• Soybean germplasm evaluation: Nutritive grain quality under climate change conditions
• Genotypic selection of peas under climate change
• Innovative strategies for early stress detection and increasing maize tolerance to cold stress
• Legumes as a source of biologically active phytochemicals
• Breeding development of alfalfa and red clover germplasm adapted to climate changes
• Predictive modelling of agronomic traits in maize using modern technologies
• Assessment of quantitative traits in small grain cereals germplasm considering climate change
• The role of genetic specificity, plant growth regulators, and biostimulants in increasing the resistance to abiotic and biotic stress, yield, and quality of sour cherry fruit
• The influence of climate changes on the expression of the most important agronomic, physiological and biochemical traits of sunflower under conditions of different plant density
• Influence of combined abiotic stresses and climatic oscillations on production and quality of seed
• Water, soil and cultivar – fundamental elements of sustainable agriculture in climate change

Full project title

Water, soil and cultivar – fundamental elements of sustainable agriculture in climate change

Project acronym

VoTiKult

Lead researcher

Ivica Beraković, PhD, Scientific Associate

Project team members

1. Marko Josipović, PhD, Senior Scientific Adviser, Agricultural Institute Osijek
2. Hrvoje Plavšić, PhD, Scientific Associate, Agricultural Institute Osijek
3. Monika Marković, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek
4. Antonija Strilić, MSc, Assistant, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek

Project financing source

National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026 within the framework of the Program Agreement with the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth

Project budget

20.000,00 EUR

Project summary

The project includes a four-year research on the quality properties of grain fractions, three varieties of soybeans, Ika, Sonja and Korana and three varieties of wheat, Indira, Barba and Kraljica, some indicators of chemical composition and photosynthetic activity in the vegetative phase of development under optimal conditions and water stress. Research would include: yield of finished grain, absolute and hectoliter mass, content of water, protein and some amino acids in wheat grain, content of oil, protein and amino acid in soybean grain, germination, germination energy and cold test. When processing the seeds, two fractions would be separated according to grain size, large and small. On a wheat leaf in the vegetative growth phase, photosynthesis activity would be measured in the optimal soil water content and in water stress measured by different soil moisture methods. Water stress will be monitored by analyzing proline and MDA concentration as the plant’s reaction to stress. The aim of the research is to determine the influence of climate on the properties of wheat and soybean cultivars. If the finer grain does not differ from the large grain in terms of numerous properties, the seed yield for sowing could be increased. In emergency situations of lack of seeds for sowing (drought, natural disasters and disasters), the lack can be alleviated by sowing smaller seeds. Relate the results obtained by initiating the drought and determining the intensity of the drought on wheat and soybeans to climate change.

Project aims

The main aims of the project are:

1. To determine the yield of finished grain according to (naturally produced quantity) in the year of the study and relate it to climatic conditions during the growing season by comparing it with the multi-year average (30 years).
2. Determine the significance of differences in grain size (coarse and small fraction, and medium in the research part), processed wheat and soybean seeds.
3. Investigate differences between cultivars in grain fractions (coarse and fine fractions in the finishing process) and their properties in terms of sprouting and germination energy, and early growth.
4. Investigate whether there are statistically significant differences in quality indicators between fractions and between cultivars: the content of oil, protein and certain amino acids in soybeans and the content of starch, proteins and certain amino acids in wheat.
5. Monitoring of water stress and plant reactions with different methods of soil moisture measurement
6. Determine the water properties of the soil in the growing container and, based on the results, determine the irrigation regime
7. During the duration of the project, write three original scientific papers of category a1 (listed in WOS, from Q1 to Q4); 2 professional or scientific papers A2 and 2 professional or scientific papers on consultation with international participation
8. Recruitment of assistants for work on the project