Interest in the cultivation of lettuce landraces is increasing because native varieties, as high-quality products, are particularly attractive to consumers. Lettuce is a popular leafy vegetable worldwide, and interest in the consumption of first leaves (microgreens) and seedlings (baby leaves) has grown due to the general belief that young plants offer higher nutritional value. The content of some bioactive compounds and antioxidants (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols, antioxidant activity) was monitored in six lettuce landraces and five commercial varieties, and compared across three development stages: microgreen, baby, and adult. Ascorbic acid and phenolic contents were 42% and 79% higher, respectively, in the early stages than in adult lettuces, and red-leaf varieties (CL4 and L11) stood out. This finding agrees with lettuce’s marked antioxidant capacity and correlates with its pigment contents, especially anthocyanins. The nutritional value of adult lettuce is conditioned by its size, shape, and head structure as phytochemical concentrations are regulated by light. The low content of ascorbic acid, phenolics, and anthocyanins in crisphead lettuce (CL5) is a clear example (49, 67%, and 27% lower, respectively, than the adult mean). Our results indicate the wide variability of lettuces’ nutritional characteristics and emphasize that traditional varieties are a helpful source of agricultural biodiversity.

Iron (Fe) biofortification is a strategy to increase the amount of iron in food crops. The goal of this work was to assess the possibility of maximizing the Fe content in cherry tomatoes grown in a soilless system. The cultivar Creativo was grown with three concentrations of Fe (as Fe-HBED) in the nutrient solution (0.022, 1, and 2 mmol L⁻¹), and received further foliar applications of the element (as Fe-DTPA) at 0, 250, and 500 µmol L⁻¹. The addition of 2 mmol Fe L⁻¹ to the nutrient solution, together with foliar sprays at 500 µmol Fe L⁻¹, induced the highest increase in fruit Fe concentration in clusters 1 and 2 (by 163% and 190%, respectively). The Fe added to the nutrient solution increased the fruit dry matter (up to +10.21%) but decreased the fruit’s fresh weight (up to −11.06%). The higher Fe concentrations provided to the crop synergistically increased the contents of other minerals (i.e., K, Mg, Na, and Zn), along with the fruit’s titratable acidity and soluble solids content, improving multiple functional and quality traits of the cherry tomatoes. These results show that Fe biofortification of cherry tomatoes can be effective to address Fe deficiency while obtaining high-quality products.

Nowadays the cultivation and consumption of traditional lettuce varieties are growing as they are particularly appealing to consumers for their diversity, and high nutraceutical quality. However, lettuce is a highly perishable product, which results in significant nutritional loss from harvest to final consumers. In this work, the content of some bioactive compounds (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols), overall antioxidant capacity and mineral content was monitored in five landraces and four commercial lettuce varieties to compare their variation during the storage period. Visual characterization was conducted during the postharvest period, as was the determination of the parameters indicative of oxidative stress, to establish the preservation capacity of their physico-chemical attributes. As a general trend, lettuce varieties showed individualized behavior during the postharvest period, which was not necessarily better in the commercial varieties compared to the landraces. Of all the varieties, landrace L10 stood out for not showing excessive variations in its general appearance or nutritional quality throughout its life cycle. However, in terms of initial concentration of bioactive compounds, the reddest varieties (CL4 and L11) stand out. These results indicate variability among varieties, which emphasizes the potential of lettuce landraces in postharvest practices.

Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) is an underutilized plant species that could benefit from the use of biostimulants to improve crop productivity and fruit quality. The scope of the present study was to appraise the influence of two biostimulants (Trichoderma atroviride and plant protein hydrolysate)—used either alone or combined—on the plant performance and economic profitability of two woodland strawberry genotypes (‘Alpine’ and ‘Regina delle Valli’). Overall, data showed that ‘Alpine’ had the highest productive performances, whereas ‘Regina delle Valli’ revealed the highest fruit qualitative traits. T. atroviride inoculation and V-PH application significantly boosted plant marketable yield (+20.5% for T. atroviride and +12.9% for V-PH), total sugars (+1.9% for Trichoderma and +1.4% for V-PH) and anthocyanins (+14.1% for T. atroviride and +9.8% for V-PH) compared to non-treated plants. Plants supplied with both biostimulants had a higher marketable yield (+34.8%), mean fruit weight (+6.0%), fruit dry matter (+13.8%), total sugars (+3.5%), ascorbic acid (+12.7%), flavonoid (+26.3%) and anthocyanins (+29.9%) compared to non-treated plants. Furthermore, our study revealed that the highest fruit polyphenol concentration was recorded in both genotypes treated with the combination of biostimulants and in ‘Regina delle Valli’ sprayed with V-PH, whereas the highest antioxidant activity was found in ‘Regina delle Valli’ fruit when plants were supplied with both biostimulants. Our study pointed out that the application of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants, especially in combination, might be a useful strategy for improving the performances of underutilized species and, therefore, encouraging their cultivation, valorization and economic profitability (+6208.3 EUR /ha when plants were exposed to both biostimulants).

This study evaluated the postharvest evolution in terms of quality and functional traits of recently introduced mini plum tomato cultivars, differing for fruit pigmentation. The cultivars Santy Naranja (orange fruit) and Melange (dark red, green-striped fruit), along with the well-established ‘Angelle’ (red fruit), were monitored during refrigerated storage (10 °C) for 0, 7, and 14 days (hereafter S₀, S₇, and S₁₄, respectively) inside closed polylactic acid trays. ‘Melange’ displayed the highest fruit fresh weight loss and total soluble solids (TSS) (9.28 °Bx), along with the lowest firmness (4.69 N), whereas ‘Santy Naranja’ showed the strongest color deviation during the storage period. Titratable acidity (TA) was relatively stable in ‘Melange’, while ‘Angelle’ experienced the highest decrease between S₇ and S₁₄, resulting in stronger TSS/TA fluctuations. Regarding the functional traits, ‘Melange’ had the highest total polyphenols content (TPC), whereas ‘Angelle’ excelled in total carotenoid content (TCC), ascorbic acid content (AsA), and fruits’ antioxidant activity, as revealed by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. With reference to storage time, the O₂ concentration in the headspace, TPC, AsA, and DPPH decreased between S₀ and S₁₄, whereas CO₂ concentration, TCC, and FRAP increased, but these variations were mostly cultivar-dependent. This study provides insights into the postharvest behavior of novel mini plum tomato typologies and their ability to maintain quality over time, providing information for developing strategies to preserve their sensory and nutraceutical characteristics during refrigerated storage.