Our understanding of the long-term consequences of chronic ionising radiation for living organisms remains scarce. Modern molecular biology techniques are helpful tools for researching pollutant effects on biota. To reveal the molecular phenotype of plants growing under chronic radiation exposure, we sampled Vicia cracca L. plants in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and areas with normal radiation backgrounds. We performed a detailed analysis of soil and gene expression patterns and conducted coordinated multi-omics analyses of plant samples, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Plants growing under chronic radiation exposure showed complex and multidirectional biological effects, including significant alterations in the metabolism and gene expression patterns of irradiated plants. We revealed profound changes in carbon metabolism, nitrogen reallocation, and photosynthesis. These plants showed signs of DNA damage, redox imbalance, and stress responses. The upregulation of histones, chaperones, peroxidases, and secondary metabolism was noted.

Winter durum wheat combines the benefits of autumn sowing with high grain quality but remains poorly adapted to temperate regions due to low frost tolerance. To elucidate the genetic basis of winter hardiness and support breeding for improved cold adaptation, a segregating multi-family F₂ panel (n = 270) was developed from crosses among frost-tolerant and frost-susceptible lines. GWAS identified four loci significantly associated with winter survival on chromosomes 1B, 5A, 5B, and 7B, collectively explaining 7.6–21.5% of phenotypic variance. These loci jointly improved model performance (ΔMcFadden R² = 0.230, p-value = 4.76 × 10⁻¹⁷) without evidence of epistasis, indicating additive inheritance. Predicted survival increased nearly linearly with the number of favorable alleles, highlighting the potential for pyramiding through marker-assisted or genomic selection. Three significant SNPs were converted to KASP assays, providing validated molecular tools for breeding applications. Overall, the study broadens understanding of frost-tolerance genetics in winter durum wheat beyond canonical Fr regions and delivers practical markers for improving winter hardiness in breeding programs targeting continental climates.

To choose paternal lines for sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hybrids, we evaluated 54 paternal lines crossed with three cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) testers. The 162 hybrids were grown for two years and analysed with a plot-level mixed model that separates genotype × year terms. Baker’s ratio was 0.958 for oil content, 0.951 for 1000-seed weight and 0.933 for plant height, and the broad-sense heritability of the hybrid mean was 0.90 and 0.91 for the first two. Without the two confectionery lines, Baker’s ratio for oil content and 1000-seed weight remained 0.877 and 0.907 and heritability 0.72 and 0.83. Paternal general combining ability (GCA) for both traits was repeatable between years (r = 0.75 and 0.85). For seed yield, additive control was not established (Baker’s ratio 0.440, 95% interval 0.00–0.82): plot error exceeded the genetic variance 3.6-fold, and paternal GCA was weakly repeatable between years (r = 0.24). VK101A raised oil content, VK934A 1000-seed weight and plant height, and VA761A lowered plant height. A composite index identified LI18, LI41, LI6, LI53 and LI19 as candidate donors. Paternal lines can be selected on GCA for oil content, 1000-seed weight and plant height; seed yield requires testing in more environments.

For sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hybrid breeding, we evaluated 54 paternal lines crossed with three cytoplasmic male-sterile testers. The 162 hybrids were grown for two years at one location and analysed with a plot-level mixed model that separates genotype × year terms. Baker’s ratio was 0.958 for oil content, 0.951 for 1000-seed weight and 0.933 for plant height, and the heritability of the hybrid mean 0.90 and 0.91 for the first two. Without the two confectionery lines, Baker’s ratio for these traits remained 0.877 and 0.907 and heritability 0.72 and 0.83. Paternal general combining ability (GCA) for oil content, 1000-seed weight, plant height and flowering time agreed between the two seasons (concordance 0.71–0.85). For seed yield, additive control was not established (Baker’s ratio 0.440, 95% interval 0.00–0.82); plot error was 3.6 times the genetic variance and paternal GCA was weakly repeatable (r = 0.24). VK101A raised oil content, VK934A 1000-seed weight and plant height, and VA761A lowered plant height. A composite index identified LI18, LI41, LI6, LI53 and LI19 as candidate donors. Paternal lines can be selected on GCA for these three traits; seed yield and the ranking of donors that depends on this yield require testing in more environments.

Background/Objectives: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) paternal lines are evaluated by testcrossing over several seasons. We asked how well parental genotypes predict the general combining ability (GCA) of an untested line. Methods: Fifty-four paternal lines and three cytoplasmic male-sterile testers were genotyped by sequencing. Their 162 hybrids were phenotyped for two years at one site and genotyped in silico. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) was evaluated on the 52 oilseed lines by holding out each line with its hybrids. Results: Predictive ability for paternal GCA was 0.66 for 1000-seed weight, 0.40 for oil content, 0.47 for seed yield, and 0.48 for oil yield. Gains beyond about 30 training lines were unclear within this panel, with small test sets at the largest sizes. Parental distance correlated weakly with hybrid yield (r = 0.31), and additive scans found no significant associations. A chromosome 14 candidate for 1000-seed weight had a dominance deviation of +3.38 g, but five-trait-adjusted p-values were 0.047 (bootstrap) and 0.052 (within-tester permutation). Inferred hybrid heterozygosity follows parental combinations, preventing separation of locus-specific dominance from parental-combination effects. Conclusions: These within-panel results support further evaluation of genomic preselection, especially for 1000-seed weight. Neither training-set size nor predictive performance is established for other populations or environments; the chromosome 14 candidate requires independent validation.

Our understanding of the long-term consequences of chronic ionising radiation for living organisms remains scarce. Modern molecular biology techniques are helpful tools for researching pollutant effects on biota. To reveal the molecular phenotype of plants growing under chronic radiation exposure, we sampled Vicia cracca L. plants in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and in areas with normal radiation backgrounds. We performed a detailed analysis of soil and gene expression patterns, and made coordinated multi-omics analyses of plant samples, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Chronic exposure to ionising radiation induced complex and multidirectional changes, including significant alterations in the metabolism and gene expression patterns of irradiated plants. We revealed profound changes in carbon metabolism, nitrogen reallocation, and photosynthesis. These plants were characterised by increased DNA damage, redox imbalance, and stress response reactions. The upregulation of histones, chaperones, peroxidases, and secondary metabolism were noted.