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In Serbia basil has been grown traditionally as a decorative, medicinal, seasoning and ritual herb, and there is a variety of different populations of basil. Basil is considered to have been brought to Serbia in the 12th century by monks returning from their pilgrimages. Essential oils isolated from herb of ten basil populations traditionally grown on the territory of the Republic of Serbia have been analyzed. The selected populations have been designated under codes from T-1 to T-10 and deposited in the Plant Genes Bank at Serbia and at the Institute for Crop Sciences of the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade. Essential oils of all tested basil populations were light yellow and had a specific aromatic scent. The composition of essential oil in the dry herb of the tested populations ranged from 0.87 to 1.84%. The results of gas chromatographic analysis of essential oils in tested basil populations pointed to their complex chemical composition and to the fact that they belong to the most appreciated European chemotype. In total thirty three components have been identified in the essential oils. The most common fraction of components in all tested oils was terpenoides. The predominant component in all essential oils is monoterpen linalol, ranging from 51.52 to 74.73%. Phenylpropranoid methylchavicol ranged from 2.49 to 18.97%. Essential oils of populations T-6, T-7, T-8 and T-10 were characterized by elevated 1.8-cineol (4.44, 3.70, 4.01 and 3.43%, respectively). Populations T-3 and T-4 in essential oil contained higher percent of geraniol (4.27 and 3.31%, respectively). In all ten essential oils sesquiterpen fraction consisted of greater number of components, with germacrene having special significance as it was found in high percentage in all populations. The highest content of germacrene was registered in population T-9 (4.30%), T-10 (4.18%), while in others it ranged from 2.17 to 3.69%. Basil populations traditionally grown in Serbia have exceptional quality. They represent an excellent raw material for the production of basil essential oils, for the needs of pharmaceutical, food and chemical industry

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The objective of this study is to assess the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imagery for rapid monitoring, water stress detection and yield prediction under different sowing periods and irrigation treatments of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L). The study used a two-factorial split-plot design, divided into subplots. There were three sowing periods (plots; I—mid April, II—end of May/beginning of June, III—third decade of June/beginning of July) and three levels of irrigation (subplots; full irrigation (F)—providing 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), deficit irrigation (R)—providing 80% of ETc, and deficit irrigation (S) providing—60% of ETc). Canopy cover (CC), leaf area index (LAI), transpiration (T) and soil moisture (Sm) were monitored in all treatments during the growth period. A multispectral camera was mounted on a drone on seven occasions during two years of research which provided raw multispectral images. The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), MCARI1 (Modified Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index), NDRE (Normalized Difference Red Edge), GNDVI (Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and Optimized Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI) were computed from the images. The results indicated that NDVI, MCARI1 and GNDVI derived from the UAV are sensitive to water stress in S treatments, while mild water stress among the R treatments could not be detected. The NDVI and MCARI1 of the II-S treatment predicted yields better (r2 = 0.65, y = 4.01 tha−1; r2 = 0.70, y = 4.28 tha−1) than of III-S (r2 = 0.012, y = 3.54 tha−1; r2 = 0.020, y = 3.7 tha−1). The use of NDVI and MCARI will be able to predict common bean yields under deficit irrigation conditions. However, remote sensing methods did not reveal pest invasion, so good yield predictions require observations in the field. Generally, a low-flying UAV proved to be useful for monitoring crop status and predicting yield and water stress in different irrigation regimes and sowing period.

Summary:One of the most important traits of onion bulb is its bulb fresh weight. Also, this trait is in a group of morphological markers that, together with RAPD, represent the parameter of the most precise identification of onion genotype. For the purpose of this study, the chosen genotypes were: Makoi bronzi, Piroska, AC 101, Jasenicki crveni, Bukino beo. Also, they were of a different geographical origin. Method of full diallel without reciprocals was applied in order to obtain F1 and F2 generation. Field trial with parents and hybrids F1 and F2 generation was set in a random block system with five replications at the Institute for Vegetable Crops, Smederevska Palanka, Serbia. Considering all crossing combinations, superdomination and domination are the modes of inheritance for bulb fresh weight. The best general combiner was the line Makoi bronzi. The highest level of SCA in F1 and F2 generation was found in hybrid combination Makoi bronzi x Piroska. Also, this hybrid combination had the highest values of heterosis.

Allium species are known as a rich source of many compounds with potential healing effects. Biofortification is recognized as an effective agrotechnical measure for raising the level of biogenic elements—especially microelements in the edible parts of these species, so Allium can be considered as a ‘natural dietary supplement’. The aim of this research was to test the effects of foliar application of Se fertilizer (Na2SeO4) in different doses (control—0, 10, 20 and 30 g per ha) on the content of macro, microelements and secondary metabolites (SMs)—free phenolics, flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in the edible parts, i.e., leaves of two selected Allium species in Serbia (A. odorum and A. schoenoprasum), which grew in open field conditions over the course of two growing seasons. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF), as an indicator of the ability of plants to accumulate biogenic elements, was also determined. Although with no full regularity, the dose of 10 g of Se per ha yielded the highest content for the most biogenic elements for both alliums in the first growing season, i.e., a dose of 20 g of Se per ha for A. schoenoprasum, and a dose of 30 g of Se per ha for A. odorum in the second growing season. The obtained results justified the Se-biofortification of different alliums. The BAF values indicated the ability of both Allium species to accumulate S, K and P in their leaves during both growing seasons. The accumulation of potentially toxic elements was not recorded for either species, emphasizing the safety of the produced plant material for human consumption. Additionally, Se-treated plants had higher SM contents compared to control plants. The growing season also showed an impact on SM content; i.e., in the second season, characterized as drought-stressed, the synthesis of SMs was significantly higher compared to that in the first season. Further research should be directed towards finding the appropriate dose of Se, expanded in the sense of conducting research in controlled conditions, as well as different ways of applying Se fertilizer. The idea of this study was also to popularize the examined Allium species, which are rarely grown in the territory of Serbia.

The aim of this paper is to show the state of production of seed intended for the establishment of organic crops in Serbia. Current regulations in many countries require that the seed and planting material used for organic farming must be produced according to the rules applicable to organic crops. Organic seed production, compared to conventional, carries a higher risk of weed seed contamination and of seed-borne diseases which make it more difficult to obtain high quality seeds. The early harvest is one of the possible measures to improve the seed health and there are various forms of seed treatments (natural plant extracts and substances of natural origin). Results within the field of seed production are closely related to conservation of plant landraces and exchange of their seeds that are necessary for organic food producers in Serbia.

Garlic was examined in field experiments conducted in central Ser­bia (Belgrade). Spring garlic was examined. The objective was to examine the effect of plant density on photosynthesis productivity (LAR-Leaf Area Ratio, NAR- Net Assimilation Rate) and the yield of garlic. The analysis involved the following plant densities: 300 (G1), 450 (G2), 600 (G3), 750 (G4) and 900 (G5) thousand plants ha-1. The garlic exhibited better results in denser crop establishment. It is clearly indicated by the yield of garlic attained in the experiments. Average yield rates range from 5.6 (G1) to 12.5 t ha-1 (G5). The results demonstrate that the garlic should be grown in high density establishment.