Sustainable agriculture with low inputs of chemicals and fertilizers has been recently attracting more attention from producers and researchers in the EU. The main reason for such attention is The European Green Deal—the EU’s latest growth strategy concerning environmental degradation and climate change. One of its main components is the Farm to Fork strategy, which especially features the reduction in pesticide and mineral fertilizer application and also supports the development of organic farming. At the same time, food demand is rising. These ambitious challenges require extensive research, development and innovation. Therefore, new non-chemical techniques for improving plant growth and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses must be explored for their potential in this field. One of the most promising is the use of non-thermal plasma for such purposes. As this physical factor is a complex mixture of ions, atoms, electrons, radicals and molecules, its effect on plants and pathogens is also complex. This review presents different aspects of the effect of non-thermal plasma on seed germination, development of seedlings, plants and pathogens. The literature was explored to provide evidence for the possible use of non-thermal plasma for boosting plant growth and plant protection.

The European Green Deal is the EU’s latest growth strategy and action plan, which will meet the challenges concerning climate change and environmental degradation. The components of the Green Deal which are intended to prevent biodiversity loss, to reduce pollution level, and to improve food quality are: The Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy. Their main aims include: Reducing the application of pesticides by 50% by 2030, reducing nutrients loss by 50% while preserving soil fertility, reducing the application of mineral fertilizers by a minimum of 20% by 2030, as well as supporting the development of organic farming to reach 25% of all the arable land in the EU. These aims are very ambitious and they pose a serious challenge. Can the European Green Deal provide an opportunity for fungal grass endophytes? This paper presented different aspects in which endophytes of the Epichloë genus affect colonized plants, as well as their possible applications in biological grass protection and in improving the performance properties of different grass biotopes. Literature was reviewed to provide evidence of how fungal endophytes might be used to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal strategy, in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture.

The aim of this study is to analyze the morphogenetic events in Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara (bleeding heart) 'Gold Heart' and 'White Gold' micropropagated in various culture media, and to evaluate the biochemical and genetic stability of the produced plants. None of the sixteen tested plant growth regulator (PGR) combinations improved the micropropagation efficiency or morphological traits of shoots in 'Gold Heart' compared to the PGRs-free control, indicating low intrinsic regenerability of this cultivar. As for bleeding heart 'White Gold', culture medium with 0.5 mg•L −1 IBA and 2.0 mg•L −1 BA was optimal in terms of multiplication ratio (9.8) and shoot parameters. Addition of PGRs was necessary for effective rooting in both cultivars studied. Some experimental combinations declined the concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids in the shoots of bleeding heart, especially if a significant amount of callus was formed at the shoot base. The PGR-supplemented media stimulated the abundant secretion of phenols by shoots. The survival rate and quality of the plantlets after acclimatization varied from 0.0 to 100%, depending on the composition of the multiplication medium. Plants with a higher number of leaves were more likely to survive acclimatization. Somaclonal variation was detected in 36.8 to even 69.1% of in vitro-derived plants by two genetic marker systems. Most of that variation was irrelevant, however, some genotypes were significantly different from the predominant control.

No abstract