Although arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are known to promote growth and yield of agricultural crops, inoculation methods for effective scaling up from greenhouse to the field are still underexplored. The application of single or mixed beneficial AM fungal isolates is hindered by the lack of experimental reproducibility of findings at different scales and the cost-effectivity of inoculation methods. Seed coating has been considered a feasible delivery system of AM fungal inocula for agricultural crops. In this study, the impact of single and multiple AM fungal isolates applied via seed coating on chickpea productivity was evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions. Overall, plants inoculated with multiple AM fungal isolates had better performance than those inoculated with single AM isolate under greenhouse and field conditions. While plants in greenhouse displayed higher shoot dry weight (14%) and seed individual weight (21%), in field, inoculation with multiple AM isolates increased pod (160%), and seed (148%) numbers, and grain yield (140%). Under field conditions, mycorrhizal root colonization was significantly higher in chickpea plants inoculated with multiple AM fungal isolates compared to other treatments. These findings highlight the potential of field-inoculation with multiple AM fungal isolates via seed coating as a sustainable agricultural practice for chickpea production.

Producing healthier food requires expertise in methods that yield significant benefits for human health, sustainability, economic growth, cultural heritage, and overall well-being. Investing in conscientious and sustainable food systems can improve individual and planetary quality of life by preventing diseases, delaying ageing, and enhancing well-being. While healthy eating habits begin at home, schools play a pivotal role in reinforcing them from an early age. Despite progress, challenges remain, underscoring the need for prioritizing food education and literacy across all ages. Knowledge of how sustainable food production impacts personal health and well-being is critical. A holistic approach is essential for addressing these complexities, considering physical, mental, social, and environmental factors to identify balanced and effective solutions. Such analyses examine how system components interact, guiding the development of sustainable practices. The DM4You project exemplifies this approach. It unites Portuguese partners to promote local food consumption, focusing on soups, an integral part of traditional Portuguese cuisine, made with diverse vegetables, legumes, olive oil, and sometimes by-products. DM4You monitors 80 healthy participants over three months to assess dietary habits, focusing on soup and fruit consumption. This crossover study evaluates the influence of diet on health, offering insights into sustainable and health-promoting dietary practices.

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has emerged as a comprehensive model for promoting human health and environmental sustainability. This review proposes reconceptualization of the traditional MD pyramid, highlighting its functional food components and their relevance to modern health challenges. Rooted in a rich cultural and gastronomic heritage, the MD extends beyond nutritional adequacy. It offers substantial nutraceutical benefits due to its high content of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytosterols. These compounds contribute to the prevention and management of chronic non-communicable diseases through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Simultaneously, the MD aligns with sustainable food system principles: it is predominantly plant-based; it promotes seasonal and local food sourcing; and it supports minimal food waste. In addition, this dietary pattern has been associated with a significantly lower ecological footprint compared to Western diets, thus supporting broader environmental goals. Ultimately, the MD stands as a scientifically grounded, culturally embedded, and ecologically viable approach to foster both individual and planetary wellbeing (One Health concept).

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has emerged as a comprehensive model for promoting human health and environmental sustainability. Rooted in a rich cultural and gastro-nomic heritage, the MD extends beyond nutritional adequacy, offering substantial nutraceutical benefits attributed to its high content of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytosterols. These compounds contribute to the prevention and management of chronic non-communicable diseases through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective mechanisms. Simultaneously, the MD aligns with sustainable food system principles, characterised by a predominantly plant-based composition, seasonal and local food sourcing, reduced reliance on animal-derived products, and minimal food waste. This dietary pattern has been associated with a significantly lower ecological footprint compared to Western diets, thus supporting broader environmental goals. This paper reviews the historical evolution, nutritional profile, bioactive composition, and epide-miological evidence supporting the MD, and proposes a reconceptualization of the traditional MD pyramid to emphasise its functional food components. Ultimately, the MD stands as a scientifically grounded, culturally embedded, and ecologically viable approach to foster both individual and planetary wellbeing.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a very important crop in the world. Portugal was traditionally sown as a spring crop and so extremely affected by long periods of drought and temperature variation throughout the growth cycle. Chickpea grain yields decrease substantially due to increased air temperature and the severity of drought. To face the Mediterranean-type climate pattern, chickpea breeding programs were reoriented to develop chickpea germplasm tolerant/resistant to the main abiotic and biotic stress and adapted to different environments and production systems. This study relates chickpea yields (35 years) with rainfall average in Alentejo, a Southern Portugal region with a Mediterranean-type climate. Our approach shows that selection should apply multiple and complementary criteria. The physiological and morphological studies are important in breeding programs, to combine not only resistance to drought and temperature, and biotic stress but also high yield potential and yield stability. The main objective is to obtain new chickpea varieties for the rainfed conditions of the Mediterranean region. From this work, four chickpea varieties (Kabuli type), were registered on the National Variety Catalogue. Actually, the national chickpea genetic breeding program has already registered 11 varieties.

Post-flowering elevated temperatures are increasingly frequent and strongly affect crop yield and seed nutritional quality. This study examined the impact of elevated post-flowering temperatures (32°C/25°C, day/night) combined with two watering regimes (40% and 10% field capacity) on chickpea genotypes. Elvar and Electra, top-yielding Portuguese genotypes well adapted to southern Portugal’s dry climate were evaluated. Under controlled high-temperature conditions (Phenolab), reproductive cycle was shortened to 30-35 days, compared with 65 days under greenhouse conditions (24°C/18°C). Water use peaked soon after flowering and declined after 19 days, regardless of genotype or watering regime, suggesting a physiological limitation on water use. Elevated temperature strongly reduced seed number and weight while altering composition. Nutrient density improved, with higher protein and mineral levels (P, Mg, S, Mo, Fe, Zn) and lower starch content, highlighting a consistent protein–starch trade-off unaffected by water availability. While growth environment largely determined composition, enzymatic activity patterns revealed genotype-specific differences in carbon metabolism (e.g. sucrose synthase, cell wall invertase, aldolase and phosphoglucose isomerase). Overall, these findings suggest genotype-specific responses driven by carbon metabolism and emphasize integrating metabolic, physiological and composition traits in breeding for yield stability and nutritional value. Highlight: Post-flowering temperature dictates reproductive duration and seed composition, enhancing nutritional density but lowering yield. Protein-starch trade-off was consistent across genotypes, while enzymatic activity profiles enabled genotype discrimination under contrasting environments.