Search

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of various systems of soil tillage and nitrogen doses on the mineral composition of the grain of the common winter wheat cultivar (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare), cv. Azra selected for the conventional intensive production. The field experiment was conducted on luvic chernozem in completely randomized blocks. Wheat was grown under three soil tillage systems: conventional tillage, mulch tillage and no -tillage, and the experiment included two doses of N fertilization (60 and 120 kg ha(-1)). Concentrations of eighteen elements (As, Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, S, Sr, P, V and Zn) in wheat grain samples were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma with optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The results indicated that concentrations of the studied elements in the wheat grain were significantly affected by the tillage systems and fertilization rates (p lt 0.001), as well as by the interaction of these two factors. A smaller dose of nitrogen fertilizer (60 kg ha(-1)) had a significantly better impact on the concentration of macro- and microelements in the wheat grain than the dose of 120 kg N ha(-1). The reduced tillage systems and lower nitrogen rates in nutrition had a better effect on the increase of the content of the studied elements in the wheat grain than the conventional cultivation which applied higher nitrogen rates.

Crop rotation is important part of integrated weed control strategy. Sequences with diverse crops require application of different measures that influence weed community composition. The study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of crop rotation and low rate of herbicide application on maize infestation with annual and perennial weeds. A trial was settled on the experimental field of the Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia in 2009. The basic treatment was a plant production system: maize continuous cropping (MC), maize-winter wheat rotation (MW), and maize-soybean winter wheat rotation (MSW). Different weed control methods represented treatments in sub-plots. Number of weed species and their biomass were estimated 45 days after the application of herbicides when rotation cycle was closed in each cropping system in 2011 for MW, in 2012 for MC and MSW. Each crop rotation differently influenced number of weed species and weed biomass. The best effects showed MSW rotation in which biomass of perennial and annual weeds was significantly lower after three years, especially with the application of recommended rate of herbicides. Crop rotation significantly increased maize yield - MW by 20.1% and MSW by 29.6% in comparison to maize monoculture.