Sanja Vasiljević

Forage and Seed Yield Components in Four French Landraces of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.)

A small-plot trial was carried out in 2006, 2007 and 2008 at the Experimental Field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops at Rimski Sancevi, including four grass pea local landraces from southern France, Le Cambou from Dordogne and Flechou, Parranquet and Bon Encontre from Lot-et-Garonne. Each trial was composed of two identical parts, one for forage and another for seed. The plants in the first part were cut at the stage of full flowering, while in the second part the plants were harvested at the stage of full maturity of seeds in the oldest pods. Main forage and seed yield components were evaluated. The landrace Bon Encontre had the highest forage yields, with 42.08 g plant−1 of green forage and 8.18 g plant−1 of forage dry matter, while the landrace Le Cambou had the lowest forage yields, with 22.82 g plant−1 of green forage and 4.51 g plant−1 of forage dry matter. However, Le Cambou had the greatest average values of number of fertile nodes (17.7 plant−1), number of pods (18.3 plant−1), number of seeds (36.9 plant−1) and seed yield (7.20 g plant−1). The landrace Bon Encontre was the most promising for the development of dual-purpose grass pea cultivars.

Leaf and stem chemical composition of divergent alfalfa cultivars

Alfalfa is a perennial crop that provides a higher yield of proteins per unit area than any field crop, which makes it highly desirable for the production of hay and feed for domestic animals (especially ruminants). The objective of this study was to determine the dry matter chemical composition in the whole plant, leaves and stems of five divergent alfalfa cultivars. Variations were found in the contents of proteins, hemicellulose, NDF, ADF, ADL, cellulose, and minerals depending on genotype and plant part. Significant differences existed between the cultivars in quality parameters, indicating that breeding for high alfalfa quality is justifiable.

Potential of Legume–Brassica Intercrops for Forage Production and Green Manure: Encouragements from a Temperate Southeast European Environment

Legumes and brassicas have much in common: importance in agricultural history, rich biodiversity, numerous forms of use, high adaptability to diverse farming designs, and various non-food applications. Rare available resources demonstrate intercropping legumes and brassicas as beneficial to both, especially for the latter, profiting from better nitrogen nutrition. Our team aimed at designing a scheme of the intercrops of autumn- and spring-sown annual legumes with brassicas for ruminant feeding and green manure, and has carried out a set of field trials in a temperate Southeast European environment and during the past decade, aimed at assessing their potential for yields of forage dry matter and aboveground biomass nitrogen and their economic reliability via land equivalent ratio. This review provides a cross-view of the most important deliverables of our applied research, including eight annual legume crops and six brassica species, demonstrating that nearly all the intercrops were economically reliable, as well as that those involving hairy vetch, Hungarian vetch, Narbonne vetch and pea on one side, and fodder kale and rapeseed on the other, were most productive in both manners. Feeling encouraged that this pioneering study may stimulate similar analyses in other environments and that intercropping annual legume and brassicas may play a large-scale role in diverse cropping systems, our team is heading a detailed examination of various extended research.

Yield and quality of winter common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) haylage depending on sowing method.

In order to determine an optimum ratio of vetch and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) components in their mixture, there has been carried out a four-year trial (autumn 2005 - spring 2009) aimed at the yield and quality of winter vetch haylage. The sowing rate of winter vetch was 120 kg ha-1, while the sowing rate of winter wheat was 0, 15, 20, 25 and 30 kg ha-1. An increased proportion of the cereal in its mixture with vetch significantly decreases the stand lodging, have a positive influence on forage yield, but haylage quality is of a poorer quality. Quality characteristics such as crude protein and lignin content, total digestible nutrients, dry matter intake and relative feed value were highest in monoculture common vetch followed by mixture with the lowest rate of wheat. Neutral detergent fiber content was positively affected by intercropping. There were no significant differences among treatments for acid detergent fiber content, digestible dry matter, and net energy for lactation. The most favorable balance between the haylage yield and quality, as well as the highest CP yield (1482 kg ha-1), was achieved by the mixture of 120 kg ha-1 of the vetch seed and 15 kg ha-1 of wheat.

A potential use of wild pea as a source of lower trypsin inhibitor activity

The aim of this work was to estimate the trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) in seeds of cultivated pea varieties, wild varieties and selected crosses between varieties from the first group and wild pea varieties and to study the variation in genes coding trypsin inhibitors. Mean TIA in field pea varieties ranged from 3.12 TIU/mg of sample in field pea variety from Czech Republic to 12.90 TIU/mg of sample in field pea variety FP S4 of Serbian origin. Wild field pea varieties showed TIA between 0.98 TIU/mg of sample in Pisum elatius and 9.79 TIU/mg of sample in Pisum abyssinicum. Selected crosses between cultivated field pea varieties and Pisum elatius showed a decrease in TIA in comparison with a parent line that has higher TIA content. The PCR amplification resulted in variety-specific amplification. Varieties with low TIA activity showed amplification with At13/At5 primer pair, while varieties with higher TIA activity showed amplification with primer pairs At12/At5, At14/At5 and At14/At8. Thus, At13/At5 primer pair could be sufficient to distinguish most varieties. These markers can be applied during an early screening of the valuable materials for future breeding programs of pea cultivars with the low level of tripsin inhibitor.

Molecular characterization of red clover genotypes utilizing microsatellite markers

CHILEAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 76(1) JANUARY-MARCH 2016 7 7 Genetic resources of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) are the basis for the improvement of this important forage legume. The objective of this study was microsatellite characterization of the accessions from the collection of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia. Molecular evaluation of 46 red clover genotypes was performed by applying the set of 14 primer pairs of microsatellite markers. These primer pairs amplified a total of 187 alleles, with an average of 13.36 alleles per locus and average polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.306. The minimum values of Dice genetic distances based on polymorphism of microsatellite markers were found among genotypes NCPGRU2 and NCPGRU5 (0.311) and the highest values of genetic distances were determined for a couple of genotypes Violeta and BGR2 (0.933). The average genetic distance between all pairs of genotypes amounted 0.587. The results of the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) were consistent with the results obtained on the basis of cluster analysis, except that the PCoA allocated another four genotypes. There was no relationship between groups of genotypes formed by the use of cluster analyses and PCoA with their geographical origin. Analysis of molecular variance of 46 red clover genotypes by the status and ploidy level was significant, but it also suggested a weak genetic differentiation of groups formed on the basis of those characteristics. Observed groups of genotypes, according to the cluster analyses and PCoA of microsatellite data, could be used in future breeding programs for the selection of germplasm.

Effect of row spacing and seeding rate on seed and dry matter yield of red clover (Trifolium pratense L).

A two-year study (2006 and 2007) was carried out to examine the effect of row spacing and seeding rate on seed and dry matter yield of red clover in a production system for mixed utilization. Field experiments were conducted at the field of Agricultural Highschool in Futog, Serbia. Red clover crop was established in three row distances: 12.5 cm, 25 cm and 50 cm, and three seeding rates: 2.5 kg ha-1, 5 kg ha-1 and 10 kg ha-1. Studies have shown that in the location of Futog (region of south Backa), sowing 10 kg ha-1 with row distance of 25 cm provides red clover seed yield of 482.4 kg ha-1 in the first year of growing and 546.2 kg ha-1 in the second year. The highest yield of dry matter grown in the system of production for mixed use (seed-forage) in Futog was achieved with the row distance of 12.5 cm and seeds rate of 10 kg ha-1.