Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops for human and animal consumption and is grown for both grain and silage. It is now increasingly being used for the production of bioethanol. In global terms, it is the third most important nutritional crop after wheat and rice. These three crops together are the major contributors to human and animal food security. Total area coverage and output of maize in 2012 in Serbia was 1.2 Mha and 6.2 Tg, respectively. Most of the maize is produced in the province of Vojvodina in the northern lowlands of Serbia that are part of the Pannonian Plain. Droughts during the growing season are frequent in this region and are caused by climate change [1]. As a result, Pol. AbstractSoil water deficit has an adverse effect on crop productivity and is one of the main limiting factors of global food security. Field experiments were conducted in Vojvodina, Serbia, to expand and improve knowledge about the effects of different levels of irrigation on maize grain yield and quality. The studied irrigation treatments were: full irrigation (I 100 ), 75% (I 75 ) and 50% (I 50 ) of I 100 , and no irrigation (I 0 ) -rainfed. The irrigation level affects maize grain yield; protein, starch, and oil content; and mineral composition. The results show that that yield decreases with increasing water deficit in three study years. On average, full irrigation results in the highest oil content and rainfed conditions in the lowest. The starch content increases and the oil content decreases with decreasing irrigation. Irrigation significantly increases the concentrations of K, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn, and reduces the Ca concentration compared to the rainfed treatment. A 25% water deficit (I 75 ) has a positive effect on certain maize grain nutrients and the yield is significantly reduced. The highest grain yield and oil content are achievable with full irrigation. For good nutrientional quality of maize, treatment I 75 can be proposed under similar soil and climate conditions.
Conversion of meadow and forest ecosystems to agricultural land generally leads to changes in soil structure. This comparative study presents the composition and stability of structural aggregates in humus horizons (0-30 cm) of noncarbonate silty-clay Fluvisols in the Kolubara River Valley, W Serbia. Aggregates collected from under a native forest were compared to aggregates from meadows and arable fields which underwent crop rotation for > 100 y. The results show that size distribution and stability of structural aggregates in the humus horizons of arable soil are significantly impaired due to long-term anthropogenization. In the humus horizons, the content of the agronomically most valuable aggregates (0.25-10 mm) decreased by a factor of ≈ 2, from 68%-74% to 37%-39%, while the percentage of cloddy aggregates (>10 mm) increased by a factor of ≈ 2, from 23%-31% to 48%-62%, compared to forest aggregates. The long-term-arable soil had significantly (p < 0.05) lower aggregate stability, determined by wet sieving, than meadow and forest soils. The lowest aggregate stability was found in aggregates > 3 mm. Their content is ≈ 2.5-3 times lower in arable soil (13%-16%) than in forest soil (32%-42%) at a depth of 0-20 cm. The largest mean weight diameters of dry aggregates (dMWD) with a range between 12.6 and 14.7 mm were found in arable soil, vs. 9.5-9.9 mm in meadow and 6.5-8.3 mm in forest. The arable soil had significantly lower mean weight diameters of wet-stable aggregates (wMWD) and a lower structure coefficient (Ks) than forest and meadow soils. The dispersion ratio (DR) of arable soil was significantly higher than that of forest and meadow soils. Forest and meadow showed a significantly higher soil organic-matter content (SOM) by 74% and 39%, respectively, compared with arable soil, while meadow uses decreased the SOM content by 57% compared with forest at a depth of 0-10 cm. In conclusion, the results showed that long-term conventional tillage of soils from natural forest and meadow in the lowland ecosystems of W Serbia degraded soil aggregate-size distribution and stability and reduced SOM content, probably resulting in lower productivity and reduced crop yields.
The goal of the present research is to determine an effective sprinkler irrigation strategy for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in temperate climate conditions, in order to maximize yields and seed quality. A three-year field experiment with four different irrigation treatments was conducted on Calcic Chernozem in the Vojvodina region of Serbia. The irrigation regimes included: no irrigation; full irrigation (I<sub>100</sub>); and two deficit irrigation treatments – 65% of I<sub>100</sub> (I<sub>65</sub>) and 40% of I<sub>100</sub>. The irrigation treatments generally had a statistically significant effect on the increase of soybean yield and protein content. Irrigation did not have a significant effect on the oil content. In general, irrigation increased K, P, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn and B concentrations and decreased Ca and Fe concentrations in soybean seed. The results show that irrigation with the largest amount of water (treatment I<sub>100</sub>) provided no potential benefit in terms of soybean yield and chemical composition. Treatment I<sub>65</sub>, which exhibited the most favourable watering conditions, is the best choice to maximize yield and ensure a good chemical composition of soybean under these agroecological conditions.
It is essential to apply advanced management for successful production of alfalfa hay with premium quality (high content of protein and minerals). The maximum yield and the best quality of alfalfa in Serbia can be obtained by cutting four or five times per year. In alfalfa stands, use of cutting system with three cuts per year is inefficient and does not allow full exploitation of cultivar genetic potential and environmental conditions. It is possible, and economically beneficial to grow alfalfa on pseudoglay soils after application of lime and organic manure, with recommended rates 2.5 t ha-1 lime and 30 t ha-1 manure. Cutting alfalfa at the beginning of flowering stage (5 cuts per year) provides hay with better quality-higher content of crude protein and lower portion of fibre fractions (neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin), and there is no reduction in dry matter yield. There is no differences in alfalfa quality after application of lower (2.5 t ha-1) and higher dose (5.0 t ha-1) of lime + 30 t ha-1 of organic manure, but there is significant increase of dry matter yield and protein yield per hectare followed by higher level of metabolic energy per unit area. Upon the results of this study, base of successful alfalfa production would be to develop management system and cultivars for different environments that would maximize hay yields without significant loses of quality.
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