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

Photosyntesis Intensity andVegetative Growth of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus roburL.) in Common-Garden Experiment

U radu je analiziran utjecaj mikrostaništa na fiziološke značajke i vegetativni rast hrasta lužnjaka. Istraživanje je provedeno na dvije pokusne plohe koje se odlikuju različitim kemijskim značajkama, sadržajem vlage i temperaturom tla. Cilj rada bio je utvrditi utjecaj različitih kemijskih značajki tla na vegetativni rast i intenzitet fotosinteze hrasta lužnjaka, kao i odnos koncentracije klorofila i intenziteta fotosinteze. Biljke uzrasle na tlu s većom koncentracijom humusa, dušika, fosfora i kalija imaju veći intenzitet fotosinteze, veću koncentaraciju klorofila te bolji vegetativni rast. Zbog povoljnog odnosa volumetrijskog sadržaja vlage u tlu i vodnog potencijala istraživanih biljaka, njihov značajniji utjecaj na fiziološke i vegetativne značajke hrasta lužnjaka nije utvrđen. Rezultati ukazuju na visoku pozitivnu korelaciju između indeksa ukupnih klorofila u proljetnim listovima i većine fizioloških te vegetativnih značajki istraživanih biljaka.The effect of various types of environmental stress factors on forest trees is most often manifested through the reduced absorption of mineral nutriments. This results in lowered efficiency of photosynthetic pigments on the leaf’s cellular level and production of insufficient amounts of carbohydrates necessary for normal vegetative growth. Due to sudden increase in concentration of carotenoids in relation to chlorophyll, which is susceptible to a sudden destruction under the effect of stress factors, a change takes place in the relative amounts of chlorophyll and carotenoids. Because of this, the leaves in the crown of a tree temporarily lose their green color and turn yellow, which is indicative of plant’s lack of nitrogen nutrition, i.e. the nitrogen deficiency in the soil. The role of nitrogen as a plant nutriment is connected with numerous physiological processes responsible for successful growth and development of plants. For example, nitrogen is an essential element responsible for an uninterrupted continuation of photosynthetic process and vegetative plant growth, primarily because of its role in the synthesis of chlorophyll and certain proteins, such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco), which is responsible for CO2assimilation. In the previous studies of forest trees, significant differences were determined in the intensity of photosynthesis and vegetative development regarding the diverse conditions in the habitats. These variations are usually due to the lengths of summer droughts and high temperatures, the intensity of illumination, and the differences between dry and wet years. The aim of this study was to, (1) determine the effect of various chemical characteristics of the soil on the intensity of photosynthesis and the vegetative growth of pedunculate oak, (2) establish a connection between content index of the total amount of chlorophyll in the leaf, and the intensity of photosynthesis and the vegetative growth of pedunculate oak. The study was conducted during the vegetative period in 2010, on 4-yearold plants, planted with 2 – 2,5 meters of space between plants. Based on visual differences in the leaf color, two plots have been set aside – the chlorotic and the control plots (without chlorosis). Each field contained 8 plants, i.e. 16 in total. The average height of the plants under study before the start amounted to 1.96 ± 0.44 meters, and the diameter of the trunk 2.5 centimeters, measured 30 centimeters above ground. In order to determine the differences in the soil’s chemical characteristics between the two studied plots, the samples were taken on the depth of 0–30 centimeters. The soil reaction was determined with a potentiometer in the suspension of soil and water, i.e. soil and nKCl. Humus was determined by the Thorin method, and the total nitrogen level by the Kendahl method. The content of physiologically active phosphorus and potassium was determined by the Al-method. The study determined height and diameter increment for the plants studied, and also height and diameter increment for primary branches of each plant. The number of spring and summer shoots with its attending leaves was also determined. Based on the number and surface area of leaves, as well as the projection of crown surface on the ground, index of leaf surface was calculated for each tree. The measurements of photosynthesis intensity and the index of total chlorophyll content were performed early in September. The photosynthesis intensity was measured with the help of the infrared gas analizer portable device LCpro + (ADC BioScientific). While taking photosynthesis intensity measurements, each leaf was subjected to illumination intensity of 1500 µmol m-2 s-1, CO2concentration of 380 ± 10 µmol mol-1and the air temperature of 25 ± 2 °C. The chlorophyll content index was determined by using chlorophyll content meter CCM-200. By using a portable chamber for measuring water potential, the measurement of water potential was taken in the leaves (.) of plants under study. The chemical characteristics of the soil in the test plots were shown in Table 1. There was an extremely acidic reaction in the chlorotic plot, and acidic in the control plot. The chlorotic plot was marked by an extremely low nitrogen supply, while the control plot had a medium to good nitrogen supply. The content of physiologically active phosphorus in the chlorotic plot was extremely low, while the control plot was averagely supplied with physiologically active phosphorus. Both plots under study featured accessible potassium levels on the lower margins of an average supply. The humus content in the studied plots was very low, especially in the chlorotic plot. Statistically significant difference in the measured values of water potential of the plants grown in the plots was determined only during noon measuring throughout July. In August and September, statistically significant differences in the measured values of water potential were not determined (Table 3). All the parameters of the vegetative growth of the plants under study which were grown on the control plot had statistically significant higher values compared to the plants grown on the chlorotic plot, except for the number of primary branches, which showed no statistically significant differences between the two studied plot trials (Table 4). Leaf surface index, value of which was taken in the middle and near the end of the vegetative cycle, was statistically significantly higher in the control plot than in the chlorotic plot (Figure 2). There was statistically significant difference in the intensity of photosynthesis measured on spring leaves of studied plants between the control and the chlorotic plot. The intensity of photosynthesis on the control plot was 28.4 µmol CO2m-2 s-1, while its value on the chlorotic plot was 19.3 µmol CO2m-2 s-1. Content index values of total chlorophyll in the leaves of the studied plants were statistically significantly different regarding the plots under study, no matter whether the measuring of chlorophyll content was conducted on spring or summer leaves (Figure 4). Regression analysis determined a high positive correlation between the content index of total chlorophyll measured on spring leaves of studied plants with the intensity of photosynthesis, leaf surface index, tree’s girth increment, and also length and girth increment in the primary branches (Table 5). The correlation between content index of total chlorophyll and tree’s height increment was very weak. The results of the study indicate that the soil’s chemical characteristics have an effect on the photosynthetic activity and the concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves of pedunculate oak. The higher values of the total chlorophyll’s content index and the intensity of photosynthesis were recorded for plants grown on the soil with a higher concentration of humus, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Positive correlations between the content indexes of total chlorophyll in leaves and the intensity of photosynthesis, as well as most of the parameters of vegetative growth, indicate the possibility of successful application of chlorophyll measuring methods when determining vitality of particular trees and forest stands of pedunculate oak