Clinopodium pulegium (Rochel) Bräuchler (Lamiaceae) is an endangered species endemic to the Southern Carpathians. It is characterized by the production of high amounts of essential oils, which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have an essential role in biotic and abiotic stress responses and in plant–plant and plant–insect interactions. The present study was initiated to phytochemically examine the influence of different carbon sources in the nutrition medium on VOC emissions of micropropagated C. pulegium plants, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of headspace VOCs. The volatile profiles were subjected to multivariate analysis with respect to the presence, concentration and type of carbon source in the nutrient medium. In addition, the effect of different carbohydrates on the density and size of the leaf glandular trichomes, the main structures involved in the emission of VOCs, was determined. A total of 19 VOCs, primarily belonging to mono- and sesquiterpenes previously described in plants, were tentatively identified. Six VOCs were produced at levels higher than 2% of the total VOC emission, dominated by pulegone, ß-pinene and menthone. Inclusion of the carbohydrates in the culture media affected the production of the main leaf trichome-associated volatile allelochemicals although the qualitative composition of the volatiles changed only slightly. Multivariate analysis showed that the concentration, rather than the carbohydrate type, influenced the VOC profile.

This is the first report on morpho-anatomical and phytochemical differentiation of 19 native populations representing different Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold subspecies (banatica (Borbás) Novák, dalmatica (Vis.) Franco, nigra, and pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe) in the Balkans and Southern Carpathians. The 9 morpho-anatomical characteristics and 10 headspace volatiles of needles were analyzed with multivariate statistical analyses. The combination of results from all multivariate analyses with both types of markers revealed that P. nigra is differentiated into three groups within the studied area (the Dalmatian coast, Greece, and the rest of the Balkans with the Southern Carpathians). The first group included the population from an island in Dalmatia that corresponds to P. nigra subsp. dalmatica. The third group consisted of populations from continental Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria, which corresponds to P. nigra subsp. nigra. In light of the recent molecular data that indicated that the Greek populations (the second group) represent a distinct genetic lineage of P. nigra placed between the populations from the principal area (P. nigra subsp. nigra) and Turkey (P. nigra subsp. pallasiana), one can speculate that there is one more subspecies of P. nigra in this region that corresponds to populations from Greece. Extending our analyses to Asia Minor and Crimea could bring additional results that would be valuable for clarifying the intriguing issue of the diversification of P. nigra in the eastern part of its range.

Background: Genus Achillea L., one of the largest and the most taxonomically complicated genera of the Asteraceae family, has a complex phyletic structure due to excessive hybridization and polyploidy, which especially occurs among species from the Achillea section. Although the genus has been investigated in detail, a hybrid Achillea ×vandasii Velen has not been studied for volatile profiles. Thus, this study aimed to analyze and compare headspace volatiles (HSVs) from rosette leaf, stem leaf, stem, and inflorescence as well as essential oil (EO) of plant aerial parts. Methods: The chemical composition of the headspace volatiles and essential oil of a hybrid Achillea ×vandasii Velen. were analyzed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results: The distribution among HSVs depends on the plant organ investigated. Generally, monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes were dominant in all headspace samples, primarily 1,8-cineole followed by α-pinene and β-pinene. Sesquiterpenoids were absent or presented in a low percentage. Unlike HSVs, the EO was abundant in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivates. Among all, caryophyllene oxide, α-cadinol, and germacrene D were dominant in the studied essential oil. Conclusions: The results showed that the qualitative and quantitative composition of studied headspace volatiles and essential oil differ significantly in terms of terpene content. Considering the hybrid origin of the studied taxon and obtained volatile profiles, the tested hybrid shows no or very weak agreement with the parental species.

This study aimed at analyzing and comparing the elemental composition of different parts of cultivated Physalis alkekengi (ljoskavac): rhizome with roots, stem with leaves, fruit, and inflated calyx. The contents of twenty- -one macro- and micro-elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In addition, the patterns of the distributions of both macro- and micro-elements were subjected to AHC analysis which gave different grouping of samples in sub-clusters. Generally, potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum were the most abundant elements, but with different distribution in examined parts. High contents of iron and aluminum were detected in a stem with leaves, followed with samples of rhizome with roots and calyx, while potassium dominates in samples of calyx and stem with leaves. Edible fruits did not contain potentially toxic metals in concentration higher than permissible limits, wherein the lowest contents of lead and aluminum were detected; cadmium was under limit of quantification. Arsenic, mercury, and thallium were below the method detection limit.

The soil phytomonitoring and phytostabilization potential of Syringa vulgaris and Ficus carica was evaluated regarding 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a chemometric approach and the calculation of bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for each individual PAH in plants’ roots from each selected location in the Bor region. PAHs in roots and the corresponding soils were analyzed using the QuEChERS (Quick, Effective, Cheap, Easy, Rugged, Safe) method with some new modifications, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, Pearson’s correlation study, hierarchical cluster analysis, and BCFs. Several central conclusions are as follows: Each plant species developed its own specific capability for PAH management, and root concentrations ranged from not detected (for several compounds) to 5592 μg/kg (for fluorene in S. vulgaris). In some cases, especially regarding benzo(a)pyrene and chrysene, both plants had a similar tactic—the total avoidance of assimilation (probably due to their high toxicity). Both plants retained significant quantities of different PAHs in their roots (many calculated BCFs were higher than 1 or were even extremely high), which recommends them for PAH phytostabilization (especially fluorene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(k)fluoranthene). In soil monitoring, neither of the plants are helpful because their roots do not reflect the actual situation found in soil. Finally, the analysis of the corresponding soils provided useful monitoring information.