(1) Background: Hibernation in Lutrasil-covered enclosures led to elevated mortality rates for Cornu aspersum on Romanian farms. This two-year study evaluated the feasibility of adapting indoor hibernation technology to the Italian outdoor snail farming (IOSF) system as a solution for overwintering mature C. aspersum snails. (2) Methods: Body weight, survival rates, and mortality factors during key hibernation phases (purging and overwintering) were monitored in three commercial snail farms using different hibernation scenarios. Labor efficiency was evaluated, comparing the use of micro shelters vs. hand-picking for snail collection. We analyzed post-purging/post-hibernation weight loss and mortality in hibernation spaces with and without proper thermal insulation. Mortality causes were also investigated. (3) Results: Using micro shelters significantly reduced labor time for snail collection. Weight loss during purging, but not during overwintering, were similar between groups. Post-hibernation survival ranged from 69% to 79% for comparable hibernation durations. Significantly lower survival was associated with significantly higher weight loss and using hibernation spaces with minimal thermal insulation. Predators exerted a very limited effect on post-hibernation survival, with most death appearing to be related to environmental causes. (4) Integrating indoor hibernation into the IOSF system is a promising strategy for the successful rearing of C. aspersum in colder climates.

Brassica campestris L. var. toria, a major oilseed crop cultivated in India, is primarily an entomophilic species. Hymenopteran flower-visiting species provide important ecological services like pollination or pest control in Brassica crops. In this context, a study was conducted during 2015–2017 in three localities in Assam, a state in northeast India that falls under two global biodiversity hotspots—Indo–Burma and Himalayan—to bring data on the diversity of hymenopteran flower visitors of toria crops by using multiple sampling techniques and to compare the efficiency of these techniques. Altogether, nine sampling treatments were used. To assess the sampling effectiveness of the different treatments, the data from the two cropping periods of toria in each locality were analysed cumulatively and comparatively. Variable transect outperformed the other sampling methods with the highest number of hymenopteran flower visitor species recorded in toria crops at 54, representing 84.4% of the total number of species, and was followed by standard transect (34 species, 53.1%), elevated yellow trap (22 species, 34.4%), and observation plot (21 species, 32.8%). However, the importance of multiple sampling methods in this diversity study was noticed; one method alone could not sample all the species recorded. The cluster of traps and netting with transect walks was proven to be complementary and considered useful for future research studies in the upstream basin of the Burhidihing River of Assam, India.

This study aimed to determine the impact of MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid) in reducing Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale species in grassland ecosystems. The presence of Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale species represents an obstacle in the preservation and restoration of biodiversity in temporary meadows. At the same time, these species reduce the yield of meadows, a fact that requires the application of control methods. The practical ecosystem in which the study was carried out belongs to the town of Carani, Timiș county. To reduce the population of Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale were applied three herbicides: MCPA 50% DMA, MCPA 75% DMA and Starane. Hormonal herbicides MCPA 50% DMA (0.9 l/ha, 1.2 l/ha, 1.5 l/ha, 2.0l/ha) and MCPA 75% DMA (0.6 l/ha, 0.8 l/ha, 1.0 l/ha, 1.3 l/ha) were applied in four doses. The impact of the substance MCPA, in the control of Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale species, was determined at 15 – 28 and 42 days after application. The herbicides used in the experiment reduced Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale populations in grassland ecosystems by 60-100%. The application of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), in different doses, led to a survival of common dandelio, in the experimental variants of 3.33 - 20%. The population being controlled in a proportion of 80-96.67%, 42 days after applying the treatments. The impact of the herbicide, hormonal, MCPA was lower in population control of Cirsium arvense. The effectiveness of the herbicides depended on both the active substance content and the applied dose.

Agriculture must secure food supply while reducing its pressure on the environment, yet evidence for Central and Eastern Europe, particularly outside the EU and after the 2022 shock, remains limited. This study assesses the eco-efficiency, dematerialisation and decarbonisation of agricultural systems in 11 EU member states, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine over 2000–2023. Using the most recent complete FAOSTAT data (336 country-year observations), it combines a Slacks-Based Measure model with undesirable outputs, a global Malmquist–Luenberger index and the Tapio decoupling elasticity. Non-EU systems, mostly low-input, were, on average, more eco-efficient (0.83 vs. 0.64), but by 2022–2023 both groups had converged at 0.74, as member states improved and non-EU countries deteriorated. Environmentally adjusted productivity grew by almost 1% per year, mainly through technical change in member states. Dematerialisation was selective: land, labour, energy and emission intensities fell, whereas fertiliser intensity rose. Eight countries achieved strong decoupling over the full period, but after 2022 only Czechia and Poland reduced emissions without reducing output. High eco-efficiency in extensive systems does not guarantee resilience; agricultural policies should combine input-use efficiency with investment in technology and adaptation to shocks.