Protection of plants against herbivorous pests is an important aspect that guarantees agricultural efficiency, i.e., food provision to populations. Environmental, water and foodstuff pollution by toxic pesticides, along with climate changes, highlight the necessity to achieve intensive development of ecologically safe methods of herbivory control. This review discusses modern methods of plant protection against insect pests: the biofortification of plants with selenium, treatment of plants with bulk and nano-silicon, and utilization of garlic extracts. The peculiarities of such methods of defense are described in relation to growth stimulation as well as increasing the yield and nutritional value of products. Direct defense methods, i.e., mechanical, hormonal, through secondary metabolites and/or mineral element accumulation, and indirect defense via predator attraction are discussed. Examples of herbivorous pest control during plant growth and grain/seed storage are emphasized. A comparison of sodium selenate, silicon containing fertilizer (Siliplant) and garlic extract efficiency is analyzed on Raphanus sativus var. lobo infested with the cruciferous gall midge Contarinia nasturtii, indicating the quick annihilation of pests as a result of the foliar application of garlic extract or silicon-containing fertilizer, Siliplant.

The unique and balanced components of the biochemical composition, together with high antioxidant activity, make the red beet necessary a dietary vegetable crop, much contributing to healthy food ration. The application of the technology for producing gynogenic plants in vitro increases the genetic diversity and significantly reduces the period of time required to obtain the appropriate homozygous lines used to create the F1 hybrids that are demanded in the market. For induction of gynogenesis, we used IMB medium developed by us with the addition of 55 g/L sucrose, 3 g/L phytogel, 200 mg/L ampicillin, and 0.4 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ) and cultured at 28 °C in the dark for 4–6 weeks. Shoot regeneration from embryoids and callus was performed on MS medium with 20 g/L sucrose, 3 g/L phytogel, 1 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), and 0.1 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA₃). Immersion of the obtained microshoots with 5–7 well-developed leaves for 10–15 s into concentrated sterile indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) solution (50 mg/L) followed by their cultivation on solid medium ½ _IMB with 2% sucrose and 3 g/L phytogel was the most efficient method for root formation. The addition of silver nitrate (22 mg/L) to the nutrient medium provoked an increase in the number of induced ovules up to nine per Petri dish (up to 25% of induced ovules). Gynogenic development was produced in six out of 11 genotypes studied, and the plants that were then acclimatized to ex vitro conditions were obtained in three genotypes (Nezhnost’, Dobrynya, b/a 128). The evaluation of ploidy of gynogenic plants that was carried out by flow cytometry and direct counting of chromosomes stained with propion-lacmoide revealed that all obtained gynogenic plants were haploids (2n = x = 9).

The fragmentary literature data on Apiaceae seed antioxidant potential elicited a comparative evaluation work of seed biochemical profile between 11 species and 43 cultivars grown in similar conditions: anise, lovage, fennel, coriander, caraway, parsley, celery, dill, carrot, parsnip and chervil. Among the different solvents, temperature and duration regimes applied, 70% EtOH, 80 °C and 1 h running showed the best extraction efficiency of antioxidants. Total antioxidant activity (AOA) decreased as follows: lovage > anise > parsley > celery > fennel = dill > coriander > caraway > parsnip > carrot > chervil. Lovage, anise and fennel demonstrated the highest levels of total phenolics (TP), AOA and potassium. A positive correlation was recorded between total dissolved solids (TDS) and K and between AOA and TP content (r = 0.86 and r = 0.79 respectively, at p < 0.001). Varietal differences in AOA and TP levels were much lower than those relevant to TDS, K and water soluble protein (WSP), while the highest differences were found for selenium (Se). Two parsley cultivars showed anomalously high Se content and four dill cultivars unusually high levels of TDS and potassium. A positive correlation arose between Se and WSP levels in parsley seeds (r = 0.85 at p < 0.05).

The great economic importance of sugar beet determines the ongoing biotechnological studies conducted worldwide to improve the technology of obtaining doubled haploids (DHs) using the method of unpollinated ovule culture in vitro. To improve the induction of gynogenesis, we tested the effect of thidiazuron (TDZ), temperature bud pretreatment, different concentrations of sucrose, and culturing on liquid or solid medium. Three genotypes were tested in this study. The use of TDZ at a concentration of 0.4 mg/L in solid IMB (induction medium for Beta vulgaris) induction nutrient medium with 3 g/L phytagel, 50 g/L sucrose, 200 mg/L ampicillin and cultivation at 28◦C in the dark produced up to 16.7% induced ovules. The liquid nutrient medium of the same composition induced up to 8% ovules. Increasing TDZ concentration to 0.8 mg/L resulted in reduction or total inhibition of gynogenesis, depending on the genotype. Reducing the sucrose concentration to 20 g/L or increasing it to 80 g/L was not effective. In all three genotypes, the absence of temperature pretreatment of buds (5–6 °C) showed the best results. The plant regeneration with MS nutrient medium of 20 g/L sucrose, 3 g/L phytagel, 1 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.1 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA₃) resulted in up to seven shoots from one induced ovule in the most responsive genotype. We showed by flow cytometry, chromosome counting and chloroplast number assessment that all regenerant plants were haploid (2n = x = 9).

The ‘edge’ effect is considered one of the fundamental ecological phenomena essential for maintaining ecosystem integrity. The properties of plant outer tissues (root, tuber, bulb and fruit peel, tree and shrub bark, leaf and stem trichomes) mimic to a great extent the ‘edge’ effect properties of different ecosystems, which suggests the possibility of the ‘edge’ effect being applicable to individual plant organisms. The most important characteristics of plant border tissues are intensive oxidant stress, high variability and biodiversity of protection mechanisms and high adsorption capacity. Wide variations in morphological, biochemical and mineral components of border tissues play an important role in the characteristics of plant adaptability values, storage duration of roots, fruit, tubers and bulbs, and the diversity of outer tissue practical application. The significance of outer tissue antioxidant status and the accumulation of polyphenols, essential oil, lipids and minerals, and the artificial improvement of such accumulation is described in connection with plant tolerance to unfavorable environmental conditions. Methods of plant ‘edge’ effect utilization in agricultural crop breeding, production of specific preparations with powerful antioxidant value and green nanoparticle synthesis of different elements have been developed. Extending the ‘edge’ effect phenomenon from ecosystems to individual organisms is of fundamental importance in agriculture, pharmacology, food industry and wastewater treatment processes.

Seed productivity and quality are the bases of modern agriculture. To determine the optimal conditions in terms of seed production and quality, the effect of foliar plant biostimulant treatments (at the beginning and in the middle of the peduncle formation phase and at the beginning of flowering) based on amino acids (Multimolig M and Aminosil), silicon (Si) (Siliplant), selenium (nano-Se), a Rhodotorula glutinis soil yeast formulation, and a fertilizer (Wuxal Macromix), plus an untreated control (only water-sprayed plants), were assessed on Beta vulgaris seed plants grown in an open field in the Moscow region in 2022–2023. Silicon and nano-Se foliar supply led to the highest seed production and viability, as well as positively affecting the yield and quality of the microgreens produced from the latter seeds. Despite the stability of the size distribution of small- and large-sized seeds, only the application of Si increased the occurrence of the large-sized seed class by up to 53%, while R. glutinis fostered a homogenous distribution of seeds among the different diameter classes. The application of all of the biostimulants, except R. glutinis, provided a decrease in oxidative stress in the seeds (reflected in a significant reduction in proline levels), especially for the small-sized seed class, with the highest beneficial effects being caused by Aminosil and Siliplant. All of the treatments were beneficial in terms of chlorophyll and betalain pigment accumulation but did not significantly affect the microgreens’ antioxidant status. The beneficial effect of the biostimulants revealed provides the basis for beetroot seed production and quality improvements to meet the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations aiming to fight hunger and improve human health and well-being.