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Precision agriculture has increasingly incorporated the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral cameras. This study examined the influence of different UAV flight altitudes on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Normalized Difference Red Edge (NDRE), Optimized Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI), and Leaf Chlorophyll Index (LCI), indices critical to crop monitoring and health assessment. The experiment was conducted on a 2-hectare winter wheat field at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia. The field was divided into 400 plots, each containing different wheat varieties subjected to twenty distinct combinations of artificial mineral fertilizer (NPK) treatments. A DJI P4 Multispectral drone was employed to capture images at altitudes of 30, 60, and 90 meters on three separate dates, corresponding to different plant growth stages: May 9, May 20, and June 6, 2022. All other operating parameters were held constant. The data were processed using the DJI Terra and Pix4D software to generate orthomosaic maps, which were subsequently analyzed using ArcGIS (v10.5, ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA) to calculate the multispectral index values for each plot. The results were statistically analyzed using the STATISTICA Tibco software. The analysis revealed significant differences in the index values based on the UAV flight altitude (p < 0.05). This research underscores the centrality of selecting the optimal UAV flight altitude to ensure the accuracy and reliability of data. While higher altitudes enable UAVs to cover larger areas in a single flight, factors such as image resolution, wind conditions, and the precision of crop health indicators must be considered. These findings offer valuable insights for agricultural professionals seeking to improve crop monitoring and ultimately enhance agricultural productivity through more effective UAV deployment.

This study calculates profitability and identifies the determinants influencing the profitability of enterprises engaged in growing cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oilseeds in AP Vojvodina in 2022. The analysis is based on data from 320 small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises using multiple linear regression, with Return on Assets (ROA) as the dependent variable. Descriptive statistics showed a median ROA of 2.62%, indicating relatively low profitability. The regression model revealed that liquidity, indebtedness, asset structure, total asset turnover ratio and company size significantly impact profitability. Liquidity and indebtedness negatively affect profitability, suggesting unproductive resource use and high debt levels. Asset structure also negatively impacts profitability, indicating inefficient use of fixed assets. Conversely, the total asset turnover ratio and company size positively influence profitability, reflecting efficient asset use and better investment opportunities. The study recommends better liquidity management, debt reduction, optimizing asset structure, increasing asset turnover efficiency, and leveraging company size to improve profitability. These strategies can enhance financial performance and competitiveness, contributing to the sustainable growth of agricultural enterprises in Vojvodina.

The research analyzes the efficiency of investments in the agricultural sector of the Republic of Serbia. The data used in the research were sourced from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia and the Directorate for Agrarian Payments. Over the period from 2012 to 2021, there was an increase in the efficiency of agricultural investments. The results point to a significant increase in investments per hectare compared to the previously analyzed period (1996-2005). The data were processed using standard statistical instruments of descriptive statistics. Additionally, regression analysis was employed to show the impact of investments on the gross value added in this sector. It was established that over the period from 2012 to 2021, the effect of investments on the gross value added in agriculture was not statistically significant.

The paper analyzes the determinants of profitability of microagricultural enterprises that operated in the Republic of Serbia, the analysis was carried out for the period from 2010 to 2019. Using panel regression analysis, the influence of various microeconomic and macroeconomic determinants on profitability, measured by the rate of return on assets, was examined. The following indicators were observed as microeconomic determinants of profitability: liquidity, financial leverage, indebtedness, asset structure indicator, total business asset turnover ratio, fixed asset turnover ratio, current asset turnover ratio, inventory turnover ratio, trade receivables turnover ratio and sales rate. Indicators of the growth rate of the gross domestic product and inflation were observed as macroeconomic determinants of profitability. Based on the results of the panel regression analysis, it was determined that the turnover ratio of total business assets, the turnover ratio of current assets and the growth rate of the gross domestic product have a positive and statistically significant influence on the profitability of the observed companies. Indebtedness, an indicator of asset structure and the turnover ratio of fixed assets have a negative and statistically significant impact on the profitability of the observed companies. It is expected that the obtained results will be useful to all interested parties in agribusiness, primarily in the context of the analysis of factors that have been determined to have a negative impact on the profitability of the observed companies.

The subject of this research is the production characteristics and price parity of wheat and corn in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of this research is to determine whether there is a relationship between the yield and price parity from the current year and the sowing structure of these two crops in the following year. The analysis was performed for the period 2011-2021. Statistical processing was performed using descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression. Research results determined that the average area under wheat was about 600 thousand hectares, while the average area under corn was about 400 thousand hectares than the area under wheat. The yield of wheat in the observed period was relatively stable, while the yield of corn showed significant variations. The average production of corn was about 3.6 million tons, i.e. it was 2.3 times higher than the average wheat production. The price parity of wheat and corn averaged 1.12. The regression model's results determined a statistically significant influence of the yield and price parity of wheat and corn from the current year on the areas under wheat and corn in the following year.

Given the crucial role of corn and soybeans in formulating poultry feed, this research delves into the interplay of prices between broilers chickens, corn, and soybeans. The primary objective of this study is to ascertain the influence of the previous year's corn and soybean prices on the current year's broiler chicken prices, employing a multiple linear regression model. The findings of the regression model reveal that an increase in the prices of corn and soybeans has a positive correlation with broilers prices. In simpler terms, as the prices of these two essential feed components rose in the previous year, a corresponding increase in broiler prices is anticipated in the current year. It's worth highlighting that the statistical analysis identifies only the influence of corn as statistically significant, while the impact of soybeans is deemed statistically non-significant. An increase in the price of corn in the previous year by 1 dinar will cause an increase in the price of broilers by 3,766 dinars/kilogram in the current year.

The purpose of this paper is to examine different methods of creditworthiness assessment and bankruptcy prediction in the case of agricultural and food companies in Vojvodina, Serbia. The analysis performed was based on the 2015–2019 financial reports of micro-sized, small-sized and medium-sized agricultural and food companies considered. A total of two models were applied in this study: the Altman’s Z’-score model and the Kralicek’s Quick test. The Altman’s Z’-score model results obtained indicate that the micro-sized agricultural companies were at greater risk of bankruptcy, whereas the small- and medium-sized companies were found stable. However, the Kralicek’s Quick test results obtained show that all the agricultural companies considered had good financial stability and solid businesses. The Altman’s Z’-score model results obtained for the food companies considered indicate that the micro- and small-sized food companies were endangered, whereas the medium-sized food companies were not at risk of bankruptcy. Moreover, the Kralicek’s Quick test results obtained show that all the food companies considered operated successfully with no risk of bankruptcy.

The use of plant protection products (PPPs) has become a social concern regarding food safety and quality, and risks to human health and the environment. Accordingly, the agricultural microbials market is a steadily growing sector of the global agriculture industry. This paper evaluates the market of basic groups of pesticides in Serbia (namely herbicides, fungicides and insecticides), as well as other collectively presented plant protection products, with a particular emphasis on the biopesticides segment. The official data of the Serbian Plant Protection Directorate for the period 2000-2020 served as a primary source of data. The movement of PPPs and active ingredients (AIs) imports into Serbia were analyzed separately. The average values of PPP quantities imported into Serbia were computed for the period under consideration. The time series variability was evaluated using the coefficient of variation, whereas the dynamics of PPP import movements was evaluated using the rate of change. In the overall structure of the imported pesticides in Serbia, herbicides remain the dominant product type (57.0%), followed by fungicides (27.5%), insecticides (10.5%), and other PPPs (5.0%). The import of AIs for the production of herbicides claimed a share of 79.8%, whereas the share of AIs for the fungicide production approximated to 12.8% (followed by AIs for the insecticide production (6.7%) and AIs for the other groups of pesticides (0.7%). Biopesticides comprise a small share of the total crop protection market in Serbia. Bioinsecticides were found to be imported into Serbia in largest quantities (followed by biofungicides, bioacaricides, and biobactericides). No imports of bioherbicides have been recorded. According to the official data on the import of PPPs in Serbia in the period 2000–2020, it can be concluded that there is a positive growth trend, which is expected to continue in the future. Although the import of AIs shows a positive rate of change, no significant growth trends were recorded.

The paper deals with agricultural and food companies which operated on the territory of Vojvodina in 2019. The study analyzed the risk of bankruptcy measured by the Altman's Z-score method, as well as the profitability and productivity of the observed companies. The aim of the study was to use a multiple regression model to determine the impact of profitability and productivity on the risk of bankruptcy for agricultural and food companies of different sizes (including micro, small, medium and large companies) as well as to compare the results for these two sectors. The comparison of agricultural and food sectors was made according to the size of the companies. The obtained results indicated that profitability has a statistically significant positive impact on the risk of bankruptcy for micro and large agricultural companies, while for small agricultural companies, the risk of bankruptcy is statistically significant and positively affected by productivity. The risk of bankruptcy for medium-sized agricultural companies is not affected by the examined indicators. In addition, regression analysis indicated that the risk of bankruptcy for micro and small food companies has a statistically significant positive impact on profitability. In contrast, for medium and large food companies, the risk of bankruptcy is not affected by the observed variables.

The subject of this research is mill companies that operated on the territory of Vojvodina in 2019. The aim of the research is to assess the profitability of the observed companies, as well as financial indicators that affect profitability. A sample of 23 small and medium-sized mills was taken and profitability indicators were calculated: return on assets and return on capital, as well as financial indicators: liquidity, indebtedness, solvency and productivity. Based on the calculated indicators of descriptive statistics, it was determined that the median value of the return on assets was 2.58%, and the median value of the return on capital was 5.56%. The influence of factors on profitability was analyzed by applying regression analysis, and the return on assets and return on capital appeared as dependent variables in the models. The significance of the formed regression models was tested by applying regression variance analysis and it was determined that the model containing the return on assets as a depended variable is statistically significant, while the model containing the return on capital as a dependent variable is not statistically significant. Of the observed profitability factors, only the indebtedness indicator stood out as significant.

The aim of the paper is to consider and analyze the impact of subsidies levels and other economic and general factors on the farmers' decision to insure their crops. The paper applies the model of logistic regression in order to determine the statistically significant influence of certain factors on the decision of farms. The subject of the research is general and economic data from agricultural holdings in the FADN sample in Serbia for 2018. The sample includes farms that deal with specialist field crops, specialist grazing livestock and mixed crops-livestock production. The survey was conducted on a sample of 819 households, of which 99 households reported insurance costs (12.1%). The results of the research show that with higher subsidy level the probability that farms will insure their production reduces. On the other hand, with an increase of economic size and farm net value added per annual working unit the probability that farms will be insured also increases.

The aim of this paper is to present application of different methods used for predicting bankruptcy of large agricultural and food companies in AP Vojvodina, as well as to determine which model is the most suitable for analyzing the companies from the observed sectors. The following three models were applied in the paper: Altman's Z'-score model, Kralicek DF indicators and Kralicek Quick test. The analysis included five companies from the agricultural sector and five companies from the food sector operating on the territory of AP Vojvodina in the period from 2015 to 2019. The results of the research based on the applied models showed that different conclusions can be made about the financial stability of the observed companies. Altman's Z'-score model provided the most rigorous forecast in terms of the bankruptcy risk, while the results of Kralicek DF indicators and Quick test are relatively similar.

Credit risk assessment of agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Serbia was analyzed in this research by applying discriminant analysis and logistic regressions. The aim of the research is to determine the financial indicators which financial analysts consider when analyzing a loan application that have the most influence on the decision to approve or reject a loan application. The internal determinants of credit risk of agricultural enterprises are analyzed, i.e., indicators of financial leverage, profitability, liquidity, solvency, financial stability and effectiveness. The analyzed models gave different results in significance of the observed indicators. The indicators that stood out as significant in both models are only indicators of profitability and solvency. The model of discriminant analysis has successfully classified rate 81.0%, while the logistic regression model has successfully classifies rate 89.8%. In modeling the credit risk of agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Serbia, the logistic regression model gives better results.

Contemporary market conditions make all business entities confront various risks - credit risk, liquidity risk, cash flow risk and market risk. Companies should predict these particular business risks and manage them adequately in order to minimize their influence. The assessment of creditworthiness and bankruptcy risk has a major role in the process of prediction and management of company risks. The creditworthiness of companies presents their ability to meet financial obligations to their creditors contemporary business conditions recognize several methods for assessment of credit ability of entities. One of the most commonly used models for credit ability valuation, as well as prediction of bankruptcy likelihood in a company is the Altman's Z-score model. The main scope of this article is the assessment of bankruptcy risk by using Altman's Z-score model for the group of companies from the agricultural branch of drying and storage of fruit.

Animal husbandry has a longstanding tradition in Serbia, and the production of milk and dairy products has a rich legacy. Cow's milk is used in the manufacture of all kinds of dairy products. Annual global cheese production is about 20 million tons, with cattle milk cheeses produced in large-scale processing plants constituting about 80% of that production. In Serbia, leaders of milk production are small family dairy farms, which contribute 92% of total production, while dairies with large capacity dominate in milk processing. There are 211 milk processing plants of varying capacities in Serbia. The largest amounts of milk are processed by dairy plants 'Imlek' and 'Subotica', while 188 small-scale dairies process 20% of total milk. The subject of this paper is the analysis of the economic indicators of production of semi-hard and hard cheeses in small-capacity dairies in Serbia. To determine the level and structure of production costs of dairy products, the analytical calculation method of per unit processing costs has been used. The study has revealed that the cost price of semi-hard and hard cheeses in small-capacity dairies amounts to 3.33 €/kg. With 90.83% in the structure of total costs of processing the milk into cheese, the cost of raw materials has the largest share, followed by labor costs with 6.54%. For small-capacity dairies to be able to compete with larger dairies, both in product quality and price, it is crucial to continuously monitor and minimize production costs.

Discriminant analysis and logistic regressions were applied in this research for the purpose of analyzing the development of autonomous province (AP) Vojvodina local self-government units, which are classified as developed and underdeveloped. The aim of the study is to identify population economic and social characteristics as the one with the most influence on the existence of differences between the observed categories of local self-government units. Based on the results of the discriminatory analysis, number of employed inhabitants per 1,000 inhabitants and number of highly educated inhabitants per 1000 inhabitants were found to have the greatest influence on the development of the local self-government unit, while based on logistic regression results, number of employed inhabitants per 1000 inhabitants and natural increase are the most influential factors. Both models have good data classification power, the discriminant analysis model successfully classifies 90.9% of all cases, and the logistic regression model successfully classifies 88.6% of cases.

The subject of this research is the financial position of mill companies in Vojvodina. The specific aim of the research is to analyze the is to compare the applied models for the analysis of the financial position. The basis of the analysis are the financial reports of the observed companies in the period from 2015 to 2019. The analysis of the financial position was performed using two models: Altman's Z-score model and Kralicek's Quick test model. These models use standard financial ratio indicators to assess the risk of bankruptcy of companies, i.e. their financial stability and profitability. The obtained results suggest that the company MLINTEST stood out as the most successful company and that the company KIKINDSKI MLIN stood out as the company with the worst financial position. Both models gave similar results, and their further use is recommended when analyzing the financial position of mill companies in Vojvodina financial position, i.e. to assess the risk of bankruptcy of medium-sized mill companies in Vojvodina. The general aim of the research.

In Serbia small family households dominate in milk production, while large-scale capacity dairies dominate in milk processing. There are over 200 dairy processing plants, and currently they manufacture about 80% of all dairy products. In this race small-scale dairies are lagging behind. The aim of this paper is to investigate economic characteristics of processing milk into sour cream in small scale dairy processors in Serbia. The research showed that the cost price of sour cream with a minimum of 20% milk fat is 68.96 RSD/kg. The largest share in total costs has costs of raw material account for 44.11% and labor costs for 38.79%, while the remaining costs are packaging, transport and other overheads. In order for small-scale capacity dairies to compete with larger-scale capacity dairies, both in product quality and price, it is necessary to continuously monitor and minimize production costs.

The purpose of this paper is to examine two types of incentives for the agrarian sector: direct payments and rural development support. Accordingly, direct payments for crop and animal production, fuel and/or fertilizer subsidies and investment subsidies were studied relative to the type of agricultural household and its economic size in Vojvodina. The results obtained indicate that the greatest share of subsidies for investments, payments per hectare, fertilizers and/or fuel was allocated to the households specialized for field crop production. The largest share of funds aimed at the subsidization of animal production was allocated to the households specialized for grazing livestock. The largest part of subsidies for investments, direct payments for crop production and fuel and/or fertilizer subsidies was extended to households with the economic size ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 euros. Subsidies for animal production were in mostly allocated to the households with over 250.000 euros of the economic size.

The five most widely used mathematical models, which were additionally extended with a dimensionless coefficient (i.e. the drying air temperature), were examined for the best approximation of strawberry pulp convective drying in a thin stagnant layer. Furthermore, the effects of the drying air temperature and ascorbic acid on changes in the color of strawberry pulp during the drying process were examined. The statistical parameters of the mathematical models (namely R, X2 , RMSE) indicated that the Extended Modified Page model had the best fit for the convective drying of strawberry pulp. The changes in the color of the dried control sample, without the addition of ascorbic acid, were ΔE = 22.95 and ΔE = 25.71 at air temperatures of 45 °C and 65 °C, respectively. The greatest change in the sample color (ΔE = 14.66) was observed at an air temperature of 45 °C and an ascorbic acid additive value of 0.5 %. However, the smallest change in the sample color (ΔE = 12.57) was observed at an air temperature of 65 °C with the addition of 1 % ascorbic acid.

The use of statistical quality control in the production and storage processes significantly enhances the overall quality of products. Although various techniques are used for quality monitoring purposes, control charts are considered of paramount importance. In this paper, the ash and moisture contents of the wheat flour type 500 were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Consequently, the control charts for the variations in and the mean values of the parameters considered were created. The control charts obtained for the mean parameter values show that the flour production process was in control relative to both parameters considered, exhibiting only random variations. However, the control charts obtained for the variability in the parameter values considered show special variations, the causes of which require further research in order to maintain the satisfactory quality of flour production.

The subject of this paper is the annual production of important grain crops in Serbia (corn, wheat and soybean), as well as the available grain storage capacities (silos, floor storages and baskets). The aim of this research is to determine the utilization rate of grain crop storage capacities in Serbia as a whole and in four Serbian regions separately according to the average and extreme (maximum) production of the crops examined. On the basis of the analysis conducted, it was noted that the storage capacity in Šumadija, Western Serbia, the Belgrade region and Vojvodina was underutilized, whereas the production in Southern and Eastern Serbia exceeded the available storage capacities. Moreover, considering the data referring to floor storages and silos, it can be concluded that in Southern and Eastern Serbia, the average production exceeded the total available storage capacities by 7.3 %, whereas the maximum annual production was 13.7 % higher than the storage capacities. .

Determining monthly fluctuations in the prices of wheat and corn in Serbia can indicate economically optimal time for selling wheat or corn. The paper analyzes monthly movement of the prices of wheat and corn in Serbia in the period from 2005 to 2015. The research included the analysis of the selling prices (i.e. the prices at which agricultural enterprises and cooperatives sell grain) and the purchase prices (i.e. the prices at which farmers sell their grain). The highest level of the average purchase prices of wheat were reached in March and May, while the average selling prices of wheat were the highest in February. For corn, both the purchase and selling prices reached their peak in July.

Creation of education policy starts at, among other things, the vision of education system's quality. Comprehension of the concept of quality is multifaceted, so in higher education the holistic, multidisciplinary approach is the most appropriate for it acknowledges different segments of quality. One of those is measuring efficiency of studying based on input: type of high school, and the success achieved in high school, what is the goal of this research. Applying regression analysis on a sample of 1,114 subjects, students of the Faculty of Agriculture, the influence of success in high school to the average years of study and accomplished success during studies had been explored. For all courses, defining the influence of success in high school to the average years of study had negative coefficient of correlation, which means that by increasing the number of points earned in high school there is a decrease of average years of study (sum coefficient, r = -0.23). Due to the fact that the problem is in the uneven criteria of evaluation and assessment at high school level of education in Serbia, especially between high schools and vocational schools, results of this research are pointing out the necessity for equalization and compatibility of all elements in education system, and of bringing national outcomes of education at all levels and national qualification frames.

In the context of a volatile economy marked by diverse global crises, it becomes imperative to proactively assess the potential insolvency among economic entities. This study focuses on medium-sized companies involved in agricultural and food production within the AP Vojvodina, spanning the time frame from 2018 to 2022. The primary objective is to assess the likelihood of bankruptcy within the observed companies, applying Altman's modified Z score (Z'), Kralicek Quick test and the Springate model. The data utilized for this research are sourced from the financial reports of the observed companies. Based on the performed analysis, it can be concluded that the modified Altman's Z' score and the Springate model in most cases gave identical results on the occurrence of bankruptcy. Using the Kralicek Quick test, the solvency ratings are quite divergent. In the observed period, the possibility of bankruptcy was higher for agricultural companies compared to ones from the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imperative of sustainable agricultural development, coupled with growing challenges related to climate change reaffirms the importance of manure and increases the demand for it. Due to the underdeveloped market for manure, there is a problem in assessing its economic value, requiring appropriate research on this topic. Thus, this research aimed to assess the manure's economic value using the method of equivalent substitution. For this purpose, the chemical composition of manure was determined by standard agrochemical analyses concerning the content of the most important mineral elements—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P2O5), and potassium (K2O). These elements ranged from 0.49–0.60%, 0.15–1.10%, and 0.70–1.07%, respectively, and the content of organic matter ranging from 20.88 to 27.00%. Subsequently, the cost of equivalent substitution was calculated taking into account market prices for commercial fertilizers and organic matter based on the cost of an adequate quantity of white mustard—Sinapis alba L. fresh mass. The average cost of equivalent substitution for manure was determined to be 28.60 USD/t. The results of the applied t-test indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between the market prices of beef manure and the calculated prices of its substitution (t = −1.4069; df = 12; p = 0.1848), which implies that white mustard green manure could replace the deficit in animal-derived manure. Since both animal and green manures unambiguously should be prioritized over chemical fertilizers, future studies will reveal which other crops are applicable for further increments of green manure to make up for insufficient availability of animal manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]