Light is an important environmental factor for plants. The quality of light and the wavelength stimulate enzyme activation, regulate enzyme synthesis pathways and promote bioactive compound accumulation. In this respect, the utilization of LED light under controlled conditions in agriculture and horticulture could be the most suitable choice for increasing the nutritional values of various crops. In recent decades, LED lighting has been increasingly used in horticulture and agriculture for commercial-scale breeding of many species of economic interest. Most studies on the influence of LED lighting on the accumulation of bioactive compounds in any type of plants (horticultural, agricultural species or sprouts) and also biomass production, were carried out in growth chambers under controlled conditions, without natural light. Illumination with LED could be a solution for obtaining an important crop with maximum efficiency, with a high nutritional value and minimum effort. To demonstrate the importance of LED lighting in agriculture and horticulture, we carried out a review based on a large number of results cited in the literature. The results were collected from 95 articles and were obtained using the keyword LED combined with plant growth; flavonoids; phenols; carotenoids; terpenes; glucosinolates; food preservation. We found the subject regarding the LED effect on plant growth and development in 11 of the articles analyzed. The treatment of LED on phenol content was registered in 19 articles, while information regarding flavonoid concentrations was revealed by 11 articles. Two articles we reviewed debate the accumulation of glucosinolates and four articles analyzed the synthesis of terpenes under LED illumination and 14 papers analyzed the variation in content of carotenoids. The effect of LED on food preservation was reported in 18 of the works analyzed. Some of the 95 papers contained references which included more keywords.

Cotinus coggygria Scop. (smoketree) and Fragaria × ananassa Duch. (strawberry) are two industrially important species due to their composition in bioactive compounds. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute low-dose gamma irradiation (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 Gy) on two red callus cultures established in smoketree and strawberry. The biomass production, dry weight, content of phenols, flavonoids, monomeric anthocyanins’, index of anthocyanins polymerization and antioxidant activity were evaluated. For the smoketree callus, a negative correlation between irradiation doses and callus biomass accumulation was observed. For the strawberry callus, irradiation did not significantly affect the accumulation of the biomass. An increased dry weight was observed in irradiated smoketree callus, while for treated strawberry callus, a decrease was recorded. Irradiation with 30 Gy was stimulative for polyphenols’ accumulation in both cultures; however, the increase was significant only in the strawberry callus. The flavonoids increased in the 30 Gy strawberry variants, while it significantly decreased in smoketree callus irradiated with 35 and 40 Gy. In irradiated strawberry callus, except for the 25 Gy variant (1.65 ± 0.4 mg C-3-GE/g DW), all treatments caused an increase in anthocyanins’ accumulation. In smoketree, except for the 15 Gy variant (2.14 ± 0.66 mg C-3-GE/g DW), the irradiation determined an increase in anthocyanins synthesis, with the highest value being seen in the 20 Gy variant (2.8 ± 0.94 mg C-3-GE/g DW). According to UPLC-HRMS investigations, an unidentified compound increased by 99% at the 30 Gy dose in strawberry callus, while in smoketree, maslinic acid increased by 51% after irradiation with 40 Gy. The results of this study showed, for the first time, the differential response of two performant callus cultures to low-dose gamma irradiation, a biotechnological method that can be used to stimulate the synthesis of important flavonoids and triterpenes.

In the current context of climate change and life on Earth, the purpose of this paper is to establish the effects of different light treatments (i.e., LEDs—white, blue, red, and sunlight) and two different substrates (i.e., gauze and biochar) on garden cress sprouts. In this respect, sprouts’ fresh weight and fresh length were statistically analyzed. In the case of the fresh weight, the results indicated that the most suitable substrate for better growth is biochar under all of the light treatments, with a 5.78% weight increase. On the other hand, the highest particular value regarding weight was obtained for gauze substrate under sunlight treatment, with a 4.08% weight increase compared to biochar substrate and sunlight treatment. Furthermore, red LED and biochar used as substrate improved the development of short radicles, with a decrease in length of 94.80% compared to gauze substrate and red LED treatment. The effect of LED irradiation was completed with biochemical analyses concerning polyphenols, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. Results suggest that blue LED is the most suitable source of artificial light to promote the accumulation of secondary metabolites, with a 9.88% higher concentration of flavonoids compared to the other light variants (2.22 ± 0.40 mg rutin equivalent/g fresh weight) and 37.98% higher concentration of polyphenols compared to the other light variants (2.76 ± 1.05 mg gallic acid equivalent/g fresh weight) in garden cress sprouts. The illumination with white LED produced the highest effect concerning antioxidant activity, with a 37.60% higher free radical scavenging activity.

Convolvulus persicus L. is an endangered narrow-range taxon, characteristic of the habitats along the coastal regions of the Caspian and the Black Seas. The aims of our research were to update the actual distribution area and the genetic evaluation of three representative populations from the western coastline of the Black Sea located in Sulina, Agigea, and Durankulak. ISSR amplifications were used to assess the genetic intrapopulation diversity and the genetic differentiation among populations. The average genetic polymorphism was 57.8 ± 16.03%. The intrapopulation genetic diversity parameters indicated that the Agigea population exhibits a higher genetic diversity, with this small population being part of the Agigea Marine Dunes Reserve. Although the interpopulation genetic distance was reduced (0.176–0.223) and the distribution of the total variation (AMOVA) was 57% within the population and 43% among the populations, the interpopulation genetic differentiation (PhiPT) was high (0.428, p < 0.001), probably due to the large geographical distances between the remaining populations. The populations’ genetic structures showed a lower genetic distance between the Agigea and Sulina samples. The clonability test supported the vegetative multiplication on the Durankulak and Sulina beaches. Our results showed that the genetic diversity and the distance among the populations in C. persicus were influenced by habitat conditions, destruction, and fragmentation, but also by conservation measures.

The Leontopodium R.Br. ex Cass. taxa have been extensively phytochemically researched for their beneficial properties by the pharmaceuticals industry. These species have been used as remedies since ancient times, and their usage in traditional medicine has been a source of inspiration for current research. As a result, a comprehensive review study concerning the bioactivities of secondary metabolites belonging to Leontopodium species would be of great interest. Our research shows that the majority of studies addressed the anti-inflammatory activity, and the most studied compound was leoligin, a lignan with cardioprotective properties. The diverse range of bioactivities were intricately linked to the abundance of secondary metabolites, which conferred effective antimicrobial activity, antioxidant properties, the anti-neurodegenerative potential due to improvements in cholinergic transmission, the anti-tumour effects on various cancer cell lines, particularly breast and lung cancer, and the hypoglycaemic and hepatoprotective properties. All these important bioactivities also recommend Leontopodium taxa as a valuable source for the discovery of new drugs.