Freshwater ecosystems face a particularly high risk of biodiversity loss compared to marine and terrestrial systems. The use of pesticides in agricultural fields is recognized as a relevant stressor for freshwater environments, exerting a negative impact worldwide on the overall status and health of the freshwater communities. In the present work, part of the Horizon 2020 funded SPRINT project, the occurrence of 193 pesticide residues was investigated in 64 small water bodies of distinct typology (creeks, streams, channels, ditches, rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs), located in regions with high agricultural activity in 10 European countries and in Argentina. Mixtures of pesticide residues were detected in all water bodies (20, median; 8-40 min-max). Total pesticide levels found ranged between 6.89 and 5860 ng/L, highlighting herbicides as the dominant type of pesticides. Glyphosate was the compound with the highest median concentration followed by 2,4-D and MCPA, and in a lower degree by dimethomorph, fluopicolide, prothioconazole and metolachlor(-S). Argentina was the site with the highest total pesticide concentration in water bodies followed by The Netherlands, Portugal and France. One or more pesticides exceeded the threshold values established in the European Water Framework Directive for surface water in 9 out of 11 case study sites (CSS), and the total pesticide concentration surpassed the reference value of 500 ng/L in 8 CSS. Although only 5 % (bifenthrin, dieldrin, fipronil sulfone, permethrin, and terbutryn) of the individual pesticides denoted high risk (RQ > 1), the ratios estimated for pesticide mixtures suggested potential environmental risk in the aquatic compartment studied.

Agriculture is facing challenges to produce more food in a climate scenario that works in the opposite direction. To amend this, agriculture has to invent new ways of making more with less. Interest in using by-products and finding new ways to utilize them has been increasing in recent years. The use of protein-rich sources for protein hydrolyzation and the use of these protein hydrolysates as biostimulants in plant production have been increasing. These mixtures are mainly produced by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis from agro-industrial protein-rich by-products of animal, plant, and algal origins. The application of PHs has the potential to alleviate environmental stress; improve plant growth; and increase productivity, fruit yield, and abiotic-stress tolerance in agricultural crops. The use of these biostimulants offers a way to reduce the use of agrochemicals and agrees with the “do more with less” task in the future of agricultural production. This review gives an insight into the production of PHs, referring to sources of raw materials and methods of hydrolysis, the uptake and translocation of PHs, their effect on plant growth, the development and physiology, their role in alleviating stressful conditions, and their use in agriculture. The beneficial effects of PHs on different aspects of plant physiology, metabolism, and plant functioning under stressful conditions are evident. Inconveniently, crops, and sometimes even cultivars, are affected differently based on the way that PH is applied, the timing, and the concentration applied. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which the components of PHs modify plant physiology and metabolism.

The presence of pesticide residues in waterbed sediments poses a significant concern for aquatic ecosystems' health. This study examined pesticide contamination in sediments of 38 water bodies, embedded in agricultural-dominated regions, across eight European countries. Three indicators were targeted: occurrence, type, and concentrations of multiple pesticide residues in sediments. 196 pesticide residues (including degradation products) were tested in the sediment samples. The analytical results showed that only one sample was 'pesticide-free', three samples contained a single pesticide residue, and the remaining 34 samples contained mixtures of residues. Overall, 99 different residues were found in the sediments, with a maximum of 48 in a single sample. Twenty-seven out of the 99 detected residues were not approved for agricultural use at the time of sampling. The numbers of detected residues and pesticide levels varied among countries. AMPA, glyphosate and DDTs were the most common residues in sediment samples with frequencies of 76, 61, and 52%, respectively. The sediments from the Czech Republic had the highest pesticide concentrations, with total pesticide concentrations ranging between 600 and 1200 μg kg^-1. The lowest total pesticide concentrations were found in Slovenia, Switzerland, Croatia, and Denmark, ranging between 80 and 120 μg kg^-1. Sediments presented a mix of non-persistent and persistent compounds. Twelve of the detected pesticides are very persistent/stable in sediments, raising concerns about the long-term impacts of pesticides. Our study on the distribution of pesticide residues in European sediments provides valuable insights into the extent of pesticide contamination and possible risks of pesticides to water bodies' health. It also underlines the need for monitoring, research, and policy efforts to mitigate the impacts of pesticides, and to evaluate potential risks of re-use of dredged sediments.

In this study, we investigated the influence of pedological parameters and variation of altitude on the mineral nutrients, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities of olive leaves. Samples of the Chetoui cultivar were collected from eight geographical locations with different altitudes. Levels of phenolic compounds varied according to the altitude. Classification of the locations revealed that altitude 1 (>500 m) was characterized by high levels of secoiridoids and simple phenols, while altitude 2 (500–300 m) and altitude 3 (<300 m) were higher in flavonoids. Levels of Mn, Ca and B in the leaves and level of Zn in the soil were significantly correlated with the abundance of oleuropein and luteolin-7-O glucoside, the most important phenols in Chetoui olive leaves. The results suggest that, in addition to pedological criteria, environmental conditions also influence the formation of phenolic compounds.

For the first time the effects of different sampling periods and their interaction with five major autochthonous Croatian Istrian olive cultivars and the Italian cultivar ‘Leccino’ on the quantity and composition of olive leaf phenolic compounds and mineral nutrients were investigated. For that purpose, olive leaves were sampled in two collecting periods, in October and March, coinciding with the harvesting and pruning periods, respectively. All selected cultivars had a higher oleuropein leaf content in the pruning collecting period, with the highest levels noted for the ‘Leccino’ and ‘Buža’ cultivars. Cultivar significantly affected almost all the investigated phenols, with higher concentrations of these valuable compounds in the pruning than in the harvesting period. Differences observed in leaf mineral composition were closely related to the differences in phenolic profiles and were significantly affected by genotype. Some of the studied mineral nutrients, such as P, Cu and B, were found to be significantly correlated with the most abundant olive leaf phenolic compounds, oleuropein and verbascoside.

Studies on selenium (Se) and silicon (Si) foliar biostimulation of different plants have been shown to affect concentrations of phenolic compounds. However, their effects on olive (Olea europaea L.) primary and secondary metabolites have not been fully investigated. Therefore, the effects of foliar sprayed Si and Se and their combination on the concentration of phenols, selected metabolites involved in the phenol biosynthesis, and mineral elements concentrations were determined in olive leaves of the field-grown cultivar Leccino. During the summer period, leaves were foliar sprayed three times, after which were sampled 30 days after the corresponding application. In general, foliar treatment of Si or Se increased the concentrations of several predominant phenolic compounds, such as oleuropein, oleacein, and specific flavonoids. The effects were especially pronounced after the third application in the harvest time sampling time. Amino acids and other phenol precursors were also significantly affected. The effects were phenol-specific and depended on the treatment, sampling time, and treatment × sampling time interaction. The response of verbascoside to the applied treatments appeared to be closely linked to corresponding changes in its amino acid precursors, such as tyrosine, while its connection with tryptophan and IAA has to be cautiously considered. In contrast, for other phenolic compounds like secoiridoids, a clear interdependence with their precursors was not identified, likely due to the more complex nature of their biosynthesis. The effects on the concentrations of elements other than Se and Si were milder.