Editorial: Rediscovering local landraces: shaping horticulture for the future, volume II

The ongoing climate change accompanied by weather extremes has increased uncertainty in the crop production sector, with a severe impact on yield and quality of crops (FAO, 2022). Moreover, the increasing world population, along with the continuous reduction of available irrigation water and agricultural land degradation due to anthropogenic activities, necessitates the redesign of the existing farming systems through the integration of valuable and underexplored genetic material, such as the local landraces of various vegetable species. Local landraces are cultivated in restricted regions and have been adapted over the years to specific growing conditions (soil and climate characteristics). Usually, they possess high genotypic diversity, which allows the crops to overcome the pressure from abiotic and biotic stressors from time to time (Conesa et al., 2020), while increasing on-farm agrobiodiversity at the same time (Conversa et al., 2020). For this reason, this genetic material is highly valuable for breeding purposes and the selection of new genotypes with improved characteristics (Formisano et al., 2012). Their use is becoming more and more limited due to the intensification of crop production sections and restrictions from marketing standards mostly related to visual appearance and the uniformity of the final product. However, the current trends show increasing interest not only from farmers who seek alternative farming options in the climate change scenario but also from consumers who seek products of known origin and high quality that have been produced in a sustainable manner.The authors thank all the peer reviewers who took the time to review this Research Topic. The authors are also grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), and for LB contracts, through the Institutional Scientific Employment Program contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biochemical, Physiological, and Molecular Aspects of Ornamental Plants Adaptation to Deficit Irrigation

There is increasing concern regarding global warming and its severe impact on the farming sector and food security. Incidences of extreme weather conditions are becoming more and more frequent, posing plants to stressful conditions, such as flooding, drought, heat, or frost etc. Especially for arid lands, there is a tug-of-war between keeping high crop yields and increasing water use efficiency of limited water resources. This difficult task can be achieved through the selection of tolerant water stress species or by increasing the tolerance of sensitive species. In this scenario, it is important to understand the response of plants to water stress. So far, the response of staple foods and vegetable crops to deficit irrigation is well studied. However, there is lack of literature regarding the responses of ornamental plants to water stress conditions. Considering the importance of this ever-growing sector for the agricultural sector, this review aims to reveal the defense mechanisms and the involved morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes in ornamental plant’s responses to deficit irrigation

Halophytic herbs of the Mediterranean basin: an alternative approach to health

Wild native species are usually grown under severe and stressful conditions, while a special category includes halophytic species that are tolerant to high salinity levels. Native halophytes are valuable sources of bioactive molecules whose content is higher in saline than normal conditions, since the adaptation to salinity mechanisms involve apart from changes in physiological functions the biosynthesis of protectant molecules. These compounds include secondary metabolites with several beneficial health effects which have been known since ancient times and used for medicinal purposes. Recent trends in pharmaceutical industry suggest the use of natural compounds as alternative to synthetic ones, with native herbs being strong candidates for this purpose due to their increased and variable content in health promoting compounds. In this review, an introductory section about the importance of native herbs and halophyte species for traditional and modern medicine will be presented. A list of the most important halophytes of the Mediterranean basin will follow, with special focus on their chemical composition and their reported by clinical and ethnopharmacological studies health effects. The review concludes by suggesting future requirements and perspectives for further exploitation of these valuable species within the context of sustainability and climate change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Edible halophytes of the Mediterranean basin: Potential candidates for novel food products

Background: Recent trends in the food science industry and consumers’ preferences for diversified diets suggest the consumption of wild greens not only as diet complements but also as healthy and functional foods for targeted conditions, rendering its commercial cultivation of major importance in order to avoid irrational gathering and genetic erosion threats. The Mediterranean basin abounds in wild edible species which have been used for food and medicinal purposes by human throughout the centuries. Many of these species can be found near coastal areas and usually grow under saline conditions, while others can adapt in various harsh conditions including high salinity. Scope and approach: The aim of this review focuses on listing and describing the most important halophyte species that traditionally have been gathered by rural communities of the Mediterranean basin, while special interest will be given on their chemical composition and health promoting components. Cases of commercially cultivated halophytes will be also presented to highlight their potential as alternative cash crops, while results from in vitro and in vivo health effects will be presented. Key findings and conclusions: The recent literature has provided useful information regarding the potential of wild halophytes as promising ingredients in functional food products and/or as sources of bioactive compounds. However, further research is needed regarding the chemical characterization of these species under commercial cultivation practices, while further clinical and model trials have to be conducted to assess their long term bioactivity and elucidate potential toxic effects and regulations of safe consumption.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Editorial: Bio-based solutions for sustainable development of agriculture

In summary, this Research Topic comprises a collection of 16 articles that offer new and updated knowledge about biofertilizers, biocontrol and improved resilience to environmental stressors. The information presented can be useful in the future development of bio-based products that are expected to be used, as an alternative to current agrochemicals, in modern and more sustainable agriculture.ES and HS are grateful to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support, funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 (Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho) and UIDB/50006/2020 (Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry - Clean Technologies and Processes, LAQV-REQUIMTE) unit, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efficacy and Selectivity of Pre- and Post-emergence Herbicides in Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) under Mediterranean Semi-arid Conditions

In the present study, the selectivity and efficacy of several post and pre-emergence herbicides in chia (Salvia hispanica L.) were examined. Field experiments were conducted at two locations with different soil types and environmental conditions. Our results showed that the pre-emergence application of pendimethalin, oxyfluorfen and linuron reduced total weed density by 71-74%, 74-82% and 53-55%, respectively. Despite their high effectiveness, the above-mentioned herbicides had a negative effect on plant density and biomass yield. In addition, herbicides bentazon and fluazifop-p-butyl which applied post-emergence did not affect significantly plant height and biomass yield. In conclusion, the herbicides linuron, pendimethalin and oyxfluorfen do not seem to be a viable option for weed control in chia crop, whereas the post-emergence applied herbicides did not affect significantly plants’ growth. Further evaluation of chia tolerance to herbicides is needed under different application rates in order to make safe suggestions for chemical control of weeds

The expected number of olympic medals: a case study of team Portugal at Tokyo 2020

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games reached to an end in Tokyo, Japan. Even though all the hiccups, constraints, and challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Games were successfully held in August 2021. For the first time in history, Team Portugal won four medals (one gold, one silver, and two bronzes). In 2018 the Portuguese Olympic Committee signed a contract with the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (i.e., Portuguese government) listing the deliverables of the mission Tokyo 2020 against a funding scheme of 18.5 million euros (Contrato n.º 33-A/2018; Contrato -Programa de Desenvolvimento Desportivo n.º CP/1/DDF/2018). The document sets, among other goals and deliverables, that no less than two medals would be won at Tokyo 2020 (section IV.1. of the contract). On the road to Tokyo, Portugal got more than two medallists at World Championships in several Olympic sports. Indeed, there were six to eight potential medallists at the 2020 Olympic Games (O Jogo, 2021). There is evidence that just one-third to one-fourth of the Olympic athletes are able to excel and outperform at the Olympic Games. In the sport of competitive swimming, just 29.82% of all male Olympians and 53.84% of the finalists at Rio 2016 improved their entry times (Barbosa, 2016a). On average, only 30% of the swimmers were able to improve their entry time at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games (Barbosa, 2016b). At Rio 2016, Team Portugal was expected to win two medals out of nine potential medallists, i.e., almost 25% of effectiveness (Garcia, 2016). Thus, one can wonder if the Portuguese Olympic Committee was sensible, assuming that two athletes would reach the podium spot out of six to eight potential medallists. Also, it begs the question if the four medals won were an outstanding achievement, deemed as a substantial improvement of the Portuguese sports system or, if alternatively, the Portuguese Olympic Committee underestimated the number of medals that the country could win.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aprofundando o conhecimento matemático para ensinar: algumas situações no âmbito de um programa de formação contínua

A prática lectiva é condicionada e potenciada pelo conhecimento profissional dos professores. Um dos objectivos do Programa de Formação Contínua em Matemática para Professores dos 1.º e 2.º Ciclos é o de aprofundar o conhecimento matemático, didáctico e curricular dos professores, sendo este texto o resultado da realização de duas tarefas propostas nesse âmbito e com esse intuito. Ao longo do texto, abordamos alguns aspectos do conhecimento profissional dos professores que consideramos fundamentais, discutindo as características das tarefas a propor aos alunos e a relação entre estas e o conhecimento profissional do professor

Bioactive properties of greenhouse-cultivated green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under biostimulants and water-stress effect

The scarcity of irrigation water is severely affecting global crop production. In this context, biostimulants are increasingly used as alternatives means against abiotic stress conditions. In this study, phenolic compounds composition and bioactive properties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants grown under water stress conditions and biostimulants application were investigated. RESULTS: Sixteen individual phenolic compounds were detected in both pods and seeds with a notable difference in their compositional profile. A significant effect on phenolic compounds content and composition was also observed for the biostimulants tested. Regarding the antibacterial activity, pods of the second harvest and seed extracts showed significant efficacy against Bacillus cereus, especially in water-stressed plants, where all biostimulant treatments weremore effective than positive controls. Moreover, all biostimulant treatments for seed extracts of water-stressed plants were more effective against Staphylococcus aureus compared with ampicillin, whereas streptomycin showed the best results. Extracts from pods of the secondharvest fromnormally irrigatedplants showed thebest results against the fungi tested, except for Penicillium verrucosum var. cyclopium. Finally, no significant cytotoxic effects were detected. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the biostimulants tested increased total phenolic compounds content compared with control treatment, especially in pods of the first harvest and seeds of water-stressed plants. Moreover, bioactive properties showed a varied response in regard to irrigation and biostimulant treatment. Therefore, biostimulants can be considered as a useful means towards increasing phenolic compoundscontent, and theymay also affect the antimicrobial properties of pods and seeds extracts.We are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013), A. Fernandes and L. Barros contract. We are also grateful to the FEDER–Interreg España–Portugal Programme for financial support, through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E, and to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, grant no. 173032.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio