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The thousand-seed weight (TSW) is one of the traits which is related to yield and milling quality of wheat. The aim of this work was to study the variability of the thousand-seed weight of bread wheat varieties grown under different environmental conditions. Fifty wheat varieties in a field experiment designed as a randomized block system were used for this study in three replications on the field in Kraljevo, Serbia during two vegetation seasons (2015-2017). The seeds were sown at 0.10 m distance in 1.0 m long rows spaced apart 0.2 m. Sixty plants at the full maturity stage (20 plants replication-1) were harvested and used for analyzing the thousand-seed weight. The analysis of variance was performed by MSTAT C (5.0 version). Similarities among wheat varieties were analyzed by using the hierarchical method of the Euclidean distance. The results have shown significant differences in the thousand-seed weight among varieties in both years. On average, in the first vegetation season the lowest thousand-seed weight (39.14 g) was recorded in the Lepenica variety, while the highest thousand-seed weight (54.66 g) was recorded in the Zadruga variety. In the second vegetation season, the thousand-seed weight varied from the lowest in NS Rana 2 (34.57 g) to the highest in Šumadinka (50.33 g). The similarity was illustrated on a dendogram containing four clusters in the first year and six clusters of varieties in the second year. The prominent cluster contained different numbers and compositions of varieties with the highest degree of similarity. The differences in average of the thousand-seed weight were determined by the genetic, environmental factor and by genotype/environment interaction.

The main goal of plant breeding is to improve quality traits, yield and resistance to abiotic and biotic stress factors. A thousand years ago, people selected the best plants, seeds or fruits to produce seed for new crops and food for human and animal nutrition. Modern plant breeding is based on genetic principles and contributes to increases in yield and quality components (contents of protein, amino acids, fat, sucrose, mineral elements etc.). Breeders in conventional breeding programs in the last six decades have made changes to plant phenotypes, significantly improved resistance to diseases, earliness, and frost and drought resistance, and improved scientific farming practices, baking and milling technologies, and beverage production technology. Through bioinformatics and improved technology, breeders have developed ways to improve and accelerate the breeding process to combine desired traits in new genotypes as well to operate at the level of individual cells and their chromosomes. Nowadays, modern biotechnology is used to improve human nutrition, and develop genotypes with significantly higher yields and quality compared with genotypes created by conventional breeding. By genetic modification it is possible to add, modify or delete a trait without interfering between two complete genomes. However, genetically modified crops can be used after their assessment in terms of human health, food safety and the environment.

Advantages or disadvantages of intercropping system can estimate through expression of components of yield on the base of values of productive organs (spike, pod). The aim of this work was study of variation of spike index in cereals species and pods index in pea of spring intercropping. For investigation included spring species of small grains: wheat, triticale, oat and spring legume pea. The investigation was carried out in field condition in experiment with randomised block design of 5m2 plots, with 4 replications. Each species (cereals and pea) were sown sole and in intercrops wheat+pea, triticale+pea and oat+pea. At the maturity stage used 40 plants (10 plants/replication) for determining harvest index of spike in cereal species and index of pea pods on the base of analysis of spike mass and pod mass and seed mass spike-1 and seed mass pod-1 . Seed mass spike-1 of small grains species genotypes variate in ratio of 0.85 g (wheat+pea) and 1.59 g (oat intercrops) with average 1.19 g for all crops of cereals and variant of cultivation. The spike mass variate in range of 1.37 g (triticale intercrop) and 2.23 g (wheat intercrops) with average 1.72 g for all cereals and variant of cultivation. Harvest index of spike variate between 62.5% (triticale sole) and 89.2% (oat sole). The value of spike mass was the higher in wheat intercrops than in wheat sole, while for triticale and oat spike mass is lower in intercrops. In the same of analyzed small grain species, seed mass was the higher in sole crops than in mixture with pea. The spike index, only in intercrop triticale+pea (63.2%) was slightly higher than in single crop of triticale (62.5%). Pod mass and seed mass pod-1 of pea was the higher in pea intercrops than in pea sole. The highest pod mass was in intercrop pea+triticale (0.72 g) and the least in single crop of pea (0.45 g) with average 0.62 g for all crops. The highest seed mass pod-1 was the highest intercrop pea+triticale (0.56g) and the least in monocrop of pea (0.32 g) with average 0.46 g for all crops. Harvest index of pod variate in ratio 68.0% (pea single) and 77.% in pea/triticale intercrop. Pod index of pea in mixture with each small grains species genotypes was higher than in pea's monocrop. On the base of result we can conclude that intercropping cereals + pea, have positive effect on spike and pod characteristics which values were higher in majority of studied intercrops than in monocrops.

The effect of different fungicides on the pathological changes of seedlings of the sugar beet Nesvisky 2 variety was analyzed in this paper. The investigation included four size fractions of sugar beet seed (3.25 to 3.50 mm, 3.50-3.75 mm, 3.75-4.00 mm; 4.00 to 4.25 mm) treated with various fungicides. The following seed treatment variants were analyzed: I - water washing out - control, II - treated with Royal Flo fungicide, III - treated with a combination of Royal Flo and Tachigaren fungicides and IV - treated with Royal Flo fungicide, coated and then Tachigaren was applied on dry pilled seed. The average germination energy ranged from 56.7 % in the variant III to 90.6 % in the variant II. Total germination of the tested seed fractions and treatments ranged from 66.2 % in the variant III to 93.4 % in the variant II. The analysis of the incidence of abnormal and diseased seedlings, as well as non-germinated seed, indicates pathological changes caused by the interaction of the aforementioned fungicides. The negative effect of the combination of fungicides is different, and it depends on the thickness of corky seed layer and coating mass layer, which have a role in reducing the direct negative effects of fungicides on germs.