Challenges of Establishing Green Corridors in the Areas with Agricultural Land Consolidation

Conducting land consolidation within an area where agricultural land has the largest share is of great importance. Current practice of enforcing land consolidation was focused upon achieving favorable conditions for agricultural production, simultaneously leading to negative effects related to the environment, wildlife and native species. The aim of land consolidation is achieving favorable conditions for agricultural production, which can be obtained through the grouping of properties and the formation of larger plots of proper shape. In order to accomplish these effects, barriers which might interfere with agricultural operations (e.g. forest vegetation and non-functional amelioration canals) must often be removed. Especially drastic measures of clearing the terrain are required if mobile equipment for irrigation is planned on new plots. However, in the context of the integral land consolidation both effects can be achieved, i.e. improved conditions for agricultural production, as well as positive effects related to the environment. Vojvodina is a northern province of Serbia where 76% of arable land is exploited in agriculture, while forested areas cover only - about 6% (Marković and Tatalović, 1995). The implementation of land consolidation, in most of cases led to even more reduced presence of non-forest vegetation within the area. During implementation of the measures, the regulation was mainly done by removing non-forest vegetation. Compensation for non-forest vegetation, or segregation area for afforestation, in most cases has not been included in the project design. During the second half of the last century, more than 56% of the territory in Vojvodina has been regulated by applying land consolidation measures (Damjanović and Benka, 1994). Unfortunately, the implementation of land consolidation measures was focused mostly upon establishing favorable conditions for intensive agricultural production and often led to reduction of non-forest vegetation. Nowadays, forested areas within arable land, where intensive agricultural production is applied, cover only 1.5 % (Letić et al., 2001). Due to unilateral approach of land consolidation, later efforts were focused upon improving environment by planning implementation of subsequent measures - raising windshield forest belts. The paper presents the results of the analysis of spatial representation, distribution and interconnectivity of nonforest vegetation within an area where land consolidation was performed. Outcome of these measures was compared to the situation after introducing windshield forest belts

Iskorišćenost prirodnih resursa Vojvodine za navodnjavanje

Značajne površine plodnog obradivog zemljišta dobrih proizvodnih svojstava i raspoložive količine vode, kao najznačajniji prirodni resursi i potencijali, čine da Vojvodina ima povoljne uslove za intenzivniji razvoj i primenu navodnjavanja. Takođe, postoje realne potrebe za navodnjavanjem jer zemljištu i gajenim biljkama tokom vegetacionog perioda nedostaje oko 100 do 300 mm vode. Sve češće se ispoljava manjak i neodgovarajuća unutargodišnja raspodela atmosferskih padavina. Osnovu vodnih resursa predstavljaju reke Dunav, Tisa i Sava, niz manjih prirodnih vodotoka, osnovna (ukupne dužine 930 km) i detaljna (20.000 km) kanalska mreža koje pružaju mogućnost zahvatanja dovoljnih količina vode za potrebe navodnjavanja. Najveći deo površina navodnjava se vodom iz prirodnih vodotoka i kanala (preko 90%) i to najčešće veštačkom kišom (80-90%). Među navodnjavanim površinama dominiraju oranice i bašte (oko 95%) dok su ostale pretežno pod voćnjacima (5%). Navodnjavane površine zauzimaju ukupno 20-30 hiljada hektara. Razvojni potencijali su daleko veći

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS FROM WHEAT, SUNFLOWER AND MAIZE CROP RESIDUES

Large quantities of agricultural residues are generated every year. Most of the crop-based residues are underutilized, mainly left to decay on the land or to be burnt, which can lead to an increase in a load of environmental pollution. Considering this, different strategies have been developed to use these renewable resources as raw materials for the production of bioactive compounds, their isolation and characterization, and potential application in a wide range of fields, particularly in the food industry as natural preservatives. In this study, the antibacterial efficacy of wheat, sunflower, and maize crop residue ethanolic extracts against six bacterial strains (Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica) was evaluated by the broth microdilution method. Used extracts inhibited the growth of selected microorganisms with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 320 μg/mL for most of the tested bacteria. L. monocytogenes showed a MIC value of 640 μg/mL for wheat ethanolic extract, and the MIC value of sunflower ethanolic extract for S. Typhimurium was 160 μg/mL. There were no minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values for any of the bacteria within the extract’s concentration ranges tested (≤ 2560 μg/mL). The results of the present study indicate that crop residue ethanolic extracts could exhibit bacteriostatic effect and therefore have the potential as natural additives in food preservation