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U radu su prikazani rezultati trogodišnjih istraživanja prinosa i tehnološke kvalitete korijena deset hibrida šećerne repe na području Županje. Dobiveni rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da na prinos korijena i šećera te sadržaj šećera i iskorištenje šećera značajan utjecaj ima godina, odnosno vremenske prilike tijekom vegetacije. U sušnoj 2017. godini ostvaren je značajno niži prinos korijena i šećera. U 2017. godini je tijekom vegetacije palo manje oborina od višegodišnjeg prosjeka, uz manjak oborina u svibnju, lipnju, srpnju i kolovozu te izrazito visoke srednje mjesečne temperature zraka u srpnju i kolovozu. Najviši sadržaj šećera (17,56 %) i iskorištenje na repu (15,29 %), ali i visok sadržaj šećera u melasi (1,67 %) ostvareni su u sušnoj 2017. godini. Najviši prinos korijena (67,57 t/ha) i šećera (9,67 t/ha) te iskorištenje na digestiju (88,86 %) ostvaren je u 2019. godini koju je karakterizirala veća količina oborina u prvom dijelu vegetacije (travanj – srpanj), a manja u drugom dijelu vegetacije. Između istraživanih hibrida nisu utvrđene statistički značajne razlike u prinosu i tehnološkoj kvaliteti korijena, osim u sadržaju kalija. Signifikantno najmanji sadržaj kalija (2,83 mmol/100 g repe) imao je hibrid Melindia KWS., The paper presents the results of three-year research on root yield and technological quality of ten sugar beet hybrids in the area of Županja. The obtained results showed that root and sugar yield as well as sugar content and extractable sugar are significantly influenced by year, ie weather conditions during the growing season. In the dry 2017 year, a significantly lower yield of roots and sugar was achieved. In 2017, less precipitation fell during the vegetation than the long-term average, with a lack of precipitation in May, June, July and August compared to the needs of sugar beet. High average monthly air temperatures were recorded in July and August. The highest sugar content (17.56 %) and extractable sugar content of the beet (15.29 %), but also the high sugar in molasses (1.67 %) were achieved in the dry 2017 year. The highest yield of roots (67.57 t/ha) and sugar (9.67 t/ha) and extractable sugar of sugar content (88.86 %) were achieved in 2019, which was characterized by higher precipitation in the first part of vegetation (April - July), and lower in the second part of vegetation. No statistically significant differences in root yield and technological quality were found among the studied hybrids, except in the potassium content. Significantly the lowest potassium content (2.83 mmol/100 g beet) was found in the Melindia KWS hybrid.

When breeding for wheat quality traditional methods can be time-consuming and imprecise since the majority of quality traits exhibit complex inheritance and interaction patterns. Therefore, methods based on molecular markers, such as genomic selection, are getting increasingly used in wheat breeding. We examined the potential of five different genomic selection models for predicting five wheat dough quality traits – wet gluten content (WGC) and mixograph traits: optimal dough development time (MPT), dough consistency and stability at the end of mixing (MTW), energy used during the mixing (MTI), and dough strength (MPH). The population comprised of 153 recombinant inbred lines and the experiment was carried out for three years at two locations in Croatia. Genomic predictions were done on the basis of 2231 SNP markers. The highest mean prediction accuracies (rPA) were observed for MPT (0.48– 0.57), followed by MTW (0.48–0.54), WGC (0.32– 0.47), and MPH (0.29–0.42). The lowest rPA were obtained for MTI suggesting that this trait is not an ideal trait for genomic selection. The highest mean prediction accuracies for MPH and MTI were obtained using BayesLASSO model ; for MTW and MPT using Random Forest model ; and for WGC when using the Reproducing Kernels Hilbert Spaces model. All traits had high broad-sense heritabilities (H2 ≥ 0.72). The results showed that genomic selection may be an effective tool for predicting dough quality traits and selecting the best performing lines.

High yields in crop production rely on a constant supply with high amounts of plant nutrients. Thus, inappropriate nutrient supply can cause significant economic losses. Nutrient deficiency alters plant morphological and physiological traits, i.e. cause specific symptoms which could be detected by non- destructive methods, using spectral reflectance analyses. This study aimed to describe and quantify the development of the nutrient deficit (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe)) in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using multispectral and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging. Plants were grown in a control nutrient solution and in solutions lacking N, P, K, Mg or Fe and were analyzed every three days during 12 days of growth. Irrespective of measured traits, earliest symptoms and most pronounced changes were detected for K and N deficiency, whereas slowest and least pronounced symptoms development were found in Fe deficiency. From the fluorescence parameters, the earliest and most pronounced response was detected in electron transport rate, which decreased after six days for all treatments compared to control, except for the Fe deficiency. Of the morphological traits, the earliest response reduction in leaf area, found at sixth day in all treatments compared to the control. From multispectral traits, the earliest and most significant differences compared to control were reduction in green leaf index and increase in specific green reflection. These results show that nutrient deficiency could be detected and traced nondestructively using multispectral and chlorophyll fluorescence analysis.

Udžbenik Dizajn eksperimenata “S primjenom u poljoprivredi” obuhvaća niz općih i specifičnih tema iz područja dizajna eksperimenata. U uvodnom dijelu navedeni su i obrazloženi osnovni pojmovi i načela eksperimentiranja. Opći dio udžbenika također sadrži opise i objašnjenja osnovnih statističkih metoda koje se koriste u analizi primjera priloženih uz specifične teme koje obuhvaćaju dizajne s potpunim i nepotpunim blokovima, dizajne s razdijeljenim parcelama i višefaktorske pokuse. U zasebnom se poglavlju govori o učinkovitosti dizajna, koja se procjenjuje u svim korištenim primjerima. Udžbenik sadrži i kratki osvrt na neke kompleksnije dizajne kao što su dizajni s ponovljenim mjerenjima, dizajni s djelomičnim ponavljanjem ili prijelazni dizajni.

Genomic selection is one of the recently deployed approaches to breeding which aims to reduce the potential costs of phenotyping that occur in the classical breeding process. The basic principle of genomic selection consists of the estimation of marker effects using phenotypic and genotypic data of a training population that will be later used to calculate genomic-estimated breeding values (GEBV) of a validation population. The success of genomic selection depends on the obtained prediction accuracy which can be affected by many factors. The present research aimed to assess the impact of marker density, training population size, and chosen model on prediction accuracy when predicting quality traits within a biparental population. The population comprised of 153 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between Monika and Golubica cultivars. The experiment was conducted for 3 consecutive years at Osijek and Slavonski Brod (Croatia) and predictions were done across all six environments. Obtained phenotypic data included grain protein content (GPC), test weight (TW), and time required for optimal dough development (midline peak time ; MPT). To assess the effect of marker density on prediction accuracy two sizes of marker dataset (NM = 2231 and NM = 1123) were used in predictions, while the assessment of training population (TP) size was done using 50%, 60%, 70% and 80% of the population as TP (70, 83, 97, 111 RILs). Prediction models used in the present study were RR-BLUP, BayesLASSO, Elastic Net, and Random Forest. Broad-sense heritabilities for all traits were high (H2 ≥ 0.78). A positive impact of the increase in population size and marker density was noticed for all investigated traits. The highest mean prediction accuracies were obtained using BayesLASSO, RR-BLUP, and Random Forest for GPC, TW, and MPT, respectively. In overall, the highest prediction accuracies were observed for MPT (r = 0.43 – 0.57), followed by GPC (r = 0.39 – 0.49) while genomic selection for TW seems to be least effective (r = 0.29 – 0.37).

Due to the availability and affordability of large scale genotyping, identification of genomic regions affected by the natural or artificial selection in the populations of wild and domesticated plants became standard procedure in modern population genetics. Identification of these regions and their association with traits of interest helps to understand evolutionary history of the species. The structure of cultivated common bean populations strongly resembles the structure of wild populations due to occurrence of at least two independent domestication events that occurred independently in Central and South America. Long- termed spatial isolation of two gene pools preserved their differential patterns of adaptation. Basic structure in collection of Croatian common bean landraces corresponds to the general pattern: first division is between two clusters of Central and South American origin, and later than divides into two clusters identified by different phaseolin types. In this study we used the differences in allele frequencies between populations (estimated by Fst values) to identify the SNP loci under adaptive selection.

The collection of Croatian common bean accessions, predominantly consisting of traditional cultivars (landraces), was established at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture. During the last decade it has provided a valuable material for the research on several scientific projects. The collection was first genotyped for 26 SSR markers in order to assess its genetic diversity and structure. The grouping of accessions into three major clusters corresponded well with their phaseolin type, as well as with their Mesoamerican or Andean origin. Selected set of accessions was then grown in a field trial and scored for their nutrient content. Results revealed some differences in mineral content between cultivars of a different origin, but generally mineral levels were high enough (compared to those from other authors) to consider the collection as a valuable resource for plant breeding. Further genotyping based on 6311 SNP markers provided additional confirmation of earlier results obtained using SSR markers and resolved some earlier doubts. Finally, collected data were submitted to GWAS, which resulted in discovering 22 QTNs associated with N, P, Ca, Mg and Zn content.

Iako je u Hrvatskoj grah (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) najraširenija mahunarka, zapostavljena je kultura i tradicijski kultivari graha su u opasnosti od genetske erozije uzrokovane složenim društveno- gospodarskim promjenama u ruralnim zajednicama. Iz tog razloga je na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu Agronomskom fakultetu osnovana kolekcija hrvatskih tradicijskih kultivara graha koji su poznati po svojim narodnim nazivima koji se uglavnom temelje na morfološkim osobinama sjemenki, odnosno na boji i mozaiku sjemene ljuske. Kolekcija je analizirana pomoću SSR biljega, određen je tip fazeolina te morfološka svojstava kako bi se procijenila njezina genetska raznolikost i struktura. Primke su razvrstane u 14 morfogenetskih skupina koje predstavljaju najčešće tradicijske kultivare (morfotipove) u Hrvatskoj te u miješanu skupinu manje zastupljenih morfotipova. Utvrđeno je postojanje tri genetske skupine koje su se u većini slučajeva podudarale s rezultatima analize tipa fazeolina, odnosno u srednjoameričkom i andskom podrijetlu. Za odabrane primke su zatim utvrđene razlike u sadržaju dušika i mineralnih tvari u sjemenu između kultivara različitog podrijetla. Daljnja genotipizacija na temelju SNP biljega pružila je dodatnu potvrdu ranijih rezultata dobivenih pomoću SSR biljega. Zatim je proveden GWAS te su otkriveni QTN-ovi povezani sa sadržajem N, P, Ca, Mg i Zn. S obzirom da se tradicijski kultivari graha najviše razlikuju u boji sjemene ljuske, za odabrane tradicijske kultivare je na kraju provedeno istraživanje te je utvrđeno da boja sjemene ljuske kao i veličina sjemenke utječu na brzinu upijanja vode, klijanje sjemena i nicanje biljaka što se može smatrati vrijednim izvorom za oplemenjivanje bilja.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hydropriming (dH2O ; PT1) and osmopriming (-0.8 MPa PEG ; PT2) on germination of two common bean cultivars ('Biser' and 'Trešnjevac') under induced drought stress. The germination capacity was tested on the germination paper soaked with dH2O (T1) and -0.6 MPa PEG (T2) for nine days. The results showed that there was no significant difference between two common bean cultivars in terms of germination success, but there were significant differences between pretreatments (PT1 and PT2) and treatments (T1 and T2) in terms of germination success for these cultivars. Seeds of both cultivars germinate significantly faster on dH2O (T1) when pretreatment is PEG -0.8.MPa (PT2), but dH2O (PT1) is a better seed priming technique to use under induced drought stress (-0.6 MPa PEG ; T2).

Dužina vegetacije hibrida kukuruza vrlo je važan čimbenik pri utvrđivanju potencijala rodnosti za pojedine uzgojne okoline pogotovo u kontekstu klimatskih promjena. Dugoročni pokusi za ispitivanje gospodarske vrijednosti sorti (VCU) mogu pomoći pri odabiru optimalne vegetacijske skupine istraživanjem genotipske i okolinske varijabilnosti genotipova kukuruza različitih grupa zrenja. Cilj ovoga rada bio je usporediti komponente varijance u trima FAO grupama (FAO300, FAO400 i FAO500) procijenjenih za dva desetljeća (2001. - 2010. i 2011. - 2019.) kako bi se odredile moguće razlike u varijancama u VCU pokusima. Uobičajeni set podataka genotip x lokacija x godina (G x L x Y) analiziran je pomoću standardnog mješovitog modela za trofaktorijalne pokuse. Najvažnije komponente varijance bile su Y i L x Y kroz obje dekade i tri vegetacijske skupine. Najveća komponenta varijance bila je Y za genotipove FAO300 u dekadi 2011. - 2019. Međutim, općenito najveća komponenta varijance bila je L x Y. Nisu uočene znatne razlike u pojedinim komponentama varijanci između vegetacijskih skupina. Potrebno je provesti daljnju opsežnu analizu VCU pokusa kako bi se raščlanili učinci klimatskih promjena od genetskog napretka kod kukuruza različitih vegetacijskih skupina uključivanjem i ostalih agronomskih činitelja koji su se mijenjali tijekom vremena.

One of the most important vegetable crops and the most popular "winter" foods is common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). It is a New World crop domesticated independently in Mesoamerica and Andean South America. Into Europe, it was introduced through Spain and Portugal. The long tradition of common bean cultivation in Croatia has enabled the evolution of many landraces displaying high levels of genetic and morphological diversity. Moreover, due to the relatively high content of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phytonutrients (flavonoids, lignins, phytosterols) and antioxidants in the seed, common bean has considerable potential as a functional food. In our research, the origin was determined for a wide panel of accessions representing Croatian common bean landraces. Also, they were phenotyped for seed content of eight nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Mn). Great variability of the nutritional profile was determined. Landraces of Mesoamerican origin, 'V. Trešnjevac' and 'Kukuruzar' had the highest total protein content, 24.50 % and 23.14 % respectively. Mesoamerican origin was important also for phosphorus (P) content. Besides, high potassium (K) content was determined in all landraces from the Mesoamerican gene pool, but the highest was determined in 'Puter' (1.66 %) from the Andean gene pool. On the other hand, calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) content were not influenced by gene pool or by growth habit. Concerning the micronutrient content results showed that the highest iron (Fe) content was found in landrace 'N. Trešnjevac' (75.77 mg Fe∙kg-1 DW) from the Andean gene pool. Origin did not affect the manganese (Mn) content while the highest zinc (Zn) content was determined in Mesoamerican landrace 'Biser' (29.32 mg Zn∙kg-1 DW). Furthermore, all the accessions were genotyped using SSRs and DArTseq-derived SNP markers and, a genome-wide association study was conducted to identify new genetic sources for improving seed mineral content.

Selection for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain quality traits is often costly and time consuming since it requires extensive phenotyping in the process of development of new lines and cultivars. The development of high-throughput genotyping in the last decade enabled reliable and rapid predictions of breeding values based only on marker information. Genomic selection is a method that enables the prediction of breeding values of individuals by simultaneously incorporating all available marker information into a model. The main aim of this study was to investigate several different models, RR-BLUP and Bayesian models, for predicting wheat grain quality traits using a biparental population. Two varieties (Bezostaja and Klara) differing in all HMW glutenin subunits were selected, and a set of 139 recombinant inbred lines were derived from a cross between these two parents. All RILs were evaluated at two locations (Osijek and Slavonski Brod) during three years for the quality traits grain protein content (GPC), wet gluten content (WGC) and mixograph midline peak height (MPT). Population was genotyped using the DArTseq technology and a total of 1087 SNPs were used for genomic selection. Response of the prediction accuracy of quality traits to changes in heritability and model applied were determined, in order to propose an optimal scenario for genomic selection within biparental wheat populations. Impact of genotype imputation on the performance of models for genomic prediction was also assessed. Results showed that trait heritability and genotype imputation significantly affect predictive ability of selected models when using biparental wheat population.

Genomic selection is one of the newly developed methods of marker-assisted selection in which molecular markers covering the whole genome are used. The main goal of genomic selection is to predict the genetic value of the individuals within validation population based on genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV). In our study, RR-BLUP model was used to predict grain quality traits within biparental wheat population. The population is comprised of 139 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between Bezostaya-1 and Klara cultivars. The experiment was conducted during 3 consecutive years at Osijek and Slavonski Brod (Croatia). Phenotypic data for quality traits grain protein content (GPC), wet gluten content (WGC) and test weight (TW) were collected. Population was genotyped using the DArTseq technology and a total of 1087 SNPs were used for genomic selection. To assess the effect of marker density on prediction accuracy maximum number of markers (NM = 1087) and two subsets (NM = 544 and NM = 272) were used in predictions. Imputation of missing genotype data for each dataset was done using two approaches: mean imputation (MNI) and imputation within Beagle software, in order to assess the effect of the type of imputation of different marker densities on the prediction accuracy. Cross-validation was performed by randomly splitting the dataset into training and validation population in the ratio 80:20. Prediction accuracy was expressed as the mean value over the total number of cross- validation iterations which was set to 10 000. Among the quality traits examined, the highest prediction accuracy was obtained for TW, regardless of the NM size and imputation method used. As expected, reducing the NM had a large negative effect on prediction accuracy for all examined quality traits. The decrease in prediction accuracy was even more pronounced when a dataset imputed by Beagle software was used. The reduction of prediction accuracy with reducing NM was less severe when MNI was applied, suggesting that MNI may be a method of choice for imputation within a biparental population when the size of the available marker data is limited.

Cilj istraživanja je bio utvrditi mogućnost povećanja učinkovitosti poljskih pokusa za ispitivanje gospodarske vrijednosti sorti (VCU) kukuruza primjenom alfa dizajna, u smislu povećanja pouzdanosti usporedbe sorata. Pokusi su postavljeni prema alfa dizajnu s četiri repeticije, na lokacijama: Tovarnik, Osijek, Beli Manastir, Kutjevo i Zagreb u 2019. godini. Analiza podataka o urodu je radi procjene relativne učinkovitosti provedena prema dva modela: slučajnom bloknom rasporedu (RCBD) i alfa dizajnu. Relativna učinkovitost alfa dizajna (u odnosu na RCBD) procijenjena je na temelju omjer pogrešaka usporedaba ta dva modela.

Fuzarijski palež klasa (FHB) smanjuje urod i kvalitetu zrna pšenice. Fusarium vrste proizvode i mikotoksine od kojih su najzastupljeniji deoksinivalenol (DON) i zearalenon (ZEN). Istraživanje je provedeno na osam genotipova ozime pšenice i njihovih 28 F1 križanaca dobivenih prema shemi dialelnog križanja bez reciproka u uvjetima umjetne inokulacije gljivom vrste Fusarium graminearum tijekom tri godine. Intenzitet zaraze genotipova ocijenjen je putem vizualne ocjene postotka površine klasa zaražene s FHB (VRI) i postotka fuzariumom zaraženih zrna (FDK), a na uzorcima brašna je provedena analiza sadržaja mikotoksina DON-a i ZEN-a pomoću HPLC-MS/MS multianalitičke metode. Utvrđeni su signifikantni učinci genotipa i godine na sadržaj DON-a i ZEN-a, dok interakcija godina × genotip za sadržaj ova dva mikotoksina nije bila signifikantna. Sadržaj DON-a varirao je od 222 do 16042 μg/kg, a sadržaj ZEN-a od 0, 1 do 273, 4 μg/kg, ovisno o genotipu i godini. Utvrđena je visoka pozitivna korelacija između VRI i FDK (r=0, 93), kao i visoke korelacije između VRI i sadržaja DON-a (r=0, 91) te VRI i sadržaja ZEN-a (r=0, 91). Korelacije između FDK i sadržaja DON-a (r=0, 96) te FDK i sadržaja ZEN-a (r=0, 91) su također bile visoke kao i korelacija između sadržaja DON-a i sadržaja ZEN-a (r=0, 86). Visoke pozitivne korelacije utvrđene između navedenih svojstava pružaju nam mogućnost da praćenjem jednog svojstva možemo pouzdano predvidjeti ekspresiju drugog svojstva povezanog s otpornosti na FHB.

To explore the utility of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) as a tool for the prediction of germination success we tested Croatian common bean landraces (‘Trešnjevac’, ‘Biser’, ‘Zelenčec’) differing in seed traits (length, width, height, weight) for seed germination. The significant differences in germination time were observed, landrace ‘Biser’ being the fastest to germinate. The univariate model including CF parameter Fv/Fm was not significant while the multivariate Cox model (seed length+Fv/Fm) had the highest concordance index. The utility of CF parameter Fv/Fm as a tool for the prediction of germination success is limited especially when other factors have a clear impact.

Recent changes in climate and management practices have the effect on maize cropping system in European Corn Belt (parts of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia) allowing earlier planting and growing early maturity varieties.While earlier planting is known to be connected to chilling tolerance and not fully investigated in the region, growing earlier maize varieties was taken for granted. The objective of this study is to compare trends for grain yields among maize varieties grouped in different maturity groups (FAO 200 – FAO 600) over twenty years based on experimental and simulation data to determine appropriateness of growing early genotypes in the region. Pre-registration yield trials were used to determine “potential yield” based on the best available maize genotypes regularly updated to match breeding progress. The adjacent yield trials were set in a breeding station near Zagreb, Croatia from 1996 to 2015 where maize hybrids were grouped according to maturity groups (FAO 200, 400, 600). Usual best management practices including optimum planting dates were applied. Simulations were performed in APSIM for the same 20-year period with no management constraints selecting default early, medium and late maize variety options. Meteorological values were obtained from the AGRI4CAST database. The total means for grain yield in the trials were 9.5, 9.9 and 9.8 t/ha for FAO 200, 400, 600, respectively. Regression analysis revealed negative yield trends for FAO 200 and 400, and stagnation for FAO 600 over the years. Almost the same trends were obtained by the simulation. Hence, choosing early maize varieties when planted in optimum planting dates seems not to be the only option in future. The next step will be to use our experimental data to calibrate crop simulation models for potential yield prediction across several climate change scenarios and management options.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a species of great interest worldwide. It is grown in Europe, Asia and Africa, where it presents similarities to Andean and Mesoamerican domestication centers or forms hybrids between both genepools [1]. In Croatia the production is based on landraces which display high levels of diversity and are important reservoirs of natural genetic variations [2]. On the basis of results of our research, 135 out of 174 accessions were assigned to 14 morpho-genetic groups originating from distinct domestication events: (1) Mesoamerican ('Trešnjevac', 'Tetovac', 'Kukuruzar', 'Biser'), (2) Andean - indeterminate type ('Sivi', 'Puter', 'Maslina', 'Dan i noć', 'Visoki Trešnjevac'), and (3) Andean - determinate type ('Niski Trešnjevac', 'Dan i noć', 'Puter', Bijeli', 'Zelenčec'). The rest of the accessions could represent putative hybrids among morpho-genetic groups including the hybrids among the gene pools. Common bean is one of the most beneficial crop species while in diet it provides macro- and micronutrients. However, there is a substantial variability present in seed mineral content among genotypes. As reported by Palčić et al. (2018) [3] among investigated Croatian common bean landraces the highest nitrogen (N) content in seed dry weight was in 'Visoki Trešnjevac' (3.92%) while the lowest was in 'Zelenčec' (3.13%). Moreover, average N content of indeterminate types was significantly higher compared to determinate types. Phosphorus (P) values varied from 0.49% ('Puter') to 0.57% ('Biser') where determined P content in landraces of Andean gene pool was significantly lower compared to landraces of Mesoamerican gene pool. Significantly lower seed potassium content was determined in 'Niski Trešnjevac' (1.42%) and 'Zelenčec' (1.38%). Calcium content in all studied landraces varied from 0.34 ('Kukuruzar') to 0.42% ('Biser'), with no significant differences among the researched landraces. Also, there were no significant differences in magnesium content among landraces. Magnesium content varied from 0.17 to 0.2% ('Puter'), with the average of 0.18% ('Biser'). Concerning the investigated micronutrients content, we can conclude that the highest iron content was found in landrace 'Niski Trešnjevac' while the lowest was in 'Kukuruzar'. 'Kukuruzar' also had the lowest value of manganese (Mn) content (15.19 mg kg-1) and zinc (Zn) content (24.98 mg kg-1) while the highest Mn content was in 'Biser' (19.94 mg kg-1) whereas the highest Zn content was determined in 'Visoki Trešnjevac' landrace (27.84 mg kg-1). Genotyping was carried out using microsatellite and DArTseq-based SNP markers to be used in genome-wide association study (GWAS). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) based GWAS has gained popularity particularly for screening a great number of accessions and to associate markers with desired traits in crops [4]. The unified mixed-model approach [5] allows the correction for population structure and family relatedness in order to remove false positives. Mixed model Q matrix was based on population structure obtained by model-based clustering method [6], while K matrix was constructed by calculating Loiselle's kinship coefficients [7] in SPAGeDi [8]. Genome-wide scan for association between markers and nutrient content was performed using single marker approach as implemented in TASSEL [9] as well as multi-locus approach implemented in R package “mlmm” [10].

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat can cause a reduction in grain yield, test weight and grain quality. The level of seed dormancy at harvest maturity is the main component of PHS resistance in wheat. In the present study, recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population developed by single seed descent from the cross ‘Bezostaja 1’ (weak PHS resistance, non-dormant) × ‘Klara’ (high PHS resistance, dormant) was used to analyse seed dormancy. The RIL population and parental genotypes were grown in replicated trials in two different environments. The genetic and the genotype × environment component of variance accounted for 71 and 20% of the phenotypic variance for seed dormancy, respectively. The estimated heritability of the trait was 0.85. In the RIL population, transgressive segregation was observed mostly in the direction of low seed dormancy, while only a few lines had more pronounced seed dormancy than the dormant parent ‘Klara’. A genetic map has been developed based on the RIL population while QTL analysis using composite interval mapping (CIM) and multiple interval mapping (MIM) allowed the identification of putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling seed dormancy.

Dormantnost zrna pšenice je glavna komponenta otpornosti na priježetveno proklijavanje, koja osigurava stabilnost pekarske kakvoće zrna u vlažnim uvjetima tijekom žetve. Cilj rada bio je procijeniti učinak selekcije, provedene u F3 generaciji nakon križanja nedormantnog (linija brkulja) i dormantnog (linija golica) roditelja, na dormantnost zrna kod F7 potomstva te utvrditi učinak provedene selekcije na visinu biljke i duljinu vegetacije proizvedenih potomstva. Za procjenu dormantnosti zrna korišten je test klijavosti s ovršenim zrnima. Rezultati su pokazali da je selekcija dovela do signifikantnog povećanja razine dormantnosti i kod golica i kod brkulja, pri čemu je učinak selekcije bio znatno veći kod golica nego kod brkulja. U skupini golica opaženo je pozitivno transgresivno razdvajanje rezultirajući s nekoliko F7 potomstava s razinom dormantnosti većom od dormantnog roditelja. Korelacije između indeksa klijanja i broja dana do klasanja za sva F7 potomstva, F7-golice i F7- brkulje (kontrola) bile su slabe i kretale su se u apsolutnim vrijednostima od 0.04 do 0.39. Korelacije između indeksa klijanja i visine biljke u tri skupine F7 linija bile su također slabe i kretale su se od -0.01 do -0.28. Ipak, selekcija na povećanu dormantnost zrna dovela je do signifikantnog smanjenja visine biljke i kasnijeg klasanja kod izabranih F7 potomstava.

Zaboravljene odnosno zapostavljene kulture, kao što je heljda, postaju sve značajnije u biljnoj prizvodnji. Može se uzgajati uz vrlo niska ulaganja, kao glavna ili dopunska (postrna) kultura nakon uzgoja ozimih žitarica, a kao takva posebno je interesantna u sustavu ekološkog uzgoja. Prosječni urod heljde kao glavne kulture u Hrvatskoj (konvencionalna proizvodnja) je oko 1, 5-2 tha-1 , a kao postrnog usjeva oko 1 tha-1 što je vrlo nisko stoga je nužno popraviti tehnologiju uzgoja heljde. Zbog povećanog interesa za konzumiranjem i proizvodnjom heljde, problem je nedostatak odgovarajućega sjemenskog materijala. Stoga se javila potreba za prikupljanjem postojećih lokalnih populacija heljde preostalih na području Hrvatske. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi razlike u morfološkim i agronomskim svojstvima kod šest populacija heljde sakupljenih na području sjeverozapadne Hrvatske te dvije sorte Darje i Novosadske u različitim uvjetima uzgoja. Poljski pokus sijan u tri sjetvene norme (60, 80 i 100 kgha-1 ) postavljen je u 2017. godini na dvije lokacije Varaždin i Sveta Marija. Sijan je u dva roka sjetve (kao glavni i postrni usjev) te dva načina proizvodnje (konvencionalna i ekološka). Populacije heljde međusobno se nisu značajno razlikovale u morfološkim i agronomskim svojstvima, dok je utvrđena razlika između sorata. Značajne razlike u morfološkim i agronomskim svojstvima kod ispitivanih poulacija i sorti utvrđene su za rok sjetve te za gustoću sjetve. Obzirom na način proizvodnje nisu utvrđene značajne razlike među promatranim svojstvima.

Heljda (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) je pseudožitarica porijeklom iz Kine, a u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj tradicionalno se uzgaja više od stoljeća. Donedavno je uzgajana na vrlo malim površinama, no proteklih godina povećava se interes za proizvodnjom ove kulture, kako za zrno, tako i za zelenu gnojidbu. Budući da na sortnoj listi Republike Hrvatske ne postoji ni jedna sorta heljde, javila se potreba za prikupljanjem postojećih lokalnih populacija heljde preostalih na području Varaždinske i Međimurske županije. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je usporediti prikupljene populacije heljde (6 populacija) sa sortama susjednih država Darjom i Novosadskom. Genetskom analizom utvrđeno je razdvajanje domaćih populacija od referentnih sorti, iako je unutar samih populacija utvrđen visok stupanj genetske varijabilnosti. Morfološka i agronomska svojstva populacija, kao i sorti varirala su ovisno o sklopu (60, 80 i 100 kg/ha), roku sjetve (glavni i postrni usjev) i načinu uzgoja (ekološki i konvencionalni). Nutritivne vrijednosti odabranih populacija bile su u razini standarda sorte Darja. Iznimka je sadržaj cinka, za koji su u većini uzoraka zabilježene više vrijednosti kod odabranih populacija. Na osnovu genetskih, agronomskih i nutritivnih parametara odabrane su populacije 3. i 6. koje će se prijaviti kao čuvane sorte te biti umnažane kao Varaždinske populacije heljde.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is an old, gluten free pseudo-cereal originating from Asia whose importance increased in Croatia as well due to healthy diet trends. It is produced as a main or post-crop after winter cereals, with very low inputs which makes it attractive for the farmers. In Croatia it is traditionally grown in the northwestern part – Croatian Zagorje, Podravina and in Međimurje. With increasing interest for buckwheat production and consumption, lack of the adequate reproduction material becomes an issue since in Croatia there is no buckwheat breeding program or seed trade. There is therefore a need for collecting, genotyping and revitalizing the remaining Croatian buckwheat germplasm. Accordingly, the aim of this research was to determine genetic profiles and genetic structure of local buckwheat landrace populations that were collected earlier. Molecular genetic analysis of 12 microsatellite (SSR) markers was done for progeny obtained from reselection (25 individuals per population) as well as for international reference varieties (10 individuals per variety). Low level of intervarietal genetic variability was determined and thus it was hard to clearly separate populations. Due to high intravarietal variability further reselection of chosen populations is needed. Reference varieties were genetically more homogenous as expected.

Od svih ekstremnih vremenskih nepogoda izazvanih klimatskim promjenama suša ima najveći ekonomski utjecaj. Negativni utjecaj suše moguće je smanjiti raznim agrotehničkim mjerama, ali je najučinkovitiji pristup razvoj sorti tolerantnih na sušu. Stoga, postoji potreba za razvojem germplazme soje tolerantne na sušu, a adaptabilne na različite uvjete uzgoja. Cilj ovog istraživanja je procijeniti adaptabilnost hrvatskog sortimenta soje u funkciji oplemenjivanja za tolerantnost na sušu. Mreža poljskih pokusa soje postavljena je u 2017. godini na 19 lokacija širom Hrvatske, a uključivala je 32 genotipa soje (17 domaćih sorti, 7 introdukcija, 8 oplemenjivačkih linija) različitih grupa zriobe. Na svim lokacijama obavljena su mjerenja meteoroloških podataka te niza agronomskih svojstava. S obzirom na vremenske uvjete, 2017. godina je definirana na mnogim lokacijama kao sušna godina. Prikupljeni i analizirani podaci za prinos zrna ukazuju na razlike: (1) između lokacija što je pokazatelj različitosti uzgojnih područja s obzirom na vremenske uvjete i tip tla ; (2) između genotipova unutar lokacije što pokazuje genetsku divergentnost testiranog materijala te (3) između lokacija unutar genotipa što je pokazatelj stupnja prilagodbe genotipa uvjetima uzgoja, odnosno njegove interakcije s okolinom. Rezultati iz poljskih pokusa u 2017. godini pokazuju razlike između genotipova u stupnju prilagodbe na utvrđenu razinu suše u proizvodnji.

There is an increasing awareness that preserving and promoting genetic diversity is crucial for the future breeding of food crops, such as maize, and therefore for promoting food security. Presently, in Portugal, one can still find maize landraces under cultivation. These have been used for centuries to produce the ethnic maizebased bread called “broa”. By the time the European project DIVERSIFOOD started these materials were not subjected to any formal breeding activity, neither conventional nor participatory. Maize landraces, when compared to commercial hybrid varieties, are considered to have a broader plasticity to adapt to different environments. Given the present climate change scenarios, landraces could represent a valuable asset to breed for climate unpredictability. However, landraces are generally less productive than hybrid varieties. Therefore, their agronomic improvement (yield) is an important aspect that also needs to be taken into consideration in any breeding activities. In this work maize landraces, collected at farmers’ fields from a region traditionally linked to the production of “broa” were evaluated from different perspectives (Alves et al. 2017). Our main objective was to generate decision tools to support an efficient and effective management and breeding of these underused genetic resources. Sixteen farmers’ maize landraces, together with 9 other maize open-pollinated populations breed by participatory approaches and chosen for comparison purposes, were evaluated for grain yield and ear weight in nine locations across Portugal. The different locations represent different areas where maize landraces are usually produced in Portugal, covering the different agronomic production systems normally associated with maize landraces. The maize populations’ adaptability and stability were evaluated using additive main effects and multiplication interaction (AMMI) model analysis. These maize populations were also multiplied in a common-garden experiment for a comparative exploratory quality evaluation. Flour from each population was used to assess its chemical composition (protein, fibre, and fat), pasting behaviour, aroma volatiles and antioxidant compounds content (carotenoids, tocopherols, phenolic compounds). This phenotypic characterization was complemented with a molecular characterization, in which 30 individuals per population were genotyped with 20 microsatellite molecular markers. Using diverse multivariate approaches we observed that the majority of the farmers’ maize landraces had high levels of protein and fiber, low levels of carotenoids, volatile aldehydes, α- and δ-tocopherols, and low breakdown viscosity values. Regarding the agronomic performance, farmers’ maize landraces had low but considerably stable grain yields across the tested environments. The integration of both phenotypic and genotypic characterization of these maize landraces allowed to identify possible future breeding paths. Therefore, through this work, valuable integrative decision tools were generated to support an efficient and effective management of these underused genetic resources. Concluding, this work improved our knowledge on the agronomic and quality characterization of Portuguese maize landraces, and allowed us to postulate future paths for breeding using these materials.