “Samos” demonstrated a wide adaptation capacity exhibiting stable and high SY under both organic and conventional farming, while the red lentil population “03-24L” showed very high level of seed CP, Fe and Mn contents regardless E or farming system. This genetic material could be further exploited as parental material aiming to develop lentil varieties that could be utilized as “functional” food or consist of a significant feed ingredient.