Phenolic compounds are plant-derived antioxidants crucial for human health and food preservation. Their bioactive potential including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic properties makes them a vital focus in nutritional, pharmaceutical, and agricultural research. This review critically evaluates the methodologies for their extraction, detection, and quantification to accurately assess antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress in biological systems and food matrices necessitates accurate analytical methodologies for assessing antioxidant behavior, which include both in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo approaches. Sample pretreatment and extraction techniques are critical for reliable analysis and vary depending on the matrix, compound polarity, and target phenolic subclass. We compare conventional extraction techniques (Soxhlet, maceration) with advanced methods like ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction. Detection methods reviewed include spectrophotometric assays (e.g., DPPH, FRAP, ORAC), electrochemical sensors, and chromatographic techniques (e.g., HPLC, HPLC−MS). While each method has distinct advantages, a lack of standardization remains the primary challenge, driven by variations in protocols and the vast chemical diversity of phenolics. This review underscores the critical need for integrated, standardized approaches to ensure the accurate and comparable evaluation of antioxidant activity in research and industry.

Agrivoltaics (AVs), the co-location of photovoltaic panels and agricultural production, is increasingly promoted as a strategy to enhance land-use efficiency and support renewable energy transitions. While numerous studies emphasize potential synergies, growing evidence indicates that AV systems also entail significant biophysical, ecological and socio-economic trade-offs. This review synthesizes published literature on the negative impacts and management challenges associated with agrivoltaics across diverse crops, climates and institutional contexts. A structured literature analysis was conducted, integrating findings from experimental field studies, ecological assessments, economic evaluations and policy analyses. The reviewed evidence demonstrates that panel-induced shading and altered microclimatic conditions frequently reduce photosynthetically active radiation, modify soil temperature and moisture regimes, and impair photosynthetic efficiency, yield stability, and quality in light-demanding crops. Open-field AV installations further alter understory vegetation, pollinator activity and soil arthropod communities, leading to functional biodiversity losses beneath panel-covered areas. Economic and institutional analyses reveal high investment costs, regulatory ambiguity and land-tenure constraints that disproportionately transfer agronomic and financial risks to farmers, while land-use conflicts may reduce food production and contribute to indirect land-use change. Overall, open-field AV outcomes are strongly context- and design-dependent. The review highlights the need for long-term, integrative assessments and governance frameworks that explicitly address trade-offs to ensure that AVs contribute to sustainable land-use transitions rather than undermining agricultural and ecological functions.

Salvia pratensis L. is a valuable medicinal plant rich in bioactive compounds, yet its allelopathic potential remains underexplored. This study evaluated allelopathic effects and total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents of water extracts from the dry aboveground biomass of S. pratensis. To assess their selectivity and potential application in sustainable weed management, extracts at five different concentrations were tested on the germination and early growth of lettuce, radish, tomato, and carrot. The results demonstrated that the phytotoxic effects of S. pratensis extracts were both concentration- and species-dependent. Higher extract concentrations significantly inhibited germination and seedling growth, while lower concentrations of extracts stimulated shoot elongation by up to 30% compared to the control. Phytochemical analysis revealed that S. pratensis extracts contain notable TPC and TFC contents, with their concentrations increasing consistently with the extract concentration. Correlation analysis showed that higher TPC and TFC contents were strongly negatively correlated with germination and seedling growth parameters. Radish exhibited the highest sensitivity to the extracts, while lettuce was the most tolerant. Further research under field conditions is needed to assess the efficacy, selectivity, and practical potential of S. pratensis extracts in sustainable crop production systems.

The cultivation of sweet cherry takes place in various climatic zones, where the plant may be exposed to different types of environmental stress during the growing season, which can significantly affect yield and fruit quality. The role of various physiologically active compounds is crucial for plant resistance to stressful environmental conditions. The aim of this study is to determine how the foliar application of different physiologically active substances affects the mineral composition of sweet cherry leaves. Research was performed in 2022 and 2023 at two locations (Ninski Stanovi and Murvica) in Zadar County with the Regina variety. The trials included five foliar treatments (T0—water only, T1—Ca nutritional supplement, T2—biostimulant (Ascophyllum nodosum L.), T3—proline solution, T4—salicylic acid solution). Leaf samples were collected for the analysis of the following macro-elements: total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P). On average, significantly higher TN content in leaves was found only in T2 (15% higher than T0). Ca, Mg, and K contents in leaf dry matter in all variants were higher by 20–29%, 13–20%, and 12–14%, respectively, compared to the control variant. The significant correlations were found between Ca and Mg, Ca and P, as well as Ca and K contents. This study shows a significant impact of the applied compounds on sweet cherry leaf mineral composition, and considering the year and locality effects, further testing of these treatments in different environments could be suggested.

Allelopathic plants and their chemical compounds offer promising possibilities for sustainable weed management. This study aimed to assess the phytotoxic potential of birthwort ( Aristolochia clematitis L.) on the germination and early growth of crops (wheat, barley, basil) and the weed species redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus L.). Extracts from fresh and dry aboveground biomass of A . clematitis , in different concentrations, were evaluated using a Petri dish bioassay and a pot experiment with soil. The results indicated that allelopathic effects of A. clematitis extracts depended on extract concentration, biomass type, test species, and application method. Germination and growth of the test species generally decreased as the concentration of weed biomass in the water extracts increased. In the Petri dish bioassay, extracts from fresh biomass had both positive and negative effects, while higher concentrations of dry biomass extract suppressed germination and seedling growth by up to 90 %. In the pot experiment, the allelopathic impact was less pronounced, and inhibition was observed only with the application of extracts from dry biomass. Variability in species sensitivity was also noted, with barley and A. retroflexus being the most affected. A. clematitis shows great potential as a subject for further research.

Agrivoltaika-AV (eng. agrivoltaics) ili agrosolarni sustavi, odnosno integracija solarnih panela u poljoprivredi, već se smatra inovativnim pristupom koji omogućuje dvostruko iskorištavanje zemljišta. Donosi istovremeno koristi za proizvodnju hrane i dobivanje električne energije iz obnovljivih izvora. Iako se primjenjuje u različitim sektorima biljne proizvodnje, voćarstvo se ističe kao pogodno područje zbog višegodišnjeg karaktera nasada i osjetljivosti pojedinih voćnih vrsta na mikroklimatske promjene uslijed promjena klime. Ovaj rad donosi pregled dosadašnjih znanstvenih saznanja o primjeni AV u voćarstvu, s naglaskom na utjecaj na mikroklimu ispod panela i ekološko fiziološki odgovor biljke, prinos i kvalitetu plodova, te održivost gospodarstva. Analizirani su povoljni i nepovoljni učinci na različite voćne vrste te su razmotreni ključni tehnički i dizajnerski aspekti implementacije. Također je istaknut potencijal AV na smanjenje potrošnje vode, zaštitu od temperaturnih stresova i povećanje energetske neovisnosti, te su navedeni primjeri eksperimentalnih projekata u Hrvatskoj i svijetu.