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This paper analyzes the influence of foliar fertilizer based on humus extract on some of the elements central to the quality of the Polka raspberry variety in the area of the city of Bihać. The research was conducted in 2015 according to the control and treatment system. A foliar fertilizer based on humus extract was used for the treatment. A total of 12 quantitative and qualitative properties were analyzed: content of total sugars, reducing sugars, invert sugars, sucrose, water content, dry matter, total acidity, vitamin C, total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, and fruit mass. After the analyses were completed, it can be concluded that fruits of raspberry plants treated with humus extract have an almost identical value of total acidity (1.65%) as found in control. However, treatment with a humus extract slightly lowered the content of total phenols and vitamin C. Based on the results obtained, it was shown that the foliar fertilizer based on the humus extract did not have a positive effect on certain chemical and antioxidant properties of the raspberry fruit.

Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of Zn‐alginate hydrogel films and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity are evaluated. Swelling properties, zinc concentration and spectroscopic and morphological features were characterized and related to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. These results indicate a dependence of swelling on the degree of cross‐linking, which, in turn, can be adjusted by manipulating the synthesis time, initial alginate concentration and/or zinc leaching. Hydrogel films with zinc showed remarkable antibacterial properties, especially against gram‐positive bacteria. The absence of Zn resulted in less inhibition of gram‐positive strains, although it had a positive effect on the inhibition of gram‐negative strains, which was attributed to the degradation of alginate chains, affecting cell metabolism. Nitrogen‐doped samples synthesized in rivanol‐containing solution exhibited globular morphology and higher antioxidant activity. The electrochemical synthesis enables the facile preparation of highly active alginate hydrogels for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational use of available land is of great importance for the economic development of every society, especially considering the fact that soil is the primary production resource, thereby placing an even greater importance on its protection and conservation, but also on the correct use of it. This paper focuses on the municipality of Bužim, located in the North/western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the soil suitability for the purposes of corn cultivation were assessed and examined by using the FAO (1976) methodology of AEZ (agro-ecological zoning), which uses input data such as soil characteristics, climate change, relief patterns of the investigated area, and the requirements of the agricultural crops. Within the municipality of Bužim, 13,026.27 ha of the land is used for agricultural purposes. In regards with the corn, one distinguishes between two categories of soil suitability: the suitable classes (S1, S2, S3), which occupy more than 43.44% of the land surface, and the unsuitable class (the N class), which only occupies 0.94% of the land surface. Thus, it can be concluded that conditions necessary for corn do exist within the municipality of Bužim, in the form of land resources, and higher yields can be achieved by implementing landscaping measures and introducing new corn varieties in accordance with the latest scientific and expert achievements.

The consequences of improper land management are long-term, inadequate for agricultural production, and reflected through the loss of land, reduced yields, soil erosion, etc. In order to determine the optimal role or suitability of the land for apple cultivation within the Bužim municipality, a survey was conducted according to the FAO method of AEZ (FAO, 1976), and based on the obtained results, an assessment of the suitability of the land for apple cultivation was carried out. It was found that a significant land portion of the total of 13,026.27 ha agricultural land within the Municipality of Bužim is suitable for fruit production marked from S1 to N suitability class. Thus, the areas with the best graded class S1 cover only 1.23% or 159.52 ha, the S2 class occupies 5.51% (717.24 ha), the S3 class occupies 2.29% (298.24 ha). However, the largest areas are marked as the unfavourable N-class with 36.68% (4,772.60 ha). It is evident that pre-existing conditions for apple production within the municipality do exist. With the implementation of the necessary measures of soil/ land regulation, education of agricultural producers, and mindfulness of constraint factors hindering intensive production such as terrain slope, depth, rockiness and soil response, progress in production can be made.

Rational use of available land is of great importance for the economic development of every society, especially when considering the fact, that the soil is a primary production resource, thereby placing an even greater importance on its protection and conservation, but also on the correct use of it. This paper focuses on the municipality of Bužim, located in the northwestern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we assessed and examined the soil suitability for the purposes of potato cultivation by using the FAO methodology of AEZ (agro-ecological zoning), which uses input data such as soil characteristics, climate changes, relief patterns of the investigated area, and the requirements of the agricultural crops. Within the municipality of Bužim, 13,026.27 ha of land is used for agricultural purposes. In regards to the potato cultivation, one distinguishes between two categories of soil suitability: the suitable classes (S1, S2, S3) which occupy more than 45% of the land surface, and the unsuitable class (the N class) which only occupies 1.43% of the land surface. Thus, it can be concluded that conditions necessary for potato production do exist within the municipality of Bužim in the form of land resources, and higher yields can be achieved by implementing landscaping measures and introducing new potato varieties in accordance with the latest scientific and expert achievements.

Amateurish and unprofessional handling of agricultural resources has lasting und unprecedented consequences for plant production, manifesting itself through the loss of soil quality, reduced crop yields, soil erosion, etc. The main focus of this research was to establish the characteristics of the agricultural soil within the municipality of Bužim, applying the FAO method AEZ (Agroecological Zoning), (FAO, 1978), and based on the achieved results, to assess the soil suitability for plum (Prunus domestica) cultivation. The assessment of the soil suitability has led to the conclusion that a significant part of land (classified S1 to N in quality), out of the total 13.026,27 ha of agricultural area belonging to the municipality of Bužim is well suited for fruit production. The following has been observed: areas with the best rated S1 class make up a total of 1.23% (159.52 ha), the S2 class takes up a total of 5.51% (717.24 ha), the S3 suitable class makes up a 2.29 % (298.24 ha) in total, and the largest area totaling 36.68 % (4.772.60 ha) is classified as N - meaning unsuitable soil. The main restraints imposed on intensive plum cultivation within the examined area are lack of nourishment, tilt, depth, rock-strewn soil and soil reaction.

The surface exploitation of mineral raw materials inevitably changes the environment, thus resulting in soil degradation. This paper presents the results of growing sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense Pers.) in the reclaimed Deposol (technosols) in the Stanari Coal Mine area. Green manuring was the cultural practice used for sudangrass growing and land reclamation. The purpose of this research is to increase the amount of organic matter in the Deposol surface layer. The research was performed within a two-year period (2009-2010) at the experimental (technosol) site of the Stanari Coal Mine, located on the inside part of the overburden deposition site, near the Raskovac pit. The research of green manuring included a two-factor experiment with four replications. Two cultivars of sudangrass (Factor A) were used with three fertilization treatments (Factor B). The soil analyses indicated a sandy and low fertile soil. The experimental plot Deposol showed favorable physical properties, whereas its chemical and biological properties proved very unfavourable. The highest yield of biomass (29.15 t ha-1), as well as the dry matter (10.30 t ha-1), was recorded in the cultivar ‘Piper Sweet’ (in 2009), which was completely treated with mineral fertilizers. The lowest yields of biomass (2.05 t ha-1) and dry matter (0.95 t ha-1) were observed in the cultivar ‘Srem’ in 2010. Statistically significant differences were found between the treatments applied, emphasizing that only certain cultivars of sudangrass and types of fertilization (encompassing reasonably high amounts of nitrogen) can significantly increase the amount of organic matter in Deposol.

Surface mining, as a means of intensive exploitation of mineral raw materials and especially coal, is highly developed area of economy, therefore land degradation is intensive and leading to loss of the productive layer of soil. Biological reclamation of deposol should reduce the harmful consequences of exploitation. The number of systematic and physiological groups of microorganisms and their activities provide correlative information on the biological activity of the soil. In 2011, at the overburden disposal site in Stanari coal mine, the sowing of grass-clover mixture in previously treated deposol was carried out. The aim of the research is to the deposol biological activity in the process of biological reclamation based on the distribution of certain groups of microorganisms and dehydrogenase activity. General microbial activity in deposol in the process of reclamation is determined by the total number of bacteria, azotobacters, ammonifiers, oligonitrophyls, actinomycetes and fungi and the activity of the enzyme dehydrogenase. The research results indicated a greater abundance and deposol dehydrogenase activity in the process of biological reclamation compared to deposol (control).

The objective of this research work was to explore the scope, structure and quality of production and use of domestic wheat in the RS. The subject of the research was to determine the production of wheat in the Republic of Srpska, the needs for seed wheat, determine the amount imported, and to identify measures to increase domestic production of seed wheat and to reduce imports. The analysis of commercial wheat production in the period 2006-2010 showed that the production took place in the average area of 44,017.6 ha, with an average yield of 3.28 t/ha and total production of 145,591 t. The highest level of wheat production was recorded in 2007 when it was 172,481 t, and a minimum production was in 2010 when it was 84,647 t. In the Republic of Srpska in 2010, the area under wheat amounted to 33,641 ha, which required about 8,410 tonnes of wheat seed, and only 4.27% of the quantities of seed wheat needed for the RS market were produced in the RS, the rest came from imports. According to the Indirect Taxation Administration data, the Republic of Srpska imported 125 t of wheat seed in 2009. The quantities of imported wheat vary considerably from year to year and are influenced by the weather in the sowing season and the prices on the market. Analysis of seed wheat in period 2006-2010 showed that the seed wheat occupied an average area of 128.8 ha, with the average yield of 4.06 t/ha and the total average production of 514.2 tonnes. The highest production was recorded in 2008 when it was 656.25 tonnes, and the lowest in 2010, 359.4 tonnes. Demand for wheat seed of the Republic of Srpska, based on five-year average, amounts to 13,205 tonnes, in which the domestic production share is 514 tonnes or 3.9%. The value of domestic wheat seed production in this period was BAM 393,616, and the value of missing quantities of seeds that are imported is BAM 9,824,152, based on the domestic price.

The research on the reclamation of deposol (degraded soil) in the lignite mine Stanari has been performed since 2007. In a three-year period, agrotechnical and biological reclamation measures were implemented on the experimental plot. During the cultivation of crops, mineral fertilisation and liming were performed. The conducted research includes the change in the basic physical and chemical characteristics in the surface layer of meliorated deposol. The analyses were performed in 2009 and 2011. Changes in texture were observed by lowering the clay fraction. Significant improvement of the chemical reaction of the soil was not confirmed. Slight increase in concentration of the plant available phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) is a result of the application of mineral fertilisers. Adsorption capacity and degree of saturation of base cations in the meliorated deposol were increased. The content of trace elements was reduced at the end of the test period. The presence of toxic elements is below the allowable limit. On the experimental plots where reclamation measures were implemented, there is improvement in physical and chemical characteristics of the meliorated deposol.

Unlike other grain crops, the area under triticale in the Republic of Srpska has been expanding every year. Since the introduction of this plant species in the broad production began a few years ago, the finding of the optimal variety agrotechnique in different environmental conditions has great importance. This paper deals with the results of the trials from seven locations in two very extreme vegetation seasons (2002/03, 2006/07). High yield of triticale on the location Banja Luka (150 m alt.) with five triticale varieties in four sowing rates in the replication trial in very unfavorable weather conditions in 2003, points to emphasized triticale tolerance to high temperatures and drought. High grain yield of triticale in the trials on the locations Banja Luka, Butmir (460 m alt.) and Živince (230 m alt.) was obtained in 2007 too, when all vegetation months had higher mean temperature than long term average, what is a unique appearance in the entire 'meteorological history'. In the paper the appearance of the earliest triticale heading is described and explained. It happened at one production trial on Manjača (250 m alt.) in the first decade of March in 2007. On the another location on Manjača (450 m alt.), in the macrotrial, rye showed much higher tolerance to extreme soil acidity, than triticale. Obtained results and unusual appearances on triticale are helpful for the further research of the stability and adaptability of more important triticale traits. .

In January 2021, the new Horizon 2020 project “Promoting SMART agricultural WATER management in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (SMARTWATER) was launched. It was the first time that an academic institution from Bosnia and Herzegovina implemented a Horizon 2020 project as Coordinator. The main objective of SMARTWATER is to reinforce networking, research and S&T cooperation capacities of the University of Banja Luka (UNI-BL), the University of Sarajevo (UNSA) and other connected national institutions, in the field of sustainable agricultural water management and to increase their competency and fund-raising skills for a successful participation in the European Union Research Programs. Main project topics include: 1) cloud-based smart technologies, 2) new generation of satellite remote sensing data, 3) water-energy-food nexus and 4) climate change impact on agriculture. At two locations in BiH (Aleksandrovac and Butmir) 3-year field experiments on maize (Zea mays L.), hybrid BL 43 (from FAO 400 group) were completed. The Randomized Complete Block design included two factors, irrigation (3 irrigation regimes) and fertilization (2 nitrogen levels). During the project implementation, our scientific teams published several academic papers in peer-reviewed international Journals and Proceedings and these documents are available in open access on Zenodo platform [1]. The project consortium is preparing additional scientific papers. The project outputs are: 3 advanced training courses, 3 summer schools, joint research activities (experiments) at 2 locations in BiH, 3 stakeholders’ meetings (roundtables), 3 post-graduate MSc courses, 13 mutual staff exchanges, 3 hands-on workshops on R&I, the development of 2 smart water management tools and the organization of an international conference in BiH at the end of the project. So far (period 2021-2023) most of these activities were finished. All project reports were prepared and sent to the EC. All info about the project is being disseminated, on a regular basis, and for this purpose social media profiles were used: Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn and YouTube as well as the SMARTWATER website [2]. The dissemination of SMARTWATER achievements is an ongoing process. SMARTWATER project officially ends in June 2024. The remaining activities in 2024 include the organization of academic exchanges in Portugal and Italy, the 3rd stakeholders' meeting, the completion of the scientific publishing and the organization of an international conference in Trebinje (BiH) in May. We ask all interested stakeholders to visit our sites, to attend our events and to join the SMARTWATER network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]