According to a FAO forecast, to meet the global food demand by the 2050, the agriculture productivity should raise ca. 70%. Accordingly, crop efficiency combined with sustainable fertilization and agronomical improvements become necessary. In this regard, due to the high production cost of chemical fertilizers (NPK), the application of organic fertilizers from manures, organic fraction from urban solid waste (OF-USW), and biosolids from sewage treatment plants (STPs) is the outmost sustainable option meeting with the circular economy guidelines proposed by the EU. Nevertheless, these fertilizers are subjected to potential hazards such the presence of heavy metals and antibiotics. In fact, the formation and propagation of antibiotic resistant genes have recently raised the awareness since some evidences suggest that they can be incorporated in crops and then to the food web. As a consequence, the assessment of human health implications and abiotic stress in plants subjected to organic fertilization deserve a great interest.

Project funded by Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.