XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science Sustainable soil management for food and environment safety September 22 - 26, 2014 | Dubrovnik, Croatia

Following the tradition of the Croatian Society of Soil Science the XII. Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science was held in September 22-26, 2014 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The Congress was organized in conjunction with the International Union of Soil Science and European Confederation of Soil Science Societies as a Croatian congress with international participation. The General topic of congress was “Sustainable soil management for food and environment safety”, which included a variety of soil science aspects and offered an opportunity to discuss many issues that are now placed in front of the Soil Science. Because the soil is the foundation of every civilization, preventing soil degradation and permanent loss of soil are essential for its survival. Population growth in the world, global climate change, a daily reduction of available land resources and drinking water, and at the same time the need to increase the quantity and quality of food today are the greatest challenges for scientists and experts. Sustainable management of soil resources on a global basis, which includes Croatia, has the task to maintain and / or improve the productivity of the soil efficient use of inputs and to reduce losses in order to protect the soil and environment. It is therefore more than ever necessary to know the processes, practices and policies that are an integral part of sustainable land management. The objectives of XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science were to bring together leading scientists and experts, to share their experiences and research results and to discuss already adopted and revised new solutions on all aspects of sustainable land management for food security and protection of environment. Congress attracted a respectable number of scientists from the Croatia and from 12 other countries. They presented 66 oral and poster presentations focused on questions of the origin and classification of soils, soil fertility and plant nutrition, soil-plant interactions in the rhizosphere, microbiological and biochemical processes in the soil, and pollution and the protection of soil and water. XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science, through its research programs and exchange of experiences and research results, gave some answers that indicate the possible aspects of sustainable land management, food safety and environmental protection. Sincere thanks to all participants and organizers who made this Congress possible on behalf of both Organizing and Scientific committees I wish to express gratitude to the authors who have contributed by sending manuscripts and reviewers for the time and eff ort devoted to review manuscripts that are published in this special issue of Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus. Milan POLJAK Guest editor and Congress Chairma

XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science Sustainable soil management for food and environment safety September 22 - 26, 2014 | Dubrovnik, Croatia

Following the tradition of the Croatian Society of Soil Science the XII. Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science was held in September 22-26, 2014 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The Congress was organized in conjunction with the International Union of Soil Science and European Confederation of Soil Science Societies as a Croatian congress with international participation. The General topic of congress was “Sustainable soil management for food and environment safety”, which included a variety of soil science aspects and offered an opportunity to discuss many issues that are now placed in front of the Soil Science. Because the soil is the foundation of every civilization, preventing soil degradation and permanent loss of soil are essential for its survival. Population growth in the world, global climate change, a daily reduction of available land resources and drinking water, and at the same time the need to increase the quantity and quality of food today are the greatest challenges for scientists and experts. Sustainable management of soil resources on a global basis, which includes Croatia, has the task to maintain and / or improve the productivity of the soil efficient use of inputs and to reduce losses in order to protect the soil and environment. It is therefore more than ever necessary to know the processes, practices and policies that are an integral part of sustainable land management. The objectives of XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science were to bring together leading scientists and experts, to share their experiences and research results and to discuss already adopted and revised new solutions on all aspects of sustainable land management for food security and protection of environment. Congress attracted a respectable number of scientists from the Croatia and from 12 other countries. They presented 66 oral and poster presentations focused on questions of the origin and classification of soils, soil fertility and plant nutrition, soil-plant interactions in the rhizosphere, microbiological and biochemical processes in the soil, and pollution and the protection of soil and water. XII Congress of the Croatian Society of Soil Science, through its research programs and exchange of experiences and research results, gave some answers that indicate the possible aspects of sustainable land management, food safety and environmental protection. Sincere thanks to all participants and organizers who made this Congress possible on behalf of both Organizing and Scientific committees I wish to express gratitude to the authors who have contributed by sending manuscripts and reviewers for the time and eff ort devoted to review manuscripts that are published in this special issue of Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus. Milan POLJAK Guest editor and Congress Chairma

Mineral Nutrition of Two Potato Cultivars Diff ering in Aluminium Tolerance, as Affected by Liming and Soil Acidity

Acid soil is one of the most important limitations in agricultural production worldwide. The application of lime and the growth of Al-tolerant genotypes are the most commonly employed strategies for the amelioration of acidic soil constraints. This study evaluates the effect of soil acidity and liming on the growth and mineral nutrition of Al-tolerant potato cv. Tresor and Al-sensitive potato cv. Canberra (Solanum tuberosum L.). Liming increased the total shoot and root dry matter (DM) of cv. Canberra, and the leaf DM of cv. Tresor. ‘Tresor’ retained a greater ability to acquire nutrients from acidic soil, especially P, Ca, and Mg. In addition, the Al content in the root tips and in other vegetative parts of acidic soil-grown plants indicates, on one hand, the complexity of acidic soil toxicity that was not solely related to Al toxicity and, on the other, the possible involvement of multiple mechanisms of Al tolerance that could be partly related to better nutrient uptake from acidic soil

Physiological phase of mother tree as a relevant rooting factor of olive tree

Vrijeme uzimanja reznica masline ima značajnog utjecaja na proces rizogeneze. S ciljem utvrđivanja utjecaja vremena uzimanja reznica provedeno je istraživanje u kojem smo varirali tri roka uzimanja reznica: mjesec srpanj, kolovoz i rujan i tri domaće sorte Levantinku, Drobnicu i Istarsku bjelicu. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da je najbolji uspjeh ukorjenjivanja postignut s reznicama uzetim u rujnu, a najslabiji u srpnju. Nije bilo statistički značajnih razlika u broju i duljini korjenčića između različitih vremena uzimanja reznica iako je najveća vrijednost zabilježena u rujnu.The process of rhisogenesis is highly dependent on appropriate time sampling of olive cuttings. With the aim of determining the most convenient time for olive cutting sampling in the rooting process, an experiment with three domestic olive cultivars: Levantinka, Drobnica and Istarska bjelica, was conducted . Their cuttings were collected and put to root during July, August and Semptember. The best rooting results were obtained with the cuttings collected during Semptember, but poor results were obtained with cuttings taken in July. There was no significant differences in the root number and length developed from cuttings collected in different time period, although the highest value was obtained in Semptember

Fiziologija bilja

Fiziologija bilja egzaktna je znanost koja proučava životne procese u biljkama, od klijanja sjemena, vegetativnog rasta i razvoja, cvatnje, stvaranja plodova i sjemena do starenja i ugibanja. Fiziologija bilja izravno je povezana sa svakom biljnom proizvodnjom te je poznavanje fizioloških procesa u biljci temelj svake agronomske struke. Ovaj je priručnik namijenjen studentima preddiplomskih studija Agronomskog fakulteta, kao temeljna literatura za polaganje ispita iz modula Fiziologija bilja, ali i za sve studente koji se žele upoznati s osnovama funkcioniranja biljnog organizma

Fiziologija bilja

Fiziologija bilja egzaktna je znanost koja proučava životne procese u biljkama, od klijanja sjemena, vegetativnog rasta i razvoja, cvatnje, stvaranja plodova i sjemena do starenja i ugibanja. Fiziologija bilja izravno je povezana sa svakom biljnom proizvodnjom te je poznavanje fizioloških procesa u biljci temelj svake agronomske struke. Ovaj je priručnik namijenjen studentima preddiplomskih studija Agronomskog fakulteta, kao temeljna literatura za polaganje ispita iz modula Fiziologija bilja, ali i za sve studente koji se žele upoznati s osnovama funkcioniranja biljnog organizma

Kapacitet izmjene plinova graha (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) u uvjetima nedostatka hranjiva

The lack of plant nutrients is a major problem for agriculture. Because of their essential role in the most important metabolic processes of plants, their deficiency depresses photosynthesis and disrupts the efficient operation of the photosynthetic apparatus. In this study, we investigated the gas exchange of common beans bean under the N, P, K, Mg, and Fe deficiency. The experiment was set up as a hydroponic, fully aerated, floating system in 6 hydroponic tubs. Each hydroponic tub contained 10 plants and was filled with a modified Hoagland nutrient solution. One group of plants was grown in a complete nutrient solution (control), while the other treatments lacked one of the following nutrients: N, P, K, Mg and Fe. During the experiment, gas exchange parameters: net photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) were measured. At the end of the experiment, the nutrient content of the plant tissue was determined. Nutrient deficiency significantly affected all measured photosynthetic parameters and visual symptoms indicated that a lack of different nutrients affected the photosynthetic machinery at different points. Potassium deficiency lower stomatal conductance and increased mesophyll resistance to CO2 diffusion and/or RubisCO activity. Nitrogen and Mg deficiency affected chlorophyll synthesis and accelerated leaf senescence. Phosphorus deficiency caused less damage to gas exchange parameters probably due to protective mechanisms of reduced leaf area. Seed Fe content was surplus to sustain photosynthetic machinery during the early developmental phase.Nedostatak biljnih hranjiva je veliki problem za poljoprivredu. Zbog njihove bitne uloge u ključnim metaboličkim procesima biljaka, nedostatak hranjiva smanjuje fotosintezu i remeti učinkoviti rad fotosintetskog sustava. U ovome radu smo mjerili izmjenu plinova kod graha u uvjetima nedostatka N, P, K, Mg i Fe. Pokus je bio postavljen kao hidropon, plutajući sistem u 6 hidroponskih kada. Svaka hidroponska kada sadržavala je 10 biljaka, te je bila ispunjena modificiranom Hoaglandovom hranjivom otopinom. Jedna grupa biljaka je uzgajana u kompletnoj hranjivoj otopini (kontrola), dok je kod drugih tretmana nedostajalo neko određeno hranjivo: N, P, K, Mg ili Fe. Tijekom pokusa mjereni su parametri izmjene plinova: stopa fotosinteze (A), stopa transpiracije (E), provodljivost puči za H2O (gs), te intercelularna koncentracija CO2 (Ci). Pri završetku pokusa određen je sadržaj hranjiva u biljnome materijalu. Nedostatak hranjiva statistički je značajno utjecao na sve izmjerene fotosintetske parametre, a vizualni simptomi ukazuju da nedostatak različitih hranjiva različito utječe na fotosinetski sustav. Nedostatak K smanjuje provodljivost puči i povećava otpor mezofila za difuziju CO2 i/ili RubisCO aktivnost. Nedostatak N i Mg je utjecao na sintezu klorofila i ubrzavao starenje listova. Nedostatak P manje je naštetio parametrima izmjene plinova vjerojatno zbog zaštitnog mehanizma smanjene površine lista. Sadržaj Fe u sjemenu bio je dovoljan za održavanje fotosintetskog sustava tijekom rane faze razvoja

Evaluation of Soil and Plant Nitrogen Tests in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production

Nitrogen (N) management is critical in optimizing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield and reducing environmental pollution. Several plant and soil based tests were proposed for assessment of N status in crop plants. Aim of this study was to evaluate the convenience of plant based tests (leaf chlorophyll content index (CCI) and petiole nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations) and soil based test (soil nitrogen (Nmin) content) for estimating potato N status. Experiment was conducted in North West region of Croatia in 2011 growing season as randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments were four N rates, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha-1. At pre-plant 50 kg N ha-1 was applied as NPK 7:20:30. Four side-dressed N rates, 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha-1 were applied 45 days after planting (DAP). CCI and petiole NO3-N concentrations were measured at 58 and 98 (DAP), while soil Nmin content was measured before planting, 58 DAP, 98 DAP and after harvest. No significant differences in total tuber yield were determined between 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha-1 treatments. Significantly highest residual Nmin content (33.25 kg ha-1) after harvest was determined on plots fertilized with 200 kg N ha-1, indicating potential N leaching during fall and winter. Significant linear relationship between petiole N-NO3 and N treatments were determined at 58 DAP (R2=0.32) and 98 DAP (R2=0.75) and between CCI and N treatments at 98 DAP (R2=0.62). Significant linear relationship between soil Nmin content and N treatments were determined at 58 (R2=0.57) and 98 DAP (R2=0.56). Plant based tests are better correlated with N treatments at later growth stages in which applied N could be utilized by the crop