Cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a major crop worldwide. It occupies the second place after cereals (corn, rice, and wheat). This important crop is threatened by the Oomycete Phytophthora infestans, the agent of late blight disease. This pathogen was first encountered during the Irish famine during the 1840s and is a reemerging threat to potatoes. It is mainly controlled chemically by using fungicides, but due to health and environmental concerns, the best alternative is resistance. When there is no disease, no treatment is required. In this study, we present a summary of the ongoing efforts concerning resistance breeding of potato against this devastating pathogen, P. infestans. This work begins with the search for and selection of resistance genes, whether they are from within or from outside the species. The genetic methods developed to date for gene mining, such as effectoromics and GWAS, provide researchers with the ability to identify genes of interest more efficiently. Once identified, these genes are cloned using molecular markers (MAS or QRL) and can then be introduced into different cultivars using somatic hybridization or recombinant DNA technology. More innovative technologies have been developed lately, such as gene editing using the CRISPR system or gene silencing, by exploiting iRNA strategies that have emerged as promising tools for managing Phytophthora infestans, which can be employed. Also, gene pyramiding or gene stacking, which involves the accumulation of two or more R genes on the same individual plant, is an innovative method that has yielded many promising results. All these advances related to the development of molecular techniques for obtaining new potato cultivars resistant to P. infestans can contribute not only to reducing losses in agriculture but especially to ensuring food security and safety.

Red clover also known as Trifolium pratense L., is a perennial allogame plant belonging to Trifolium genus and Fabaceae family. Besides its benefits in animal feed and soil improvement, red clover was studied as well for its medicinal properties, being used in different forms like essential oil, tea, pills and other. This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis on some diploid and tetraploid red clover cultivars regarding morphological and biochemical traits. The study was carried out between 2022 and 2023 on 90 red clover cultivars, divided into two samples represented by diploids and tetraploids. Tetraploids were superior to diploids in the 2^nd year and inferior in the 3^rd year. Regarding the polyphenols content, diploids showed higher values than tetraploids. Between diploids and tetraploids, there was a significant difference in the number of inflorescences/50g and inflorescence weight from the 3^rd year.

Melissa officinalis L. commonly known as Lemon balm, is a popular medicinal plant from Lamiaceae family, valued for its therapeutic properties since antiquity. This study aims to evaluate the current scientific literature status on antioxidant effect of Melissa extracts, highlighting geographical research trends, publication patterns, and article accessibility. Using the Web of Science (WoS) database, 283 articles published between 2015 and 2024 were initially identified. After screening and filtering, 165 eligible studies were analysed, with the majority published in recent years and originating from Iran, Turkey, Romania, and Poland. The findings underline the increasing interest in Melissa officinalis, with open-access research predominating, in agriculture, biochemistry, medicine, and food science. This review underscores the need for continued exploration to expand understanding of Melissa's antioxidant potential.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is an important forage legume that is also a valuable source of bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. This study evaluated the variability among diploid (2n) and tetraploid (4n) red clover cultivars in forage productivity, quality-related parameters, polyphenol and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity, in order to identify promising ideotypes for dual-purpose breeding. A total of 90 cultivars were assessed under field conditions; green matter yield, dry matter yield, crude protein content, and protein yield were analyzed together with total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. Spearman correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to relate the traits and identify cultivars with contrasting characteristics. Cultivar differentiation was pronounced within each ploidy group, whereas diploid and tetraploid cultivars overlapped substantially in the multivariate space, indicating that ploidy alone is not a reliable predictor of forage or medicinal value. At the group level, tetraploids tended toward higher biomass, protein-related traits, and total polyphenol concentration, while total flavonoids and antioxidant activity were broadly comparable between groups. Forage- and medicinal-related traits were only weakly correlated and thus behaved as largely independent selection targets—which is precisely why integrated multi-trait evaluation is required to identify cultivars combining both. Several cultivars did combine favorable agronomic and phytochemical characteristics, supporting within-group selection of red clover germplasm with dual forage and medicinal potential for sustainable agricultural systems.

Maize (Zea mays L.) can be classified into several germplasm groups and crossing between these groups can produce hybrids with high heterosis. Iodent is one of the most widely used heterotic groups, both for creating new inbred lines and for developing high-performing hybrids. Thirteen inbred lines (nine Iodent and four Iodent mixed) were used as maternal parents to create new hybrids, which were tested during the 2020–2025 period at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda. Agronomic traits, including grain yield, the percentage of unlodged plants and dry matter content at harvest were evaluated as selection criteria to identify elite parental lines. Additionally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed as an exploratory multivariate analysis to investigate relationships among the maternal inbred lines based on grain yield, unlodged plants and dry matter. Hybrids derived from female line A452 outperformed the trial mean in all years studied, whereas those using line E390 as the female parent exceeded the average in five out of six years. PCA provided an exploratory visualization of the multivariate relationships among the evaluated maternal inbred lines.

Optimization of nitrogen (N) management is critical for enhancing maize (Zea mays L.) productivity while maintaining soil health. The present study investigated the impact of split-application fertilization strategies on soil chemical properties and grain yield across three distinct soil types (calcaric fluvisol, luvic phaeozem, and stagnic phaeozem) in Mureș County, Romania, over three cropping seasons (2022–2024). Three fertilization variants were evaluated: the first treatment, designated V1, involved the application of 300 kg/ha NPK 20-20-0 + 300 kg/ha urea, the second treatment V2 utilized 300 kg/ha NPK 20-20-0 + 300 kg/ha NAC 27 N-calcium ammonium nitrate, and the third treatment V3 served as the baseline control, receiving (300 kg/ha NPK 20-20-0). Results indicated that significant differences were observed among the three experimental sites representing contrasting soil types for soil chemical properties and maize productivity. Calcaric fluvisol exhibited the highest production potential, attaining a mean yield of 11,702.78 kg/ha. The impact of N supplementation on soil N levels and maize yield was found to be significant. The variant receiving urea supplementation (V1) achieved the highest median yield of 9560 kg/ha in comparison to the 7420 kg/ha obtained in the control. A strong positive correlation was observed between N index and yield across all soil types (ρ = 0.93 to 0.97, p < 0.001). Fertilization significantly influenced soil pH, CaCO₃ content, nitrogen index, phosphorus availability, and maize yield, whereas humus content remained relatively stable among treatments. These findings indicate that a split-fertilization regime combining NPK with urea provides a favorable balance between productivity and cost-effectiveness and maize output in the Transylvanian Plateau.