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.

Pesticides in soils raise concerns about the biodiversity, food safety, and contamination of watercourses, contributing to unsustainable land management practices. Monitoring the residue levels in agricultural soils is essential, as this offers valuable insights into the current extent of soil contamination and potential environmental risks attributed to their application. This study aimed to address the occurrence of the currently used herbicides in soil under intensive crop production, comparing the results of monitoring at two depths (0–30 and 30–60 cm) in 2013 and 2023. The research concerned the main agricultural area in Vojvodina Province (Serbia) and evaluated the presence of 41 herbicides in 128 localities. Pesticides were found in all samples, finding even more than six different herbicides per sample. The significant concentrations of s-metolachlor, etofumesate, clomazone, diflufenican, pendimethalin, and terbuthylazine found can be attributed to application practices, as they are typically applied pre-emergence, either through direct soil treatment with or without incorporation. Moreover, the correlation between different depths, herbicide residues, and soil properties was not significant. The decrease in the herbicide residues found in 2023 compared to the residues found in 2013 can be attributed to the implementation of good agricultural practices, which promote sustainable agricultural strategies through controlled pesticide application.

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura [spotted wing drosophila (SWD)] was initially documented by Matsumura in 1931. This pest belongs to the order Diptera, family Drosophilidae Kanzawa (1939). The majority of species within this genus are not considered pests as they typically deposit eggs in rotten or damaged fruits. However, SWD lays eggs in undamaged, healthy fruits Crava et al. (2019). This species has a wide distribution across moderate-climate regions Rota-Stabelli et al. (2013).

Resveratrol and polydatin are stilbenes with notable antioxidant and health benefits, making them important compounds in?health promotion, grapevine production, and oenology. This study aimed to?monitor the trans isomers of these compounds in ...

This study aims to improve the understanding of, and provide insights into, the environmental fate of herbicides currently used in agriculture, which is addressed through the analysis of the quality of canal water used for irrigation and the agricultural soil in the immediate vicinity. The research was conducted in the main agricultural region of Serbia, characterized by intensive crop production in conventional agriculture. Monitoring was focused on the Danube–Tisza–Danube canal system, specifically the Bogojevo–Bečej section. The presence of 41 currently used herbicides was analyzed in 520 soil samples collected from two depths (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm), as well as in 100 canal water samples. Results showed a high frequency of clopyralid, 2,4-D-methyl ester, terbuthylazine, fenoxaprop-ethyl, and aclonifen, with the highest amountsbeingterbuthylazine and quizalofop-ethyl, which was possibly a consequence of their recent application shortly before sampling. Concentrations of herbicide residues at different depths were closely similar, without the impact of soil mechanical and chemical characteristics on herbicide levels. In canal water characterized as moderately salty and slightly alkaline, herbicide residues were far below the maximum allowable concentrations, suggesting that the canal water is suitable for aquatic life, irrigation, and other uses. The findings suggest that the appropriate use of herbicides in regions under intensive agriculture is important for reducing environmental contamination.

In this study, an isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method with diode array detection (DAD) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin and prothioconazole in plant-protection products. Chromatographic separation of the active substances was achieved using 0.1% acetic acid and acetonitrile (30:70 v/v) at a flow rate of 0.52 ml/min on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 (50 mm ? 4.6 mm ? 1.8 ?m) and UV detection at 210 nm. Validation was done by evaluating the linearity and precision of the method, repeatability of injections, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ). Under the conditions, correlation coefficients of linearity were 0.996-0.997, the precision of method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was lower than the modified Horwitz values, the accuracy of all individual substances was within the range of 94.61-107.35%, while repeatability of the injectons was satisfied with RSD of 0.94-1.35%. LOD and LOQ were 0.0063 mg/ml and 0.019 mg/ml for azoxystrobin, 0.0051 mg/ml and 0.015 mg/ml for prothioconazole and 0.0051 mg/ml and 0.015 mg/ml for trifloxystrobin, respectively. A simple, precise, accurate, and fast analytical method for simultaneous determination of the fungicides azoxystrobin, prothioconazole and trifloxystrobin can be proficiently used for their detection and quantification in formulated products. The developed and validated method was applied to real samples, confirming the method's applicability.