The negative impact of antibiotic pollution on the agricultural system and human health is a hot issue in the world. However, little information is available on the antibiotics toxicity mechanism and the role of silicon (Si) to alleviate the antibiotics toxicity. In this study, strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) showed excitatory response to low-dose SMZ (1 mg L⁻¹), but strawberry root and photosynthetic efficiency were damaged under high level. When SMZ level exceeded 10 mg L⁻¹, H₂0₂, O₂⁻, MDA and relative conductivity increased, while SOD and CAT activities first increased and then decreased. SMZ accumulated more in roots and fruits, but less in stems, and the accumulation increased with the increase of SMZ-dose. Under 1 mg L⁻¹ SMZ, the SMZ accumulation in fruits was 110.54 μg kg⁻¹, which exceeded the maximum residue limit. SMZ can induce the expression of sul1, sul2 and intI1, and intI1 had the highest abundance. Exogenous application of Si alleviated the toxicity of SMZ, which is mainly related to the degradation of SMZ in soil and the reduction of SMZ absorption by strawberry. In addition, Si relieved root damage, promoted the increase of photosynthetic efficiency, and improved the antioxidant system to resist SMZ toxicity.

Composting is a solid waste management alternative that avoids the emission of methane associated with its disposal in landfill and reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilisers if compost is applied. The main objective of this study was to analyse the environmental burdens of composting as a way to achieve a more circular valorisation of wine waste. To do so, with the purpose of identifying optimal operational conditions and determining the “hotspots” of the process, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used. The consumption of diesel fuel in machinery was determined to be the main critical point in the environmental effects of the system, followed by the transport and distribution of the compost. After the application of compost instead of mineral fertilisers, corn, tomato and strawberry crops would have a better environmental performance in most impact categories. In this sense, a maximum improvement of 65% in terrestrial ecotoxicity is achieved in strawberry cultivation. In light of the results obtained, it is demonstrated that composting is a suitable way of organic waste valorisation according to Circular Economy principles.

Biofumigation is an effective, non-chemical method to control soil-borne pests and diseases and to maximize crop yield. We studied the responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities, the soil’s nutritional state and strawberry yield, when the soil was biofumigated each year for five consecutive years using fresh chicken manure (BioFum). BioFum significantly increased the soil’s NH4+-N, NO3−-N, available P and K and organic matter. Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. which are known to cause plant disease, were significantly decreased after BioFum. In addition, Biofum increased the soil’s temperature, enhanced chlorophyll levels in the leaves of strawberry plants, and the soluble sugar and ascorbic acid content in strawberry fruit. We used high-throughput gene sequencing to monitor changes in the soil’s bacterial and fungal communities. Although BioFum significantly decreased the diversity of these communities, it increased the relative abundance of some biological control agents in the phylum Actinobacteria and the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Chaetomium. An increase in these biological control agents would reduce the incidence of soil-borne pathogens and plant disease. Although strawberry marketable yield using BioFum was higher in the first three years, the decline in the final two years could be due to the accumulation of P and K which may have delayed flowering and fruiting. Methods to overcome yield losses using BioFum need to be developed in the future. Our research, however, showed that BioFum enhanced soil fertility, reduced the presence of soil pathogens, increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and fungi and improved strawberry quality. Unlike chemical soil treatments that can cause pest and disease resistance when used continuously over many years, our multi-year research program on BioFum showed that this treatment provided significant benefits to the soil, plant and strawberry fruit.

The present study investigated the beneficial role of selenium-nanoparticles (Se-NPs) in mitigating the adverse effects of soil-salinity on growth and yield of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) plants by maneuvering physiological and biochemical mechanisms. The foliar spray of Se-NPs (10 and 20 mg L⁻¹) improved the growth and yield parameters of strawberry plants grown on non-saline and different saline soils (0, 25, 50 and 75 mM NaCl), which was attributed to their ability to protect photosynthetic pigments. Se-NPs-treated strawberry plants exhibited higher levels of key osmolytes, including total soluble carbohydrates and free proline, compared with untreated plants under saline conditions. Foliar application of Se-NPs improved salinity tolerance in strawberry by reducing stress-induced lipid peroxidation and H₂O₂ content through enhancing activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Additionally, Se-NPs-treated strawberry plants showed accumulation of indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid, the vital stress signaling molecules, which are involved in regulating different morphological, physiological and molecular responses of plants to salinity. Moreover, the enhanced levels of organic acids (e.g., malic, citric and succinic acids) and sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose and sucrose) in the fruits of Se-NPs-treated strawberry plants under saline conditions indicated the positive impacts of Se-NPs on the improvement of fruit quality and nutritional values. Our results collectively demonstrate the definite roles of Se-NPs in management of soil salinity-induced adverse effects on not only strawberry plants but also other crops.

Soil fumigants aim to control soil-borne diseases below levels that affect economic crop production, but their use also reduces the abundance of beneficial microorganisms. Previous studies have shown that adding various types of fertilizers to soil after fumigation can reshape the soil microbial community and regulate crop growth. We fumigated soil with dazomet (DZ) that had been cropped continuously for more than 20 years. After fumigation we applied silicon fertilizer, potassium humate organic fertilizer, Bacillus microbial fertilizer or a mixture of the last two. We studied the effects of different fertilizers treatments on the soil's physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, key soil pathogens and beneficial microbes. We found that fertilizers applied after fumigation promoted soil beneficial microorganisms (such as Fimicutes, Chloroflexi, Bacillus and Actinomadura) restoration; increased Fusarium and Phytophthora pathogen mortality, the content of ammonium nitrogen, sucrase enzyme activity; and increased strawberry fruit yield. A significant increase in strawberry yield was positively correlated with increases in beneficial microorganisms such as Gemmatimonadota, Firmicutes, Bacillus and Flavisolibacter. We concluded that organic fertilizer applied after fumigation significantly increased the number of beneficial microorganisms, improved the physicochemical properties of the soil, increased soil enzyme activities, inhibited the growth of soil pathogens to increase strawberry fruit yield. In summary, organic fertilizer activated soil beneficial microorganisms after soil fumigation, promoted soil health, and increased strawberry fruit yield.

Thallium is a non-essential, toxic element that concerns mining areas and their acid drainage effluents. Minerals containing thallium can be eroded, and Tl can be leached into soil, thus being spread into the environment and adsorbed by plants and living organisms, entering the food chain, and inducing serious toxicity problems. In this study, the Tl cycle was observed and analyzed on basil, mint, and strawberry cultivated in a greenhouse and irrigated with Tl-contaminated water. The Tl content in both bulk and rhizosphere soils as well as thallium present in different plant organs were analyzed during the experiment, with the aim of revealing both physiological symptoms and metabolic disorders linked to the Tl toxicity. The mechanism of plants to exclude, uptake, translocate, and tolerate Tl varied among the different species, and both the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and the translocation index (TI) were calculated to highlight a different response to Tl toxicity of strawberry, mint, and basil. Basil is the less tolerant species, while mint and strawberry showed different self-defense mechanism against Tl adsorption and translocation.

Pesticides may cause a potential risk to human health when applied in excess to control pests, diseases, and weeds in crop fields. In the current study, conducted in the Aegean region of Turkey from 2012 to 2016, a total of 3044 samples of 16 different commodities of fruits and vegetables were screened to identify pesticide residues and health risk to consumers posed by such residues was assessed. Results showed that 354 samples out of the total samples had higher maximum residue limit (MRL) values, while the MRL values were lower in 473 samples. In the study, residues of 64 different pesticides detected in 3044 samples in which 11.6% samples exceeded maximum residue limit (MRL) levels as compared with that of the approved MRL level by the Turkish authorities. Out of total samples, number of samples having high MRL level were as follows: 74 for chlorpyrifos (2.43%), 145 for azoxystrobin (3.8%), 112 for triadimenol (3.8%), 103 for carbendazim (3.4%), 98 for chlorpyrifos (3.2%), 94 for pyrimethanil (3.10%), 90 for cyprodinil (2.9%), 76 for fludioxonil (2.50%), 75 for indoxacarb (2.40%), 66 for imidacloprid (2.10%), and 60 for boscalid (1.90%). Residues of one, two, three, four, and even more than five pesticides were detected, respectively, in 16.1, 5.8, 2.8, 1, and 1.7% of the total test samples. The lowest estimated daily intake (EDI) values ranged from 3.57×10⁻³ to 8.98. The lower values of hazard quotient (HQ) were obtained in dried apricot, grape, and strawberry with the value of 0.01, although the HQ value in 32 out of 62 pesticides tested was found to be close to 0.

Thiophanate methyl is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole fungicide extensively applied in pre- and post-harvest, for the control of a wide range of fruit and vegetable pathogens. In the current work, the residue behavior of thiophanate methyl after application on strawberries and an estimation of the consumer dietary exposure was performed. Supervised field trials were conducted in Egypt (Qaluobiya Governorate) as to investigate the residue dynamics and terminal residues at different PHIs of thiophanate methyl and its metabolite carbendazim in strawberries under Egyptian conditions. For the measurement of residues in fruits, a QuEChERS-based protocol coupled with LC–MS/MS was optimized and successfully validated at 0.01 mg kg⁻¹. The half-life (t₁/₂) of thiophanate methyl in strawberries was estimated, and a dietary risk assessment was performed employing both FAO/WHO and EFSA approaches.

Pyridaben, an inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport at complex I, is authorized in Egypt as an insecticide/acaricide for strawberries and cucumbers; thus the investigation of residues in the final consumed product is essential as to ensure consumer safety and trade barriers. Therefore, residue trials were conducted according to the in force and more critical Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) as to investigate the dissipation rate of the compound on both crops and the terminal residues in the final products. Results showed that the residue decline fits a first-order decay process with calculated half-lives of 1 and 6.4 days for cucumbers and strawberries, respectively. Dietary risk assessment was performed based on the risk quotients (RQ) method and the EFSA PRIMo model demonstrating that the dietary exposure to pyridaben residues from cucumber and strawberry consumption, applied either according to the in force or more critical GAPs, does not pose unacceptable health risk to Egyptian and European consumers.

The residue detection method and field dissipation dynamics of the pymetrozine-clothianidin mixture in strawberries were investigated combining QuEChERS pretreatment and LC-MS/MS analysis to provide a reference for the safe use of pymetrozine and clothianidin mixture on strawberries. Good linearity (R² > 0.999) was obtained for pymetrozine and clothianidin within the range of 0.005–1 μg mL⁻¹. Method validations indicated that the recovery for pymetrozine and clothianidin was 84.2–101.4%, intra-day and inter-day repeatability ranged from 1.8 to 8.1% and from 4.1 to 7.0%, respectively. Following application of the recommended dose in field trials, pymetrozine and clothianidin dissipation followed first-order kinetics with half-lives of 6.8–13.9 days in strawberries at four locations. Moreover, owing to risk quotient < 100%, a mixture pesticide of 30% suspension concentrates (25% pymetrozine + 5% clothianidin) was unlikely to give rise to vital health concerns to humans following the recommended application guidelines. This study can be utilized in safety assessment and developing spray schedules for this mixed pesticide in strawberries.