Vesna Dragicevic

Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje | MRIZP · Department for Plant Breeding, Group for Agroecology and Cropping Technology

Weed control in corn is a major challenge due to increasing problems with highly dominant weed species and herbicide resistance evolution. Common lambsquarters and johnsongrass constitute up to 80-90% of the weed population in many spring crops such as soybeans, sunflower or corn in Serbia. Currently, acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicid...

Maize (Zea mays L.) grain is an important source of nutrients in human diet. The differences in content and relations between certain components of maize grain impact grain colour and its nutritional quality. The objective of the Study was to examine effects of different fertilization systems: mineral fertilizer (urea), organic fertilizer, and bio-...

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of environmental conditions and genotype on the yield of three maize lines and the morphological properties of ears and seeds. Three hybrid maize lines were used as material in the study conducted in two consecutive years (2018 and 2019) at one location (Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia). The following parame...

Maize is an important staple crop and a significant source of various nutrients. We aimed to determine the macronutrients, antioxidants, and essential elements in maize genotypes (white, yellow, and red kernel) using three different fertilizers, which could be used as a basis to increase the nutrient density of maize. The fertilizer treatments used...

Redroot (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and smooth pigweed (A. hybridus L.) are troublesome weeds in row crops in Serbia. Both species are very competitive, hosts for pathogens and insects, produce pollen which is highly allergenic; and the most recent research reported herbicide resistance in some populations across Serbia. An integrated approach for...

This study aimed to determine the influence of sowing dates on morphological properties and grain yield. The experiment was conducted during 2018 (Y1) and 2019 (Y2) at one location in Serbia (Zemun Polje). Three inbred lines, produced at the Maize Research Institute (Serbia), were used as the material. Sowing was set in two terms, earlier 1 April (...

Tillage methods and intensity can be used as means of improving macronutrient and trace element concentration in soil and crops. A two-year field experiment was conducted to examine the impact of two cropping systems—intensive (ICS) and conservation (CCS), on the macro- and microelements in the soil and their accumulation in the grain of two cultiv...

Organic agriculture offers many benefits through the increased nutritional quality of produced crops, agro-ecosystem preservation, and climate change mitigation. The development of an efficient nutrient management strategy in low-input systems, such as organic agriculture, which supports soil fertility and essential nutrients absorption by crops, i...

Sweet maize has worldwide importance due to its high nutritional value and health benefits. In order to provide valuable health-related information to consumers, the phytochemicals profile of raw sweet maize kernels and those exposed to different treatments (cooking, frozen storage before cooking, sucrose addition during cooking, and blanching) was...

Maize cultivation in a crop rotation, especcially when legumes are incorporated, contribute to the high yield achievement and a reduction of weed infestation. In such a crop rotation system, the lower rates of herbicides could be applied in order to achive reduction of weed species distribution. The investigations were aimed to underline the import...

The environment protection, energy, and resources preservation are especially pronounced under present climate changes. In agriculture, these changes are recognised as drought, high temperatures, occurrence of stormy winds and hail. The aim of this study was to determine variations in seed morphology that are a result of different sowing dates in r...

Plants reconfigure their metabolic pathways to cope with water deficit. The aim of this study was to determine the status of the physiological parameters and the content of phenolic acids in the upper most ear leaf of maize inbred lines contrasting in drought tolerance in terms of improved plant productivity e.g., increased grain yield. The experim...

Cover crops (CC) are an important low-input strategy in sustainable agricultural systems. The impact of different CC (common vetch, field pea, winter oats, fodder kale, common vetch + winter oats and field pea + winter oats), organic mulch, control treatment-fallow, and bio-fertilizer (BF) application, on yield and quality of sweet maize kernel was...

The advantages of the three- and four-crop rotations in relation to the two- crop rotation are reduced frequency of soil tillage, and thus savings in energy sources, lower intake of mineral nitrogen fertilisers and the amount of applied herbicides. The aim of the present study was to indicate the importance of a proper alternation of crops in the t...

The impact of diet and fibre fractions on adipocytokines in obese subjects with a risk of diabetes has not been investigated in detail yet. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of a 12-month lifestyle intervention with different fibre profiles (resistant starch (RS)—rich fibre, or ordinary food fibre profiles) on adipocytokine levels...

Crop rotation is a simple and effective part of an Integrated Weed Management (IWM) system. This approach makes it possible to rotate herbicides with different modes of action (MOA), avoiding or postponing herbicide resistance. Besides all the known advantages and benefits, it is still not widely used in maize production. In Serbia, about 30 % of t...

Drift is the movement of plant protection product droplets through the air and can affect any non-target organism or the environment. In fact, there are three possible scenarios that can be considered as an off-target movement: particle drift, volatility, and contamination of the spray tank. Significant damages that can occur as a consequence of dr...

Seed deterioration is expressed as the loss of viability, vigour and quality during ageing. The major causes of seed deterioration refer to free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation, enzyme inactivation or protein degradation, disruption of cellular membranes and damage to genetic integrity. Accelerated ageing (AA) is a simple method for studying th...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of two foliar fertilizers applied on five maize (Zea mays L.) lines. Fertilizers were applied at different growth stages of maize, during three consecutive years (2010–2012) at the experimental field of the Maize Research Institute “Zemun Polje”, Serbia. Maize growth parameters such as fresh ma...

A soil tillage system adjusted to the soil type and agro-ecological conditions, together with the optimal nutrient supply, is a prerequisite for high maize (Zea mays L.) yield. However, there is little knowledge about the influence of soil tillage and nitrogen (N) rates on maize grain quality. A study was initiated in 1978 in Zemun Polje, Belgrade,...

The main nitrogen (N) sources in soybean production originate from soil fixing bacteria Bradyrhizobium spp. and from mineralization of soil organic N. These sources of N are often not sufficient to cover the N needs of the soybean. The present two-year field study aimed to evaluate the effects of soybean genotypes (Valjevka and Galina) and rates of...

To control weeds and cultivate maize (Zea mays L.) with higher yields, production systems have to include more efficient forms of N and appropriate herbicide treatments. The timing of N release could give maize an advantage over weeds in competition for resources, whereas cultivation at lower row spacing often decreases weed biomass. Knowledge abou...

For sustainable maize (Zea mays L.) production, implementation of integrated weed management (IWM) systems aiming to less reliance on chemical weed control, within Europe is a key priority. This IWM system includes all possible solutions such as: preventive, direct, biological, mechanical, alternative measures. A cropping system approach is essenti...

Plant response to herbicides is one of the most essential points in corn (Zea mays L.) production, especially in inbred lines. Weed abundance is higher in corn lines comparing to hybrids. Insufficient herbicide selectivity in lines crop can be a limiting factor for their application. Weed control today is based on Integrated Weed Management (IWM) a...

Nitrogen is an important macro-nutrient that influences various physiological processes in plants. Nevertheless, nitrogen could be loosed from the soil by leaching and evaporation. Thus, low nitrogen inputs are required together with a strategy to improve its utilization by crops. Maize genotypes exhibit various susceptibility to low soil nitrogen....

Nitrogen (N) is an important element for many physiological processes in crops, and grain yield realisation. Nitrogen loss could be significant through leaching and evaporation, and from this reason lower quantities for fertilization are required. A genotype could be an important source for improved N management in crops. Breeding for high yield an...

The paper presents the seed production technologies of maize sown on three different sowing dates. Seeds of three maize inbred lines (L1, L2, L3) were used as a seed material in the location of Zemun Polje in 2018. The objectives of the present study was to determine the importance of different sowing dates as a method to overcome stressful conditi...

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) is a very common weed in maize fields in Serbia. Dense Johnsongrass infestations severely limit maize production, especially under continuous maize cropping. The key tool to manage this weed is to implement multiple control strategies when Johnsongrass is first observed and not to wait until it is firmly...

Intensive weed management is required to meet the growing demands of sweet maize production. Herbicide application is inevitable in sweet maize production, while foliar fertilizer is commonly used in cropping in order to improve crop yield and quality. The effect of nicosulfuron and mesotrione, with and without foliar fertilizer, on the content of...

Polyphenols present in different plant cell organelles increase the resistance of plants to various types of environmental stresses. We investigated the possibility of increasing the content of bioactive compounds in the seed of yellow soybean variety Laura. The soybean was treated during vegetation with five products based on plant extracts, on th...

Sustainable agriculture considers production of high quality food and feed with minimal impact on environment. Intercropping is one of the most efficient ways to produce valuable biomass for animal feed rich in nutrients. Intercrop combinations: alternating rows of soybean and proso millet (S-M), alternating strips with 2 rows of soybean and 2 rows...

Taking into account the better agro-ecological adaptations developed over time to climate changed conditions, cereal local populations (landraces) represent a valuable plant genetic resources with their perspective reflected in the creation of better quality commercial cereal genotypes. The objectives of this research were to explore: i) the geneti...

24-epibrassinolide (24-EBL) is plant steroid hormone that can regulate several physiological effects in plants, including promotion of cell growth and induction of heat stress tolerance. The purpose of this work is to investigate the influence of various concentrations of 24-EBL on the dehydration mechanism of seedlings of two maize hybrids (ZP434...

Broad usage of sweet maize in human population requires an improved nutritional quality of grain. Foliar fertilization is a part of cropping practices used as a supplement to basic fertilization. Through the foliar fertilization, plants are provided with essential nutrients, especially under the unfavorable soil characteristics conditions. Caroteno...

The investigation of three wheat varieties (PKB Talas, BG Merkur and PKB Lepoklasa) carried out at experimental field and laboratory of Institute PKB Agroekonomik, during two years 2009 and 2010. Correlations between morphological and production traits of plants number of shoots, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, 1000 grain...

A set of fifteen elite inbred lines of maize (used as mothers) and three tester inbred lines (used as fathers) were investigated using line x tester statistical model, including both hybrids and inbreds. Four traits were measured: grain yield, 1000 kernel weight, phytic phosphorus (Pphy) and inorganic phosphorus (Pi) in the kernel. Pphy content amo...

Although seeds of many leguminous crops are rich in minerals, their availability to humans is limited due to antinutrients, e.g. phytic acid, which forms stable complexes with metal ions. In this context, 19 chickpea and 13 peanut local landraces were tested in order to determine concentrations of main antinutrients and promoters that affect the av...

The chemical method of weed control is an indispensable step in cropping practices of sweet maize. Application of the herbicides can induce the abiotic stress which affects the non-enzymatic antioxidants in the crops, especially on the sensitive one, like sweet maize is. Antioxidant profile, through the measurement of the soluble phenolic, caroteno...

The mode of action of agrochemicals on plants implies the totality of their effect on plant metabolism, growth and development. The effects of different doses of 24-epibrassinolide (24-EBL) as a class of brassinosteroid phytohormones on growth and other physiological processes in maize plants during different development stages are reviewed in orde...

Maize hybrids (Zea mays L.) with specific traits, such as those with red pericarp, high-protein flints or white kernel hybrids, have increased utility value as they contain some vitamins and minerals beneficial to human and animal nutrition. Furthermore, their cultivation with the application of specific fertilisers could further increase the grain...

Maize with specific traits, such as sweet maize, is widely used in the human diet, especially due to its sweetness and flavor. Tocopherols, subgroup of vitamin E, are biologically active compounds. Herbicides in maize crop are used for weed control in order to create and ensure optimal conditions for the plant growth. The aim of this study was to e...

This research aimed to determine the effects of different cover crops and application of bio-fertilizer on dynamic of nitrogen in the soil and sweet maize yield. Also, we evaluated the effect of fall–winter species (common vetch, field pea, winter oats, fodder kale) and a mixture of vetch and field pea with oats used as cover crops, as such as dead...

Intercropping, as a combination of different crops at the same time and the same field, enables interaction of their roots, improving plant growth and stress tolerance, thus improving nutritional quality of produced grains. The investigation was aimed to examine the effect of different cropping systems: intercropping in combination with alternating...

Organic agriculture, or at least its basic principles, was introduced, as an idea, in the world in the beginning of the 20th century and has been present since. Today's principles of organic agriculture were established in 1972 by founding the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFAOM). The aim of this study was to analyse co...

Rainfall is one of the most important environmental factors influencing crop production under dry land farming conditions. In the Republic of Serbia, the soybean is produced under rainfed conditions, and therefore online monitoring of the rainfall use efficiency (RUE) is essential for efficient management of production. The research aim was to esti...

Maize production is inconceivable without herbicide application, and certainly depends on crop susceptibility. Some injuries could be induced by herbicides, what could result in yield losses. This is especially prominent in maize seed production, due to the lines susceptibility to various stressful conditions, including herbicides. Crop response to...

Growing modern hybrids in narrow plant spacing together with nitrogen and herbicide application gives an advantage to maize crops over weeds. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen form, maize row spacing and herbicide treatment on weed and maize biomass and water usage, as well as maize yield. The investigation...

Fifteen genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and fifteen genotypes of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) were evaluated in the multi-environment trial during 2010-11. and 2011-12 vegetation seasons to investigate components of variance, heritability in a broad sense (h2), expected genetic advance (GA), and stability of phytic acid (PA),...

Fifteen genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and fifteen genotypes of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) were evaluated in the multi-environment trial during 2010-11. and 2011-12 vegetation seasons to investigate components of variance, heritability in a broad sense (h2), expected genetic advance (GA), and stability of phytic acid (PA),...

Maize nutrition is important factor to achieve high grain yield and proper nutritional quality, while tillage could affect nutrient uptake from soil. The aim of study was to find the optimal combination of tillage practice (no-till - NT, reduced - RT and conventional tillage CT) and fertilization rate (zero fertilization ZF; 180 kg N ha-1, 50 kg P...

Malnutrition, as a global problem, is mainly caused by low level of mineral elements in staple food (deficient soil). Biofortification is based on selection of genotypes with enhanced concentration of mineral elements in grain, as well as decreased concentration of substances which interfere bioavailability of mineral elements in gut (like phytic a...

Deficiencies of mineral elements in human nutrition could be surpassed by crop fortification. One of the prevalent measures of fortification is foliar fertilization. The aim of this study was to determine the content and availability of the mineral nutrients Mg, Fe and Zn, together with phytate, as an anti-nutritive factor, and β-carotene as a prom...

Studies on maize growing practices have been performed in the Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje since its establishment. Numerous studies realised in accordance with contemporary global trends indicated the direction of development of maize growing practices with the aim to use the genetic potential of newly derived hybrids. Although, the genet...

In rain-fed cropping, defining the best combination of practices could achieve high forage yield and silage quality. The aim of this study was to compare energetic quality of produced silage with productive characteristics of forage maize cultivated on alluvium and hydromorphous black soil in rain-fed conditions at four plant densities (68-74,000 p...