In Bosnia and Herzegovina, greenhouses and polytunnels are often exposed to excessive snowfall during the winter period. In order to prevent the side-effect of retaining large amounts of snow (greenhouses, polytunnels), it is necessary to implement preventinve measures. The objective of this study is aimed at determining the rate of snow melting through the application of different concentrations of urea (5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 30%), at different temperatures. The results of the study show that the highest rate of snow melting, within one hour and at temperature ranging from 0 to 50 C, is recorded in the application of 10% and 30% urea concentrations, and the lowest at at a concentration of 20%. Urea concentrations of 15% and 30% show the best effect on snow melting rate within day, at the stated positive air temperatures, while the concentration of 20% had the least effect. At temperatures ranging from 0 to - 50 C, the highest snow melting rate was recorded in the urea concentration of 10% within both one hour and one day, and the lowest at a 15% concentration. In the conducted studies, all urea concentrations showed statistically significantly better results at positive temperatures compared to negative ones, by 2 to 3 times on average.

Nowadays, farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing climate change-related problems almost constantly. Treats such as late frost, extreme temperature or precipitation events, drought, floods and hail are becoming frequent and more devastating.In order to achieve sustainable production and rational use of water resources together with environmental protection and reduction of risk, farmers should use decision-support tools such as the irrigation calendar or chart. Using such calendars can save up to 30% of water while maintaining yields and requiring minimum data or need for developing new skills. In this study, irrigation calendars for orchard production (apple, pear and plum) in Tuzla Canton taking in consideration different soil characteristics were developed. Critical month for the irrigation in Tuzla Canton is July. Average orchard water requirement is around 667 mm, or 146 mm in the critical month. Under normal weather conditions, daily irrigation requirements in July amounts to 2.64 l of water per m2, if conditions are dry or extremely dray then these values should double.

Taking into account water resources and their importance for human life and economic development, it is clear that accurate and precise determination of irrigation requirements in modern agricultural practice becomes imperative, especially in the context of increasingly pronounced climate changes and more frequent droughts. Today, there are numerous ways to measure and assess the state of soil moisture and, accordingly, the need for irrigation of individual agricultural crops, in modern agricultural science, software models used for these purposes are increasingly important. This paper provides an overview of some of the more important software models used to determine irrigation needs. Four different models (CROPWAT, EXCEL-IRR, AquaCrop and SIMDualKc) are described and configured to correspond to the state of a maize crop grown during 2021, at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Sarajevo, in Butmir. The mentioned configurations included the definition of meteorological, pedological and agronomic or biological parameters in the field and the use of software models to estimate irrigation requirements. The modeling results were presented through crop evapotranspiration, soil water depletion dynamics and crop irrigation requirements. Evaluation of the results of the generated data proves the appropriate accuracy and applicability of all models. However, each of the four used models has certain advantages and disadvantages, and practical application depends on the type of user and available data. Farmers will prefer to use simpler models such as CROPWAT and EXCEL-IRR, while researchers will prefer more complex and accurate models such as SIMDualKc and AquaCrop. 

Greenhouse vegetable production offers many advantages over traditional open-field cultivation methods. These benefits include regulating and controlling growing conditions, leading to higher crop yields, year-round production, and increased resource allocation efficiency. Many studies demonstrate that heating systems improve production in greenhouses, leading to increased yields and improved economic profitability. However, similar research is lacking in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in regions with a continental climate. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the economic efficiency of vegetable production (lettuce, spring onion, tomato, and spinach)  in a greenhouse equipped with an additional heating system compared to one without such a system. The experiment was conducted in two 100 m2 greenhouses using identical cultivation technology. The results showed that the temperature in the two separate greenhouses was statistically significantly different in winter; however, the observed yields did not show a statistically significant difference. Unexpectedly, the economic results were contrary to expectations, with lower returns in the greenhouse with heating. The main reason is the higher costs associated with deprecation (1,238 BAM) and the geothermal pump's electricity consumption (700 BAM). In conclusion,  through this research, it was found that the tested vegetable production using a geothermal heat pump is not economically justified. It is recommended to consider the use of such equipment under different conditions, such as larger greenhouse areas with improved insulation (double-layered plastic). Furthermore, it is recommended that similar experiments be conducted at this location to confirm or challenge the results obtained in this study.

This study assesses the impacts of climate change (CC) on maize production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comparing ten maize-producing municipalities and using Gradiška as a case study. Agroclimatic indicators and ISAREG-based soil water balance simulations were used to evaluate regional suitability for future maize production. Projections indicate substantial increases in average temperatures of 2 to 6 Celsius by the end of the century, depending on the RCP scenario, together with important reductions in accumulated mean precipitation, particularly during summer. Rising temperatures accelerate maize phenology, shortening growth cycles and enabling double-cropping opportunities for short-season cycles. Medium-season cycles may become feasible in most regions, while long-season cycles remain constrained in high-altitude areas due to thermal requirements. Rainfed maize in Gradiška is expected to face increased relative evapotranspiration deficits under future ‘hot & dry’ conditions, with potential relative yield losses due to water deficit of up to 12%. Irrigated maize shows a variation in irrigation requirements from −26% to +8% relative to the baseline, which reflects the combined effect of a shortened crop growth cycle under higher temperatures and increased evapotranspiration demand under drier conditions. Regions with high soil water-holding capacity are the most resilient, while areas with shallow soils or Mediterranean climates are more vulnerable under future conditions. The findings underscore the need for agronomic adaptation measures to the projected CC impacts, including supplemental irrigation, drought-tolerant cultivars, and potential adjustment of sowing.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a highly valued and nutritionally important crop. The goal of new production technologies is to shorten the vegetation period, allowing for a higher number of harvests, while preserving the environment and improving the nutritional quality of lettuce. This study investigated the effect of geothermal heating on growth dynamics and the accumulation of bioactive compounds in lettuce. Two production systems were compared: a greenhouse with geothermal heating and one without heating. The geothermal system provided a more stable soil temperature, which significantly shortened the vegetation period by 31 days. In contrast, lower soil temperatures in the unheated greenhouse enhanced secondary metabolism, leading to higher concentrations of phenolic compounds (80.5 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (2.37 mg/100 g), and increased antioxidant capacity (112.7 μmol Fe²⁺/100 g). These results indicate that temperature regimes strongly influence both primary growth processes and the synthesis of bioactive compounds in lettuce. Geothermal heating ensures faster crop development but may reduce the accumulation of certain antioxidants. Future research should aim to optimize temperature management to balance yield, energy efficiency, and nutritional quality in greenhouses lettuce production.

A two-year experiment was conducted with a local maize hybrid under full (F) and deficit (D) drip irrigation and rainfed conditions (R) to estimate maize evapotranspiration in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Three approaches, namely, A&P, SIMDualKc (SD), and vegetation index (VI), to estimate the actual crop coefficient (Kc act), the actual basal crop coefficient (Kcb act), and the actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc act), were applied with the dual crop coefficient method and remote sensing (RS) data for the first time. While Kcb act from all approaches matched FAO56 tabulated values, SD showed differences in comparison to A&P of up to 0.24 in D and R conditions, especially in the initial and mid-season stages. VI demonstrated very good performance in all treatments. In F, the obtained Kc act for all approaches during the initial and end stages were higher than the tabulated values, ranging from 0.71 to 0.87 for the Kc ini act and from 0.80 to 1.06 for the Kc end act, while the mid-season period showed very good agreement with the literature. The maize crop evapotranspiration range is 769–813 mm, 480–752 mm, and 332–618 mm for F, D, and R, respectively. The results confirmed the suitability of both approaches (SD and VI) to estimate maize crop evapotranspiration under F, with the VI approach demonstrating an advantage in calculating Kcb act, Kc act, and ETc act values under water stress conditions. The higher observed yields (67.6%) under irrigation conditions emphasize the need to transition from rainfed to irrigation-dependent agriculture in BiH, even for drought-resistant crops like maize.

Aim of study: A two-year experiment (2021-2022) was conducted to assess the response of a local maize hybrid BL-43 to different water regimes (full irrigation, deficit irrigation and rainfed) at two distinguished pedo-climatic locations (Aleksandrovac and Butmir) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Area of study: The field experiment was located in Aleksandrovac (near Banja Luka) and Butmir (near Sarajevo) in BiH. Material and methods: A randomized block design was adopted at both experimental locations with three replicates. An Excel-based irrigation tool was used to manage crop water requirements and irrigation scheduling. Main results: Crop response to water was affected by site-specific agronomic management, the duration of phenological stages and their interconnection with precipitation events. At both locations, the effect of the water inputs on grain yield was statistically significant confirming the beneficial impact of irrigation. The effect of water stress on yield was particularly pronounced at Aleksandrovac, which was under water and temperature stresses during flowering time. During both seasons and for all water regimes, the total average grain yield was greater at Butmir than at Aleksandrovac for 38% and 27%, respectively. Research highlights: This is the first experimental study conducted in BiH on the effect of irrigation on maize grain production under different pedoclimatic conditions. The study emphasizes the need for knowledge regarding the impacts that climate change is having on the productivity of one of the region's most important crops.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) accumulates challenges in the areas of research and innovation (R&I), agricultural water management (AWM) and their intersection. In the decade 2012–2022, the BiH gross domestic product per capita in current US$ increased by 6.2% annually. However, improvements are slowly arriving in R&I and AWM. In this period, relevant challenges to AWM have materialized, such as climate change effects or the need to implement an interconnected vision of ecosystem services. In the R&I arena, the societal demand for knowledge goods remains low, while the reforms of higher education and R&I funding systems have become urgent. This paper set out to elaborate a realistic and feasible policy roadmap to consolidate R&I in AWM in BiH. The methodology included an assessment of policies and sector performance, the analysis of stakeholder perceptions, the development of strategic directions and the design of a strategy. Desk research and stakeholder consultations (33 interviews, six workshops, 179 persons in total) were used to take stock of the current situation and expectations for the future. Stakeholders were divided into knowledge supply and knowledge demand, with five and six subcategories, respectively. Relations were established among the key enabling factors, the needs and the capacities of the involved stakeholders. The TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Strengths) matrix permitted to identify policy strategies. A Weaknesses – Opportunities, conservative or mini-maxi strategy was selected, owing to the relevance of system weaknesses (such as low investments, poor return of R&I to society or low R&I for AWM adaptation) and opportunities (such as the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, Smart Specialization or regional partnerships). The policy roadmap was structured along three policy goals: strengthen R&I, strengthen AWM and identify / fund local R&I priorities for AWM. Policy goals included policy instruments promoting eco-efficient use of resources and sustainable development of rural areas.