The objective of this work was to map population of common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) in the territory of Slovak Republic. Common juniper is not protected by Slovakian law or the authorities; therefore, there is no law to preserve these plant populations. Biotopes of common juniper consist of light- to heavy-density trees and shrubs. The expansion of its habitat is also connected to human involvement. The loss of juniper naturally in observed plants is caused by a change in land use, loss of feeding pastures for cattle and sheep, and eutrophication of the environment. The current study was focused on monitoring the population of this plant species in the years of 2018–2020, the isolation of essential oils, and the identification of qualitative and quantitative characteristics. It was confirmed that juniper berries usually contain from 0.5 ± 0.05 to 1.8 ± 0.06%, usually 1.2 ± 0.16%, volatile oil depending on geography, altitude, ripeness, and other factors. Volatile oil is made up mostly of monoterpenes, mainly α-pinene (from 37.60 ± 2.23 to 61.00 ± 0.60%), β-myrcene (from 8.03 ± 2.02 to 10.56 ± 0.05%), and sabinene (from 3.50 ± 0.30 to 22.0 ± 0.96%). The dendrogram was constructed after a hierarchical cluster analysis based on the essential oil substances, which showed four different confirmed chemotypes. The essential oil is widely used in medicines, perfumes, insect repellents, insecticides, shoe polish, and in microscopy as a clearing agent of an immersion oil. The quality and chemotypes of juniper berries are very important for the Slovak national beverage “Borovicka” and the distillery industry on a whole in this country.

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The paper is devoted to studies of the migration of heavy metals (HM) in the soil–plant system on the model object Lotus corniculatus L. The main way of transfer of HM to plants is absorption by their roots. Experimental plots were established in the botanical garden of the Uzhhorod National University. The interdependence of the content of HM in the aerial parts of the plant with the content of mobile forms of HM in the soil was established. It was found that the concentration of all investigated HM in the soil increases more strongly than in the plant, which can be explained by the presence of mechanisms for regulating the entry of toxic substances into the body. The authors established the dependence of the content of copper, zinc and lead in the above-ground parts of the hornwort on the gross content in the soil. The behavior of several elements with similar properties in the soil-plant system was studied simultaneously. Робота присвячена дослідженням міграції важких металів (ВМ) у системі ґрунт–рослина на модельному об’єкті лядвенець рогатий (Lotus corniculatus L.). Головним шляхом надходження ВМ у рослини є вбирання їх коренями. Дослідні ділянки були закладені у ботанічному саду Ужгородського національного університету. Встановлена взаємозалежність вмісту ВМ у надземних частинах рослини від вмісту рухомих форм ВМ у ґрунті. Виявлено, що концентрація всіх досліджених ВМ у ґрунті наростає більше, ніж у рослині, що можна пояснити наявністю механізмів регулювання постачання токсичних речовин в організм. Авторами встановлена залежність вмісту міді, цинку та свинцю в надземних частинах лядвенцю рогатого від валового вмісту в ґрунті. Досліджено поведінку у системі ґрунт–рослина одночасно декількох елементів, що мають аналогічні властивості.

Agastache foeniculum (Pursh) Kuntze, a member of the Lamiaceae family, is a phytochemically rich yet underexplored species with potential biomedical applications. This study aimed to provide an organ-specific chemical characterization of its secondary metabolites and to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of ethanolic extracts derived separately from its leaves and flowers. Using UHPLC-MS/MS, we identified a total of 54 compounds, including phenolic acids and flavonoids. In total, 35 compounds in the flower extract and 38 in the leaf extract were reported here for the first time. The antimicrobial activity of both extracts was tested against six multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical bacterial isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Acinetobacter baumannii) using seven concentration levels (12.5–87.5%). While the leaf extract showed limited antibacterial effects, the flower extract demonstrated stronger, concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. At concentrations of 62.5% and above, it markedly reduced viable bacterial counts in all tested MDR strains. These findings highlight the importance of organ-specific phytochemical analysis in medicinal plants and suggest that A. foeniculum, particularly its flowers, may serve as a promising source of bioactive compounds for further antimicrobial research and development.