Scientific  staff:

  The beginning of the systematic breeding and genetics of cereals in Croatia goes back at the start of the twentieth century. The above systematic work was established by D.Sc. Mirko Korić, who was running Station for Cereals Breeding in Agricultural High School in Križevci from 1922 until 1929. In 1931, with his arrival in Osijek and establishment of the Agribotanical Department by Economics Experimental and Control Station, which is considered as establishment of the Department for Breeding and Genetics of Small Cereal Crops, systematical work on wheat breeding was starting to develop. In that time, the crossings were done on wheat selection materials and gathered foreign varieties in gene-collection transferred from Križevci, among which Italian and American crossed varieties dominated. The goal of those crossings was to unify yield potential of Italian varieties with quality and cold resistance of American varieties.

 As the result of the above crossings and individual selection, great number of varieties from U series were made. The most famous from that series was variety named U1 (also known by names: Korićeva or Osječka šišulja). Because of its superiority in relation to the other domestic varieties, U1 was distributing fast through the country and soon became the leading variety of wheat (planted on more than 100.000 ha annually). It was the leading variety until 60s of the last century. From 1956, after introduction of Italian wheat varieties, faster development of wheat breeding, genetics and production improvement was beginning in our country. After 1945, program of our department was extended to barley and first crossings on barley were done by D.Sc. Mato Valenčić, in the middle of 50s of the last century. Intensive work on the creation of the domestic barley varieties started together with the plan of malt factory construction in Nova Gradiška. The first domestic barley variety called Satir was released in 1970 and it was two-rowed winter barley variety.

     In period from 1931 until 2003, the activities of the Department are oriented on creation of new varieties of wheat and barley, testing and introduction of rye and durum wheat, taking part in high-land production programs and Mediterranean production programs, research and studying of scientific matters on the above listed crops, and production of high class categories of seed.

 In period from 1976 until 1990, scientific-research activity was conducted under project called "Improvement of plant production in Socialistic Republic of Croatia", with following themes:

 -          Creation of semi-dwarf winter wheat varieties with high quality and high yield,

 -          Breeding of barley with goal of making new varieties,

 -          Cultivating and breeding of rye in high-land areas of Croatia.

 The project was partly or fully financed by socialistic self-managed community for scientific work in agriculture, foresting and food industry and other socialistic community organizations.

 From 1991 scientific and research work is conducted through projects which are financed by Science and Technology Ministry and Agricultural and Forestry Ministry of Croatian government. The above projects are:

 -          Genetic improvement of wheat yield potential and quality (4-01-001),

 -          Improvement of economic characteristics of barley by breeding (4-01-002),

 -          Breeding and genetics of wheat and barley characteristics (00730101),

 -          Durum wheat on Individual Family agricultural entrepreneurships,

 -          Genetics and breeding of winter wheat quantitative traits (0073001), and

 -          Genetic improvement of malting and feeding barley by breeding (0073002).

 Scientific activities of the Department for Breeding and Genetics of Small Cereal Crops are tightly associated with testing of gene effects and combining ability of different genotypes by diallel crossing method, generation mean analysis and reciprocal crossing method, evaluation of components of genetic variance, heritability of quantitative traits, interaction of genotype x environment, comparison of different methods of selection and application of different selection criteria, inventing and application of new breeding methods for wheat and barley and determination of quality characters of cereals.

 After 1946 acknowledged scientists and breeders such as D.Sc. Zvonimir Mađarić, D.Sc. Mato Valenčić, D.Sc. Julijo Martinčić, D.Sc. Milutin Bede, D.Sc. Dubravka Hackenberger, D.Sc. Josip Kovačević, D.Sc. Georg Drezner, D.Sc. Alojzije Lalić, and D.Sc. Dario Novoselović, were working on constant improvement of quantitative traits of wheat and barley varieties.

 Annually in wheat breeding program there are 500-1000 crossing combinations done, around 10 000 populations are grown by pedigree and bulk methods, and 300-600 newly created wheat lines are tested in preliminary trials.

 Annually in barley breeding program there are 300-500 crossing combinations done, around 8000 populations are grown and 300-450 newly created barley lines are tested in preliminary trials.

 Together with the breeding, workers of the Department are involved in seed production of the highest categories of cereals. The goal of such an involvement is to preserve genetic purity and uniformity of above mentioned high categories.

 At the Agricultural Institute, in period form 1980 until today, acknowledgeable form of winter wheat varieties and two-rowed winter barley varieties is created and those varieties prevailed over in Croatian production, and they are also known and recognized abroad (in Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Albania, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia…etc).

 So far there are 79 winter wheat varieties, 40 winter two-rowed and six-rowed barley varieties and 25 spring barley varieties are recognized and acknowledged. From the above mentioned varieties, 15 wheat varieties and 8 barley varieties are recognized and acknowledged abroad.

 In the work of Agricultural Institute Osijek until today, the most important wheat varieties are: Osječka šišulja, Slavonka, Osječka 20, Slavonija, Žitarka, Srpanjka and Super Žitarka.

 The most important winter barley varieties that are created on Agricultural Institute Osijek are: Satir, Mursa, Pan, Sladoran, Rodnik, Rex, Zlatko and Lord, and the most important of spring barley varieties are Velebit and Jaran.

 Great damages in breeding at Agricultural Institute Osijek were done during the war activities in Republic of Croatia. But it was managed to preserve selection materials, genetic variability of the materials and seed production of varieties that were existing.

 International cooperation of the Department is conducted through professional visits, professional specializations, active participation on international scientific congresses in cereals genetics and breeding, exchange of germplasm, co-operational researches in breeding programs, and testing of new varieties and lines of wheat and barley created by Agricultural Institute Osijek in Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovakia, Albania Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria.

 As the result of scientific, research and professional activities, eight PhD. dissertations, seven master thesis and one book, many scientific and professional papers were published in domestic and foreign journals so far. Together with their everyday routine and work, our employees are involved in teaching activities on Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek and Agricultural Faculty of Mostar University. Those teaching activities are conducted on subjects Genetics and Plant Breeding. Important part in transfer of acquired knowledge and established results in cereals breeding are their presentation to the Individual Family Agricultural Entrepreneurships and contact with professional public through media and through publishing of professional and scientific papers in appropriate publications.

 For their acquired results in scientific-research work and breeding, workers of the Department received many awards and recognitions (Ruđer Bošković, Nikola Tesla, Recognition of the town of Osijek, State Science Award…etc).

TRADITIONAL FIELD DAY OF WHEAT AND BARLEY AT AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OSIJEK:

2009. VIDEO CLIP AND PHOTOS

WHEAT AND BARLEY VARIETIES

 More important references: WHEAT                                BARLEY

Valenčić, M. (1971.): Utjecaj nekih agrotehničkih zahvata na kvantitativna i kvalitativna svojstva ozimog ječma. Zbornik radova, God.1, sv 1., 173-215.

Mađarić, Z. (1985.): Suvremena proizvodnja pšenice. Knjiga, str. 1-100, Osijek.

Kovačević, J., A., Lalić, J. Martinčić (1985.): Prilog problematici oplemenjivanja priroda zrna istraživanjem F2 generacije križanca dvorednog i višerednog ječma. - Znanost i praksa u poljoprivredi i prehrambenoj tehnologiji, god. XV, sv. 3-4, s. 326-347.

Bede, M., Drezner G.,  Martinčić, J. (1990.): Genetska osnova stvaranja novih sorti ozime pšenice. Savremena poljoprivreda, 38 (1-2), 131-135.

Martinčić, J., J. Kovačević, A. Lalić (1991.): Stvaranje sorti ječma i mogućnosti njihovog širenja u europskim zemljama. Pivarstvo, god. 24.,br.3.,str.111-117

Drezner, G. (1995.): Oplemenjivanje pšenice na Poljoprivrednom institutu Osijek. Sjemenarstvo, Vol.12 (1):13-38.

Drezner, G., Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Novoselović, D. (1998): Resistance of winter wheat cultivars to pre-harvest sprouting. Sjemenarstvo , 15, 5; 261-268.

Lalić A., J. Kovačević, G. Mikes (1999.): Osječki kultivari ječma u srednje kontinentalnom klimatu Hrvatske i Mađarske. Agriculturae conspectus scientificus, Vol. 64, No. 3, 1999, 199-204.

Novoselović, D., Drezner, G., Lalić, A. (2000): Contribution of wheat breeding to increased yields in Croatia from 1954. to 1985. year. Cereal Research Communications, 28(1-2): 95-99.

Kovačević, J., Lalić A., Babić D. (2001): Barley production and status of the national barley collection in the Republic of Croatia. IPGRI (ECP/GR); Report of a Working Group on Barley, Sixth meeting, 3 Decembar 2000, Salsomaggiore, Italy, 18-21.