South Pannonian Basin Research Articles

Optimal Plant Density Is Key for Maximizing Maize Yield in Calcareous Soil of the South Pannonian Basin.

Plant density, the number of plants per unit area, is an important factor in maize production. Plant density exhibits high variability and depends on a number of factors, i.e., the length of the growing period of the hybrid, the morphological characteristics of the plant, the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing season, the reserve of winter moisture in the soil, the level of soil fertility, the time of sowing, agronomic management practices, and biomass and yield. The objective of this paper was to determine the agronomic optimal plant density for maize in calcareous soil in the semiarid conditions of the South Pannonian Basin. Field experiments were conducted at the experimental field-IFVCNS (two locations: Rimski Šančevi and Srbobran) to evaluate four plant densities (55,000; 65,000; 75,000; and 85,000 plants ha-1). The experimental sites "Rimski Šančevi" and "Srbobran" are located in the typical chernozem zone of the southern part of the Pannonian Basin. On average for all hybrids, the grain yield followed a second-degree polynomial model in response to the increasing planting density, with the highest value at plant density (PD2: 65,000 plants ha-1). To achieve maximum yield, the optimal planting density for corn hybrids of the FAO 200 group should be 57,600 plants ha-1, for the FAO 300 group 64,300 plants ha-1, for the FAO 400 group 68,700 plants ha-1, for the FAO 500 group 66,800 plants ha-1, and for the FAO 600 group 63,500 plants ha-1. "Which-Won-Where" biplot showed that the hybrid H24 from FAO 600 group was the highest yielding in all of the environments. Hybrid H17 from the same FAO group was the most stable across all of the environments. Selected hybrids may further be studied for planting density and nutritional requirements for getting maximum yield. By introducing new maize hybrids with higher genetic yield potential and better agronomic management practices, modern mechanization and agricultural techniques allowed to increase planting densities.

Winter Pea Mixtures with Triticale and Oat for Biogas and Methane Production in Semiarid Conditions of the South Pannonian Basin

Due to the increase in greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, there is increased attention on renewable energy sources from specialized crops. These crops should not compete with food security, and it is important to select plant resources which can produce methane-rich biogas efficiently. The most commonly used energy crops are planted and managed intensively with high inputs in productive land, and this negatively affects land use and sustainable use of resources. The main purposes of this study are to: (a) determine the best cropping system for optimal biogas and methane production from sole crops of winter pea, triticale and out and their mixtures at two different maturity stages (first stage: full-flowering stage of winter pea and beginning of milky stage of cereals; second stage: emergence of firsts pods for pea and milky/waxy stage of cereals); and (b) to develop and use a surface model to determine the best combinations of various mixtures that result in highest biogas and methane. The used pure or mixtures of pea, oat and triticale in two seed weight ratios (50%:50% and 75%:25%) produced different green mass, dry matter, solids, biogas and methane yields. The experiments showed that maximum green mass was produced by the mixture of pea and oat at the seed ratio 75%:25% and when crop was harvested at the full-flowering stage of winter pea and beginning of the milky stage of cereals. After quadratic model analyses, the combination ratios of the oat and triticale were, respectively, 30% and 8%, with a maximum green biomass yield of 61.48 t ha−1, while the corresponding values were 28% and 38%, with maximum solids yields of 25.64 t ha−1. As the model was set at 100 for all three independent variables (oat, triticale and pea), the pea should be at 62% (100-30-8) and 34% (100-28-38), respectively, for green mass and organic solids yields. The results of surface analysis and multivariate analysis of variance showed that the mixture of oat and triticale had great potentiality for biogas and methane yields. The optimal mixture of oat with triticale was 27~35% with 73~65% for producing biogas and (or) methane.

Modelling climate types in South Pannonian Basin, Serbia by applying the Köppen–Geiger climate classification

Vegetation cover as a part of the Earth’s climate system (ECS) has a significant role in energy exchange between the land cover and the atmosphere, because of significant influence in explanation of weather and climatic patterns on a regional and global level. One of the most commonly used climatic classifications where the formation, prevailing and widespread type of the vegetation cover on land cover is used as a frame for the definition of climatic indicators and condition in ECS is the Koppen–Geiger climate classification. In our research, we will use numerical simulation data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 project to explain how climate conditions changed and will continue to change during the period from 1950 to 2100 in the Pannonian Basin. The control period from 1961 to 1990, which we will use to define deviation of the numerical simulations from an approximately real state, will be defined using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis data for near-surface air temperature and precipitation from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre. We will show how Koppen–Geiger climate types are changing by changing the near-surface air temperature and precipitation and whether a change in vegetation cover accompanies this change. Reduction of vegetation should lead to intensifying of climate hazards such as reduced rainfall and increasing surface temperatures. We will also compare the climate types obtained from the measured data from the Global Meteorological Stations in the southern region of the Pannonian Basin that includes the frame of Northern Serbia.

Assessment of Geothermal Fields in the South Pannonian Basin System Using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool

This paper analyses potential geothermal sites in North-East Croatia which is part of the Pannonian Basin System where a substantial geothermal potential was discovered during hydrocarbon exploration using the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool specially developed for the purposes of the Horizon 2020 project: Multidisciplinary and multi-context demonstration of EGS exploration and Exploitation Techniques and potentials (H2020 MEET). Most of these sites use available geothermal energy potential for commercial purposes, mainly for balneology and more recently for agriculture and electricity generation. The case study involves five different geothermal locations chosen according to their geothermal potential, the current state of production and possible future development, including one oil field that is at the very end of its production life. Three potential final users’ types; agriculture demand, electricity generation demand and district heating have been evaluated for each of the five chosen geothermal sites. The conducted analysis should be of great benefit for further analyses which will be carried out using the aforementioned Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool. The performed study showed high consistency of obtained results and actual usage of five geothermal fields.

Grouping pattern of maize test locations and its impact on hybrid zoning

Grain yield is a result of the combined effects of genotype, environment and their interaction. The importance of the genotype × environment interaction is that it causes different reactions of maize hybrids when they are grown in different environments. This study was performed to analyse discriminativeness, representativeness and relationships of test locations for a grain yield of nine maize hybrids grown at nine locations in a 5 year period 2007–2011 in the South Pannonian Basin, a part of central and south European corn belt. A three-way mixed model revealed the highly significant (P < 0.01) REML variance components for year × location, year × location × hybrid and residuals. The grain yield was also significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the year × hybrid and location × hybrid interaction effect. The sites regression (SREG) model was used to determine whether mega-environments exist, and/or whether the test locations used are suitable for maize hybrids zoning. To determine which environmental factors mostly affect the hybrid × location interaction, the partial least squares regression approach was applied. The “which-won-where” pattern of the SREG biplot confirmed a rank change interaction between the locations, indicating the presence of strong and unpredictable rank-change location-by-year interactions. The main characteristic of the grouping pattern was poor repeatability, since most of the locations that made one mega-environment tended to change from year to year. Therefore, it is preferable to develop hybrids with high yielding potentials, wide adaptability and stability, rather than to develop hybrids specially designed for narrow agro-ecological regions.

Management of soil organic carbon in maintaining soil productivity and yield stability of winter wheat

The objective of this study was to estimate how soil organic carbon influences winter wheat yield in the South Pannonian Basin. The treatments evaluated were: fertilized 3 year and 2 year crop rotation, fertilized wheat monoculture and unfertilized 3 year and 2 year crop rotation in the 38 years of continuous cropping (1970&amp;ndash;2007). These treatments showed a declining trend of soil organic carbon in the 0&amp;ndash;30 cm soil layer, respectively. On average, the plow-layer of the treatments lost 10% of soil organic carbon found at the beginning of the investigated period. The plow&amp;shy;layer of the unfertilized treatments reached a possible soil organic carbon threshold (1.16%) after balance on decomposition and formation was observed. We found that soil organic carbon preservation coupled with proper management such as crop rotation and fertilization is important for preserving soil productivity, and when soil organic carbon increases it could benefit winter wheat yield. Obtained results are valuable for developing a sustainable cropping technology for winter wheat and soil conservation.

Composition and provenance of Neogene sedimentary rocks of Dilj gora Mt. (south Pannonian Basin, Croatia)

The petrographic composition and transport direction of medium and coarse-grained clastic material of Dilj gora Mt. which is located in the south Pannonian basin, show that this area experienced several changes in provenance of arriving detritus through the Neogene. Detritus for the oldest Lower Miocene (Ravan unit) was transported generally from the south and most probably derived from clastic and carbonate sediments and metamorphic rocks of the Internal Dinarides. Detritus of the Lower Miocene–Middle Miocene (Tuk unit) was originated by weathering of acid magmatic and metamorphic rocks with significant input of materials from local sources, primarily from the Internal Dinarides and from Požeska gora and Dilj gora Mts. During the entire Middle Miocene (Zdenci, Dubovik and Glogovica units) and through the older part of the Late Miocene (Croatica and Pavlovci unit) the deposition of siliciclastic gravel and sandy detritus was less significant. Only the Middle Miocene deposits (Kasonja unit) contain clastic detritus derived from granitoids, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks of the hinterland. The source area of this detritus was most probably in the Slavonian Mts. (Papuk, Psunj, Požeska gora Mt.) or the mountains of northern Bosnia (Motajica Mt.). At the time of late Upper Miocene (Andrasevec and Nova Gradiska units) detritus derived from different metamorphic and older sedimentary rocks. The structural and mineralogical maturity of these sediments and their transport directions indicates an Alpine-Carpathian provenance of material. Most of the detritus of the Pliocene sediments (Cernik unit) also belong to an Alpine-Carpathian provenance, however a small part of it is of local origin and came from uplifted and mainly sedimentary rocks.Determinated various textural characteristics and diverse modal compositions and provenance of Neogene clastic material of Dilj gora Mt. can be attributed to differing source rock compositions and locations of source areas, but they are also the product of different controls on sedimentation such as different rates of subsidence and extension of Pannonian Basin interrupted by compressional events, basin water-level fluctuations connected with global sea-level changes and infilling of PB by delta progradation.

New paleomagnetic results from imbricated Adria: Ist Island and related areas

For the purpose of this work samples for palaeomagnetic analysis were taken from Upper Cenomanian and Lower Senonian shallow water limestones, as well as from Senonian pelagic limestones from both Ist and the surrounding islands. This area belongs to Imbricated Adria, which is characterized by gently folded and faulted strata with a Dinaridic (NW–SE) trend. An exception is Premuda island where the beds are strongly folded and are subvertical. A total of 96 samples were drilled from 10 localities distributed between eight islands. The samples were then subjected to standard palaeomagnetic laboratory analysis and statistical evaluation. Eventually, six localities yielded statistically well-defined palaeomagnetic directions, which were shown pre date the folding in age. The overall mean palaeomagnetic direction obtained for the study area, characterizing the Cenomanian–Early Senonian time period had a Declination of 334°, Inclination=+46°, with statistical parameters k=188, a 95 =4.9°, defining a palaeomagnetic pole at l (N)=63°, f (E)=254°, d p=4.0°, d m=6.2°. This was compared with palaeomagnetic directions obtained for rocks of similar ages from stable Istria and the Kvarner islands. As the three palaeomagnetic directions are statistically identical, we conclude that there was no significant relative movement between the three areas after the Early Senonian. The palaeomagnetic declination for the study area, which characterizes the post-Early Senonian rotation of the Adriatic microplate, is the same as the declination for the Pannonian–Pontian age group from the South Pannonian basin. As the palaeomagnetic signals in both cases are primary, the results of the present paper not only support the conclusion that the rotating Adriatic microplate triggered rotations in the South Pannonian basin, but also suggest that the Adriatic platform did not change its orientation between the late Cretaceous and the Early Pontian.

The allochthonous fragments of the Internal Dinaridic units in the western part of the South Pannonian Basin

The allochthonous fragments of the Internal Dinaridic units in the western part of the South Pannonian Basin

Evolution of the northern and western Dinarides: a tectonostratigraphic approach

The Dinarides are a Late Jurassic to recent, mainly SW-vergent fold and thrust belt that extends from the Southern Alps in the NW to the Albanides/Hellenides in the SE. Main tectonostratigraphic units of the Dinarides are related to: a) Early and Middle Triassic rifting: was marked by strong magmatism and horst to graben related deposition overlying Variscian basement. Rift-related magmatism migrated westward through the Early to Late Triassic. Deposition was fault controlled and sedimentation patterns demonstrate a strong differentiation between shelf, slope and basin lithologies. Along the "eastern" Apulian margin toward the Sava-Vardar ocean rifting was followed by subduction-generated extension during Early Triassic till Late Jurassic. Subduction-related attenuation of continental crust along the eastern margin of Apulia caused a generation of the back-arc basin type of the oceanic crust. The remnants of that active continental margin lithologies are found within the Eastern thrust belt as the ophiolite melange of the Central Dinarides Ophiolite Belt. b) Late Jurassic to present day compression that generated: -Eastern thrust belt, foredeep and foreland. Continental convergence was progressive from Late Jurassic and was first expressed on the eastern margin to the Dinarides as the Eastern thrust belt and its foredeep. During Early Cretaceous compressional stresses began to be transmitted westward through the Dinarides, causing the migration of the foredeep basin and regional uplift of the Eastern thrust belt. - Northern Dinarides accretionary wedge. Subduction of the oceanic plate along the northern margin of the Dinarides culminated from Maastrichtian to Eocene. That is evidenced by accretionary wedge deposits located by oil wells in the basement of the South Pannonian Basin, an east-west trending remnants of the magmatic arc and well exposed retroarc flysch-like deposits. - Western thrust belt, foredeep and foreland: At the end of the Cretaceous the entire carbonate platform was uplifted until the Early Eocene. During Eocene the Dinaridic carbonate platform was finally drowned under the flysch deposits in the broad foredeep basin of the Western thrust belt. -Eastern Adria imbricated structures: At the beginning of the Oligocene collision and progressive underthrusting of the Adria below the Dinarides created the imbricare structures of Adria provenience in front of the Western thrust belt. The structural style of the Dinaridic thrust belt depends on the polyphase tectonic compression and the competence of the sedimentary units involved. The decollements are Permian shales locally interbedded with gypsum, fine-grained Early/Mid Triassic clastics and Late Jurassic-Early Crataceous anhydrites. The competent carbonate rocks are the most responsible for the structural style of the thrust belt. The compression started with ramping along the deep decollement from the root zone with a southwestern tectonic transport. In this way, by progressive overstepping of the thrust faults the various structural forms were created along the Eastern and Western thrust belt such as fault bend folds, tear fault related folds and folded thrust structures reworked by footwall deformations. - Wrenching and tectonic inversion: NE-SW striking system of the dextral strike slip faults during Oligocene Miocene was followed by NW-SE striking wrenching in Early and Middle Miocene, affecting South Pannonian Basin. Western thrust belt and Adriatic foreland. It is reflected as tectonic inversion in Mid-Bosnian Schists Mts. and as the system of the right-lateral strike and oblique slip faults, creating the large Sava and Drava depressions of the South Pannonian Basin and narrow pull-apart basins and large flower structures of the Dinaridic thrust belt.

Petrology and geochemistry of Egerian-Eggenburgian and Badenian tholeiite-calc-alkaline volcanics from the South Pannonian Basin (Croatia)

Petrology and geochemistry of Egerian-Eggenburgian and Badenian tholeiite-calc-alkaline volcanics from the South Pannonian Basin (Croatia)

Geochemistry and geodynamics of a Late Cretaceous bimodal volcanic association from the southern part of the Pannonian Basin in Slavonija (Northern Croatia)

¶In this paper we present petrological and geochemical information on a bimodal basalt-rhyolite suite associated with A-type granites of Late Cretaceous age from the South Pannonian Basin in Slavonija (Croatia). Basalts and alkali-feldspar rhyolites, associated in some places with ignimbrites, occur in volcanic bodies that are interlayered with pyroclastic and fossiliferous Upper Cretaceus sedimentary rocks. The petrology and geochemistry of the basalts and alkali-feldspar rhyolites are constrained by microprobe analyses, major and trace element analyses including REE, and radiogenic and stable isotope data. Basalts that are mostly transformed into metabasalts (mainly spilites), are alkalic to subalkalic and their geochemical signatures, particularly trace element and REE patterns, are similar to recent back-arc basalts. Alkali-feldspar rhyolites have similar geochemical features to the associated cogenetic A-type granites, as shown by their large variation of Na2O and K2O (total 8–9%), very low MgO and CaO, and very high Zr contents ranging between 710 and 149 ppm. Geochemical data indicate an amphibole lherzolite source within a metasomatized upper mantle wedge, with the influence of upper mantle diapir with MORB signatures and continental crust contamination. Sr incorporated in the primary basalt melt had an initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.7039 indicating an upper mantle origin, whereas the 87Sr/86Sr ratio for the alkali-feldspar rhyolites and associated A-type granites is 0.7073 indicating an apparent continental crust origin. However, some other geochemical data favour the idea that they might have mainly originated by fractionation of primary mafic melt coupled with contamination of continental crust. Only one rhyolite sample appears to be the product of melting of continental crust. Geological and geodynamic data indicate that the basalt-rhyolite association was probably related to Alpine subduction processes in the Dinaridic Tethys which can be correlated with recent back-arc basins. The difference in geological and isotope ages between the bimodal basalt-rhyolite volcanism with A-type granite plutonism (72 Ma) and the final synkinematic S-type granite plutonism (48 Ma) can be taken as a lifetime of the presumed BARB system of the Dinaridic Tethys. Remnants of this presumed subduction zone can be traced for 300 km along the surrounding northernmost Dinarides.

Geodynamic evolution of the northern Dinarides and the southern part of the Pannonian Basin

Most of the recent geodynamic interpretations of the Pannonian Basin focus on its relation to the formation of the Carpathians and the Alpine orogeny. However, also the Dinarides were severely affected by Neogene tectonics related to the formation of the Pannonian Basin. Especially in the northernmost Dinarides Neogene deformation played a very important role in the evolution of this mountain chain. Geological records clearly show evidence of two phases of plate convergence along the northern and eastern margins of the present-day Dinarides. At the end of the Jurassic the Dinaridic parts of the Tethys ophiolites were obducted onto the northeastern margins of the Apulian microplate. The second phase is documented in the central part of the northernmost Dinarides. It is genetically related to an ancient volcanic arc, as indicated by Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene trench sediments with blueschist olistolithes which are interlayered by basalt, rhyolites, pyroclastics, medium-pressure metamorphosed trench sediments, and associated synkinematic granitoids. In the northern part of the Dinarides subduction processes terminated with the Eocene compressional event which caused the uplift of the Dinarides. Numerous intramontane basins with shallow-marine, fluviatile and lacustrine deposits were generated during the Oligocene. Penecontemporaneous andesites which are found along the Drava and Sava depressions of the South Pannonian Neogene Basin can be correlated with the easternmost Periadriatic tonalites. However, observations do not indicate strike-slip faulting at that time in this area. The Neogene rift stage initiated the evolution of the Pannonian Basin. It is marked by extruded submarine trachyandesites of Karpathian age, Badenian basalts, andesites, dacites and rhyolites, and Pannonian alkali basalts, which are interlayered by coeval sedimentary rocks. Main evidence for the large-scale tectonic transport of large Dinaridic blocks into the Pannonian Basin area are the Periadriatic–Sava and Zagreb–Zemplen fault systems and subparallel faults. The late Sarmatian global sea-level drop which coincided with a compressional phase is regionally marked by an unconformity throughout the Pannonian Basin, as reported by Horváth (Horváth, F., 1995. Phases of compression during the evolution of the Pannonian Basin and its bearing on hydrocarbon exploration. Mar. Pet. Geol. 12 (8), 837-844). Due to thermal subsidence during the Pliocene more than 2000 m of lacustrine freshwater sediments were deposited in the South Pannonian Basin. The Pliocene compression phase can be observed in the Transdanubian zone and also south of the Mura and Drava rivers by south- and southwest-dipping reverse fault systems.