The spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive polyphagous pest of soft-skinned fruit that has started to threaten small fruit production in Europe since 2008. High reproductive capacity, short generation time, and difficulties in visualizing early damage contribute to its rapid spread. Currently, the control strategy against D. suzukii mostly relies on treatment with synthetic insecticides. Keeping in mind that this pest causes the greatest damage during the harvesting period, control using chemicals is not recommended due to the increased risk of high pesticide residue levels in the fruit. With the aim of reducing the use of insecticides, there is a need for developing an environmentally safer way of control. Alternative solutions could rely on the use of essential oils (EOs), which can be used in conventional and organic production systems. Four essential oils, geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), dill (Anethum graveolens), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and bergamot (Citrus bergamia), were assessed for their insecticidal effects using four different tests (contact toxicity, fumigant-contact toxicity, repellent effect, and multiple-choice tests). The EOs applied were dissolved in acetone at three different concentrations. The most promising one was the geranium essential oil, which had the best effect in all conducted tests, even at the lowest applied concentration. Geranium oil caused very high mortality (95%), even at the lowest concentration applied, after 24 h in the fumigant-contact test, and it caused a mortality of over 85% in the contact test. It was also noticed that geranium demonstrated a deterrent effect by repelling females from laying eggs for four days after at the lowest applied concentration. Scots pine and dill EOs have moderate to strong effects in most tests. The mortality of 100% was achieved for the highest applied concentration in the fumigant-contact and contact tests. Bergamot EO did not have any significant insecticidal activity. Geranium, Scots pine, and dill have great potential to be used as an environmentally friendly way of controlling D. suzukii as they exhibit deterrent, repellent, and insecticidal effects.

Mixtures of two or more pesticides are very common in contemporary agriculture. However, changes in their efficacy or biological activity, such as synergism and antagonism, phytotoxicity, persistence, toxicity to non-target organisms, may occur as a consequence. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the compatibility of insecticides (cyantraniliprole - Exirel, chlorantraniliprole - Coragen 20 SC), a fungicide (captan - Merpan 50 WP) and a foliar fertilizer (Folia Stim Mix TE), as well their mixtures, in spray liquids, depending on water quality (well water from two locations in Serbia - Mala Remeta and Cerevic). These products are used to control the most significant peach pests, and as an additional source of nutrients. Water analysis (pH, hardness, electroconductivity, chloride, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, calcium and iron content) and tests of physico-chemical properties of the spray liquids (pH, suspensibility, dispersibility, surface tension, and electroconductivity) were performed in a laboratory experiment according to standard methods. The physico-chemical properties of the liquids changed depending on water quality and components incorporated in the mixture. However, all tested spray liquids showed consistency and compatibility over a period of 24 hours.

Inappropriate insecticide application can lead to harmful effects on cultivated plants, causing disruptions in physiological and enzymatic processes that ultimately impact overall yield and result in the presence of pesticide residues. During 2020, the influence of six insecticides (cyantraniliprole, chlorantraniliprole, spinetoram, indoxacarb, deltamethrin, pyriproxyfen, and acetamiprid) on the chlorophyll, carotenoids, hydrogen-peroxide, and malondialdehyde in peach leaves was assessed. Insecticides were applied in the recommended dose for the control of Grapholita molesta, the main peach pest. The leaves were sampled three and seven days after the treatment, and laboratory analysis of physiological and biochemical parameters was performed by spectrophotometer on the same day. The obtained results indicate that after three days, chlorophyll (a+b) content decreased (6.9-43.1%), while the carotenoid content increased (3.9-27.4%), compared to the control. After seven days, chlorophyll (a+b) decreased from 7.3 to 38.4%, and also carotenoid in the treatments with deltamethrin, pyriproxyfen, and acetamiprid (3.2-30.6%), while the other treatments showed an increase (3.2-41.9%). The highest increase in hydrogen-peroxide concentration was obtained in the treatments with spinetoram and deltamethrin (50-85%) after seven days. The concentration of malondialdehyde in all samples was higher after three days (31-39.3 nmol/g) compared to the concentration seven days after treatment (30-22.5 nmol/g). Results showed different biochemical reactions in peach leaves due to the applied insecticides. Insecticides caused significant changes in the pigment content; however, these changes were transient, so it is assumed that they do not remarkably affect the plant.

Atmospheric wet deposition represents a major pathway for the transfer of organic micropollutants into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This study investigates the occurrence and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalate esters (PAEs), and BTEX compounds in rainwater across Northern Serbia (Vojvodina region). Rainwater samples were collected during the 2025–2026 heating season at three locations: a petrochemical site in Kikinda, a traffic- and residentially influenced site in Sremska Mitrovica, and an urban background site in Sombor. Total concentrations showed pronounced spatial variability, with the highest ΣBTEX and ΣPAE levels recorded in Kikinda (∑BTEX = 2.818 μg L^∑1; ∑PAE = 0.930 μg L^∑1). Diagnostic ratios identified a dominant petrogenic signature in Kikinda (LMW/HMW > 1), while pyrogenic sources prevailed in Sremska Mitrovica and Sombor ((Fla/Fla + Pyr) > 0.5). BTEX profiles across all sites were characterised by the absence of benzene and elevated toluene and xylene levels (B/T ≈ 0; T/X > 1). Health risk assessment indicated an acceptable but non-negligible carcinogenic risk from PAHs, particularly for children in industrial areas. These findings highlight the role of precipitation as an efficient scavenger of organic pollutants and emphasise the need for integrated atmospheric–hydrological monitoring frameworks in industrialised regions.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is sensitive to water quality, particularly in drought-prone regions, and exhibits pronounced metabolic plasticity in response to salinity stress, which significantly affects its growth and aromatic profile. Two genotypes (Greek, Sweet) were cultivated under controlled conditions and irrigated with rainwater enriched with NaCl (0, 40, and 80 mM). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed directly from native plant material using headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) in scan mode. Nineteen VOCs were identified, revealing distinct genotype-specific chemotypes: sesquiterpenes predominated in Sweet (70.39%) and phenols in Greek basil (59.15%). Increasing salinity systematically enhanced monoterpene and phenolic fractions while reducing sesquiterpene abundance. Key compounds, including eucalyptol, β-pinene, cis-β-farnesene, and eugenol, showed pronounced salinity-dependent modulation, indicating their role in stress adaptation and interplant signaling. These findings provide insights into genotype-specific VOC responses under salinity and highlight rainwater as a suitable irrigation matrix for controlled studies. Tested basil genotypes showed a broad and shifting response to salinity—its compounds change in complex, genotype‑dependent ways, with some molecules rising and others declining, reflecting both stress adaptation and altered chemical signaling.