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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.

Highlights • High yield of soybean corresponds to actual evapotranspiration above 380 mm independently of precipitation. • A sum of precipitation and irrigation should be between 350 and 400 mm for high yield. • The I 65 treatment is recommended for soybean cultivation in a temperate climate. • In moderately dry years, irrigation of about 120 mm gives high yields, WP and IWP. • A significant quadratic relation between seed yield and crop ET was observed in non-wet years. Abstract In temperate climatic regions, agricultural production depends on precipitation amount and its distribution during the growing season. A 3-year field study was conducted to investigate the effects of different irrigation regimes on yield parameters and water productivity of sprinkler-irrigated soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.], grown under wet, semi-dry and dry conditions in a temperate environment. Four irrigation levels were applied: full irrigation (I 100 ), 65% and 40% of full irrigation (I 65 and I 40 ) and non-irrigated control (I 0 ). On average, the I 0 treatment resulted in the highest harvest index (HI) and I 100 produced the lowest HI. A significant quadratic correlation between seed yield and crop water use was observed in dry and semi-dry year. The irrigation regime significantly influenced seed yield and water use. I 65 treatment produced the highest seed yield (3.69 t ha–1) and showed the highest water productivity (WP) (0.90 kg m–3) and irrigation WP (1.08 kg m–3). The present study indicated that irrigation is necessary for soybean cultivation in semi-dry and dry years i.e., when seasonal precipitation is lower than about 300 mm. In wet years, with a favourable amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing season, yields are similar to those achieved with irrigation and high ET values of soybean are attributable to increased evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Vojvodina region, water deficit during the growing season is a major factor limiting maize production. Therefore, to achieve the ideal soil water content in this region, it is of crucial importance to optimize irrigation. The effects of different irrigation levels with sprinkler irrigation system on crop yield, yield components, water use, water (WUE) and irrigation water use (IWUE) efficiency of maize ( Zea mays L.) were investigated in Vojvodina (northern Serbia), on a Calcaric Chernozem soil in temperate environment for 3 consecutive years (2006–2008). Maize was subjected to four irrigation regimes, as follows: non-limited irrigation ( I 100 ), 75% of non-limited irrigation ( I 75 ), 50% of non-limited irrigation ( I 50 ), and rainfed (non-irrigated) as the control ( I 0 ). The irrigation treatments were arranged in a complete randomized block design with 4 replicates. Results showed that maize grown in rainfed conditions had high annual variability, mainly due to amount of rainfall and its distribution during the crop-growing seasons. A significant irrigation effect was found for yield, yield components and others investigated parameters under study. Water stress had significant impact on yield response: as an average of the three years, a grain yield increase of 47.8, 32.8, and 22.9% was observed in I 100 , I 75 and I 50 treatments compared to rainfed ( I 0 ) treatment, respectively. Yield increased linearly with seasonal crop evapotranspiration and irrigation amount. Furthermore, WUE is maximized with a moderate water deficit ( I 50 ), while IWUE is the highest in I 100 treatment. The deficit irrigation stress index, DISI, decreased with increasing irrigation rate. The results revealed that irrigation is necessary for maize cultivation because rainfall is insufficient to meet the crop water needs in Vojvodina. In addition, the study indicated that the irrigation regime of 25% water saving ( I 75 ) could ensure satisfactory grain yield of maize and increment of WUE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]