  The production and decay of vector mesons ($\rho, \omega$) in $pA$ reactions
at COSY energies is studied with particular emphasis on their in-medium
spectral functions. It is explored within transport calculations, if hadronic
in-medium decays like $\pi^+\pi^-$ or $\pi^0 \gamma$ might provide
complementary information to their dilepton ($e^+e^-$) decays. Whereas the
$\pi^+ \pi^-$ signal from the $\rho$-meson is found to be strongly distorted by
pion rescattering, the $\omega$-meson Dalitz decay to $\pi^0 \gamma$ appears
promising even for more heavy nuclei. The perspectives of scalar meson ($f_0,
a_0$) production in $pp$ reactions are investigated within a boson-exchange
model indicating that the $f_0$-meson might hardly be detected in these
collisions in the $K \bar{K}$ or $\pi \pi$ decay channels whereas the exclusive
channel $pp \to d a_0^+$ looks very promising.
