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The effect of cultivation practises on both the phytochemical profile and biological activity of aqueous ethanol extracts of Chelidonium majus L. was studied. Extracts were prepared from aerial parts of the same plant population collected in the wild and grown under organic farming conditions. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of alkaloids and flavonoid derivatives were performed by LC/MS methods, and the cytotoxicity of lyophilised extracts was studied in B16-F10, HepG2, and CaCo-2 cells. Coptisine was the dominant alkaloid of extracts prepared from wild-grown plants, whereas after cultivation, chelidonine was the most abundant alkaloid. The total alkaloid content was significantly increased by cultivation. Ten flavonol glycoconjugates were identified in C. majus extracts, and quantitative analysis did not reveal significant differences between extracts prepared from wild-grown and cultivated specimens. Treatment with C. majus extracts resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cytotoxicity in all three cell lines. The extracts prepared from cultivated specimens showed higher cytotoxicity than the extracts prepared from wild-grown plants. The strongest cytotoxic effect of cultivated C. majus was observed in B16-F10 cells (IC50 = 174.98 ± 1.12 µg/mL). Cultivation-induced differences in the phytochemical composition of C. majus extracts resulted in significant increases in the cytotoxic activities of the preparations.

Glechoma hederacea L. is a medicinal plant that is known in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties. This study evaluated the potential for commercial production of G. hederacea and compared the chemical composition and activity of 70% ethanol extracts and steam-distilled essential oils from wild-grown and cultivated G. hederacea collected in different harvesting periods. The main compounds identified in the 70% ethanol extracts were phenolic acids (chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids) and flavonoid O-glycosides. The essential oil varied in the three accessions in the range of 0.32–2.98 mL/kg−1 of dry weight. The extracts possessed potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-treated bone-marrow-derived macrophages. The results of flow cytometry show that extracts from different vegetation periods reduced the conversion of macrophages to the proinflammatory phenotype M1. The chemical composition varied the most with the different harvesting periods, and the most suitable periods were the flowering and vegetative phases for the polyphenolic compounds and essential oils, respectively. G. hederacea can be successfully grown under organic farming conditions, and cultivation does not significantly affect the chemical composition and biological activity compared to wild-grown plants.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a widespread disease of cereals, including barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), that causes substantial grain yield losses and grain quality deterioration. Resistant varieties provide the greatest potential for reducing FHB. In the present study, we adapted two methods for screening FHB severity using Fusarium culmorum. We used a cut-spike method and a spray inoculation method in the field conditions for screening different spring barley genotypes of Latvian and foreign origin. Screening with the cut-spike method was done for 126 different genotypes in 2008 and in 2009 and for 180 genotypes in 2010. In the years 2011 and 2012, the field inoculation method was used to screen 207 and 164 genotypes, respectively; part of material was tested simultaneously by both methods. A significant effect of genotype was found for both cut-spike and field inoculation methods (p < 0.001); field inoculation method showed a greater proportion of genotype effect and a higher heritability. Using area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and score obtained at 26 days after inoculation were equally effective. Correlations between results obtained by both methods in different years were not significant, though, the data of the same year correlated significantly (r = 0.36-0.47, p < 0.05). Results suggest that differences between breeding material can be assessed by both methods; however, the information obtained was contradictory for a number of genotypes. Considering the results and the fact that field inoculation method can more likely provide results of equal value to those in natural conditions in respect to identification of resistant and susceptible genotypes, field inoculation method was recognized as preferable for the assessment of spring barley breeding material. Significant correlation (r = 0.71, p < 0.05) between visual estimate of disease severity and mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in grain was found in 2011, but in the environmental conditions of 2012 formation of DON was inhibited.

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