The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most widely managed pollinator and is vital for crop fertilization. Recently, bee colonies have been suffering high mortality rates, exacerbated by factors such as land-use changes and the use of pesticides. Our work aimed to explore the residues of pesticides in honey-bee-collected pollen and how this contamination was affected by seasonality and the landscape composition. We selected six apiaries from different landscapes in Latvia, and pollen samples were collected during the flowering season (2023). We analyzed 39 samples and found 21 pesticide residues (mainly fungicides) with a frequency of 93 occurrences where the values were above the limit of quantification. The most frequently encountered substances were acetamiprid, boscalid, fluopyram, and prothioconazole. However, the highest concentrations were for dimoxystrobin (44 µg kg⁻¹), acetamiprid (37 µg kg⁻¹), azoxystrobin (27 µg kg⁻¹), prothioconazole (25 µg kg⁻¹), and boscalid (15 µg kg⁻¹). We then calculated the Pollen Hazard Quotient (PHQ) for each pollen sample. No sample had a PHQ value above the critical value of 50. The highest contamination level was observed in the first half of the vegetation season (the end of May and the beginning of June), but later, it significantly decreased. We did not find any significant influence of landscape composition on pesticide pollution.

Weeds pose a significant threat to crop yields, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Modern agriculture relies heavily on herbicides; however, their excessive use can lead to negative environmental impacts. As a result, recent research has increasingly focused on Integrated Weed Management (IWM), which employs multiple complementary strategies to control weeds in a holistic manner. Nevertheless, large-scale adoption of this approach requires a solid understanding of the underlying tactics. This systematic review analyses recent studies (2013–2022) on herbicide alternatives for weed control across major cropping systems in the EU-27 and the UK, providing an overview of current knowledge, the extent to which IWM tactics have been investigated, and the main gaps that help define future research priorities. The review relied on the IWMPRAISE framework, which classifies weed control tactics into five pillars (direct control, field and soil management, cultivar choice and crop establishment, diverse cropping systems, and monitoring and evaluation) and used Scopus as a scientific database. The search yielded a total of 666 entries, and the most represented pillars were Direct Control (193), Diverse Cropping System (183), and Field and Soil Management (172). The type of crop most frequently studied was arable crops (450), and the macro-area where the studies were mostly conducted was Southern Europe (268). The tactics with the highest number of entries were Tillage Type and Cultivation Depth (110), Cover Crops (82), and Biological Control (72), while those with the lowest numbers were Seed Vigor (2) and Sowing Depth (2). Overall, this review identifies research gaps and sets priorities to boost IWM adoption, leading policy and funding to expand sustainable weed management across Europe.

This study aimed to compare different herbicide application schemes in winter wheat, including the application of glyphosate-containing herbicides in stubble and autumn or spring post-emergence application. Field experiments were conducted in 2022–2024, on two different farms, with two fields selected each year on each farm, where the pre-crop was either winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Glyphosate application had a significant effect on weed biomass reduction if the pre-crop was oilseed rape with herbicide application in one of the years, but not if it was winter wheat. The effect of glyphosate application also depended on the year and was most pronounced in the year when the sowing was performed later, reaching up to 57% weed biomass reduction without the application of post-emergence herbicides. A positive effect of glyphosate application on the grain yield was observed if the pre-crop was oilseed rape. The application of post-emergence herbicides resulted in a median weed biomass reduction of 95–96% of the untreated control. Additional herbicide application in spring did not improve weed control nor result in a yield increase. The likely causes of this are the competitive ability of winter wheat, as well as lower weed density and deeper stubble cultivation in the trials where the pre-crop was wheat. Further trials must be conducted in fields infested with grass-weed species to compare the effect of one versus two post-emergence applications. Post-emergence herbicide application, but not glyphosate application, had a negative effect on the alpha diversity of weed species, whereas higher weed diversity was associated with a higher yield increase when the pre-crop was winter oilseed rape, in the absence of highly competitive grass-weed species.

The study is part of a larger project aimed at developing an integrated disease risk warning and early detection system for greenhouse-grown tomatoes, particularly for medium- and small-scale growers. Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Encore’ F1) were cultivated under controlled greenhouse conditions and artificially inoculated with Alternaria sp., the causal agent of early blight. Disease progression was monitored using a hyperspectral (HS) camera operating at 400–1000 nm, alongside visual disease assessments. Five experimental replicates were conducted, differing slightly in plant developmental stage at inoculation and post-inoculation temperature and relative humidity. A total of 1000 HS images were acquired, comprising 155 control and 845 inoculated leaves, although visible symptoms did not develop on all inoculated leaves. Mean visually assessed disease severity across replicates ranged from 0.1% to 17.7%. Principal component analysis (PCA) effectively discriminated between diseased and non-diseased tissues. The most informative spectral regions were associated with pigment absorption (beyond 550 nm), red-edge, and near-infrared domains, supporting their relevance for early detection of Alternaria-induced stress. As proof of concept, logistic regression-based leaf image segmentation achieved a mean cross-validation accuracy equal to 93.8%.

Leaf blotches, caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Zymoseptoria tritici are among the most devasting and widespread diseases in Latvia and other regions where wheat is extensively grown. Two field experiments were conducted over three years (2022-2024) in farmer’s fields situated in the Central region of Latvia. The aim of research was to evaluate various fungicide and biological product application schemes, with wheat sown following preceding crops of either wheat or oilseed rape. Application schemes included fungicide application in different wheat growth stages and doses, as well as one biological product. Obtained data indicates that tan spot, caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, was the predominant disease with severity ranging from 3 to 32% depending on a year and pre-crop. Level of tan spot was notably higher in repeated wheat sowings. The severity of Septoria leaf blotch ranged from 0% to 7%, and was not influenced by pre-crop. Fungicide application reduced the severity of leaf blotches; however, effectiveness varied significantly both across and within treatments. On average, more effective results were observed when a single fungicide treatment was applied at the end of heading and the beginning of flowering. The efficacy of the lowest fungicide dose was inconsistent, exhibiting greater variability compared to higher doses. Additionally, split spraying did not provide remarkable results compared to a single application. Application of biological product did not provide control of diseases. Strong, positive correlation was observed between the reduction in leaf blotches severity and the additional yield obtained.