Agricultural Institute Osijek - T H E M O V I E


Opening of new buildings of the Agricultural Institute Osijek is a special occasion for informing public about history, staff, activities, importance and development striving of the Institute.

The Agricultural Institute Osijek established on the basics of the Economic Experimental Station was founded in Osijek in 1878 by the Slavonian Economic Association, from which was developed the Department of Agricultural Chemistry in 1916, whose successor is today’s the Agricultural Institute Osijek.

The Department of Agricultural Chemistry had a chemical laboratory with a main building and other economic buildings, then experimental field of approximately 23 thousand m2 of area. Since 1922, the Department of Agricultural Chemistry has changed the name in the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in which, during the time, were founded two departments (The Department of Chemistry and The Department of Seed Control), and in 1925, when prof. D.Sc.Željko Kovačević came to Osijek, the Department of Phytopathology was founded.

For development of today’s the Agricultural Institute Osijek, crucial was a decision of the minister of agriculture D.Sc. Oto Frangeš, who transferred famous breeder prof. D.Sc. Mirko Korić from Križevci to Osijek, and who established the Agrobotanical Department and founded the breeding of agricultural plants. In 1931, the Council of Town Osijek helped the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station by allotting of approximately 207 thousand m2 its land around the eastern part of the town for scientific-experimental work, which meant a base for further development, expansion of the agricultural land and building of the objects. In that time, the Farinological Laboratory was founded, which was then the only of that kind on the territory of Yugoslav Kingdom. At that time, the Farinological Laboratory had the Brabender’s farinograph, beside other equipments for analysis of quality wheat flour and paste. In time when the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Osijek had been attaining the rapid development in the sense of the science, staff and economy, by decision of the Ministry of Agriculture of Yugoslav Kingdom, the Station was closed, and staff with equipment was moved in the new founded Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Novi Sad. The first director of the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Novi Sad was Božidar Jovanović (1938-1941), who was also minister of agriculture of Yugoslav Kingdom when the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Osijek was closed. The successor of the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Novi Sad is today’s the Institute for Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. However, due to reputation of the Agricultural Experimental and Control Station in Osijek, the Ban’s administration of Croatia has decided that the Agrobotanical Department in Osijek continues activity. The first manager of the Agrobotanical Department in Osijek was Ferdinand Franić, agricultural technician, who has continued activity on plant breeding and setting field trials by support of academician, prof. D.Sc. Alojz Tavčar, from Zagreb, who has been coming in Osijek from time to time. That period was short, because prof. D.Sc. Mirko Korić came back to Osijek in 1940 and continued activity on plant breeding and field trials. Those activities were continued during very hard time of the Second World War, when the experimental field was trenched by military ditches, bunkers, and exposed to bombing. During the Second World War, the famous anti-fascists: Mihajlo Klajn, Vjekoslav Bakulić, Sara Bertić and Milica Križan lost their lives. They have been researchers and collaborators of the Agrobotanical Department in Osijek. After the end of the Second World War, there was tended to maintenance of continuous breeding work of the field crops, what was also a dominant activity earlier. Main carrier of that work was prof. D.Sc. Mirko Korić, who was breeder of well known winter wheat variety U 1 (Osječka šišulja) and maize (Korićev brzak), those are used by numerous breeders in the country and over the world in their breeding programs. After the end of the World War Two, the institution continued work under the names as follows:



- The Regional Agricultural Station (1945-1948)

- The Federal Station for Plant Selection (1948-1949)

- The Agricultural Scientific-Research Station (1949-1955)

- The Institute for Agriculture Improvement (1955-1961)

- The Agricultural Institute Osijek (1961 until now)



Directors of the Regional Agricultural Station were engineer Zlatko Kolić (1945-1946), and prof. D.Sc. Zvonimir Mađarić (1946-1949). Prof. D.Sc. Zvonimir Mađarić was also director of the Agricultural Scientific Research Station (1949-1955), of the Institute of Agriculture Improvement (1955-1961), and of the Agricultural Institute Osijek (1961-1974), in continuation. The organization form of the Agricultural Institute Osijek, similar to the present organization, was founded during his mandate. Prof. D.Sc. Mađarić was one of the most famous scientists on wheat at that time, and he has given a significant contribution for improvement of agriculture through very active cooperation with wide agricultural production. Since 1974 until 1997, director of the Agricultural Institute Osijek was D.Sc. Antun Novoselović, who was also exceptionally meritorious for improvement of the Agricultural Institute Osijek, and especially gave marked contribution for existence and rebuilding of the Institute after the Patriotic War. Since 1997 until the present time, director of the Agricultural Institute Osijek is D.Sc. Josip Kovačević, and other persons will speak about his merits in rebuilding and development of the scientific activities of the Institute.

From January 21st 1961, the Agricultural Institute Osijek has operated under the present name, and from that time a significant development has been started. In the period 1976-1993, the Agricultural Institute Osijek was merged with the Faculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Food Technology, the Institute for Sugar Beet, the Fruit Nursery and the Working Community in the Biotechnical Scientific and Teaching Center (BTSTC) under the University J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, without changing its name and with a separate legal entity. By inure of the Law about Establishments in 1993, the Agricultural Institute Osijek separated from the Biotechnical Scientific and Teaching Center. Based on the Law about Establishments, Republic of Croatia has acquired the founder’s rights. From that time, the Agricultural Institute Osijek has continued with activities as a public institute in property of Republic of Croatia, in competence of the Ministry of Science and Technology, according to the Law about Scientific and Research Activity.

Especially hard period during the history of the Agricultural Institute Osijek was the Patriotic War, because all activities of employees and all material goods were on the first line of the battleground. In 1990, a year before the War started, the Agricultural Institute Osijek had 260 employees, but after the Patriotic War, it has been 135 employees. A great number of its employees of different qualifications left the Agricultural Institute Osijek. Several scientists have came over, as full-time professors, to the Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek, or in other institutions within Republic of Croatia, or in foreign countries, but a great number of them have remained on the occupied territory. With sorrow and pride we remember our employees who had lost their lives during the military actions: Josip Jakobović, Kruno Kralj, B.Sc., Jandro [imić, and D.Sc. Nedeljko Vekić, famous maize breeder, who had rapidly lost his health and died too early during the War. Some of our employees were wounded or they lost health during the Patriotic War in defense actions or during the working engagement, and they are now pensioners. Especially by losing the agrotechnical staff, these activities have been reduced to minimum, but now they have tendency of recovering.

A total material damage of the Agricultural Institute Osijek during the Patriotic War was about 10.125.000 EUR, which is recognized and verified. Demolished laboratories, library, research cabinets and other buildings, which were located at the location of Tenje road, we had to abandon. Today, of total 790 ha arable land of the Agricultural Institute Osijek, 355 ha is still under the mine’s fields. During the last 9 years, 115 ha of arable land of the Agricultural Institute Osijek has been demined by intervention of the Croatian Centre for Demining. Republic of Croatia and some foreign countries (Sweden, Belgium and USA) financially supported it.

Despite of all misfortune during the Patriotic War: work on the first line of battleground, losing staff, demolitioned working objects, destroyed scientific and technical equipment, mined arable field..., we have succeeded to save and restore scientific and personal potential for continuing activities of the Agricultural Institute Osijek. Nowdays, at the Agricultural Institute Osijek work 149 employees, among them: 28 researchers with Ph.D. degree, 5 with M.Sc. degree, 12 research assistants - graduate engineers with college degree, 24 with faculty degree.

By decision of the Government of Republic Croatia, dated on March 25th 1997, and on the basis of the Agreement about ceding usage rights and over change assigned military objects for needs of the University J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, demolished objects which had been in the centre of the frequent bombing were taken from the Agricultural Institute Osijek. Also, support for building new objects of the Agricultural Institute Osijek was promised. In accordance to the Agreement, on September 9th 1999 the Ministry of Science and Technology, the County of Osijek’s Baranian, the Town Osijek and the Agricultural Institute Osijek signed the Agreement for building new objects of the Institute.

The Agreement for performance of building was signed on July 19th 2000, and according to the Agreement, the Ministry of Science and Technology insured 8.996.377,22 kn (approximately 1.184.000 EUR) or 60% of the total costs of the building, the County Osijek’s Baranian insured 2.249.094,31 kn (approximately 296.000 EUR) or 15%, the Town Osijek insured 2.249.094,31 kn or 15% and the Agricultural Institute Osijek insured 10% or 1.499.396,20 kn (approximately 197.000 EUR). Beside that, the Agricultural Institute Osijek undertook commitment to pay the communal share 1.100.000,00 kn (approximately 145.000 EUR). Furthermore, the Ministry of Science and Technology insured 1.428.449,20 kn for furniture and laboratory equipment. This realization in the view of building and equipping of the Agricultural Institute Osijek will produce more prosperous scientific and professional work of scientific employees of the Agricultural Institute Osijek.


The major activities of the Agricultural Institute Osijek are research and development in biotechnical sciences, respectivelly, scientific-research, educational and creative work in agriculture, which contains the following:



- breeding of field crops and maintenance of cultivars and lines (wheat, barley, maize, sunflower, soybean, alfalfa, red clover, winter and spring forage pea).

- production of prebasic and basic seed categories of its cultivars.

- production of inbred line and hybrid seed of maize and sunflower.

- production of quality fruit tree seedlings.

- publishing of the scientific papers, journals, books.

- participation on scientific and professional agronomy meetings in Republic of Croatia and foreign countries, and participation in organization of the annually

agronomy meetings in the country.

- collaboration with other institutions in Republic of Croatia and foreign countries.

- collaboration with extension service, mass media, agricultural firms and family farms.

- collaboration in education of scholars and students, especially in a practical work.



Throughtout the past 125 years all activities have been in service of agriculture and the Insitute has made enormous contribution to the advancement of field crops production in particular and agricultural in general.

From the work up to this time, we have to specially emphasize the success in breeding programs of field crops because the Agricultural Institute Osijek has above 300 registered cultivars and hybrids (167 new cultivars and hybrids were registered since 1991 year) during the period 1967-2003 year: 116 maize hybrids, 12 sunflower hybrids, 80 winter wheat cultivars, 45 winter barley cultivars, 27 spring barley cultivars, 31 soybean cultivars, 17 alfalfa cultivars, 1 red clover cultivar and 1 winter forage pea cultivar). The success of breeding programs of the Institute is illustrated by the fact that some of the cultivars and hybrids of the Agricultural Institute Osijek are grown on 20-80% of the Croatian acreage of those crops, and hold a dominant position in the Croatian agricultural production. Many of them are registered and grown in foreign countries as well (Albania, Austria, Bosna and Hercegovina, Czech, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine). Moreover, numerous scientific and professional papers, books, studies, etc. are written and presented at domestic and international symposiums. In addition, a numerous scientific papers are indexed in the referential databases (CC, CAB, Agris, etc.).

The results of scientific and professional work were verified by the numerous high laurels, which were given to the Agricultural Institute Osijek as well as the former and actual employees of the Institute.

This is a right occassion to mention our eminent scientists and experts, who worked in the Agricultural Institute Osijek, and who gave a significant contribution to improvement of the agricultural science, education and reputation of the Institute. They are: prof. D.Sc. Mirko Korić, academic prof. D.Sc. Alojz Tavčar, prof. D.Sc. Zvonimir Mađarić, prof. D.Sc. Ljubo Radić, prof. D.Sc. Mato Valenčić, prof. D.Sc. Ivan Mušac, prof. Đuro Janeković, B.Sc., Zorica Janeković, B.Sc., Marko Budišić, B.Sc., Stevo Krnić, B.Sc., M.Sc. Ðuro Matijašević, prof. D.Sc. Mijo Nuskern, prof. D.Sc. Julijo Martinčić, prof. D.Sc. Dragoljub Bošnjak, D.Sc. Nedeljko Vekić, D.Sc. Ivan Sikora, prof. D.Sc. Milutin Bede, prof. D.Sc. Mirko Stjepanović, prof. D.Sc. Mirjana Skvorcov, prof. D.Sc. Ivan Knežević, M.Sc. Stipe Vujević, D.Sc. Antun Novoselović, prof. D.Sc. Stjepan Mađar, prof. D.Sc. Ivan Jurić, prof. D.Sc. Ivan Žugec, prof. D.Sc. Vlado Kovačević, M.Sc. Ivan Đurkić, D.Sc. Mile Čuljat, D.Sc. Dubravka Hackenberger, and other exsperts.

The scientific-research and professional work of the Agricultural Institute Osijek performs through the following Departments:



- Department for Breeding and Genetics of Small Cereal Crops

- Department for Breeding and Genetics of Maize

- Department for Breeding and Genetics of Industrial Plants

- Department for Breeding and Genetics of Forage Crops

- Department for Agricultural Technique and Melioration

- Department for Seed Production and Processing

- Agrochemical Laboratory

- Department for Basic Seed Production

- Department for Fruit Growing

- Service for General, Legal and Personnel Affairs

- Service for Financial Affairs

- Library



Today, the Agricultural Institute Osijek has eleven scientific-research projects, which are supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. These projects are as follows:


I. Scientific (Research) program: Improvment of yield and quality in maize by growing and breeding

Program coordinator: Ivan Brkić, Ph.D.


Projects within the program:

1. Ivan Brkić, Ph.D. Development and improvement of corn populations, inbreds and hybrids

2. Marija Ivezić Tolerantnost hibrida kukuruza na ličinke kukuruzne zlatice
3. Antun Jambrović, Ph.D. Utilizing genetic diversity of related maize inbred lines in seed production
4. Vlado Kovačević Prevladavanje stresa uzgoja kukuruza na kiselom tlu gnojidbom i oplemenjivanjem
5. Tatjana Ledenčan Oplemenjivanje kukuruza šećerca na kvalitet zrna i prinos
6. Domagoj Šimić, Ph.D. Genetic analysis of mineral concentrations in maize kernels
7. Zvonimir Zdunić, Ph.D Identification of mega-environments in maize breeding


II. Scientific (Research) program: New approach in breeding of wheat and barley


Program coordinator: Georg Drezner, Ph.D.

Projects within the program:

1. Jasenka Ćosić, Ph.D. Fusarium head blight and DON content in grains and meal
2. Georg Drezner, Ph.D. The development of new germplasm in breeding of quantitative wheat traits

3. Vlado Guberac, Ph.D. Genotype and stress conditions in production of quality wheat and barley seeds

4. Alojzije Lalić, Ph.D. Genotypization and development of malting and feeding barley
5. Sonja Marić, Ph.D. Wheat germplasm identification using SSR marker
6. Dario Novoselović, Ph.D. Development of QTL by molecular markers for wheat quality traits


III. Scientific (Research) program: Plants: development, cell differentiation and stress

Program coordinator: Vera Cesar, Ph.D.

Projects within the program:

1. Vera Cesar, Ph.D. Cell and tissue differentiation in developing plant organs
2. Josip Kovačević, Ph.D. Stress physiology and agricultural characteristics of wheat and barley cultivars
3. Stjepan Krčmar Genetički biljezi i uloga atraktanta u regulaciji brojnosti hematofagnih diptera
4. Hrvoje Lepeduš, Ph.D. Organization and function of plant cells and tissues upon the oxidative stress
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ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC (RESEARCH) PROJECTS BEYOND ACCEPTED PROGRAMS OF AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OSIJEK - 1. CYCLE

1. Aleksandra Sudarić, Ph.D. Continued genetic improvement of soybean by modern breeding strategies
2. Zorica Jurković, Ph.D. Biotechnological methods in fruit tree identification, selection and propagation
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ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC (RESEARCH) PROJECTS- 2. CYCLE

1. Tomislav Duvnjak, Ph.D. Diaporthe/Phomopsis spp. and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on soybean and sunflower
2. Miroslav Krizmanić, Ph.D. Stability of sunflower genotypes on important traits and oil quality
3. Svetislav Popović, Ph.D. Evaluation of breeding value in alfalfa (Medicago spp.) germplasm
4. Branimir Šimić, Ph.D. Optimalization of fungicide application in seed productione



Beside that, the Agricultural Institute Osijek is incorporated in projects, which have aim to improve family farms and which are supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Republic Croatia.

The Central Library of the Institute contains around 10 000 book titles today. Additionally, various information sources are available to its users such as scientific and professional papers (domestic and foreign-about 150 titles), PhD. and M.Sc. thesis, proceedings from different domestic and international conferences. The Institute’s Library has formed a part of the virtual library under the project "System of Scientific Information of the Republic Croatia" (SSI) - the sub-system of natural sciences since 2002, financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology R. of Croatia. Besides the Central library, there are a specialized reference libraries at each of the Institute’s Departments.

In a view of the collaboration with foreign countries, the Agricultural Institute Osijek has very rich and various scientific collaboration with foreign countries. The most frequent and the most extensive kind of collaboration were visiting of foreign scientists and experts and introduction with scientific-research work programs and achievements of the Institute, and reverse visiting of our scientists and experts to foreign countries. In addition, our scientists and experts have been frequently in foreign countries due to performance a mutual research programs, education or due to active participation on the international scientific congresses. Our younger researchers have been in foreign countries due to work of their Ph.D. and M.Sc. degree themes. Furthermore, many experts have been incorporated into FAO programs.

The Agricultural Institute Osijek, nowdays, has very successful agreed projects of collaboration on the field of science and technology with foreign countries as follows: Albania (Institute for Maize and Rice), Belgium (Semper bvba), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Agricultural Faculty University of Mostar), Canada (University of Guelph), China (Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Slovakia (Sempol Holding), and Turkey (University of Harran). Likewise, the scientists of the Institute have made numerous contacts with scientists from many country (Belgium, Austria, France, Italy, Mexico, Germany and USA, etc.) The Agricultural Institute Osijek has also the commercial agreements with agricultural institutions and firms in the world: Belgium, France, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia and Turkey.

The new built objects with equipment of the Agricultural Institute Osijek will contribute to more successful scientific and research work of the Agricultural Institute Osijek, and expand its results in Republic of Croatia and foreign countries. This will give a positive impact to the development of agricultural science and economy. Therefore, it is pleasure for employees of the Agricultural Institute Osijek and me to express our heartfelt thanks to all who supported building of new objects of the Institute. Special thanks to the Ministry of Science and Technology of Republic Croatia, the County Osijek’s Baranian, and the Town Osijek for financial and other support.


With respect and thankfulness:


Josip Kovačević, Ph.D.

Agricultural Institute Osijek - T H E M O V I E


Opening of new buildings of the Agricultural Institute Osijek is a special occasion for informi...

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