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Soil degradation in Croatia is a worrisome phenomenon on agricultural land, and in addition to the reduction in SOM content, there is also a significant potential reduction in the content of plant available phosphorus. Therefore, 1, 000 composite soil samples on a depth of 0-30 cm in eastern Croatia were collected initally in 2005 or 2006, and then again from the same locations after 15 years. In total, 2, 000 samples from 1, 000 different production plots were collected and this paper presents an analysis of changes in available phosphorus budget on arable land and permanent plantations. The average of available phosphorus on 4, 858.3 ha of arable land and 477.4 ha of orchards and vineyard was 18.55 mg/100 g and 15 years later it was slightly increased to 19.88 mg/100 g. But, these averages hide the existence of negative trends and the degradation of significant areas by reducing the availability of phosphorus, especially on arable land. There are very significant differences among arable lands and permanent plantations considering changes in available phosphorus budget during 15 years. A significant unjustified and unacceptable phosphorus decreasing was on 37.8% of analyzed arable lands which were already poor or just medium supplied with plant available phosphorus. On the other hand, on 35.7% of arable land phosphorus increasing was determined. The situation is significantly better on permanent plantation, since only on 17.2% of analyzed area unjustified and unacceptable decreasing of phosphorus budget happened, but on 60.3 % phosphorus budget was increased. Considering the changes in the content of phosphorus, potassium and SOM on arable land and permanent plantations of different initial levels of fertility, we can conclude the following: 1) fertilization is not carried out in accordance with soil fertility and nutrient needs, nor on almost 40% of orchards and vineyards, nor on more than half of arable land ; 2) very significant degradation of the soil due to phosphorus impoverishment was determined on almost 38% of arable land and 17% of permanent plantations ; 3) the degradation of SOM content is the most intense, followed by phosphorus, and the degradation of available potassium is the least ; 4) it is certain that organic fertilizers and soil fertility conservation measures are rarely and/or ineffectively used on arable land ; 5) the management of available soil nutrients and SOM was much more successful on permanent plantations than on arable land, we assume in large part due to the more efficient use of organic fertilizers.

The cultivation of field crops in recent decades has been marked by the negative impacts of climate change, increased risk of soil degradation and the risk of environmental stress, and the latest challenge is the increase in the price of energy sources and mineral fertilizers. At the same time, in the Republic of Croatia there is a large proportion of arable soils with low SOM content, like in the soils analyzed in 2020, almost half of the soil was found to have less than 2% SOM with an average content of

The aim of this paper was to determine the impact of the extrusion process on chemical composition, total starch content, starch damage and the bioaccessibility of zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se), using different extrusion temperature profiles: 140/170/170 °C, 150/180/180 °C, 160/190/190 °C and adding different content of agrofortified wheat with Zn and Se to corn grits: 10, 20, 30 and 40%. The protein and mineral content of the wheat fortified with Zn and Se was significantly higher compared to the corn grits, and the wheat fortified with Zn had the highest protein content (14.28 ± 0.76%) of all observed raw materials. Starch content increased after the extrusion process with no significant differences with increasing extrusion temperature, while the addition of different proportions of wheat fortified with Zn and Se decreased starch content. In addition, the extrusion process significantly increased the starch damage without significant change by increasing extrusion temperature. Addition of different proportions of wheat fortified with Zn and Se reduced starch damage values in proportion to the added content of fortified wheat. As the temperature and the proportion of added wheat increased, the total Zn content in the extrudates increased. The bioaccessibility of Zn also increased with increasing extrusion temperature, with no statistical difference in values for most samples due to the addition of different proportions of fortified wheat. Total Se content increased with increasing proportion of fortified wheat and decreased with increasing extrusion temperature. There was no significant difference in the bioaccessibility of Se by increasing the extrusion temperature and the proportion of enriched wheat.

Selen (Se) je nemetal neophodan za ljude i druge životinje, a smatra se korisnim za biljke. Bioraspoloživost Se snažno utječe na njegov sadržaj u hranidbenom lancu. Tla su glavni izvor Se, a njegov sadržaj prvenstveno utječe na dostupnost Se, uz ostala svojstva tla. Terensko istraživanje provedeno je na tlima jugoistočne Europe, točnije u Hrvatskoj (Osijek), Bosni i Hercegovini (Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar i Prud) i Srbiji (Novi Sad). Uzorci tla uzeti su iz obradivog sloja tla (0-30 cm dubine) i izmjerene su dvije vrste dostupnosti Se: Se ekstrahiran čistom HNO3 (SeTot) i Se lako ekstrahiran u vodi (SeH2O). Samo su tla s područja Mostara imala koncentracije Se iznad razine deficita (0, 5 mg kg−1), s najvišim vrijednostima kapaciteta kationske izmjene (CEC), organske tvari tla (SOM) mjerene kao gubitak paljenja (LOI), ukupni C, ukupni N, ZnTot i CdTot. Ispitivane su veze između kemijskih svojstava tla i SeH2O. Analiza glavnih komponenti (PCA) objasnila je 73, 7% varijance u skupu podataka u prve tri glavne komponente (PC). Koristeći dobivene podatke, razvili smo regresijski model parcijalnih najmanjih kvadrata (PLS) koji predviđa količinu SeH2O u tlu, s točnošću u rasponu od 77% do 90%, ovisno o ulaznim podacima. Najveća opterećenja u modelu primijećena su za LOI, CEC, ukupni C, ukupni N i SeTot. Naši rezultati ukazuju na potrebu za biofortifikacijom u ovim ključnim poljoprivrednim područjima kako bi se nadopunili osnovni prehrambeni zahtjevi ljudi i stoke. Za učinkovitu i ekonomičnu provedbu mjera biofortifikacije, preporučujemo korištenje regresijskih modela za točno predviđanje dostupnosti Se.

The success and profitability of growing crops depends significantly on the fertility of the soil, i.e. the amount of required fertilizers. On the other hand, the reduction of humus content is among the most significant indicators of soil degradation in Croatia. For this reason, 1, 000 composite soil samples on a depth of 0-30 cm in eastern Croatia were collected firstly in 2005 and 2006 (500 samples each year), and then again from the same locations after 15 years, i.e. in 2020 and 2021. In total, 2, 000 samples from 1, 000 different production plots were collected and this paper presents an analysis of changes in soil organic matter content on 780 plots under crops production. In the initial set of samples (2005 and 2006), an average of 2.25% soil organic matter (SOM) was determined, and after 15 years, an average of 1.99% SOM was determined, i.e. 9.89% less SOM. The decrease in SOM was determined on three quarters of analyzed arable soils in Croatia which indicates a very serious degradation of soil fertility. An average of 21.7 t/ha of SOM was lost (9.9% of initial SOM content) in these soils over a period of 15 years (1.45 t/ha per year), which represents a significant loss of nitrogen pool of 1.086 kg/ha, i.e. an annual loss of 72.43 kg/ha. The decrease in humus content results in a decrease of the mineralization potential by an average of 18.7%, but in 43% of the soils the mineralization potential is reduced by more than 20%. The determined reduction of the N pool over 15 years indicates that more than 1% of the initial amount of nitrogen has been mineralized per year, and therefore models that predict mineralization of more than 1.5% of nitrogen in the conditions of continental Croatia should be used. The result of humus degradation is also reflected in the fact that more than 195 kg/ha of N is needed for corn fertilization on more than three quarters of the analyzed soils, and 15 years ago this was needed on half of the soils. The losses of the nitrogen pool and the consequent higher need for fertilization show how important it is to stop the degradation of the humus content in soils, even if only the direct reduction of the N content is taken into account.

Biomass from agriculture represents a significant resource for the production of compost, substrate and animal feed, as well as other products with higher added value in the food and pharmaceutical industry. The paper presents a model for calculating biomass from agriculture for certain agricultural crops. The term technical potential is used to calculate the amount of biomass. The sources of data on areas (ha), production (t) and yields (t ha-1) of the most important field crops are data from the Agency for Payments in Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development and data from the National Bureau of Statistics. To calculate the technical potential of crop residues, the RenewIslands ADEG methodology was used according to previously published results. The starting point for calculating the technical potential is the production of agricultural crops in a certain area (area and yield). The amount of production is multiplied by the harvest index, which is a coefficient ranging from 0.13 (sugar beet) to 3 (sunflower) to obtain the amount of agricultural biomass that remains after harvesting the crop, called total biomass potential. However, the whole amounts of agricultural residues cannot be used, because a part must be left on the field for incorporation in soil due to increasing humus content (all cereals and industrial crops), a part would be used for animal husbandry (wheat and barley), and a part is simple harvest losses. The technical potential of biomass is calculated by deducting from the total potential the amounts required for incorporation in soil, animal husbandry and harvest losses. The model presents a model for calculating the technical potential of biomass for cereals and industrial crops. The model represents a contribution to the calculation of agricultural residues in some agricultural area in order to understand the potential for further use of these raw materials for the production of value-added products (compost, substrates, animal feed, pharmaceutical and food industry products).

Intensive agricultural production, without proper management, will probably cause soil degradation. Therefore, monitoring soil quality in agricultural regions is essential for soil protection. Analytical results of soil properties can be successfully combined with mathematical and/or computer models to predict values of soil indicators that have not been analytically determined. In doing so, it is very important to determine as accurately as possible which properties determine the intensity of a certain soil indicator to the greatest extent. Iron is an essential element whose availability in the soil depends significantly on the total concentration of Fe in the soil, soil pH value and SOM content, and the lack of plant available Fe can limit production on poor, especially carbonate soils. The aim of this research was to determine the possibility of using available data to predict Fe availability with regression models. The regression model was created using a data set with the results of analysis of Fe concentration in more than two hundred soil samples (total Fe extracted with aqua regia in the range 2-3.9% and plant available Fe in the range 10-45 mg kg-1). The model was used to predict the available Fe based on the analysed soil properties (pHH2O, pHKCl and SOM content) of 1, 000 soil samples with the total analysed production area 5, 194 ha. Modeling available Fe on a new set with 1, 000 soil samples predicted that the low concentration of available Fe will be only on 1.83 % of analysed areas, which is just 95 ha. The moderate range of plant available Fe was predicted at 245 ha (4, 72 % area). High level of Fe availability was predicted at 93, 45 % area, i.e. on 4.854 ha. The model predicts a very small proportion of samples with a low Fe available to the plant, which leads to the assumption of low accuracy of the model, even though SOM and two pH values were used. If that’s the case, a data set with basic soil indicators is not sufficient to predict Fe availability. The demonstrated use of the model indicates that modeling can be effectively used to predict certain soil indicators without actual laboratory analysis, saving time and resources. This can be especially significant in cases of a large number of soil samples from different and heterogeneous production areas. However, the accuracy of the model must be validated, which is possible only by validation with a reasonably selected new set of samples and analytical results. Thereby, it is more likely that analyzes of additional soil properties (like percentage of clay particles, total amount and different fractions of Fe) will be required in addition to the basic soil analyses (pHH2O, pHKCl and SOM content).

The main aim of the proposed research will be to determine the level of current knowledge and awareness about recent trends and applications in digital agriculture among the owners of family farms in Osijek-Baranja County. Through this study, it will be determined how much knowledge farmers currently have in the field of digital agriculture and more importantly how willing are they to implement new technologies in their daily agricultural activities. The online and face to face survey was conducted among 43 family farmers in Osijek-Baranja County during summer 2022. One part of the study will determine which aspects of digital agriculture are already in use among the owners of family farms and which are the most common obstacles and problems they are facing in relation to the broad implementation of digital agriculture. In survey participated mostly man (76, 7%), 42 years old in average, most of their income comes from agricultural activities (56%), 58% has some kind of college of faculty education, they have been engaged in agriculture for less than 10 years (44%) and have only 1 employee (69%). In survey participated farmers from almost all fields of agriculture from tourism, beekeeping, farming, eco- agriculture, cattle production, winemaking, and others. 56% of respondents were acquainted with the terms Precision agriculture, 67% with Digital agriculture, and 72% with Artificial intelligence. Applications already implemented in agricultural activities mostly are internet and communications (88%) and e-government (62%), applications for weather applications (46%) and market access applications (25%) but in the future they plan to adopt other applications (for fertilization, soil protection, e-accounting, precision agriculture, drones and other). Using Likert scale from 1 to 5, the main obstacles and limitations in digital agriculture for respondents are large investments for machinery and equipment (4, 0), lack of advisory service (3, 9) and lack of qualified and trained workforce (3, 9). The most important subjects for implementing digital technologies in agriculture are agronomists and extension services (average score on Likert scale 4, 2 for both) as well as educational and scientific institutions (4, 16). 63% of surveyed subjects advertise their business on social media, mostly on Facebook. Less favorable answers in survey are that 65% of producers don’t have a web page for their manufacturers and 77% didn’t use EU funds for digitalization. The conclusion from this survey is that Croatia has only started its introduction to digitalization, and there is a lot of space for progress and the introduction of new technologies. A positive push would be the creation of a countrywide strategy on which technologies should be implemented. Also, the involving agronomists would improve education, data collection, extension activities and supervising the implementation of digital technologies.

Kao i ostali nanomaterijali, selenove nanočestice (SeNPs) posjeduju jedinstvena kemijska, fizikalna i biološka svojstva kao i funkcionalnost. Ovo istraživanje je imalo za cilj utvrditi utjecaj biofortifikacije rukole SeNPs na rast i razvoj te mineralni sastav korijena i lista rukole u usporedbi s konvencionalnom biofortifi kacijom selenom u obliku selenata. Selen je primijenjen u četiri različita kemijska oblika kao selenat te tri vrste SeNPs. SeNPs su bile obložene polisorbatom (PS-SeNPs), huminskom kiselinom (HA- SeNPs) i polivinilpirolidonom (PVP- SeNPs). Selen je primijenjen u rasponu od 80 do 320 μmol m-3 hranjive otopine. Istraživanje je provedeno u grijanom plasteniku s automatskom kontrolom temperature i prozračivanja u sustavu plutajućeg hidropona. Primjena SeNPs i selenata je značajno utjecala na koncentraciju N, P, S, Ca, Mn, Zn i Se u korijenu rukole. Također, oblik selena je značajno utjecao i na koncentraciju N, K, Fe, Zn i Se u listu rukole. Nadalje, primjena selenovih nanočestica je rezultirala značajnim povećanjem koncentracije selena u korijenu rukole u usporedbi s biljkama biofortifi ciranim selenatom. Suprotno, koncentracija selena u listu rukole je bila značajno veća u slučaju biofortifikacije selenatom. Prema svemu navedenom se može zaključiti da primijenjeni oblici selena značajno utječu na usvajanje i translokaciju selena i ostalih elemenata ishrane u rukoli. Ovo istraživanje je financirano od strane Hrvatske zaklade za znanost u sklopu projekta HRZZ-IP-2018- 01-8119.

Pothranjenost ljudi je vrlo značajan problem više od petine stanovništva diljem svijeta, a značajno mjesto među esencijalnim elementima s nedovoljnim unosom u prehrani ljudi zauzimaju cink (Zn) i selen (Se). Agronomska biofortifikacija je aplikacija mikroelemenata prije ili tijekom vegetacije usjeva s ciljem povećanja njihove koncentracije u prehrambenom proizvodu, a istovremena aplikacija dva ili više elemenata je kobiofortifikacija, koja bi mogla obogatiti prehranu ljudi i doprinijeti neutralizaciji pothranjenosti s dva ili više elemenata. Cilj istraživanja bio je usporediti učinkovitost pojedinačne i istovremene biofortifikacije (kobiofortifikacija) kukuruza (Zea mays L.) cinkom i selenom koja je provedena na dva lokaliteta (Rakitovica i Tenja) folijarnom aplikacijom 6 kg ha-1 Zn u obliku otopine cinkovog sulfata (ZnSO4) i 30 g ha-1 Se u obliku otopine natrijevog selenata (Na2SeO4) u fenofazi cvatnje. Prosječno je biofortifikacija kukuruza selenom bila uspješna jer je povećana koncentracija Se u zrnu kukuruza. Pojedinačna biofortifi kacija bila je uspješnija sa 72, 8 puta većom koncentracijom Se (0, 335 mg kg-1) nego na kontrolnom tretmanu (0, 0046 mg kg- 1), dok je kobiofortifikacija (Se uz dodatak Zn) rezultirala 61, 1 puta većom koncentracijom Se (0, 281 mg kg-1). Pri tome je utvrđen značajan utjecaj lokaliteta jer je kobiofortifikacija (dodatak Zn u biofortifikaciji selenom) imala 41, 1 % manji učinak od pojedinačne biofortifkacije selenom na lokalitetu Rakitovica, a na lokalitetu Tenja 12, 8 % veći učinak.Pojedinačna biofortifikacija kukuruza cinkom je uz povećanje koncentracije 29 % (18, 3 vs. 14, 1 mg kg-1) bila uspješnija od kobiofortifikacije (Zn uz dodatak Se) s povećanjem samo 15, 8 % (16, 4 vs. 14, 1 mg kg-1) u odnosu na kontrolni tretman bez biofortifikacije.Biofortifikacija kukuruza selenom uspješnija je od biofortifikacije cinkom, a kobiofortifikacija je nešto manje učinkovitosti nego pojedinačne biofortifikacije kukuruza selenom i cinkom.

Stajska gnojiva su organski nusproizvod stočarske proizvodnje, sadrže za biljke neophodna hraniva, imaju produžno djelovanje te utječu na povećanje biogenosti i sadržaj organske tvari tla. Za potrebe uporabe stajskog gnoja na oraničnim površinama (IAKS Mjera 10.1.17.), analizirano je 610 uzoraka stajskih gnojiva s ciljem optimizacije gnojidbe na oraničnim površinama. Očekivano je najveći udio goveđih stajskih gnojiva (83, 3 %), zatim svinjskih (11, 2 %), ovčjih i kozjih (3, 1 %), a najmanje peradarskih (1, 3 %) i konjskih gnojiva (1, 1 %). Planirana je gnojidba analiziranim gnojivima na ukupno 22.121 ha za što je analizirano 4.266 uzoraka tala. Pravilnikom su propisane prosječne vrijednosti sadržaja N u različitim vrstama stajskih gnojiva (npr. 5 kg/t N u goveđem stajskom gnojivu). Međutim, te vrijednosti nije dobro koristiti kao referentne za donošenje odluke o količini stajskih gnojiva za gnojidbu sa 70-170 kg/ha N jer su analizama utvrđene velike varijabilnosti i značajno različite koncentracije od navedenih prosječnih vrijednosti. Tako je u krutom goveđem stajskom gnojivu utvrđeno 2, 2-26, 8 kg/t N (prosjek 7, 2), u svinjskom gnojivu 4, 4-10 (prosječno 6, 95), u brojlerskom 12, 5-23, 8 (prosjek 19, 9), ovčjem 3, 1-14, 8 (prosjek 7, 66) i u goveđoj gnojovki 1, 5- 9, 6 (prosjek 4, 8). Također, velika je varijabilnost utvrđena i u koncentracijama fosfora i kalija, a zajednička su karakteristika značajno veće prosječne koncentracije od vrijednosti navedenih u Pravilniku. Koncentracije fosfora su 1, 4 (ovčji) do 3, 8 (svinjski), a kalija 1, 6 (brojlerski) do 3, 0 (kozji) puta veće od navedenih u Pravilniku. Upotreba navedenih stajskih gnojiva već u 1. godini smanjit će potrebu za gnojidbom mineralnim dušikom u osnovnoj gnojidbi za 35 kg ha-1 (tj. 76 kg/ha ureje manje) i u prihrani za 14 kg/ha (53 kg/ha KAN-a manje). Kumulativni učinak gnojidbe stajskim gnojivima tijekom 5 godina rezultirat će manjom gnojidbom mineralnim oblicima N, P i K. Gnojidba mineralnim gnojivima u 5. godini bit će smanjena na prosječno 26 % količina ureje u odnosu na mineralnu gnojidbu bez upotrebe stajskih gnojiva, 40 % količina N gnojiva u prihrani (npr. KAN), 35 % fosfornih gnojiva, a kalijeva će gnojiva biti potrebna samo na jako siromašnim tlima.

Cink (Zn) i selen (Se) su esencijalni elementi neophodni za rast i razvoj ljudi i životinja, a niske koncentracije Se i Zn u tlu mogu rezultirati s pothranjenošću ljudi uslijed niskih koncentracija Se i Zn u biljkama i hrani. Problem pothranjenosti moguće je riješiti genetskom i agronomskom biofortifikacijom, tj. obogaćivanjem jestivih dijelova usjeva cinkom i selenom. Cilj istraživanja bio je usporediti učinkovitost pojedinačne (biofortifikacija) ili istovremene (kobiofortifikacija) folijarne aplikacije otopina cinkovog sulfata (6 kg ha-1 Zn u obliku ZnSO4) i natrijevog selenata (30 g ha-1 Se u obliku Na2SeO4) na akumulaciju cinka i selena u zrnu šest sorata soje (Glycine max L.). Prosječno su u kontrolnim tretmanima zrna soje utvrđene koncentracije 45, 2 mg kg-1 Zn i Se 0, 061 mg kg- 1, a pojedinačne i istovremene biofortifikacije Zn i Se rezultirale su značajno većom akumulacijom Zn (37, 1 i 41, 9 %) i Se (41, 8 i 39, 3 puta) u odnosu na kontrolni tretman. Pri tome u prosjeku nije bilo značajnih razlika između pojedinačne i istovremene biofortifikacije, ali su utvrđene značajne razlike između sorata soje. Najveća koncentracija Se u zrnu utvrđena je kobiofortifkacijom (istovremena aplikacija Se i Zn) sorte Sunce (3, 03 mg kg- 1), što je čak 96 puta veća koncentracija nego u zrnu bez biofortifikacije (0, 031 mg kg-1), a najveća koncentracija Zn kobiofortifkacijom sorte Toma (79, 1 mg kg-1). Kobiofortifikacija selenom i cinkom rezultirala je značajno manjom koncentracijom Se u zrnu sorata Korana (2, 25 mg kg-1) i Lucija (1, 28 mg kg-1) u odnosu na pojedinačnu biofortifikaciju selenom (2, 90 i 2, 09 mg kg-1), kod sorte Sunce kobiofortifikacijom je značajno povećana koncentracija Se (3, 03 vs. 2, 37 mg kg-1), a kod ostalih sorata nije bilo značajnih razlika. Istovremeno, kobiofortifikacija cinkom i selenom nije značajno smanjila koncentracije Zn u nijednoj sorti soje u odnosu na pojedinačnu biofortifikaciju cinkom (apliciran samo Zn), a značajno je povećala (9 %) koncentraciju Zn u zrnu sorte Toma (79, 10 vs. 72, 56 mg kg-1), što je povećanje koncentracije Zn čak 54, 7 % u odnosu na kontrolu (79, 1 vs. 54, 7 mg kg-1). Zaključak je da je utvrđena sortno specifična reakcija soje na kobiofortifikaciju selenom i cinkom, da kobiofortifikacija vrlo učinkovito povećava koncentracije Se i Zn u zrnu soje, da dodatak Se u postupku biofortifikacije Zn ne smanjuje već kod nekih sorata (Toma) značajno povećava učinkovitost biofortifikacije cinkom. Dodatak Zn u postupku biofortifikacije selenom može smanjiti (Korana, Lucija) ili povećati (Sunce) učinkovitost biofortifikacije selenom.

Stalni porast intenziteta poljoprivredne proizvodnje, potencijalno negativni učinak intenzivne mineralne gnojidbe na okoliš, potreba gospodarenja organskim nusproizvodima i očuvanja prirodnih resursa, nedvojbeno usmjeravaju ka intenzivnijoj upotrebi organskih gnojiva i supstrata. Nusproizvodi poljoprivredne, šumarske i prehrambene proizvodnje i ostale vrste organskog otpada, mogu se različitim procesima biološke stabilizacije koristiti kao sirovine u proizvodnji organskih gnojiva i supstrata za uzgoj presadnica. Na taj način se smanjuje količina otpada i koriste vlastiti proizvodi koji doprinose očuvanju plodnosti tala i održivom korištenju resursa. U procesu proizvodnje može se primijeniti vermikompostiranje – prerada i stabilizacija organske tvari pomoću gujavica. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi kako različiti supstrati, sastavljeni od različitih komponenti i njihovih smjesa, djeluju na gujavicu (Eisenia andrei). Gujavice su izlagane istraživanim supstratima te je utvrđen stupanj preživljavanja i praćeno je ponašanje gujavica, odnosno izbjegavanje određenih supstata. Rezultati su pokazali da je najpogodniji supstrat vinogradarski trop, a izuzetno dobrim supstratom pokazala se smjesa vinogradarskog tropa, kamene vune i piljevine te smjesa lišća i konjskog stajskog gnoja. S obzirom na rezultate, možemo zaključiti da navedene komponente i smjese imaju najveći potencijal u proizvodnji supstrata za uzgoj presadnica povrća i cvijeća i u proizvodnji novih organskih gnojiva.

Intensive agricultural production with insufficient organic fertilization, as expected, results in a decrease of organic matter content in the soil. Analyses of soil fertility in the Republic of Croatia over two years (2019 and 2020) showed that there is less than 2% SOM in 52.1% of analyzed soils (10, 283 samples), with the average humus content in these soils being only 1.61%. Also, less than 3% humus was found in as many as 87.9% of soil samples (17, 339 samples) with an average humus content of 1.92%. At the same time, as part of the research on the impact of land use on changes in soil properties after a 15-year period, a decrease in the content of organic matter in the soil was determined on arable land. The consequence of low humus content, along with insufficient mineralization potential, is a decreasing of soil elasticity, i.e. the inability of the soil to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change, primarily the increasing amplitudes of soil temperature and humidity. The increasing importance of organic fertilization and manure is also emphasized by the multiple increase in the price of mineral fertilizers, 2.2 to 4.1 times (2022 compared to 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to optimize organic fertilization, both because of the need for fertilization and for the environment protection. With the aim of optimizing fertilization in Croatia, in 2021, 610 manure samples were analyzed for 22, 121 ha of arable land planned to be fertilized (4, 266 soil samples analyzed, average 2.26% humus, 42.9% soil with 100 kg/ha P2O5 or K2O) in phosphorus fertilization at 56% and potassium at 34.1% of the soil, but about 1/5 of these soils are already rich in phosphorus (20.6 %) or potassium (17.5 %) and a positive balance is not required. Organo-mineral fertilization will result in a negative five-year balance of phosphorus at 20.4% and potassium at 38.4% of the soils, but 88.1% of these soils are already rich in phosphorus and 48.0% rich in potassium and the balance could be negative. The cumulative effect of organo-mineral fertilization over 5 years will result in a lower need for mineral forms of N, P and K and mineral fertilization could be reduced to an average of 26% of the amount of urea compared to mineral fertilization without the use of manure, on 40% of the amount of N in the topdressing (e.g. CAN), on 35% of phosphorus fertilizers, and on 23% of potassium fertilizers.

Selenium (Se) as an essential microelement in the soil is found in very small quantities, which causes malnutrition in plants, animals and humans. Therefore, agronomic biofortification, i.e. the process of applying microelements before or during crop vegetation with the aim of increasing the concentration of a certain microelement in the edible parts of the plant, is a measure to alleviate malnutrition. The aim of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of biofortification of soybean (Glycine max) and corn (Zea mays), which was carried out by foliar application of sodium selenate solution (Na2SeO4) in the amount of 0, 10, 20 and 30 kg/ha Se (Control, Se1, Se2 and Se3) in the locality of Tenja. The time of foliar application with battery sprayers was carried out in the phenophase of flowering. The concentration of selenium in the soybean grain in the control treatment was 0.05 mg/kg Se, and in the corn grain it was 0.11 mg/kg Se. Selenium concentrations in soybean grain in treatments Se1, Se2 and Se3 increased 14, 47 and 62 times compared to the control, while concentrations in grains of corn increased 3, 5 and 7 times compared to the control. No statistically significant difference in soybean grain was found between treatments Se2 and Se3, but both were significantly higher than Se1 and control treatment. In the case of corn, statistically significant differences were found in all treatments since Se3 treatment resulted in the highest Se concentration in corn (0.77 mg/kg), significantly lower were in Se2 (0.58 mg/kg) and Se1 (0.38 mg/kg) and the lowest in control without selenium application (0.11 mg/kg). Field experiments showed that agronomic biofortification was very efficient and could be used for significant increasing of selenium content.

Crowdsourcing as outsourcing data collection by a network of farmers (the contributors) that are not doing so for their normal professional activities is used more and more intensively in the digitalization of agriculture. In agriculture it can be called “farmsourcing” if involves professional stakeholders in the agriculture sector working on a voluntary basis to exchange information. The aforementioned crowdsource format was used for the 4-year collection of 4 groups of data on arable crops growing (1. crop, pre-crop and yields ; 2. organic fertilization ; 3. harvest residues ; 4. mineral fertilization). Data were collected from 13, 239 requests for soil analysis. The most complete data were collected for the planned crop (99.6%) and pre-crop (97.57%), but at the same time, 30.87% of the producers did not provide data on the planned yield, and 36.82% on the realized yield of the pre-crop. Data on harvest residues was provided by 62.1% of users, and slightly more on applied fertilization (64.85%). In total, producers provided 68.65% of the requested data on average. The analyzed data showed monoculture on 13.6% of all the analyzed requests, including alfalfa, clover, pastures, meadows and perennial grass mixtures (3.3%). The most common crop in monoculture is corn (8.26% of all requests), but there are significant areas with successive sowing of small grains (2.22%). Also, soybeans (0.48%), wheat (0.42%) and ryegrass (0.32%) appear in monoculture more than other crops. According to the collected data, harvest residues were returned to the soil in 71.22% of cases, and removed from 28.76% of the areas. The largest share of the removed residues were small grains (71.6 %), but a significant share was corn for grain (7.2 %), sunflower (1.4 %) and rapeseed (2.12 %). Also, 75.4% of producers applied fertilization according to the needs (in the range of 70%-120% of recommended fertilization), 18.3% in the range of 40-70% of recommendations, and 3.7% did not use fertilizers. By combining the results of laboratory analyzes and collected data, it is possible to find connections between crop cultivation, agrotechnical measures (organic fertilization, crop residues, fertilization level) and soil fertility with planned and realized yields, which shows the significant potential of crowdsourcing.

Industrial biotechnology enables a more competitive, sustainable, and circular bioeconomy that provides solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Industrial biotechnology is used in many segments of the bioeconomy, from chemicals to biofuels, biofertilizers, bioplastics and other biomaterials. By using the power of microbes, industrial biotechnology enables the development of bio-based products from a variety of raw materials, such as waste materials from forestry, agriculture and food industries. This helps reduce CO2 emissions, provides sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products, improves the resource efficiency of industrial processes, and delivers solutions to improve health and nutrition. However, the use of novel bio-based solutions instead of fossil-based solutions is influenced by the regional distribution of raw materials, in terms of quantity, price, type and amount of raw materials needed, but also in terms of market conditions, societal contributions, etc. This work presents fungal-based solutions for cascade utilization of agro-industrial feedstocks in lignocellulose-based biorefinery.

Kadmij uzrokuje promjene fizioloških, biokemijskih i molekularnih procesa biljaka smanjujući tako njihov rast i prinos. Kako bi se zaštitile od toksičnih utjecaja teških metala, biljke su razvile različite detoksikacijske mehanizme, uključujući kelaciju i sekvestraciju, koji imaju važnu ulogu u održavanju niskih razina metalnih kationa u citosolu stanica. Tiolni spojevi kao što su metalotioneini (produkti mt gena) i fitokelatini (enzimski produkti fitokelatin- sintaze, PCS) najznačajniji su spojevi koji sudjeluju u detoksikaciji teških metala. Različite biljne vrste kao i kultivari iste vrste pokazuju značajne razlike u akumulaciji i toleranciji na kadmij. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio odrediti učinak rastućih koncentracija kadmija (25, 50, 100 µM) na razinu ekspresije gena pcs1, mt1, mt2, mt3 u izdanku tri kultivara soje (Korana, Lucija, Ika), koji se razlikuju u stupnju akumulacije kadmija u sjemenu. Tretman kadmijem značajno je utjecao na ekspresiju gena pcs1, mt1, mt2 i mt3 pri čemu je razina ekspresije ovisila o primijenjenoj koncentraciji kao i samom kultivaru soje. Nove spoznaje o molekularnim mehanizmima tolerancije na kadmij daju širi uvid u istraživanu problematiku, te razvijanje daljnjih strategija za povećanje tolerancije na kadmij.

Kompostiranjem ostatka iz alkoholne destilacije fermentiranog koma organska se tvar reciklira, a daljnjom upotrebom kao gnojivo ili supstrat za biljnu proizvodnju smanjuje se utjecaj na klimatske promjene i potrošnju prirodnih resursa. Cilj istraživanja je utvrditi utjecaj različitih polaznih komponenti kompostnih smjesa na svojstva proizvedenog komposta. U pokusu su kao kompostna tvoriva korištene slama pšenice, kokošje stajsko gnojivo (pH 7, 89), otpadna masa iz destilacije jabuke (pH 3, 53) i šljive (pH 4, 19) te preparati s mikroorganizmima. Utvrđen je konduktivitet (EC) kokošjeg stajskog gnojiva (3, 35 dSm-1), otpadne mase jabuke (0, 777) i šljive (1, 404). Pokusna proizvodnja komposta je provedena na obiteljskom poljoprivrednom gospodarstvu u Đakovu. Kompostnici su izgrađeni od drvenog materijala volumena nešto većeg od 1 m3, sa pripremljenom podlogom pogodnom za pasivno aeriranje zbog perforiranih cijevi na koje je položena drvena sječka. Kompostne smjese su pripremljene u četiri smjese koje su se sastojale od iste količine otpadne mase iz destilacije voća (48 L) i slame pšenice (5 kg), a razlikovali u količini kokošjeg stajskog gnojiva (S1-12 kg ili S2-24 kg) i s ili bez dodatka mikrobiološkog preparata (MO0 i MO1), pa su smjese označene: T1 (S2 MO0), T2 (S1 MO0), T3 (S1 MO1) i T4 (S2 MO1). U kompostiranju smjesa T1, T2 , T3 i T4 maksimalna temperatura je bila 72 °C, 63 °C, 60 °C, odnosno 70 °C, a termofilna faza započela je 7. dana nakon postavljanja pokusa i trajala je 13, 6, 8 i 10 dana. Tijekom druge mezofilne faze (170. dan) u svim tretmanima je utvrđen pad pH vrijednosti (od 9, 4 do 7, 81) u odnosu na uzorke smjesa uzetih na kraju termofi lne faze (22. dan) dok se vrijednost EC blago povećala kod svih tretmana i iznosi najviše (1, 284 dSm-1) u T4. Na kraju procesa u kompostima je utvrđen pad udjela ukupnog C, te porast udjela ukupnog N, pa se i CN odnos očekivano smanjio ispod 20:1, uz najveći pad (9, 23:1) kod tretmana s dvostrukim udjelom stajskog gnojiva i apliciranim mikroorganizmima. Utvrđen je i pad amonijskog i porast nitratnog oblika dušika. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na moguću fitotoksičnost komposta koji na kraju procesa imaju pH vrijednost iznad 8 (svi osim T2- 7, 81), dok relativno niski EC (1, 251) može značiti manju trenutnu fertilizacijsku vrijednost zbog nižeg sadržaja vodotopivih soli, tj. hraniva. CN odnos je < 20 i upućuje na zrelost sve četiri smjese, no ako se kao indikator zrelosti uzima odnos završnog i početnog CN, zrela je samo T3 smjesa (0, 75). Može se zaključiti da je otpadna masa iz destilacije voća pogodna komponenta za proizvodnju komposta.

The key industries in Croatia include agriculture, food processing, aquaculture and forestry. The gross value added (GVA) of the primary sector (including forestry) amounts 3.9 % of Croatia’s total GVA in 2017, compared to EU-28 where this sector accounted for 1.6 % of GVA. In the total value of agricultural production of the Republic of Croatia in 2020, the most important is plant production (61, 5), while livestock production share in total agricutlural production amounts 38.5 %. The aim of paper was to determine biomass economy and technical potential of the most important cerials (wheat, barley, maize), industrial crops (sunflower, sugar beet, rapeseed, soy bean), vinyards and fruit (apple) at the Vukovar-Srijem County. Review literature and available statistical data presents the basis for research conduction aimed to detemine proper methods to calculate potential for harvest residues utilization of the most important field crops in the VS county. Based on the available data, the technical potential of cereals in 2020 was calculated, which amounted 276.662, 89 t, industrial crops 157.896, 19 t, vineyards 157.896, 19 and fruits (apples) 5.531, 02 t. The research results show that large quantities of biomass are available in Vukovar-Srijem County as a raw material for further processing into organic fertilizers, substrates, compost, products for pharmacetical, cosmetic, food and animal feed industry.

Agricultural production has increased more than three times over the last 50 years as a result of the expansion of soils for agricultural purposes, the technological contribution of the green revolution which influenced productivity and the accelerated population growth. In average, agriculture produces 23.7 million food tons per day worldwide. This increase in worldwide production has created serious pressure on the environment, up to the point of causing negative impacts on soil, air and water resources. This new situation has driven a need for more sustainable development in recent years, which implies important changes in the current agricultural production systems. Agriculture is one of the largest biological sectors with the highest biomass production, which becomes an essential input for the bioeconomy. This represents a great opportunity, not only because its use and exploitation contribute to the reduction of fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, but also because it contributes to the development of new green markets and jobs by promoting the conversion of crop waste into value-added products (by- products), such as food, feed, bioproducts and bioenergy. Croatia is country with important role of tourism and agriculture in its development. East Croatia (five counties), as the most important crop production area produce the greatest share of cerals and industrial crops in Croatia. All those crops leave important amounts of after harvest residues even when biomass for soil protection, amounts for livestock and harvest losses are excluded. In 5 east Croatia counties in 2020 is produced 2, 389, 665.7 t of biomass technical potential. At the same time, municipal services companies in Croatia are very well organized and connected in Croatia. The paper will present model how municipal services companies can contribute to collect and produce byproducts as composts and substrates from an agricultural waste. This would increase business competitiveness of municipal services companies due to production and sales of new value-added products, opening new jobs and provide agricultural producers additional profit, safe disposal of agricultural waste as well as contribute to the rural development.

Zinc is one of the 17 elements essential for the growth and development of plants. In the world, more than 3 billion people are exposed to micronutrient deficiencies, with Zn deficiency detected as a global problem. The simplest and fastest way to increase Zn concentration in grain is agronomic biofortification. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of foliar application of ZnSO4 solution on Zn accumulation in soybean (Glycine max L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) grains. The soybean and sunflower experiments were set up in Eastern Slavonia at Tenja site. Agronomic biofortification of soybeans and sunflowers was carried out by single foliar application of ZnSO4 solution (100 g Zn/l) in the flowering phenophase with the total amount of 3 or 6 kg/ha Zn. In the control treatment of soybeans, the Zn concentration in the grain was 50.25 mg/kg, while in the sunflower grain was 67.2 mg/kg. After the foliar application 3 kg/ha of Zn, an increase in Zn in soybeans by 26.9% (63.75 mg/kg) and in sunflowers by 7.3% (72.16 mg/kg) was recorded. After the foliar application of higher Zn amount (6 kg/ha), an increase was recorded in soybeans by 28.6% (64.61 mg/kg) and in sunflowers by 18.3% (79.56 mg/kg) comparing to control. The lower Zn amount (3 kg/ha) statically significantly increased the Zn concentration in soybean compared to the control, but there was no statistically significant impact on sunflower. Application of higher Zn amount (6 kg/ha) resulted in significant increase of Zn concentration in both grains, soybean and sunflower, comparing to control, but without significant increase comparing to lower Zn dose (3 kg/ha). The field experiments showed that Zn concentration could be efficient

Cilj ovog istraživanja je analiza metala: olova (Pb), žive (Hg), kadmija (Cd) i metaloida: arsena (As), selena (Se) u krvi ptića bijele rode (Ciconia ciconia). Uzorkovala se krv ptića (n = 106) tijekom gnijezdeće sezone 2021. u kontinentalnoj Hrvatskoj na sedam lokacija: Jakuševec, Lonjsko polje, Crnac polje, Jelas polje, Slavonski Brod - istok, Podunavlje i Donje Podravlje. Povišene koncentracije Pb u odnosu na druge postaje zabilježene su na područjima Slavonski Brod – istok u blizini metalne industrije, transporta, energetike i vojne industrije te na odlagalištu otpada Jakuševec. Iznenađujuće, najviše razine Hg pronađene su u Parku prirode Lonjsko polje. Povišena koncentracija Hg može biti posljedica otjecanja otpada iz petrokemijske industrije u poplavnom i retencijskom području Lonjskog polja. Na moguće onečišćenje površinskih voda korištenjem pesticida i gnojiva zbog intenzivne poljoprivrede upućuju povišene koncentracije Cd u Podunavlju i Donjem Podravlju u odnosu na druge postaje. Najviše koncentracije As zabilježene su u Podunavlju, području poznatom po kontaminaciji podzemnih voda As. Zbog intenzivne poljoprivrede i hortikulture, najviše razine Se zabilježene su u Crnac polju. Postoje značajne razlike u koncentraciji metala i metaloida između lokaliteta što ukazuje na lokalne izvore onečišćenja. Budući da su ptići prvenstveno izloženi unosom iz plijena, potrebno je kontinuirano praćenje, kao i procjena utjecaja metala i metaloida na fiziološke biomarkere.

Selenium (Se) deficiency in human and animal nutrition is primarily due to low levels of Se in soils. It can be prevented by enriching crops, such as wheat, with Se by genetic and agronomic biofortification. Although Se is not essential for plants, it shows a double effect on their metabolism. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of five different concentrations (0.4, 4, 20, 40 and 400 mg kg1) of selenate and selenite on the oxidative status and detoxifying systems of wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Kraljica) shoots and roots and to determine biochemical and molecular tissue-specific responses. According to morpho-physiological analyses, selenite was found to have a lower toxicity threshold than selenate. Measurement of oxidative stress biomarkers showed that Se did not cause oxidative damage to wheat seedlings due to activation of detoxification mechanisms at the biochemical and molecular level, which depended on the type of tissue, concentration and form of applied Se. These results contribute to a better understanding of wheat seedlings' physiological, biochemical, and molecular response to Se and the development of more effective biofortification strategies.

Maintaining a certain content of soil organic matter (SOM) is a big challenge in modern agricultural production, especially in conditions of significant climate change. The assumption is that the type of soil use significantly affects changes in soil properties, including the content of SOM. Therefore, a study was conducted comparing the changes in soil properties on arable land and in perennial plantations (orchards and vineyards) over a 15-year period. The 1, 000 average soil samples (depth of 0-30 cm) were selected and sampled in 2020 or 2021 based on the spatial distribution in eastern Croatia from the same coordinates as 15 years earlier (2005 or 2006) on arable land (778 samples) or permanent plants (222 samples). The soils sampled in 2005 and 2006 were strongly acidic to alkaline (pHKCl 3.54-8.33 ; pHH2O 4.14-8.56) with SOM content 0.98-5.48% (average 2.21%). The range of SOM content in arable land was 1, 06-5, 48% and in orchard samples 0, 98-4, 30%. In the same soils 15 years after SOM content decreased on average from 2.21% to 2.08% (3.75% decreasing of SOM). But, there were significant differences between permanent plantations and arable lands. However, in vineyards and orchard soils, an increase in SOM content was found from an initial average of 2.09% to 2.32% after 15 years (an increase of 13.8%). On the other side, after 15 years of crops growing on arable land, the average SOM content decreased from the initial 2.24% to 2.01% (SOM content 8.78% lower). Comparing the soil classes according to SOM content, the greatest decrease in SOM (3.07 vs. 3.57%) was found on arable land with the highest initial SOM content (> 3% SOM), and the highest increase (2.03 vs. 1.68) was on permanent plantations with the lowest initial SOM content (< 2% SOM). The results lead to the conclusion that growing crops on arable land resulted in a decrease in SOM, while in permanent plantations the SOM content was most often increased.

U ovom istraživanju je prikazan utjecaj biofortifi kacije matovilca s različitim kemijskim oblicima selena. Selen je primijenjen u obliku selenata te dvije vrste selenovih nanočestica (SeNPs) koje su obložene huminskom kiselinom (HA-SeNPs) ili polisorbatom (PS-SeNPs) u dvije koncentracije (200 μM m-3 i 400 μM m-3 hranjive otopine). Pokus je proveden tijekom 2021. godine u plasteniku, a tretmani su primijenjeni u zasebnim bazenima u uvjetima plutajućeg hidropona. Vegetacija je trajala ukupno 30 dana nakon čega su biljke uzorkovane u cilju mjerenja svježe i suhe mase lista i korijena te broja listova. Nakon obrade podataka, utvrđeno je da biofortifikacija selenom utječe na rast i razvoj matovilca. Najveća masa lista je tako zabilježena kod tretmana PS-SeNPs- 200, a najmanja masa kod tretmana SEL-200 iako nije bilo značajnih razlika između svih pokusnih varijanata. Također, zabilježene su značajne razlike u masi i dužini korijena te broju listova u ovisnosti o tretmanu te je najduži korijen izmjeren kod tretmana HA-SeNPs-200, masa korijena kod SEL-200, a najveći broj listova kod PS-SeNPs- 200. Sukladno navedenim rezultatima se može zaključiti da je biofortifikacija različitim oblicima selena utjecala na rast i razvoj matovilca gdje su se očitovale jasne specifi čnosti u ovisnosti u obliku selena. Ovo istraživanje je fi nancirano od strane Hrvatske zaklade za znanost u sklopu projekta HRZZ-IP-2018- 01-8119.