Hawthorn (Cratageus monogyna Jacq.), one of the important wild fruit species in Turkey, is an important fruit species in many countries due to its use in traditional medicine, landscaping studies, and the food and beverage industry. In this study, morphological characterization revealed significant variation among genotypes, with fruit weight ranging from 0.55 g to 2.87 g, fruit width from 9.74 mm to 18.39 mm, and leaf width from 19.53 mm to 41.19 mm. Genotype-dependent variations were observed in the total phenolic content (151.34 mg–491.88 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹ flesh), the total flavonoid content (16.74–48.13 mg CAE 100 g⁻¹ flesh), the total anthocyanin content (26.34–79.79 mg cyn-3 gluc 100 g⁻¹ flesh), and the antioxidant activity (29.20% to 56.70%). HPLC-based phenolic profiling identified substantial variations in key bioactive compounds, with the highest levels of chlorogenic acid (16.16 mg 100 g⁻¹ fw), caffeic acid (10.21 mg 100 g⁻¹ fw), epicatechin (13.83 mg 100 g⁻¹ fw), rutin (74.05 mg 100 g⁻¹ fw), and protocatechuic acid (2.00 mg 100 g⁻¹ fw). ISSR marker-based molecular analysis revealed a high degree of genetic polymorphism (89.12%), with 55 out of 62 bands classified as polymorphic. The polymorphic information content values ranged from 0.34 to 0.44. The Jaccard similarity coefficient ranged from 0.04 (M9 and M16) to 0.63 (M17 and M3), indicating substantial genetic variability. The tanglegram analysis comparing genetic and morphological–biochemical dendrograms yielded an entanglement score of 0.714, indicating an alignment between molecular and phenotypic data. These findings show that hawthorn genotypes from the Kelkit Valley exhibit extensive genetic and biochemical diversity, which is critical for conservation efforts, breeding programs, and the development of high-value medicinal and functional food products.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a low-height perennial or biennial herb from the family of Asteraceae. Investigation of different in vitro regeneration strategies of Cichorium intybus and increasing the number of secondary metabolites in vitro regenerated plant samples were the aims of the research. Callus and plant regenerations were achieved in basal plant growth media supplemented with plant growth regulators (PGRs). Whole plant regeneration was carried out by direct organogenesis from leaf explant in Murashige and Skoog (MS) and B5 media supplemented with naphthalene acetic (NAA) acid and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The highest callus quantity was produced in MS medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and benzyl amino purine (BAP). The combination and concentrations of PGRs used in MS and B5 media not only provided root and shoot formation with callus, but also caused a change in the amounts of phenolic components. In addition, some PGRs used caused an increase in the number of phenolic compounds in callus and shoots developed from the leaf explant. When plants that grow in vitro and in vivo are compared with each other, it has been determined that plants grown in vivo contain higher amounts of some phenolic compounds. In vivo and in vitro samples were extracted in ethanol/water (80:20 v/v). The analysis of phenolic compounds (caftaric, chicoric, and chlorogenic acids and esculin) were performed in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inulin was in UV spectrophotometry. The caftaric and chlorogenic acids and inulin concentrations were higher in vivo samples than that in vitro. Contrarily, esculin, and chicoric acid concentrations were higher in the in vitro regenerated samples. The higher concentration of valuable compounds in the in vitro regenerated samples, especially in callus tissue, gives hope for large-scale production of secondary metabolites under laboratory conditions.

Foliar fertilization may increase strawberry yield and quality while reducing the environmental load of soil fertilization. The study was conducted as a field experiment with three replications according to a randomized block design at the Erciyes University Agricultural Research and Application Center (Kayseri, Türkiye). This study investigated the effects of different foliar fertilizer treatments (Dogatech Combi, Axion, and Dogatech Borozinc) on fruit morphological traits, SPAD values, leaf and fruit mineral element composition, and biochemical contents of the ‘Albion’ strawberry cultivar. Foliar fertilizer treatments significantly affected fruit traits. Dogatech Borozinc treatment produced the highest yield per plant (688.00 g plant⁻¹) and the largest fruit, with a mean fruit weight of 15.59 g. Dogatech Combi (T1; 111.84) and Dogatech Borozinc (T3; 111.27) showed significantly higher fruit a* values (redness) than the control treatment (82.27). Dogatech Combi significantly increased mineral concentrations in the fruits, and showed the greatest effect on all elements (particularly Ca (19,453.05 mg kg⁻¹ DW) and K (17,496.42 mg kg⁻¹ DW)). Among the biochemical characteristics, Axion showed the highest total phenolic content in fruits (487.72 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹) and leaves (2042.49 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹). The total flavonoid content of fruits and leaves was highest in the Dogatech Combi, while Dogatech Borozinc exhibited the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity of fruits and leaves and the fruit anthocyanin content. Principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmap hierarchical clustering analysis revealed distinct patterns among the fertilizer treatments. Overall, since foliar fertilizer responses vary depending on the formulation, fertilizer selection in strawberry cultivation should be based on production objectives.