This study analyzed the phenology metrics of maize and soybean in Croatia across the years 2021 and 2022 based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data, focusing on median dates of occurrence and their variability. The total number of filtered parcels from the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development database with area larger than 25 ha was 108 and 463 for maize, as well as 25 and 163 parcels for soybean in the years 2021 and 2022, respectively. Median maturity and peak growth stages occurred later in 2021 than in 2022 for both crops, suggesting potentially broader climatic impacts on growth duration. The correlation matrices for the study indicated strong relationships between maturity, senescence, and peak phases but not dormancy which had low levels of correlation with other measures. The presence of high and significant multicollinearity was underlined in the study by the analysis of variance inflation factors used when analyzing phenological parameters, especially with limited samplesizes. These findings suggest that dormancy and peak phenology can be useful for a characterization of crop yield and cropland conditions.

In the present study, variation, correlation relationships, and grouping among four agronomically important traits in maize were examined: the anthesis-silking interval (ASI), grain yield (GY), ear length (EL), and the number of rows per ear (RN). A total of 75 maize hybrids from the mid-early maturity group (FAO 400–500), tested in competitive variety trials over a three-year period (2022–24), were evaluated. The aim of the study was to assess the importance of the anthesis-silking interval and its effect on the grain yield. The results demonstrate a strongly negative impact of increased ASI (up to 5 days) on grain yield in 2024, as confirmed by both simple and multiple correlation analyses. The cluster analysis, conducted using Ward’s method and presented as a dendrogram, grouped the hybrids and provided a useful tool for evaluating the optimal combination of the studied traits within a single genotype. The selection of hybrids with a short or even negative anthesis-silking interval can be employed as an indirect method for drought tolerance selection, also known as a tandem selection.

This study focuses on the distribution and impact of the invasive species tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill) Swingle) in the easternmost county of the Republic of Croatia. The research was conducted from May to September 2022 and 2023, utilizing the systematic random sampling method. The presence of tree-of-heaven was recorded in both rural and urban environments, where only the number of trees having a medium tree trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10-20 cm and a small DBH of 5-10 cm was significantly higher in rural compared to urban sites. The negative effects of the tree-of-heaven population are due to its vigorous clonal growth (biological characteristics; p < 0.001) and dense monoculture stands, resulting in decreased plant species richness and native species diversity (ecological impact; p < 0.001. The harmful effects of invasion depend on the site where plants grow. Still, serious damage, based on significant factor loadings (eigenvalue >1), was recorded not only on environmental but also on functional, safety, and aesthetic aspects, causing economic loss and mechanical damage.

The peel of traditional apple varieties represents a rich source of phenolic compounds, known for their potential health benefits. This study investigated the release kinetics of phenolic compounds from the peel of the traditional apple variety ‘Kolačara’ during simulated gastrointestinal digestion using a modified first-order kinetic equation. During digestion, anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols were undetectable after the intestinal phase, while dihydrochalcones, phenolic acids, and flavonols demonstrated greater stability. Kinetic analysis revealed that the release followed first-order kinetics. During the gastric phase, half-life values ranged from 2.3 to 7.9 minutes, indicating that most phenolic compounds were released within the first 10 minutes of digestion. In the intestinal phase, half-life values reached up to 2.4, 6.6, and 31.1 minutes for phenolic acids, flavonols, and dihydrochalcones, respectively. The study highlights the rapid release of phenolic compounds from the peel of a traditional apple variety peel, with dihydrochalcones showing the highest resistance to intestinal degradation. These findings provide valuable insight into the digestive behavior of bioactive compounds derived from valuable traditional fruit sources.

To investigate the influence of a breed and body region on the wool fibre diameter, the wool samples were taken from the three body regions (shoulder, rib, and rump) of the three sheep breeds: the Merinolandschaf (ML – closed fleece), Pag sheep (PS – semi-open fleece), and the Travnik Pramenka sheep (TP – open fleece). A significant difference in fleece yield was determined between the breeds investigated (P < 0.001). The smallest fibre diameter was detected in the Merinolandschaf sheep breed (27.70 μm), a slightly larger in the Pag sheep (27.78 μm), while the largest was established in the Travnik Pramenka sheep (39.57 μm). The average fibre diameter of the Merinolandschaf sheep breed’s wool and of the Pag sheep breed’s wool was similar and significantly smaller than that of the Travnik Pramenka sheep breed’s wool (P < 0.001). The finest fibres came from the shoulder (ML, 25.13 μm; PS, 25.56 μm; TP, 37.14 μm) and then from the rib (ML, 27.83 μm; PS, 27.57 μm; TP, 39.76 μm), while the coarsest wool was found in the rump samples (ML, 30.13 μm; PS, 30.22 μm; TP, 41.83 μm) in the fleece of the investigated sheep breeds. The research determined a significant influence (P < 0.001) of a body region on a fibre diameter of the investigated breeds.

In the period from 2020 to 2022, the biological and pomological characteristics of the early ripening plum varieties ‘Ruth Gerstetter’, ‘Tuleu Timpuriu’, ‘Katinka’, ‘Tegera’, ‘Hanita’, ‘Cacaks Early’, ‘Cacaks Beauty’, ‘Green Renclode’ and ‘Top First® were investigated in the experimental plantations of the Research Institute of Mountain Livestock Breeding and Agriculture Trojan (RIMSA) - Trojan. The parameters analyzed included the flowering phenophases, ripeni ng time, pomometric and physicochemical characteristics of the fruit, and yield of the trees, in each case in comparison with the standard variety ‚Cacaks Beauty‘. In the period studied, the earliest flowering was observed in ‚Tuleu Timpuriu‘ (April 7-12), while ‚Ruth Gerstetter‘ had the longest flowering period (15 days). The shortest flowering phase (12 days) was observed in ‚Cacaks Early‘, which also bore the largest fruit (55.30 g). Early ripening plum varieties grown in the Trojan region have a lower dry matter value compared to the standard. Th e highest values of total polyphenols were found in ‚Katinka‘ (376.83 mg/g), followed by ‚Tule Timpuriu‘ (303.22 mg/g). The highest yield was observed in the standard variety (44 kg/tree), followed by ‚Cacaks Early‘ and ‚Katinka‘ (31-32 kg/tree). Varieties ‚Green Renclode‘, ‚Hanita‘ and ‚Tegera‘ are not only suitable for fresh consumption but also show potential for processing into juices, nectars and distillates.

Tillage system is an eco-friendly farming method that can improve the soil health and increase the crop yields even under unfavorable climatic conditions. These benefits, however, will likely vary, based on the farming practice used, tillage, and crop types, which the current study seeks to address. During this triennial research, a crop rotation was as follows: soybeans (Glycine max L.), maize (Zea mays L.), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). This study aimed to determine the effects of different tillage approaches (conventional tillage [CT], disk harrowing [DH], chiseling [CH], and subsoiling [SS]) on a crop residue and a crop yield as the indicators. The applied tillage systems resulted in the statistically significant differences in some yield components. The highest yields, the highest harvest index, and the highest biological yield in the soybean and maize cultivation were achieved with the SS and CH tillage systems, followed by the DH and CT tillage. The conservation (CH and SS), reduced (DH), and conventional (CT) tillage systems resulted in the statistically significant differences in the number of postharvest residues remaining on the soil surface.

This study analyzes the length of a growing season for maize cultivation in Osijek- Baranja County utilizing a land-surface phenology metrics derived from the Sentinel-2 imagery according to a normalized-difference vegetation index (NDVI). The three key phenological indicators were calculated, including the start of a season (SOS), end of a season (EOS), and the length of a season (LOS) for the years 2017 and 2022. The mean monthly air temperatures during the maize-growing season were significantly higher than the 30-year average, while a total precipitation was notably lower, particularly in August, suggesting a direct impact on maize phenology, with the LOS values exhibiting a non-normal distribution and differing variances between the years studied. This research contributed the insights for the improvement of yield forecasting and the adaptive management strategies in response to a climate variability, ultimately supporting food security and sustainable land management practices in the region. A future work should be expanded on these methodologies to enhance their applicability across the diverse agricultural contexts.

The research was conducted with the objective of determining the influence of inoculation with the live mycorrhizal mycelium on the grape ripening and the concentration of aromatic compounds in the Graševina variety’s must in the winegrowing region of Kutjevo. Graševina was grafted onto the Vitis berlandieri x Vitis riparia SO4 vine rootstock. The vines were of the Guyot variety, pruned with up to ten buds per vine. A mycorrhizal suspension in the amount of 20 ml, with approximately two thousand propagation units of living mycorrhizal mycelium, was inoculated into the immediate root zone. Climatic conditions in the research years differed significantly, as did the harvest dates. The first year was characterized by extremely rainy conditions, with excessive precipitation. During the second research year, the average air temperature at the time of grape ripening was approximately higher by 3 °C higher than that in the first year, and the average amount of precipitation was in the optimal range. The experiment was executed in two treatments with four repetitions, according to the scheme of a random block arrangement. A statistically significant difference was detected neither in the grape-ripening dynamics of grape ripening nor in the nature, but the mycorrhizal treatment had a higher average bunch weight in 2015. In the grape must of the 2014 harvest, mycorrhiza influenced a higher concentration of 1-hexanol, whereas a lower concentration of nerol was detected in 2015.

The factors limiting a successful agricultural production worldwide are certainly the availability of phosphorus (P), the soil’s organic matter, and a pH reaction in the agricultural soils. The significant amounts of phosphorus are found in the soils, but approximately 95–99% is present as the insoluble phosphates and cannot be utilized by the plants. Therefore, the increasing efforts are invested to activate the large amounts of plant-unavailable phosphorus by improving a crop’s P use efficiency through the use of phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms (PSM). The two primary research objectives were stated, as follows: first, to assess whether the applied microbial bioagent impacts the observed soil properties (pH, organic matter, and the available P level), and second, to assess whether a microbial bioagent applied enhances the microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP). The three independent field trials were set up as a randomized blok design, with the following treatments in four replicates: a control, “C“; a control with a microbial bioagent, “CMA“; a reduced P fertilizer with a microbial bioagent, ”PMA“; and a recommended fertilization, “RF.“ The soil samples were analyzed concerning a pH reaction, plant-available phosphorus, soil organic matter, and the microbial biomass P. A visible increase from 3.45 to 5.02 mg P and from 0.53 to 3.42 mg P due to an applied mineral fertilizer was noticed at two locations. No negative impact from applied bioagents was recorded regarding the analyzed soil properties. Very strong relationships (r = 0.9213 in 2016 and r = 0.9508 in 2017) between the available P and the microbial biomass P were stated. The results indicate a fact that the P input and the application of microbial bioagent together with the content of the plant-available phosphorus in the soil influenced the MBP pool.