Introduction: Wheat is a staple food, with the two most common species being Triticum aestivum and Triticum turgidum ssp. durum. Moreover, the latter, T. turgidum, includes other tetraploid subspecies, among which the sspp. turanicum (Khorasan wheat) and polonicum (Polish wheat), whose importance has increased in the last decades, representing alternative crops for marginal areas, in addition to being a source of genetic diversity.Methods: In this work, different accessions of these three subspecies of T. turgidum have been grown in 2 years in the same environment and have been characterized for technological properties and factors affecting nutritional quality, such as fiber amount and the content of micro- and macro-nutrients in grains, and for root morphological traits.Results: These analyses allowed the identification, in particular, of a Polish wheat accession showing better technological performances, a higher amount of positive micro- and macro-elements, and a lower amount of toxic cadmium. The modern variety Svevo and the Polish Pol2 showed the lowest and the highest shoot:root ratio, respectively. The high shoot:root ratio in Pol2 was mainly attributable to the decrease in root growth. Although Pol2 had a lower root biomass, its particular root morphology made it more efficient for nutrient uptake, as evident from the greater accumulation of micro- and macro-nutrients.Discussion: These results underline that it is not possible to draw general conclusions about the difference between primitive and modern wheats, but rather a case-by-case approach should be chosen.

The continuous growth of the population, along with climate change and the resulting surge in food demand, requires the development of alternative crop cultivation strategies that reduce the excessive use of freshwater for agricultural purposes. Biochar, which is a carbon-rich material made from organic waste through pyrolysis, has been recommended as a potential soil amendment to mitigate the negative effects of salinity. Biochar has unique properties such as high porosity, an ion exchange capacity, and the ability to retain water and nutrients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using saline water for the cultivation of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and to investigate the potential use of biochar as a mitigation strategy for salinity-related issues in tomato cultivation. The concentration of NaCl during the experiment was 100 mM. We examined the impact of salt stress on plant growth, protein and chlorophyll content, the activation of the antioxidant response, and nutritional status. Our results indicated that salt treatments led to a significant accumulation of Na and Cl in shoots (regardless of the biochar addition) but did not result in a corresponding reduction in plant growth. However, the degree of oxidative damage caused by NaCl treatment, measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, was reduced by biochar addition to the growth medium, most likely because of an increased guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activity, which led to lower MDA accumulation. The strong positive effect of biochar on GPX activity could be reasonably attributed to increased Mo accumulation. In conclusion, the findings of this study represent a valuable starting point for developing crop management strategies based on biochar application to enhance plant performance under unfavorable conditions and reduce freshwater dependence in agriculture.

This study investigated the potential of biogenic ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) to alleviate cadmium (Cd) toxicity in durum wheat plants exposed for 14 days to 25 μM CdSO₄. By applying ZnO-NPs at two different concentrations (25 and 50 mg L⁻¹), we observed increased chlorophyll content, beneficially impacting the photosynthetic efficiency, and enhanced sulfur, zinc, and iron accumulation. Moreover, the ZnO-NP treatment reduced the Cd accumulation in shoots, mitigating leaf chlorosis and oxidative damage. This response was clearly mediated by the increased thiol and phytochelatin production, as well as the enhanced sulfate uptake rate, with TdSultr1.3 as the most responsive gene coding for high-affinity transporter to Cd stress. In conclusion, the application of biogenic ZnO-NPs appears to be a promising approach for reducing the uptake of heavy metals by plants. In addition, it could be successfully used in combination with contamination prevention measures and/or remediation of contaminated sites to remove and mitigate the harmful effects of Cd on the environment and human health.

Low-resource environments, such as dry or infertile soils, result in limited plant growth and development, which in turn constrain crop productivity. Water shortage is a significant threat to agricultural productivity all over the world. Drought may also affect plant nutrient uptake and assimilation capability causing nutrient deficiencies even in fertilized fields. Durum wheat is an important staple food crop for ensuring food security in the Mediterranean area, which is increasingly subjected to periods of severe drought due to global changes. Thus, identifying wheat cultivars/genotypes able to cope with suboptimal water, and with unbalanced nutrient availability deriving from drought is crucial to mitigate climate change's adverse effects on agriculture. In this study, a detailed analysis of the phenome, including biomass production, proline production, and characterization of root system architecture, and the ionome, was performed on a panel of 15 Triticum turgidum genotypes, differing for drought tolerance, in order to understand the genotype-specific physiological responses to drought and to identify those genotypes characterised by a positive correlation between ion homeostasis and drought response. The characterization of root system architecture helped our understanding of the morphological responses of wheat plants to drought. Our findings demonstrated that drought exposure for 7 days significantly impacted the ionomic profiles of most genotypes in both shoot and root tissues, albeit to varying degrees. The Lcye A^-B^- genotype showed the highest accumulation efficiency for most nutrients in shoots, while Bulel tritordeum and Karim in roots. It is also important to understand how micronutrients interact with each other and with macronutrients. Thus, we performed a nutrient correlation network analysis, which showed that drought altered the interactions between nutrients in most genotypes. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the mechanisms regulating nutrient homeostasis, as these mechanisms can either mitigate or exacerbate the impact of drought stress. Understanding the interplay between ionomic profiles and environmental conditions can provide valuable insights into developing more resilient crops that can thrive in challenging environments, ultimately contributing to global food security in the face of climate change.

An emerging and underestimated threat to crop productivity and food safety stems from the increasing presence of nanoplastics, particularly polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs), in agricultural soils, a challenge further intensified by climate change. Although the phytotoxicity of NPs has been examined in several crop species, their impact on Triticum turgidum ssp. durum, a crop of significant nutritional importance and widespread in the semi-arid region, remains largely unexplored. In this study, we assessed the systemic effects of PSNP exposure (10 mg/L) on two durum wheat genotypes, Kronos (wild type) and MRP3 (a low-phytate mutant with altered root traits and micronutrient uptake), following plant development from seedling to grain filling. Through a combined phenotypic, physiological, ionomic, and transcriptomic approach, we identified clear genotype-dependent responses to PSNP-induced stress. Kronos showed a higher tolerance, maintaining nutrient homeostasis and sustaining photosynthetic activity, accompanied by a moderate transcriptional adjustment. In contrast, MRP3 exhibited substantial disruptions in ion balance, alongside intensified oxidative stress and extensive transcriptomic remodeling. Enrichment analyses revealed distinct molecular pathways underpinning each genotype's response, with Kronos activating photosynthesis- and defense-related pathways, while MRP3 triggered responses associated with nutrient deprivation, detoxification, and cell wall biosynthesis. Our findings demonstrate that PSNPs act as a significant abiotic stressor in durum wheat, eliciting genotype-dependent adaptive capacities. The contrasting responses highlight the critical role of transporter-mediated detoxification and nutrient homeostasis in shaping plant resilience to nanoplastic exposure. This study provides the first integrated molecular framework describing PSNP-induced stress responses in durum wheat and underscores the importance of genetic background in determining plant adaptive strategies to emerging environmental contaminants.