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Investigation comprised 41 tomato genotypes originating from the population of domestic and domesticated genotypes collected in Serbia and belonging to the tomato collection of the Institute of Vegetable Crop Science, Smederevska Palanka. The aim of collection screening was to choose the genotypes tolerant to drought during plant intensive growth stage, whereby the process of selection would set out to obtain the recombinant genotypes for this abiotic factor. The screening criteria were established for genotype divergence in plant height and shoot-root ratio under conditions of optimal irrigation regime and drought. Divergence was estimated using cluster analysis with Euclidean distance as a measure of distance, with a complete gene attachment to grouping. Drought tolerance is expressed by the stress susceptibility index (SSI). Various results were obtained based on the screening of genotypes grown under optimal and dry conditions. As a measure of stress susceptibility, based on SSI, genotypes having different drought tolerance level were determined. On the grounds of the analyses carried out, 10 genotypes were segregated (G102, G104, G107, G109, G110, G119, G125, G126, G128 and G141) to represent a basis to obtain the recombinant genotypes and to initiate the selection for drought resistance. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31005 i br. TR 31059]

Due to climate changes and increased demands of different water users (agriculture, industry, domestic) water becomes scarce resources worldwide. Since irrigated agriculture is the one of the largest consumer of these resources (so-called blue water footprint), irrigation management must be shifted from maximal production per crop area to maximal production per unit of water used by crops. Among the strategies for reducing water footprints, changing the full irrigation to the reduced crop's water supply (deficit irrigation techniques) is one of the options. In this mini-review, we present the latest advances of partial root-zone drying (PRD) applications in different agricultural plants, with the special emphases on the PRD effects on increasing WUE, yield and yield quality. We describe two PRD practical approaches (alternate and fixed), background of PRD induced increase in yield and water use efficiency and improved understanding about nutrient use efficiency. The evidence of PRD effect on the increase in nutritional and health attributes of yield in different species is also presented. Because of limited available data, further research is needed to understand complex biosynthetic pathway and synthesis of nutritive-and health-related metabolites and antioxidants in PRDtreated plants. Practical application and promotion of this knowledge will allow farmers in water scarce areas to adapt PRD not only as a strategy for saving water, improving nutrient use and increase/sustain yield, but also for producing food with enhanced nutritive and health characteristics.

The aim of this study was to investigate the quinoa fruit and seed microstructure, as well as to determine the qualitative composition of quinoa whole seed spatial localisation of food reserves in cultivars Puno and Titicaca using two complementary spectroscopic techniques (Fourier Transform infrared and Raman). The analyses of the seeds also included measurements of the crude proteins and starch contents. The experiment was carried out during the 2016 growing season in rain-fed conditions in the north of Serbia. The analysis of the scores of the principal components based on the Raman spectra revealed two groups in both seed parts (cotyledons and perisperm). The analysis of the loadings highlighted the spectrum region that contributed to the differentiation, e.g. the band at 472 cm −1 was related to the amylopectin content in the perisperm region. As for the cotyledons, the spectral range from 1100 to 1650 cm −1 was responsible for genotype differences and it included both the most important bands derived from Amide I, II and quinoa protein with globoid crystals composed of phytin. IR analysis, similar to the analyses of the crude proteins and starch contents in the seeds, failed to reveal any differences in biochemical composition between two analyzed genotypes.