Microgreens are an excellent source of health-maintaining compounds, and the accumulation of these compounds in plant tissues may be stimulated by exogenous stimuli. While light quality effects on green basil microgreens are known, the present paper aims at improving the quality of acyanic (green) and cyanic (red) basil microgreens with different ratios of LED blue and red illumination. Growth, assimilatory and anthocyanin pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence, total phenolic, flavonoids, selected phenolic acid contents and antioxidant activity were assessed in microgreens grown for 17 days. Growth of microgreens was enhanced with predominantly blue illumination, larger cotyledon area and higher fresh mass. The same treatment elevated chlorophyll a and anthocyanin pigments contents. Colored light treatments decreased chlorophyll fluorescence ΦPSII values significantly in the green cultivar. Stimulation of phenolic synthesis and free radical scavenging activity were improved by predominantly red light in the green cultivar (up to 1.87 fold) and by predominantly blue light in the red cultivar (up to 1.73 fold). Rosmarinic and gallic acid synthesis was higher (up to 15- and 4-fold, respectively, compared to white treatment) in predominantly blue illumination. Red and blue LED ratios can be tailored to induce superior growth and phenolic contents in both red and green basil microgreens, as a convenient tool for producing higher quality foods.

Tussilago farfara L., a perennial species, is a medicinal herb used in traditional medicine, mainly for the treatment of respiratory tract-related pathology. In traditional Chinese medicine, flower buds are preferred; in Europe, the leaves are used; and in some parts of India, the whole plant is utilized. This preferential usage of the plant organs might be based on differences in the chemical composition due to environmental conditions, along with preferred traditional and cultural approaches. In this article, the impact of pedoclimatic growth conditions on the morpho-anatomical development and phytochemical profile of the plant were studied on T. farfara in the vegetative state, collected from two different locations in the Romanian spontaneous flora, revealing significant variations. Furthermore, the antioxidant profile of the specific extracts from the aerial and subterranean plant parts is also in accordance with these discrepancies. The plant anatomy was assessed histologically by optical microscopy, while the analytical chemistry evaluation was based on LC/MS and spectral methods for the evaluation of the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity. To our knowledge, this is the first comparative analysis contextually reporting on the histology, phenolic profile, antioxidant capacity, and geographical location of the vegetative form of T. farfara.

Drought stress is widely recognized as a highly detrimental abiotic stress factor that significantly impacts crop growth, development, and agricultural productivity. In response to external stimuli, plants activate various mechanisms to enhance their resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress. The common bean, a most important legume according to the FAO, serves as a staple food for millions of people worldwide, due to its rich protein, carbohydrate, and fiber content, concurrently, and water scarcity is the main factor limiting common bean production. The process of domestication and on-farm conservation has facilitated the development of genotypes with varying degrees of drought stress resistance. Consequently, using landraces as biological material in research can lead to the identification of variants with superior resistance qualities to abiotic stress factors, which can be effectively integrated into breeding programs. The central scope of this research was to find out if different geographic origins of common bean genotypes can determine distinct responses at various levels. Hence, several analyses were carried out to investigate responses to water scarcity in three common bean genotypes, M-2087 (from the Mesoamerican gene pool), A-1988 (from the Andean gene pool) and Lechinta, known for its high drought stress resistance. Plants were subjected to different water regimes, followed by optical assessment of the anatomical structure of the hypocotyl and epicotyl in each group; furthermore, the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters and molecular data (quantification of the relative expression of the thirteen genes) were assessed. The three experimental variants displayed distinct responses when subjected to 12 days of water stress. In general, the Lechinta genotype demonstrated the highest adaptability and drought resistance. The M-2087 landrace, originating from the Mesoamerican geographic basin, showed a lower resistance to water stress, compared to the A-1988 landrace, from the Andean basin. The achieved results can be used to scale up future research about the drought resistance of plants, analyzing more common bean landraces with distinct geographic origins (Mesoamerican/Andean), which can then be used in breeding programs.

Oenothera biennis L. is a biennial species native to North America and introduced to Europe in the 17th–18th centuries, used in traditional medicine or as a dietary supplement in various products, as well as in cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry. In recent decades, oil extracted from seeds has been increasingly used for the treatment of various conditions. In this article, we highlight the polyphenolic content of 2 types of extracts from O. biennis species, collected from the wild flora of Romania, from two regions with different altitudes and pedoclimatic conditions (plains and mountains), namely: OHM—hydroalcoholic extract, Macea sample; OHVD—hydroalcoholic extract, Vatra Dornei; OAM—aqueous extract, Macea sample; OAVD—aqueous extract, Vatra Dornei sample. The LC/MS analysis of the whole plant extracts revealed 5 to 14 polyphenols, depending on the sample location and type of extract, out of which 7 flavonoids are newly reported for this species. Climatic parameters were mapped using QGIS. Higher qualitative and quantitative values of polyphenols were observed in the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from individuals collected from the plain area.

Large morpho-anatomical and biochemical variability was evidenced in all Lonicera caerulea L. provenances. The knowledge of chromosome constitution is of basic importance in this context of elevated phenotype heterogeneity and represents a necessary step in breeding programs. The Romanian selections are tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36). Chromosomes are small-sized (

Taxus L. is accepted in the literature as natural resources of biologically active compounds and volatile oils, with applications in medicine, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and with ecological impact on the natural living environment. In this context, the present work aims to analyze by GS/MS techniques the chemical composition of volatile oil obtained by hydrodistillation of leaves harvested from spontaneous and cultivated female individuals of Taxus (dried and fresh plant material) and to spectrophotometrically evaluate the hydrosols resulting from their hydrodistillation. The compounds with the highest concentrations in the volatile oil obtained from the spontaneous taxon Taxus baccata L. were hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (33.03% fresh leaves; 20.09% dried leaves); ar-abietatriene (14.98% dried leaves; 3.03% fresh leaves); phthalic acid, hex-3-yl isobutyl ester (10.51% dried leaves); salicylic acid, benzyl ester (8.11% dried leaves). In the cultivated taxon Taxus baccata the compounds identified with the highest concentrations were 1-octen-3-ol (25.61% fresh leaves); phytol (12.50% dry leaves); geranyl acetone (11.90% dry leaves); manoyl oxide (11.85% dry leaves; 10.86% fresh leaves); 1,9-decadence (7.92% fresh leaves). The compounds with the highest concentrations in the oil extracted from the leaves of Taxus baccata ‘Robusta’ were hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (17.81% fresh leaves); pentacosane (11.28% dry leaves); heptacosane (11.27% fresh leaves); tetracosane (11.13% dry leaves); tricosane (8.45% fresh leaves). The chemical composition of volatile oils from yew is influenced by many exogenous factors such as soil, light, and endogenous factors such as age, DNA.