Dagmar Janovská

Intercropping, the cultivation of two or more crops in the same field, is known to have numerous environmental and economic benefits. The success of such systems depends on geographical location, climatic conditions, and the choice of crop varieties, especially in organic systems. This study aimed to assess the effect of the sowing method, wheat variety, legume species on wheat grain yield and quality, and macro-elements of soil and plants. A three-year field experiment in intercropping spring wheat and legume species was performed at an organic-certified field of Czech Agrifood Research Center, Prague. Three spring wheat varieties (Alicia, Hystrix, and Toccata), two legume species (pea and faba bean), and two sowing methods (mixed and row-by-row) were used. Although the intercropping of wheat variety and legume species did not improve wheat yield, wheat grain quality and soil and plant nutrition content were enhanced in wheat and legume mixtures compared to monoculture wheat. Notably, the mixed cropping method resulted in significantly higher yields than the row-by-row method. Furthermore, the baking quality of wheat grains from intercropping systems was superior to that of monoculture wheat. The results highlight the potential of tailored intercropping systems to optimize agricultural efficiency and sustainability, especially in the face of changes in climate change.

This study examines the impact of environmental conditions on the growth, yield, and biochemical composition of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) across two locations in Central Europe over three consecutive growing seasons (2019–2021). Significant variations in meteorological conditions, including temperature fluctuations and rainfall, were observed between two locations: Austria (AT) and the Czech Republic (CZ). The study highlights the role of these environmental factors in influencing morphological traits such as plant height, leaf dimensions, and 1000-seed weight (TSW), as well as nutritional and bioactive compound content. Buckwheat plants in Austria generally exhibited higher mean values for plant height and TSW compared to the Czech Republic, with significant variability observed across varieties and years. In terms of nutritional quality, crude protein content ranged between 12.56 and 14.71% dw, with the highest protein levels linked to cooler, low-rainfall conditions. The study also investigated phenolic compounds, particularly rutin, which showed a significant increase in content in 2021, likely due to extreme weather conditions. Varieties such as Sweden-1, Tempest, and Zamira exhibited stable, high rutin levels across all years. Overall, this research highlights the complexity of environmental influences on the agronomic and nutritional traits of buckwheat and provides valuable insights for future breeding programs aimed at improving yield and nutritional value under changing climatic conditions.

The conservation of plant genetic resources (PGR) is critical to ensuring global food security and agricultural sustainability. Genebanks play a vital role in ex situ conservation, complementing in situ strategies by preserving crop diversity (incl. their wild relatives) and providing access to biological materials for research, breeding and farming. However, maintaining high conservation standards and ensuring accessibility remains a global challenge. To address this, the ‘Genebank Peer Review’ system was developed as a collaborative quality assessment and improvement mechanism. This system facilitates reciprocal evaluations among genebanks, promoting transparency, capacity building and continuous improvement in conservation practices. Implemented in Europe since 2019, the peer review process involves structured self-assessments, site visits and expert evaluations, culminating in publicly available reports that guide genebanks in enhancing their operations. Feedback from participating institutions highlights the system's effectiveness in fostering knowledge exchange, strengthening professional networks and improving genebank management practices. Despite its success, challenges remain, particularly regarding expert availability and resource constraints. Future efforts should focus on institutionalizing mentorship programmes to sustain and expand the impact of Genebank Peer Reviews and monitor improvements.

Characterisation of genetic diversity is critical to adequately exploit the potential of germplasm collections and identify important traits for breeding programs and sustainable crop improvement. Here, we characterised the phenotypic and genetic diversity of a global collection of the two cultivated buckwheat species Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum (190 and 51 accessions, respectively) using 37 agro-morphological traits and 24 SSR markers. A wide range of variation was observed in both species for most of the traits analysed. The two species differed significantly in most traits, with traits related to seeds and flowering contributing most to differentiation. The accessions of each species were divided into three major phenoclusters with no clear geographic clustering. At the molecular level, the polymorphic SSR markers were highly informative, with an average polymorphic information content (PIC) of over 0.65 in both species. Genetic diversity, as determined by Nei’s expected heterozygosity (He), was high (He = 0.77 and He = 0.66, respectively) and differed significantly between species (p = 0.03) but was homogeneously distributed between regions, confirming the lack of genetic structure as determined by clustering approaches. The weak genetic structure revealed by the phenotypic and SSR data and the low fixation indices in both species suggested frequent seed exchange and extensive cultivation and selection. In addition, 93 and 140 significant (p < 0.05) marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified in both species using a general linear model and a mixed linear model, most of which explained >20% of the phenotypic variation in associated traits. Core collections of 23 and 13 phenotypically and genetically diverse accessions, respectively, were developed for F. esculentum and F. tataricum. Overall, the data analysed provided deep insights into the agro-morphological and genetic diversity and genetic relationships among F. esculentum and F. tataricum accessions and pointed to future directions for genomics-based breeding programs and germplasm management.

Understanding the diversity in morpho-phenological characteristics, as well as variations in nutrients and nutraceutical compounds among the different buckwheat genetic resources, plays an important role in their effective use and breeding purposes. In 2020 and 2021, a total of 23 buckwheat accessions were grown in the Slovenian environment. During this period, selected morpho-phenological traits were evaluated together with the analysis of protein content, total content, antioxidant activity, and 17 different phenolic compounds. A remarkable variation in the thousand seed weight was observed between the years 2020 and 2021, while the protein content remained constant in both years and locations. Regarding the content of phenolic compounds, it was confirmed that buckwheat grains are an excellent source of these compounds. Among these compounds, rutin, vitexin, epicatechin, and orientin were identified as the predominant components in the grains. The evaluation of common buckwheat accessions revealed considerable diversity in the studied characteristics within the Slovenian environment. The varieties Sweden-1, ´Tempest, and Dozhdik performed well under the Slovenian conditions.

Quinoa displays huge genetic variability and adaptability to distinct climatic conditions. Quinoa seeds are a good source of nutrients; however, the overall nutritional composition and nutrient content is influenced by numerous factors. This study focused on the nutritional and morphologic evaluation of various quinoa genotypes grown in the Czech Republic. Significant differences between years were observed for morphological traits (plant height, inflorescence length, weight of thousand seeds). The weather conditions in the year 2018 were favorable for all the morphological traits. The protein content of quinoa accessions ranged between 13.44 and 20.01% and it was positively correlated to mauritianin. Total phenolic content varied greatly from year to year, while the antioxidant activity remained relatively stable. The most abundant phenolic compounds were the flavonoids miquelianin, rutin, and isoquercetin. Isoquercetin, quercetin, and N-feruoloyl octopamine showed the highest stability under variable weather conditions in the analyzed years. A total of six compounds were detected and quantified in quinoa for the first time. Most varieties performed well under Central European conditions and can be considered a good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. These data can be used as a source of information for plant breeders aiming to improve the quality traits of quinoa.

Intercropping is a technique in which two or more crops are grown together that is reported to be soil and water friendly. Field trials were conducted at three different localities in the Czech Republic. Spring wheat was grown together with different legumes (Egyptian clover, crimson clover, red clover, white clover, common pea, dun pea, common vetch, bird’s-foot-trefoil, common kidney vetch, and fenugreek) in an organic cropping system. Two basic systems were compared mixture and row-by-row cropping. The yield of grain was lower on average in row-by-row cropping than in the mixture. Lower yields were found in Prague (PR) compared to Uhříněves (UH) and Zvíkov (ZV). The mixture system seemed to be more effective in grain production than cultivation in separate rows (PR 2.14 t/ha, UH 4.71 t/ha, ZV 3.00 t/ha) in terms of spring wheat grain yield in comparison with the mixture system (PR 2.45 t/ha, UH 5.44 t/ha, ZV 3.14 t/ha). Quality parameters such as crude protein, wet gluten, gluten index, Zeleny test of wheat grown with legumes were compared to the control. The mean quality parameters of both systems were the following: test weight 75.75%, crude protein 13.9%, wet gluten 31.5%, Zeleny test 56.2 mL, falling number 266.4 s. The combinations of spring wheat with Egyptian clover, white clover, common vetch, common kidney vetch, and bird’s-foot-trefoil are recommended as the most promising according to the results obtained across all sites and considering all parameters.

Environmental extremes and climatic variability have enhanced the changes in numerous plant stressors. Researchers have been working to improve “major” crops for several decades to make them more adaptable and tolerant to environmental stresses. However, neglected and underutilized crop species that have the potential to ensure food and nutritional security for the ever-growing global population have received little or no research attention. Quinoa is one of these crops. It is a pseudocereal, considered a rich and balanced food resource due to its protein content and protein quality, high mineral content, and health benefits. This review provides currently available information on the genetic resources of quinoa and their quality in terms of variability of economically important traits such as yield, and the content of bioactive compounds, such as protein and amino acid composition. The influence of variety and environmental conditions on selected traits is also discussed. The various types of nutrients present in the different varieties form the basis and are key for future breeding efforts and for efficient, healthy, and sustainable food production.