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The development of agriculture in Serbia would not have been possible without the implementation of ameliorative measures. Measures to improve the soil water regime in our country have existed throughout modern era, but very significant ameliorative practices have been implemented in the last 100 years, coinciding with the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade. In Serbia, after the First World War, extensive work was carried out in the field of drainage, which underwent a real expansion after the Second World War. In the period from 1950 to 1970, drainage systems were built on about 1.5 million hectares, and by 1990 the total drained area exceeded 2.01 million hectares. Alongside the construction of drainage systems, dams were built on the major rivers to protect coastal areas from flooding. A significant achievement is the construction of the Danube-Tisza-Danube water system (1947-1977), which involved complex and versatile water management in Vojvodina. The introduction of irrigation in agriculture progressed much more slowly than drainage. The total irrigated area in 1990 was about 120,000 hectares, and today, after the crisis-ridden 1990s, it amounts to about 100,000 hectares. Nowadays, it is necessary to design additional drainage systems where problems of this kind arise, whereas the potential areas for irrigation are considerably larger. Until the beginning of the 21st century, various ameliorative activities were the focus of technical and research activity: soil surveys, investigation of the soil physical and water characteristics, soil chemical amelioration , the application of horizontal pipe drainage, soil recultivation, soil conservation, introduction of large machines for pressurised irrigation and application of drip irrigation methods. More recently, modern technologies and contemporary global trends such as the use of GIS, remote sensing, soil water balance monitoring, crop cover monitoring, micrometeorological measurements, automation of irrigation systems and crop growth modelling have been introduced alongside the application of traditional methods. The last decade has been marked by researches focused on the effects of climate change on agricultural production. The importance of the Soil and Water Management department is reflected in the training of professionals who are able to keep pace with technological changes and apply them to the management of soil and water resources, from the planning and implementation of new hydromeliorative systems to the maintenance of old systems and the management of crop production.

Soils formed on limestones occupy large area in Serbia, but there is not a lot of information about their properties. This paper presents physical and chemical properties of the Brownized Calcomelanosols and Moderately-deep Calcocambisols of the Ozren Mountain. Brownized Calcomelanosols under natural grassy vegetation were investigated at the Vlasina pass, whereas Calcocambisols under mixed forests were investigated near the site "Ozrenske livade". Soil profiles were excavated up to the parent material, and disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from soil genetic horizons. Following soil characteristics were determined: particle size distribution, soil structure and water resistance of structural aggregates, bulk density, total porosity, air capacity, water-holding capacity, water conductivity, pH, content of humus, available phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O), hydrolytic acidity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), sum of exchangeable base cations, and base saturation. Humus-accumulative horizon (Amo) of the Brownized Calcomelanosols has silty clay texture, whereas the cambic (B)rz horizon of both soils has a clay texture. The Amo horizon of Calcomelanosols is characterized by fine to medium granular structure (0.5-5 mm) of very high water resistance. The total porosity, air capacity and water permeability of both soils is high. Their water-holding capacity is high. Amo horizon of Calcomelanosols is characterized by a high humus content (>10%). Soil reaction in water of Amo horizon is neutral, whereas in (B)rz horizons both soils are moderately acid. Both soils have high CEC (>58 cmol kg-1 ) and base saturatation (>95%). Brownized Calcomelanosol is moderately to highly supplied with available K2O, whereas Calcocambisol is moderately supplied; while both soils are very poor in available P2O5. Since this study presents quite favorable physical and chemical properties of the investigated soils due to the conservation of natural forests and grasslands, the results can help in a deeper understanding of soil ecology and the preservation of natural plant cover.

The future capacity of soils to support life on Earth is becoming questionable and in such a situation an important attention is given to soil science and land use-soil policy. This paper presents the historical overview, conducted activities and roles of the Yugoslav and Serbian Soil Science Society (SSSS) from its begining to recent days, as well as future plans. The material tackles the development of soil science in Serbia: foundation of the Soil Society, international cooperation, publication of the journal ''Soil and Plant'' and other publishing activities, structural organization of the Society, organization of congresses and symposia, and impact of the Society to overall well being by development of various programmes. It also highlights the coordination, consulting, and supporting role of the Society in preparation of the soil map of Yugoslavia. The role of SSSS today is aimed at the general scientific, cultural and educational development and benefit of the Republic of Serbia. The Society has its bodies, eight (nine) commissions, eleven subcommissions and four working groups. In the coming period, the Society will continue its organizational, publishing, educational, and cooperation activities, but also strive to include soils and soil science among national priorities. The permanent legacy of the Society is the inclusion of soil at the core of policies that support environmental protection and sustainable development in line with new challenges.

The eutrophication of groundwater through widespread diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilization and excessive farm fertilizer is one of the major problems in European agriculture. Organomineral microgranular fertilizers that have a reduced phosphorus (P) content, alone or in combination with biostimulants, offer promising alternatives to DAP fertilization. We conducted a field experiment with maize (Zea mays) on a marshland soil site in order to compare the yield increase and the phosphorus balance of DAP and microgranular fertilizer variants. P content of the soil on the study site is 3.9 g P per 100 g soil. Treatments involved a combination of two fertilizers, namely DAP or a P-reduced microgranular slow-release organomineral fertilizer (Startec) and the biostimulants mycorrhiza, humic substances and soil bacteria, applied individually or along with two of the above biostimulants. Fertilizer variants were also tested individually without additional biostimulants. One in four plots was used as a control, treated only with biogas slurry, to identify site-specific spatial variability and to implement correction factors to process raw data using standardized methods. Startec performed as well as DAP in terms of both the yield and corn cob ratio, while the P excess was lower in plots treated with Startec (av. = 4.5 kg P2O5 ha-1 ) compared to DAP (av. = 43.7 kg P2O5 ha-1 ). The latter differences are of statistical significance. Individual biostimulants and a combination of multiple biostimulants rarely resulted in significantly higher yields, with the exception of some combinations with humic substances and mycorrhiza in individual years. The influence of the climatic conditions in each of the years was higher than the influence of the biostimulants. However, average increases in yield over three years would be economically beneficial for farmers in the case of the applied humic substances product and mycorrhiza. An adequate alternative to DAP was found in the form of a P-reduced microgranular fertilizer from Startec.

Physical properties play an important role in determining suitability of soil for agricultural, amelioration, ecological and technical purposes. They are influence on movement, storage and availability of water and nutrients for plants, ease of plant root penetration and movement of heat and air. Furthermore, they are also effect chemical and biological properties of soil. Although Fluvisols (alluvial-meadow soils) are one of the most widespread soils in Serbia, little research has been done on them. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the most important physical properties of long-term irrigated Fluvisols that were formed on the carbonate deposit of the White Drim River in Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia). Eight profiles, i.e. 23 undisturbed soil samples and 69 disturbed soil samples were examined. The depth of the upper part of the soil profile, which lies above the layer of sand, stones and gravel, in which the roots of the plants develop, is very uneven from profile to profile, i.e. it varies from small (approx. 30 cm) to very large (>200 cm). The investigated Fluvisols are heavy textured (>50% clay content). The results show a high variability of the physical properties in the surface layer of these soils. Most of the investigated physical properties of the eight open Fluvisol profiles, in addition to the heavy texture, are quite favorable and fairly uniform in the plow layer, while they are much less favorable, though not particularly unfavorable, under the plow layer in deeper profiles.

Lime application combined with complementary sustainable management practices increases crop yields, but liming is only modestly applied in Serbia. This study investigated the influence of liming (1000 kg/ha) combined with the common application of mineral fertilizers on maize yield and the chemical properties of pseudogley soil. The experiment was conducted near Kraljevo, Western Serbia, on the maize hybrid ZP 606 sown in a two-year monoculture. The experiment had three treatments: fertilizer, fertilizer + lime, and a control treatment. The soil is acid, poor in humus, and contains an increased content of mobile aluminum. There was a significant increase in yield under the fertilizer and lime + fertilizer treatments, compared to the control. The yield of maize in the limed treatment was 4.4–9% higher than in the fertilizer treatment. The positive effects of liming on soil are related to an increase in pH, base saturation, and available phosphorus, and a decrease in available aluminum. In the fertilizer treatment, there was a small decrease in pH and base saturation, whereas the amount of aluminum remained high, indicating that the further application of fertilizers without lime can increase aluminum content and foster its toxicity. The long-term sustainability of maize production in Serbia should include liming as a regular management practice on pseudogley soil, with the utilization of smaller doses of lime because of the potential CO2 effects. To improve soil health, food, and environmental security, and to incorporate new crops, developing a framework promoting liming as a sustainable management practice is of high importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbially mediated soil organic matter is an extremely sensitive pool that indicates subtle changes in the quality parameters. The calculation of different carbon pools (organic carbon—OC, labile carbon—PMC, light carbon—LFC and microbial carbon—MBC), their sequestration rate (Csr) and efficiency (Cse), as affected by 50 yrs. of mineral fertilization, was carried out. The C sequestration rates between the fertilized plots were not significantly different except for the control plot. The sensitivity index, which indicates the response of soil organic matter to changes in different carbon fractions, demonstrated a strong correlation with the amount of light-fraction organic matter (OM). The use of mineral N over 50 years resulted in increase of soil labile C, but did not result in greater C sequestration efficiency. The results give a deeper insight into the behavior of carbon pools and can serve as a reliable basis for further studies focused on neutral carbon emissions and effective C sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Vojvodina region, drought is an important factor limiting grain yield in maize. The aims of this research were to compare irrigation scheduling in maize (cv. ZP SC 684), and to evaluate grain yield and ear characteristics. A 3-year field experiment was carried out in the Vojvodina region, a northern part of the Republic of Serbia (384 mm of rainfall in the maize-growing period). Maize was subjected to four irrigation levels (rainfed - I0 and supply at 80-85% - I1, 70-75% - I2 and 60-65% - I3 of field capacity). The results indicated a large yearly variability, mainly due to a rainfall event at the flowering, fertilization and grain filling stages. A significant irrigation effect was observed for all the variables under study, with significant differences between the three irrigation treatments. The grain yield ranged between 8.73 and 16.33 t ha-1. The highest grain yield of maize (average of 15.08 t ha-1) was in the I1 treatment, while the non-irrigated (I0) treatment had the lowest yield (average of 10.20 t ha-1), a 35% grain yield reduction. With the decrease of irrigation water, the grain yield of maize decreased. The most distinctive impact the irrigation had on maize yield was during the warm and very dry growth period of the year of 2008. Maize in the Vojvodina region can be cultivated with acceptable yields while saving irrigation water and maximizing resource-use efficiency.

This paper presents peat soil organic matter characteristics at Divčibare Mountain (950 m a.s.l, mountain climate). Excessive wetting is caused by groundwater and floods, and plant litter originates from hydrophilic vegetation. An investigation was aimed at determining the correlation between organic matter characteristics (humification degree, stability and bioavailability) with factors of soil formation and the most important physico-chemical characteristics of peat. Peat is mild acid and has a low base saturation. The content of organic matter is higher than 60% at depth of 40−80 cm, and higher than 40% at depths of 0−40 and 80−105 cm, respectively. Investigated peat had sapric characteristics. A content of humic acids in total organic matter indicates its unequal humification degree within profile, moderate to high at depth of 0−40 cm, low at 40−80-cm depth, and very low beneath 80 cm. A value of Ch/Cf ratio indicates high humus stability up to 80 cm where it has humate-type humus, while below 80 cm humus is the humatefulvate type. A low content of fractions separated with 0.1N cold H2SO4, and cold and hot water, points out a low bioavailability of organic matter through whole soil profile. UV-Vis indices indicate a low humification degree of humic acids (increased to 80-cm depth), and a very low humification degree of fulvic acids (variable, the highest at 60−80-cm depth). Overall results indicate that particle size of mineral fraction, soil reaction, and cation exchange capacity had no significant impact on organic matter characteristics. Soil moisture content, that is alterations of oxido-reductive conditions throughout soil profile had the crucial impact on peat organic matter characteristics.

Surface mining activities, despite their benefits, lead to the deterioration of local and regional environmental quality and play a role in global ecosystem pollution. This research aimed to estimate the culturable microbial population structure at five locations near the opencast coal mine "Kakanj" (Bosnia and Herzegovina) via agar plate and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) method and to establish its relationship to the physical and chemical properties of soil. Using the ICP-OES method, the heavy metal pollution of all examined locations (overburden, former grass yard, forest, arable soil, and greenhouse) was observed. Substantial variations among the sites regarding the most expressed indicators of heavy metal pollution were noted; Cr, Pb, Ni, and Cu content ranged from 63.17 to 524.47, 20.57 to 349.47, 139.13 to 2785.67, and 25.97 to 458.73 mg/kg, respectively. In the overburden sample, considerable low microbial activity was detected; the bacterial count was approximately 6- to 18-fold lower in comparison with the other samples. PLFA analysis showed the reduction of microbial diversity, reflected through the prevalence of normal and branched saturated fatty acids, their ratio (ranged from 0.92 to 7.13), and the absence of fungal marker 18:2ω6 fatty acid. The principal component analysis showed a strong negative impact of heavy metals Na and B on main microbial and PLFA profiles. In contrast, stock of main chemical parameters, including Ca, K, Fe, and pH, was positively correlated with the microbial community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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