EKONOMSKA EVALUACIJA RAZLICITIH STRATEGIJA SUZBIJANJA KOROVA U PROIZVODNJI CESNJAKA

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate various weed management options on garlic (Alium sativum L.) production in Northeastern Croatia. This study focus on how different strategies of weed control affects weed community composition and economic benefit of weed management. An experiment was arranged as a complete block design with three different weed management strategies: chemical control (PRE EM and POST EM), mechanical control (three times during the season), and combination of chemical and mechanical treatments, together with weeded checks. Data on weed density, fresh above weed biomass and garlic yield per m2 were collected at the end of the growing season, and were subjected to statistical and economic analysis. The mayor weeds found in the experimental plots were: Sorghum halepense, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Cirsium arvense and Chenopodium album. The various weed growth (density and biomass) and yield varied with application of weed management practices. Significantly lower values of weed density and fresh above weed biomass were recorded on plots with mechanical and combination of chemical and mechanical treatments compared to weeded check. Chemical application gave in this study insufficient weed control and resulted in lower yields compared to the mechanical treatments and combination of mechanical and mechanical weed control. The best cost: benefit ratio was observed on treatment with combination of chemical and mechanical weed control and can be successfully applied to boost up the bulb yield in garlic and to harvest the maximum profit for farmers.Poljski pokus je proveden na području sjeveroistočne Hrvatske s ciljem evaluacije različitih strategija suzbijanja korova u češnjaku (Alium sativum L.). Predmet ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi kako različite strategije suzbijanja korova utječu na korovnu zajednicu u češnjaku i kakav je ekonomski učinak svakog od istraživanih tretmana. Pokus je postavljen po slučajnom blok rasporedu sa tri različita tretmana suzbijanja korova: kemijsko (sa PRE-EM i POST-EM primjenom), mehaničko (tri puta tijekom vegetacijske sezone) i kombinaciju kemijskog i mehaničkog suzbijanja. Zakorovljena, kontrolna varijanta je također bila uključena u pokus. Dobiveni podatci o gustoći korova, svježoj nadzemnoj biomasi korova i prinosu češnjaka prikupljeni su na kraju vegetacijske sezone te statistički i ekonomski analizirani. Najznačajniji korovi tijekom provedbe pokusa bili su: Sorghum halepense, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Cirsium arvense and Chenopodium album. Primjenjene strategije suzbijanja korova različito su utjecale na gustoću i nadzemnu biomasu korova te na prinos češnjaka. Signifikantno manja gustoća korova i njihova nadzemna biomasa u usporedbi sa zakorovjenom kontrolom utvrđena je na parcelama s mehaničkim suzbijanjem korova i s kombinacijom mehaničkog i kemijskog suzbiljanja. Aplikacija herbicida u ovom pokusu nije se pokazala uspješnom i ostvarila je na kraju vegetacijske sezone signifikantno niži prinos u odnosu na ostale tretmane. Tretman s najboljem omjerom troškova i koristi jest kombinacija kemijskog i mehaničkog suzbijanja korova i može se preporučiti farmerima kao uspješna strategija za postizanje visokog pronosa i ostvarenja maksimalnog profita

The United States of America Agriculture

Description and explanation of dynamic changes within the United States of America agriculture make the scheme of this article. The authors analyse the structure and the dynamics of changes in American agriculture over the last thirty years. During that period the number of farms was reduced by great rate but their individual size enlarged (the average largeness of nowadays farm is over 200 ha). Despite the improved economic and technological conditions, the income from agriculture makes smaller and smaller part of the farmers’ families earnings while the wages from other occupations out of farms are prevailing. The structure of consumption and the nourishment habits have also notably changed. The consumption of certain sorts of meat is going down, while that of vegetables, fruits, poultry and fish is increasing. Today only 2% of active population is occupied with agriculture and approximately one fifth of American population lives in rural areas

Aldo A. Leopold - ostavština za budućnost: Leopoldov centar za održivu poljoprivredu

Authors present the fundamental contributions of Aldo A. Leopold (1887-1948), internationally renowned American conservationist, ecologist, scientist and scholar, exceptional teacher, philosopher, and gifted writer. He was one of the pioneers who devoted his life to thought about how farming should be productive but not interfere with natural systems. As the nation s first professor of game management appointed to the Department of Agricultural Economic in the University of Wisconsin, he devoted his activity to an idea about sustainable agricultural production. According to Leopold, the aim of sustainable agriculture is to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. Leopold spent much of his time writing about agriculture and many of his philosophical statements seem to be the most meaningful today, and for his contributions he can stand sholder to sholder with Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, and Sir Albert Howard, founder of contemporary organic agriculture. Authors descibe the institutions which cherish the Leopold legacy. They especially present activities of the Aldo Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, established at Iowa State University in 1987, and it represents one of the world leading institutions in sustainable agriculture techniques. The main purpose of the Center is to identify negative impacts of agriculture on natural resources and rural communities and contribute to development of profitable farming system that conserve natural resources. Leopold Center cooperates with Extention Service at Iowa State University and other groups in order to inform the public of new research findings. The Center is open to researchers from around the world who are interested in sustainable agriculture and specific projects and programs of the Center, ra and also coordinates some of them

DEKLARIRANJE HRANE: DOBAR MARKETING ILI PRAVNA OBVEZA

Declaring nutritional characteristics, expiration dates and instructions for safe preparation of food, substances causing potential allergies or intolerances contained in products may be of vital importance to buyers and consumers. Additional information, such as geographical indication or origin of the food and compliance with certain standards could play a decisive role in purchasing decisions. A comprehensive search of regulatory framework of food production, processing, distribution and labelling is conducted at the Croatian and EU level. Appropriate emphasis is given to the food-related legislation, marketing and intellectual property related legislation. Special attention is given to the declaration of: nutritional characteristics, substances or products causing allergies or intolerances; geographical indication and origin of the food; quality seals; medicinal claims, organic food claims, and redundant, confusing and misleading signs. Legal obligations regarding mandatory food labelling are limited in terms of information. Voluntary food labelling can offer a large array of additional information, but it is still regulated in a very precise manner. Marketing communication, regarding their own brands, is an important component of the business for several reasons; it is an effective signpost for repeated purchases; an entry barrier into the sector or possible sources of additional revenue. Manufacturers and traders can voluntarily apply labelling standards that are more stringent than minimally prescribed ones. In this way, they communicate their concern for customers’ well-being and possibly achieve a competitive advantage over producers who do not demonstrate such a degree of social responsibility in their business.Deklariranje nutritivnih svojstava, roka za sigurnu upotrebu i upute za sigurno pripremanje hrane, tvari koje uzrokuju potencijalne alergije ili netolerancije sadržane u proizvodu mogu biti od vitalne važnosti za kupce i potrošače. Dodatne informacije, kao što su zemljopisno podrijetlo ili izvornost hrane i usklađenost s određenim standardima mogu imati presudnu ulogu u odlukama o kupnji. Sveobuhvatni pregled regulatornog okvira proizvodnje, prerade, distribucije i označavanja hrane proveden je na razini Hrvatske i EU-a. Primjeren naglasak stavljen je na zakonodavstvo vezano uz hranu, marketing i zakonodavstvo vezano uz intelektualno vlasništvo. Posebna se pozornost posvećuje deklariranju nutritivnih svojstava, tvari ili proizvoda koji uzrokuju alergije ili netolerancije; zemljopisnom podrijetlu i izvornosti hrane, oznakama kvalitete; medicinskim tvrdnjama, tvrdnjama o ekološkoj hrani te suvišnim, zbunjujućim i znakovima koji dovode u zabludu. Pravne obveze vezane uz obvezno označavanje hrane ograničene su u smislu informacija. Dobrovoljno označavanje hrane može ponuditi velik broj dodatnih informacija, ali je i dalje regulirano na vrlo precizan način. Marketinška komunikacija o vlastitim brandovima važna je komponenta poslovanja iz više razloga; to je djelotvoran putokaz za ponovljene kupnje, ulazna barijera u sektor ili mogući izvor dodatnih prihoda. Proizvođači i trgovci mogu dobrovoljno primjenjivati standarde za označavanje koji su stroži od minimalno propisanih. Na taj način oni komuniciraju svoju brigu za dobrobit kupaca i mogu postići konkurentsku prednost nad proizvođačima koji ne pokazuju takav stupanj društvene odgovornosti u svom poslovanju

Characteristics of women and men entrepreneurs according to the student population in Croatia

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine which characteristics the student population, especially student rural population, perceives as typical of women and men entrepreneurs, respectively, their grouping into latent factors, and the identification of possible differences in attitudes of respondents with regard to their demographic variables. Methodology: An indicative survey was conducted on a sample of 1,157 respondents of the student population in Croatia by a questionnaire as a research tool. Descriptive statistical data analysis, inferential statistics, simple analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) and exploratory factor analysis were used in the research. Results: The results show that there are differences in attitudes towards the characteristics of women entrepreneurs and men entrepreneurs, with particular emphasis on differences in the perception of women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas. Conclusion: Positive trends in thinking about women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas are very interesting and promising, which may eventually result in a reduction in the women’s unemployment rate in rural areas and in valuing women as capable entrepreneurs

Analysis of distributional and promotional activities of winemakers

The objective of this paper is to determine how winemakers in Eastern Continental Croatia use marketing in their business. In addition, the paper aims to analyse the distribution of wine products and identify promotional activities that are considered most appropriate for the promotion of wine and further development of the wine sector. A survey was the method used to collect the data, and a survey questionnaire was used as the instrument. The survey was performed on a sample of n=30 winemakers from five counties in Eastern Croatia (Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Virovitica-Podravina, Požega-Slavonija, and Brod-Posavina). The surveyed winemakers use a combination of direct and indirect distribution channels to sell their wine. The majority of surveyed winemakers sell wine through channels such as the cellar door and wine festivals. These channels are particularly attractive to small and medium winemakers because they can increase their profits. However, to be competitive in the market, Croatian winemakers must adopt new distribution channels and means of communication, increase their marketing efforts and make a shift from sales-oriented to market-oriented strategy

Značaj korova s rubova polja za oprašivače

Field margins are pollinator-friendly habitats and important refuges for many pollinators. As a valuable food resource throughout the vegetation season, not just when crop species are in flower, field margins need to be protect or restore in areas of intensive farming. This paper examines the floristic and functional structure of weed communities on field margins in the northeastern part of the Republic of Croatia. A phytocoenological survey was conducted during the summer period of 2017 and 2018. A total of 32 field margins was analyzed for species richness, abundance and their role for entomofauna. Floristically rich field margins consist of 72,6% plant species beneficial to pollinators. Foraging period can be stretching throughout the year, but stabile and high flowering period is from May to end of September. Among highest ranked honeybee plants, several invasive species with significant relative abundance are: Solidago gigantea, Asclepias syriaca and Amorpha fruticosa who pose a serious threat to plant biodiversity. Positive role of vegetation from field margins was not valuable for pollinators only, but they also serve as supply the substrates that provide a shelter and nesting sites.Rubovi polja su pogodna staništa za brojne oprašivače. S obzirom da su vrijedan izvor hrane korisnoj entomofauni tijekom cijele vegetacijske sezone, a ne samo u vrijeme cvatnje usjeva, potrebno ih je sačuvati ili obnoviti, osobito na prostorima intenzivne poljoprivredne proizvodnje. U ovom radu ispitana je floristička i funkcionalna struktura korovne zajednice na rubovima polja u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Republike Hrvatske. Fitocenološka istraživanja su provedena tijekom ljetnog razdoblja 2017. i 2018. godine. Bogatstvo vrsta, abundacija i njihova uloga za entomofaunu analizirani su na ukupno 32 poljska ruba. Florom bogati rubovi polja sadrže ukupno 72,6% biljnih svojti korisnih za oprašivače. Razdoblje paše može trajati tijekom cijele godine, ali najjači intenzitet je u vrijeme pune cvatnje od svibnja do kraja mjeseca rujna. Među najviše rangiranim medonosnim biljkama sa značajnom relativnom abundacijom nalaze se i invazivne vrste Solidago gigantea, Asclepias syriaca i Amorpha fruticosa koje predstavljaju ozbiljnu prijetnju biološkoj raznolikosti. Pozitivna uloga vegetacije rubova polja ne pogoduje samo oprašivačima, nego služi i kao podloga koja osigurava sklonište i prostor za formiranje gnijezda

Analysis of distributional and promotional activities of winemakers

The objective of this paper is to determine how winemakers in Eastern Continental Croatia use marketing in their business. In addition, the paper aims to analyse the distribution of wine products and identify promotional activities that are considered most appropriate for the promotion of wine and further development of the wine sector. A survey was the method used to collect the data, and a survey questionnaire was used as the instrument. The survey was performed on a sample of n=30 winemakers from five counties in Eastern Croatia (Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Virovitica-Podravina, Požega-Slavonija, and Brod-Posavina). The surveyed winemakers use a combination of direct and indirect distribution channels to sell their wine. The majority of surveyed winemakers sell wine through channels such as the cellar door and wine festivals. These channels are particularly attractive to small and medium winemakers because they can increase their profits. However, to be competitive in the market, Croatian winemakers must adopt new distribution channels and means of communication, increase their marketing efforts and make a shift from sales-oriented to market-oriented strategy

Socioeconomic characteristics of family farms in eastern Croatia

into the socioeconomic characteristics of family farms is important for the establishment of a suitable developmental policy, especially now, when the Croatian village is adapting to new conditions. The authors use official statistical data and the results obtained from a questionnaire. They analyze income from outside agriculture, the ownership structure with regard to the time when the farm was formed, average farm size, the land market and land tenancy, crop structure, breeding stock and stock production and whether the basic agricultural products are intended for the market. They found that the average size of farms in eastern Croatia is gently increasing, whereas the average size of family farms in Croatia as a whole is decreasing. There are also differences in crop structure, stock production and the degree of market production between Slavonia and Baranja, i.e. eastern Croatia, and Croatia as a whole