Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg, Fe, Co, Cr, Mo) contents were established in soil and plant samples collected in different areas of the railway junction Iława Główna, Poland. Soil and plant samples were collected in four functional parts of the junction, i.e. the loading ramp, main track within platform area, rolling stock cleaning bay and the railway siding. It was found that all the investigated areas were strongly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAH contamination of the soil was the highest in the railway siding and in the platform area (59,508 and 49,670 μg kg⁻¹, respectively). In the loading ramp and cleaning bay, the PAH concentration in soil was lower but still relatively very high (17,948 and 15,376 μg kg⁻¹, respectively). The contamination in the railway siding exceeded the average control level up to about 80 times. In the soil of all the investigated areas, four- and five-ring PAHs prevailed. The concentrations of PAHs were determined in four dominating species of plants found at the junction. The highest concentration was found in the aerial parts of Taraxacum officinale (22,492 μg kg⁻¹) growing in the cleaning bay. The comparison of the soil contamination with PAHs in the investigated railway junction showed a very significant increase of the PAHs level since 1995. It was found that the heavy metal contamination was also very high. Pb, Zn, Hg and Cd were established at the highest levels in the railway siding area, whereas Fe concentration was the highest in the platform area. A significant increase in mercury content was observed in the cleaning bay area. The investigations proved very significant increase of contamination with PAHs and similar heavy metals contamination in comparison with the concentration determined in the same areas 13 years ago.

The establishment of safe and effective methods for controlling fungal diseases is an urgent issue in agriculture and forestry. Fungicide research has provided a wide range of products with new modes of action. Extensive use of these compounds in agriculture enhances public anxiety due to the harmful potential for the environment and human health. Moreover, the phytotoxic effects of some fungicides are already recognized but still little is known about their influence on the photosynthetic apparatus and plant physiology. This review provides an understanding of the mechanisms of action of fungicides, mechanisms of fungicide resistance development, and the phenomenon of phytotoxicity.

Hyperarid, arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas cover approximately 41% of the global land area. The human population in drylands, currently estimated at 2.7 billion, faces limited access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food. We discuss the interlinkages among water security, environmental security, energy security, economic security, health security, and food security governance, and how they affect food security in drylands. Reliable and adequate water supply, and the prevention of water contamination, increase the potential for ample food, fodder, and fiber production. Protecting woodlands and rangelands increases food security by buffering the slow onset effects of climate change, including biodiversity loss, desertification, salinization, and land degradation. The protection of natural lands is expected to decrease environmental contamination, and simultaneously, reduce the transfer of diseases from wildlife to humans. Biofuel production and hydroelectric power plants increase energy security but generate land-use conflicts, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation. Economic security generally positively correlates with food security. However, economic growth often degrades the environment, changes tenure rights over natural resources, and stimulates migration to urban areas, resulting in lower food and health security. Moreover, civil unrest, political instability, and armed conflicts disrupt local economies in drylands. Maintaining food security is crucial for health security; conversely, malnourished populations and unresponsive health systems decrease economic security, and adversely affect environmental, energy, and food security. Climate change is expected to deteriorate health security by spreading vector-borne diseases. Effective governance and timely interventions can substantially shorten periods of food insecurity, lower their intensities, and accelerate recovery from inevitable crises, and are therefore crucial in preventing humanitarian crises. Since global drylands population will nearly double by 2050, and since drylands are among the most susceptible areas to climate change, integrated multi-hazard approaches to food security are needed.

Toxic metabolites are produced by many cyanobacterial species. There are limited data on toxigenic benthic, mat-forming cyanobacteria, and information on toxic cyanobacteria from Central Asia is even more scarce. In the present study, we examined cyanobacterial diversity and community structure, the presence of genes involved in toxin production and the occurrence of cyanotoxins in cyanobacterial mats from small water bodies in a cold high-mountain desert of Eastern Pamir. Diversity was explored using amplicon-based sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, toxin potential using PCR-based methods (mcy, nda, ana, sxt), and toxins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Molecular identification of cyanobacteria showed a high similarity of abundant taxa to Nostoc PCC-73102, Nostoc PCC-7524, Nodularia PCC-935 and Leptolyngbya CYN68. The PCRs revealed the presence of mcyE and/or ndaF genes in 11 samples and mcyD in six. The partial sequences of the mcyE gene showed high sequence similarity to Nostoc, Planktothrix and uncultured cyanobacteria. LC-MS/MS analysis identified six microcystin congeners in two samples and unknown peptides in one. These results suggest that, in this extreme environment, cyanobacteria do not commonly produce microcystins, anatoxins and cylindrospermopsins, despite the high diversity and widespread occurrence of potentially toxic taxa.