The pivotal role of CBF/DREB1 transcriptional factors in Triticeae crops involved in the abiotic stress response has been highlighted. The CBFs represent an important hub in the ICE-CBF-COR pathway, which is one of the most relevant mechanisms capable of activating the adaptive response to cold and drought in wheat, barley, and rye. Understanding the intricate mechanisms and regulation of the cluster of CBF genes harbored by the homoeologous chromosome group 5 entails significant potential for the genetic improvement of small grain cereals. Triticeae crops seem to share common mechanisms characterized, however, by some peculiar aspects of the response to stress, highlighting a combined landscape of single-nucleotide variants and copy number variation involving CBF members of subgroup IV. Moreover, while chromosome 5 ploidy appears to confer species-specific levels of resistance, an important involvement of the ICE factor might explain the greater tolerance of rye. By unraveling the genetic basis of abiotic stress tolerance, researchers can develop resilient varieties better equipped to withstand extreme environmental conditions. Hence, advancing our knowledge of CBFs and their interactions represents a promising avenue for improving crop resilience and food security.

In marginal mountain areas, farm management presents challenges, particularly the sustainable improvement of yield and quality. To ensure this agronomic result, it is crucial to select appropriate varieties and apply sustainable agricultural practices, such as the use of plant biostimulants. To address these challenges a two-year field study was conducted using three potato varieties (Désirée, Kennebec and Spunta) in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. These varieties were treated with two plant biostimulants: one based on hydrolyzed proteins from animal epithelial tissue (Fitostim^®) and another based on seaweed extracts (FitostimAlga^®). Agronomic and biochemical traits were used to evaluate the development of plants, yield and tubers quality. Significant interactions among factors were found, resulting in higher or lower efficiency of the plant biostimulant treatment depending on weather conditions and potato genotype. Furthermore, results demonstrated that plant biostimulant treatments increased the leaf chlorophyll content (+ 11.5%), the number of leaves per plant (+ 13.3%) and the height of potato plants (+ 6.5%), while no effects were observed on yield. The Désirée variety achieved the highest yield (0.54 kg plant^-1), whereas Kennebec was shown as the best variety to use for production of French fries due to a lower tuber quantity of reducing sugars, which were reduced also by plant biostimulants treatment (-18%). Moreover, Spunta tubers had the highest content of polyphenols, and the best value was achieved by Spunta variety treated with Fitostim^® alga in the second year. Our finding have proven that plant biostimulant treatments can increase the quality of potato tuber without compromising yield.

Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is a shrub cultivated in the Mediterranean region for essential oils used to produce cosmetic, aromatherapy, and pharmaceutical ingredients. Nowadays, interest in plant biostimulants is rising due to their ability to increase biomass production in a sustainable way. The scope of the present study was to assess the effects of two plant biostimulants, one based on hydrolyzed proteins (FITOSIM^®) and one based on seaweed extracts (FITOSTIM ALGA^®), on the cultivar Grosso for two consecutive years in three different farms, located in the Italian Tuscan-Emilian Apennine Mountains. A difference in the efficiency of treatments among farms was shown, probably due to the plant age. In 2020, FITOSTIM ALGA^® increased inflorescence fresh weights (+35%), while FITOSTIM^® and FITOSTIM ALGA^® enhanced stem and total fresh weights (+23% and +22%, respectively) compared to the untreated control. In 2021, both treatments enhanced the fresh and dry weights of inflorescence (+47% and +38%, respectively), while FITOSTIM ALGA^® also improved the total plant dry weights (+34%). The plant biostimulants did not affect the chemical composition of essential oils. Our results indicate plant biostimulants as a supplement for sustainable management practices, enhancing Lavandin’s performance in mountainous agricultural areas.

Durum wheat productivity in Mediterranean regions faces growing challenges from drought and heat stress. Understanding the genetic architecture of diverse germplasm is therefore essential to support pre-breeding efforts and enhance stress adaptation. In this context, 125 durum wheat genotypes were evaluated for agro-morphological traits across two contrasting Algerian locations over two growing seasons. A subset of 94 genotypes, selected on the basis of phenotypic characterization, was genotyped using the Illumina 7K SNP array. Population structure analysis revealed two to four subgroups, with linkage disequilibrium decaying at 4.09 Mb. Genome-wide association analysis identified 27 distinct significant SNPs associated with eight traits, with most associations detected for spike length, thousand-kernel weight, and plant height. The marker TGWA25K-TG0010 on chromosome 4A showed pleiotropic effects on plant height and peduncle length and co-localized with the Dwarf8 and gibberellic-acid-insensitive genes. Additionally, wsnp_Ex_c2033_3814035 on chromosome 2A was associated with heading earliness and the number of fertile spikelets per spike, and wsnp_Ku_c51039_56457361 on chromosome 5A with plant height and peduncle length in a single site and season. Several other environment-specific associations were also identified. These results support future studies in which the identified markers may be deployed in breeding strategies aimed at improving yield stability and stress adaptability in durum wheat under Algerian conditions.

Currently, there is growing interest in wheat-based products with a reduced digestive impact. We investigated whether agronomic management could modulate the accumulation of immunogenic peptides in durum wheat by using two multifactorial field trials. In the first trial, immunogenic peptide levels were influenced by genotype and by its interaction with nitrogen supply and sowing density, indicating that management effects are highly genotype dependent. In the second trial, the sowing date and fertilization regime affected immunogenic peptide accumulation, with the sowing date being the main driver. Spring sowing reduced the grain yield and increased grain protein and immunogenic peptide levels compared with fall sowing. Overall, these results support the adoption of genotype-specific management strategies to reduce immunogenic peptide accumulation while maintaining a yield in durum wheat.

Freezing tolerance and vernalization requirement are major determinants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) adaptation to winter environments and are mainly controlled by two loci on chromosome 5H, FR-H1 and FR-H2. Here, we developed and genomically validated two reciprocal near-isogenic lines from the Nure × Tremois population to dissect the contribution of these loci to freezing tolerance and developmental adaptation. Genome-wide genotyping with a 15k SNP array anchored to the Morex V3 reference genome confirmed targeted introgressions spanning approximately 0.37 Mb at FR-H1 and 8.13 Mb at FR-H2, with more than 96% recurrent genome recovery. Freezing tolerance was evaluated by chlorophyll fluorescence after controlled freezing and by winter survival across field environments in Italy and Ohio. Transcript accumulation of HvCBF2, HvCBF4, HvCBF9, HvCBF14, HvCOR14b, HvDHN5, and VRN-H1 were profiled under rapid and gradual temperature decrease. Introgression of the winter FR-H2 haplotype into the spring Tremois background increased freezing tolerance and maintained yield potential, whereas the spring FR-H1 allele only partially reduced tolerance in the winter Nure background. HvCBF2 and HvCBF4 were associated with pre-cold priming, while HvCBF9 and HvCBF14 responded mainly to acute cold induction. These results validate FR-H2 as a functional genomic target for combining freezing tolerance with reduced vernalization requirement in facultative barley ideotypes.