The study of the impact of different vine load with fertile buds on the yield and quality of grapes of the table variety Karmen was conducted during the 2021 and 2022 vegetation season. The tests were carried out in the experimental vineyard of the Biotechnical Faculty in Podgorica. Four different vine loads with fertile buds were applied: 8, 12, 16 and 18 buds. The results of this study showed that the applied loads had significant impact on the examined parameters of the Karmen variety. The obtained results on the average grape yield show that the lowest value of this parameter was found in the variant with a load of 8 buds – 5.10 kg/vine, while the highest grape yield was recorded in the variant with a load of 18 buds (6.60 kg/vine). The highest average cluster weight (490 g) was found in variant V1, while the smallest cluster (348 g) was found in variant V4. The highest sugar content in the must was in the variant with a load of 8 buds – 14.70%, while the lowest was in the variant with 18 buds – 14.25%. The acid content did not significantly differ between the tested variants.

The study of the agrobiological, economic and technological characteristics of the Podgorička besjemena grape variety was conducted from 2019 to 2021 at the experimental vineyard of the Biotechnical Faculty in Podgorica. The results showed that climatic conditions during the research years significantly influenced the examined parameters of the Podgorička besjemena variety. The average grape yield was lowest in 2019 (3.0 kg/plant) and highest in 2020 (4.4 kg/plant). The largest average cluster weight (314 g) was recorded in 2020, while the smallest (260 g) was observed in 2019. The sugar content in grape juice varied significantly across the years, with the highest sugar content recorded in 2021 (16.5%) and the lowest in 2019 (14.8%). The acidity content was significantly higher in the first year (5.75 g/l) compared to the third year (5.0 g/l), while compared to the second year was not statistically significant

The development of biological pesticides is rapidly becoming an integral aspect of pest management in sustainable agriculture. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Bacillus halotolerans strain B33 against three common seedborne fungal pathogens-Fusarium graminearum, Alternaria alternata, and Aspergillus flavus. B33 strain identity was determined using the 16S rRNA and tuf gene sequences. Commercial wheat, barley, oat, and rye seeds were artificially infected by fungal isolates and then treated with B33 overnight culture in Nutrient Broth. The obtained results indicate high efficacy against F. graminearum (83.55-94.38%) and A. alternata (85.05-96.70%), whereby the highest efficacy was noted on wheat seed and the lowest was detected on rye seed. On the other hand, B33 achieved 100% efficacy against A. flavus on barley, rye, and oat seeds, while being 96.24% effective against this pathogen on wheat. Principal component analysis indicated the highest treatment influence on A. flavus. The effect of all tested treatments on seed germination was statistically significant compared to the controls, whereby the number of germinated seeds declined as the seed infection rate increased. B. halotolerans strain B33 effectively managed seedborne fungal pathogens, thereby enhancing seed germination.

A highly sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS) was applied for simultaneous determination of seven biogenic amines (cadaverine, putrescine, histamine, spermine, tyramine, phenyethylamine, and tryptamine) in Montenegrin red Vranac and Kratošija (Vitis vinifera L.) wines. The method was validated, confirmed the suitability for determination of biogenic amines in red wines, and it was applied to examine the changes of biogenic amines in three vinification stages: after alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and 10 months of bottle aging of the wines. The results showed that the total amine levels were low, ranging from 1.27 to 3.26 mg/L, observing increased concentration in the wines after finished malolactic fermentation. Putrescine, which was constituted as a main amine in wines (range: 0.79 to 2.39 mg/L), was observed in a slightly higher content in Vranac wines compared to Kratošija, followed by the aliphatic cadaverine (range: 0.091 to 0.35 mg/L) and the aromatic phenylethylamine (range: 0.119–0.373 mg/L). Histamine and tyramine which are subject of toxicological interest were present in a very low concentration in wines (on average value: 0.082 and 0.015 mg/L, respectively). Cadaverine and putrescine showed linear relationships with the sum of total biogenic amines, and the reached values were below the toxicity threshold. According to the principal component analysis, wines were clearly separated in three groups according to the three vinification stages.

In this study, we assessed the genetic relatedness of 11 representative Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) strains isolated in Serbia from different herbaceous and woody plant species, as well as one reference Pss strain, using various molecular tools such as repetitive element palindromic PCR, arbitrarily primed PCR, insertion sequences 50 PCR (IS50-PCR) and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). Their virulence traits were also assessed by inoculating detached pear and lilac leaves, as well as immature cherry fruitlets. The results indicated genetic heterogeneity among the strains, which formed a complex network with prominent clustering patterns. While four distinct groups could be recognised when comparative Pss strains from the database were included in the analyses, the strains in focus of this study segregated into two distinct genetic groups labelled PssG-2 and PssG-3. MLSA findings mostly matched the IS50-PCR results, while virulence assays helped distinguish sweet cherry (RE05, RE3) and pumpkin (PS-T71) strains as the most virulent. Only strain Pss25, originating from pear, exhibited host specificity.

The application of ampelotechnical measures in table grape production profoundly affects grape yield and quality.This study aims to assess the influence of the ampelotechnical practice of bunch thinning on the yield and quality of Ribier and Muscat Italia grape varieties.The research was conducted over three consecutive years on production plantations of Ribier and Muscat Italia varieties grown on pergola training system with a planting distance of 2.5 x 2.5 m.The plantations are in full fertility, aged between 12-15 years, located in the Gevgelija-Valandovo vineyard, renowned as one of the most suitable sites for cultivating table grapes in the Republic of Macedonia.Three different bunch thinning variants were applied in both varieties: V1 (thinning to 4 bunches/m 2 ), V2 (thinning to 5 bunches/m 2 ), and V3 (thinning to 6 bunches/m 2 ).These were compared with the standard variant where no bunch thinning was performed.Our research findings demonstrate that the applied ampelotechnical measure significantly impacts the average bunch and berry mass, transportability, must chemical composition, packed grape quantity, and organoleptic evaluation of the grapes.The average bunch mass of the Ribier variety ranges from 381,3 g in the standard (St) variant to 445,7 g in the V1 variant.Similarly, in the Italia variety, the bunch mass fluctuates between 607.3 g (St variant) and 703,0 g in the V1 variant, while the berry mass ranges from 7,5 g (St) to 8,5 g (V1).Moreover, the packed grape quantities range from 1,9 kg/m 2 in the standard variant to 2,31 kg/m 2 in the V2 variant for the Ribier variety, whereas for the Italia variety, the lowest amount of packed grapes was recorded in the V1 variant (2,65 kg/m 2 ), and the highest in the 1 Zlatko Prculovski (corresponding

The study of the impact of different vine loads on the agrobiological, economical, and technological characteristics of the Ribier variety was carried out in 2020 and 2021 with the aim of determining the optimal load for this variety. The tests were carried out in the experimental vineyard of the Biotechnical Faculty in Podgorica. Four different vine loads with fertile buds were applied, namely 8, 12, 16, and 18 buds. The results of this study have shown that the applied loads had a significant impact on the examined parameters of the Ribier variety. The results obtained on the average yield of grapes have shown that the lowest value of this parameter was found in the variant with a load of 8 buds - 4.2 kg/vine, while the highest grape yield was recorded for the variant with a load of 18 buds (7.0 kg/vine). V1 had the highest average cluster weight (396 g), while V4 had the lowest cluster weight (325 g). The content of sugar in grape juice also varied significantly under the influence of the load on the vines. The highest sugar content was recorded in the variant with a load of 8 buds - 16.1%, and the lowest in the variant with 18 buds - 14.7%. The acid content did not differ significantly between the tested varieties.

The study of the impact of different methods of weed control in vineyard was carried out in 2015 in the Podgorica sub region.Six different variants of weed control were tested: control, mechanical control, glyphosate (one treatment), glyphosate (two treatments), flazasulfuron and flazasulfuron+glyphosate.A total of 13 weed species from nine families were identified.The Asteraceae family was the most widespread with four species (31%), followed by Poaceae with two (15%), while all other families participated with one weed species each (8%).The dominant weed species in the experimental vineyard were Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Sorghum halepense, Heliotropium europaeum and Xanthium strumarium.Annual thermophilic, heliophilic weeds dominated the weed synusia of the vineyard (77%), while perennial species participated with 23%.All applied methods of weed control showed a satisfactory level of efficiency, reducing the number of weed plants and the weed mass per unit area.The best effect in weed control between rows of the vineyard was demonstrated by the variants glyphosate, applied twice (92.7%), flazasulfuron, applied once (92.0%) and glyphosate+flazasulfuron (91.7%).The combination of glyphosate+flazasulfuron (100%) showed the highest efficiency in controlling weeds between the vines in a row.

In August 2020, the unusual appearance of crown gall symptoms was observed on the tobacco plants (hybrid PVH2310) grown in fields in the Golubinci (Srem district, Serbia) locality. The causal agent isolated from galls located on tobacco roots formed circular, convex, and glistening light blue colonies, and then dark to olive-green-colored bacterial colonies on a semi-selective D1 medium. Molecular analysis based on multiplex PCR and multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) using concatenated sequences of the atpD, dnaK, glnA, and rpoB genes as well as 16S rRNA identified Serbian tobacco isolates such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens (biovar 1). Two duplex PCR methods confirmed the presence of the virD2 and virC genes in tobacco isolates. Pathogenicity tests performed on carrot discs and squash fruits resulted in tumor/gall formation after 12 to 16 days post inoculation, respectively. Pathogenicity was also confirmed on tobacco plants, where isolates caused tumor development 21−25 days after inoculation. API 50 CH generated results regarding the biochemical features of the Serbian tobacco isolates. As A. tumefaciens (biovar 1) as a cause of tobacco crown gall has previously been documented solely in Japan, there is presently no data on its wider occurrence. Therefore, this first detailed investigation of A. tumefaciens isolated from naturally infected tobacco in Serbia will contribute to a better understanding of it at the global level.

The study of the impact of different methods of weed control on the agrobiological, economical and agrotechnological characteristics of the Vranac variety was carried out in the Podgorica vineyard in 2015. Six different variants of weed control were applied: control, mechanical weed control, glyphosate (one treatment), glyphosate (two treatments), flazasulfuron and flazasulfuron +glyphosate. The yield of grapes during the research period ranged from 2.9 kg/vine in control to 3.9 kg/vine in the variant with combined use of flazasulfuron and glyphosate. The lowest average cluster weight was measured in the control – 169 g, while the highest was measured in the variant with the application of flazasulfuron + glyphosate – 206 g. The lowest sugar content was found in the control variant – 23.8%, and the highest in the variant with mechanical weed control – 25.8%. Varieties with one and two treatments with glyphosate had the most acids in the must – 6.43 gl-1, and the variant with mechanical weed control had the lowest acid content in must – 5.57 gl-1.

Species of the genus Colletotrichum are among the most important plant pathogens globally, as they are capable of infecting many hosts—apple (Malus spp.) and other fruit and woody plant species—but also vegetable crops, cereals, legumes, and other annual and perennial herbaceous plants. The apple (Malus spp.) is attacked by various species from the genus Colletotrichum, whereby 27 different species from this genus have been described as the causative agents of apple bitter rot (ABR) and 15 as the cause of Glomerella leaf spot (GLS). These species generally belong to one of three species complexes: Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Colletotrichum boninense. The largest number of apple pathogens of the genus Colletotrichum belong to the species complex C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides. However, further data on these species and the interactions between the species complexes of the genus Colletotrichum that cause these two apple diseases is needed for the development of effective control measures, thus ensuring successful and profitable apple cultivation. To contribute to this endeavor, a comprehensive review of the causative agents of ABR and GLS from the genus Colletotrichum is provided. In addition to presenting the species’ current names, distribution, economic significance, and the symptoms they cause in apple, their development cycle, epidemiology, and molecular detection strategies are described, with a particular emphasis on control measures.

This Technical Resource describes genome sequencing data for 61 isolates of the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris collected from Brassica and Raphanus crops between 2010 and 2021 in Serbia. We present the raw sequencing reads and annotated contig-level genome assemblies and determine the races of ten isolates. The data can be used to test hypotheses and phylogeographic analyses and inform the design of informative molecular markers for population genetics studies. When combined with phenotypic data, they could be used to dissect relationships between genotypes and phenotypes such as host range and virulence. Finally, these genome sequences expand our inventory of plasmids known to reside in this pathogen.

During the survey of open tomato fields in Vojvodina (Serbia), characteristic anthracnose disease symptoms, including black, circular, sunken, and watery lesions, were observed in about 20% of fruits in September 2018. Subsequent pathogen isolations formed white aerial mycelia and numerous spherical, black conidiomata on the Potato Dextrose Agar. Ten representative isolates produced hyaline, smooth-walled, cylindrical, and aseptate conidia. The presence of initially brownish necrotic lesions on the tomato, which later expanded into large rotted areas, ultimately leading to complete fruit rot, confirmed the pathogenicity of the tested isolates. Molecular identification was performed using Bayesian analysis of concatenated ITS, TUB2, CHS-1, and ACT loci. Based on the combination of the morphological and molecular features, the fungus Colletotrichum nigrum was identified as the causal pathogen. As this is the first report on this fungal pathogen on tomatoes in Serbia, it highlights the importance of early and accurate detection for effective disease prevention, thus reducing crop damage and market losses.

Infections with phytoplasma present one of the most significant biotic stresses influencing plant health, growth, and production. The phytoplasma ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ infects a variety of plant species. This pathogen impacts the physiological and morphological characteristics of plants causing stunting, yellowing, leaf curling, and other symptoms that can lead to significant economic losses. The aim of this study was to determine biochemical changes in peony (Paeonia tenuifolia L.), mint (Mentha × piperita L.), and dill (Anethum graveolens L.) induced by ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ in Serbia as well as to predict the impact of the biotic stress using artificial neural network (ANN) modeling. The phylogenetic position of the Serbian ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ strains originated from the tested hosts using 16S rRNA (peony and carrot strains) and plsC (mint and dill strains) sequences indicated by their genetic homogeneity despite the host of origin. Biochemical parameters significantly differed in asymptomatic and symptomatic plants, except for total anthocyanidins contents in dill and the capacity of peony and mint extracts to neutralize superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals, respectively. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a correlation between different chemical parameters and revealed a clear separation among the samples. Based on the ANN performance, the optimal number of hidden neurons for the calculation of TS, RG, PAL, LP, NBT, •OH, TP, TT, Tflav, Tpro, Tant, DPPH, and Car was nine (using MLP 8-9-13), as it produced high r2 values (1.000 during the training period) and low SOS values. Developing an effective early warning system for the detection of plant diseases in different plant species is critical for improving crop yield and quality.

Pyrenophora teres is a pathogen causing a net blotch disease in cultivated barley, which is present worldwide and can thus significantly reduce barley yields. This fungus also infects wild barley and other plants of the Hordeum genus, as well as barley grass, wheat, oats and plants from various genera, including Agropyron, Bromus, Elymus, Hordelymus and Stipa. Based on the symptoms it causes on the infected barley plants, the pathogen can be divided into two forms: P teres f. teres, which causes net -like symptoms, and P teres f. maculata, which causes blotchy symptoms. Infected seeds, stubble and plant debris, and volunteer and weed plants represent primary sources of pathogen inoculum. During the growing season, the pathogen enters a sexual stage, developing pseudothecia with asci and ascospores. This is followed by an asexual stage, during which conidiophores with conidia are formed. The conidial (anamorphic) stage is much more common, whereby conidia is a source of inoculum for secondary infection during the barley growing season. The first symptoms appear at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, often during the tilling phase. The most characteristic symptoms form on barley leaves. Frequently, symptoms of the net form can be mistaken for other diseases occurring on barley, making molecular analysis essential for accurate detection of P. teres, its forms, mating types and hybrids. Current net blotch control measures are based on the combined application of cultural, chemical and biological control methods and the selection of resistant varieties.

The aim of this study was to establish a link between genetic diversity and the geographic origin of Pectobacterium strains belonging to three species—P. carotovorum, P. versatile, and P. odoriferum—isolated from cabbage in Serbia by comparing their sequences with those of strains sourced from different hosts and countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. Phylogeographic relatedness was reconstructed using the Templeton, Crandall, and Sing’s (TCS) haplotype network based on concatenated sequences of the housekeeping genes dnaX, icdA, mdh, and proA, while pairwise genetic distances were computed by applying the p-distance model. The obtained TCS haplotype networks indicated the existence of high intra-species genetic diversity among strains of all three species, as reflected in the 0.2–2.3%, 0.2–2.5%, and 0.1–1.7% genetic distance ranges obtained for P. carotovorum, P. versatile, and P. odoriferum, respectively. Five new haplotypes (denoted as HPc1–HPc5) were detected among cabbage strains of P. carotovorum, while one new haplotype was identified for both P. versatile (HPv1) and P. odoriferum (HPo1). None of the TCS haplotype networks provided evidence of significant correlation between geographic origin and the determined haplotypes, i.e., the infection origin. However, as haplotype network results are affected by the availability of sequencing data in public databases for the used genes and the number of analyzed strains, these findings may also be influenced by small sample size.

Potato is ranked as one of the most important food crops. Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and blackleg and soft rot caused by different species from genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya are considered two of the most important diseases of the potato. Biological control is the optimal strategy for controlling pathogens in crops generally, including bacteria. The present study aimed to evaluate the antagonistic effects of two Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains, SS-12.6 and SS-38.4, against bacterial pathogens isolated from the potato in Serbia, such as R. solanacearum, Pectobacterium carotovorum, Pectobacterium brasiliense, and Dickeya dianthicola. The diameter of the inhibition zones formed by ethyl-acetate extracts of SS-12.6 and SS-38.4 strains show much higher values than the inhibition zones of supernatants, which implies the main power of these antagonists' potential lies in lipopeptides. The effectiveness of the treatment (19.7-44.5%), based on the difference in weight of potato tubers on the fifth and 15th day after treatment (DAT), showed that the antagonistic strains were almost equally effective in the suppression of P. carotovorum, P. brasiliense, and D. dianthicola strains. Strains SS-12.6 and SS-38.4 exhibited the efficacy in the suppression of R. solanacearum wilt from 28.64 to 60.22%. The analysis of the area under the disease progress (AUDPC) confirmed differences among pathogen control treatments and biocontrol treatments with B. amyloliquefaciens strains in all trials. This study shows that the two B. amyloliquefaciens strains, SS-12.6 and SS-38.4, can potentially be used as biocontrol agents against potato pathogens.