The plant-derived α-linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential n-3 acid highly susceptible to oxidation, present in oils of flaxseeds, walnuts, canola, perilla, soy, and chia. After ingestion, it can be incorporated in to body lipid pools (particularly triglycerides and phospholipid membranes), and then endogenously metabolized through desaturation, elongation, and peroxisome oxidation to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), with a very limited efficiency (particularly for DHA), beta-oxidized as an energy source, or directly metabolized to C18-oxilipins. At this moment, data in the literature about the effects of ALA supplementation on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in humans are inconsistent, indicating no effects or some positive effects on all MetS components (abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, impaired insulin sensitivity and glucoregulation, blood pressure, and liver steatosis). The major effects of ALA on MetS seem to be through its conversion to more potent EPA and DHA, the impact on the n-3/n-6 ratio, and the consecutive effects on the formation of oxylipins and endocannabinoids, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion, as well as adipocyte and hepatocytes function. It is important to distinguish the direct effects of ALA from the effects of EPA and DHA metabolites. This review summarizes the most recent findings on this topic and discusses the possible mechanisms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different LED lights on the growth of cauliflower microgreens and to determine which combination of LED light best increases tolerance to salt stress and promotes the growth and accumulation of secondary antioxidants in the presence of salt stress in vitro. Plants were grown in a growth chamber under different LED light treatments (red light, blue light, a combination of red and blue light, and cool white light) and in MS media with different NaCl concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mM). The effects of the different light qualities and salt stress conditions on growth, content of photosynthetic pigment, flavonoids, phenol, proline, and antioxidant enzyme activity were measured. The best treatments for microgreen development, according to the data, were those that combined red and blue light. In addition to increasing stress tolerance and enabling plant growth at a lower salt concentration (50 mM NaCl), the combination of blue and red light also enhanced the synthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites and the antioxidant potential of microgreens grown in vitro, which may have nutritional and pharmaceutical value.

The aim of the research was to examine the influence of different light treatments on the growth, phytochemicals and antioxidant potential of broccoli microgreens. Plants were grown in a growth chamber under LED (light-emitting diode) cold whi...

Nitrogen (N) plays a decisive role in the growth and yield of crops. Hence, a high maize grain yield depends upon substantial N inputs. In the present study, morphological traits and yield components, grain yield, rain use efficiency (RUE), and N partial factor productivity (NPFP) were analyzed in two maize hybrids (ZP666 and NS6030) for 2 yr using four N rates (0 (N0), 60 (N60), 120 (N120), and 180 (N180) kg N ha⁻¹). In a climatically more favorable year (2022), the studied traits and NPFP were higher, while RUE was lower. Hybrid ZP666 had higher values of morphological traits and yield component traits, except 1000-grain weight, grain yield, RUE, and NPFP, than hybrid NS6030. The highest values for morphological traits, yield components, grain yield (9383 and 9456 kg ha⁻¹), and RUE (27.1 and 27.2 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) were obtained at 120 and 180 kg N ha⁻¹. The NPFP decreased significantly with increasing N input, from 137.6 (control) to 52.5 kg grain per kg fertilizer N (180 kg N ha⁻¹). A suitable hybrid selection and the application of a moderate N fertilizer rate of 120 kg N ha⁻¹ could contribute to high yields and lower nitrogen losses to the environment and promote sustainable agriculture.

The expression of genes that induce the transformation of meristems into the reproductive stage in oilseed rape is realized in conditions of low positive temperatures for a certain period of time. Such a flowering process is called the vernalization pathway. A four-factor field trial with 6 genotypes of head cabbage was set up at the Institute of Vegetable Crops in Smederevska Palanka, of which three parental genotypes were divergent by geographical origin: Scc, B and N, and three more F1 hybrids were selected by diallel crossing: Scc x B, Scc x N and B x N. In order to achieve a different vegetative stage, seedlings were sown at three sowing dates: August 15th, September 1st and September 15th. Transplanting was done on October 20th. The results of sowing head cabbage within the sowing period for oilseed rape were the induction of the flower mechanism, the absence of the head formation phenophase, and the realization of a stable seed yield. The experiment was performed in vivo in the control version and in the treatment with gibberellic acid - GA3. The influence of all four factors: season, genotype, sowing date and GA3 treatment showed statistical significance for the yield components as well as for the yield itself and seed quality. The three seasons in which the experiment was evaluated differed in temperature during overwintering: 2010/2011 was moderately cold, 2011/2012 was extremely cold, while 2012/2013 was warm. In the cold season, the seed yield was low, and reduced to the biological maintenance of the species, while the highest seed yield was achieved in the third - warm (2012/2013) season in the first sowing period. The experiment also confirmed the existence of an identical flower mechanism in the species Brassica napus L. and Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.

Two experiments were conducted in a glasshouse without heating and additional lighting. The effects of different substrates on the number of leaves and yield per plant of lettuce and spinach, grown as baby leaves were examined. Preliminary test shows significantly higher yield achieved on natural peat based substrates with added zeolites. In the final experiment, compared to pure commercial substrates T2-T4, significantly higher yields (g/plant) were obtained in their combinations with enriched zeolites T5-T7 (8.3, 8.23, 8.12, i.e. 9.9, 9.96, and 9.84g for treatments i.e. species respectively). The use of enriched zeolites improves the productivity of natural peats and commercial substrates.