Climate change has significantly altered weather patterns, increasing the frequency and intensity of drought events and posing serious challenges to agricultural production, particularly fruits. Water scarcity and increased evapotranspiration demands, posing critical challenges to global agriculture and threatening the sustainability of fruit production. Understanding the response of fruit crops to drought stress and their specific irrigation needs is essential for developing resilient and sustainable cultivation systems. This work aims to consolidate existing research and provide a comprehensive analysis of strategies to mitigate the impacts of water scarcity on fruit crops. The paper focuses on the following key areas: (1) evaluating the growth and performance of fruit crops across diverse environments and cultivation methods; (2) assessing the water needs of fruit crops, including evapotranspiration rates, crop coefficients, and strategies for efficient water use; (3) identifying and recommending the most effective irrigation methods; (4) exploring advanced tools for real-time monitoring of plant water status; and (5) comparing and evaluating existing models for quantifying plant water requirements under drought conditions, with an emphasis on their potential integration into decision support systems (DSS). By addressing these critical aspects, it aims to provide actionable insights and foster the adoption of innovative irrigation and water management strategies to support sustainable fruit crop production in the context of climate change.

Maize is the most widely cultivated crop on arable land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yields are quite inconsistent due to several factors, with one of the most significant being the lack of moisture during the growing season, particularly during the pollination period. Irrigation is a measure taken to mitigate the harmful effects of drought. A maize field trial was conducted over two growing seasons (2022/2023) with three replications. The local hybrid BL-43 was sown in three irrigation treatments and two fertilization variants. During the season, morphometric parameters of maize plants were measured. Statistically highly significant differences were observed between yields and yield components. The greatest differences were found in plant height among the irrigation treatments, as well as between the two years of study. Maize yield showed high variability under the influence of the applied treatments. The highest yield (11,031 kg ha-¹) was achieved with the 100% irrigation treatment combined with a higher rate of mineral fertilizer. Irrigation treatment had a much greater effect on yield components and total maize yield than fertilization. Applying irrigation at 50% and 100% of the required norm increased the values of yield components and overall maize yield in 2023 by about 27%. In the drought year (2022), the increase was 27% with 50% irrigation and 37% with 100% irrigation. In the dry year of 2022, when total precipitation was 35% lower compared to the multi-year average, irrigation had a stronger effect on maize yield components. Besides the irrigation, further research should consider the improvement of soil organic matter content and soil health as tools for improved drought resistance.

Climate change is predicted to drive geographical range shifts that will result in changes in species diversity and functional composition and have potential repercussions for ecosystem functioning. However, the effect of these changes on species composition and functional diversity (FD) remains unclear, especially for mammals, specifically bats. We used species distribution models and a comprehensive ecological and morphometrical trait database to estimate how projected future climate and land-use changes could influence the distribution, composition, and FD of the European bat community. Future bat assemblages were predicted to undergo substantial shifts in geographic range and trait structure. Range suitability decreased substantially in southern Europe and increased in northern latitudes. Our findings highlight the potential for climate change to drive shifts in bat FD, which has implications for ecosystem function and resilience at a continental scale. It is important to incorporate FD in conservation strategies. These efforts should target species with key functional traits predicted to be lost and areas expected to experience losses in FD. Conservation strategies should include habitat and roost protection, enhancing landscape connectivity, and international monitoring to preserve bat populations and their ecosystem services.

ABSTRACT The ability to access physiologically driven signals, such as surface temperature, photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), through remote sensing (RS) are exciting developments for vegetation studies. Accessing this ecophysiological information requires considering processes operating at scales from the top-of-the-canopy to the photosystems, adding complexity compared to reflectance index-based approaches. To investigate the maturity and knowledge of the growing RS community in this area, COST Action CA17134 SENSECO organized a Spatial Scaling Challenge (SSC). Challenge participants were asked to retrieve four key ecophysiological variables for a field each of maize and wheat from a simulated field campaign: leaf area index (LAI), leaf chlorophyll content (Cab), maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax,25), and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The simulated campaign data included hyperspectral optical, thermal and SIF imagery, together with ground sampling of the four variables. Non-parametric methods that combined multiple spectral domains and field measurements were used most often, thereby indirectly performing the top-of-the-canopy to photosystem scaling. LAI and Cab were reliably retrieved in most cases, whereas Vcmax,25 and NPQ were less accurately estimated and demanded information ancillary to RS imagery. The factors considered least by participants were the biophysical and physiological canopy vertical profiles, the spatial mismatch between RS sensors, the temporal mismatch between field sampling and RS acquisition, and measurement uncertainty. Furthermore, few participants developed NPQ maps into stress maps or provided a deeper analysis of their parameter retrievals. The SSC shows that, despite advances in statistical and physically based models, the vegetation RS community should improve how field and RS data are integrated and scaled in space and time. We expect this work will guide newcomers and support robust advances in this research field.

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.

This research focused on the determination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) distribution in different agricultural soils and Ambrosia atremisiifolia L. (ragweed) at seven, different locations in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Quantification of PTEs was done using atomic absorption spectrophotometry provided after acid digestion of the air-dried samples of soil and plant material. Determined content of elements in the soils increased as follows: Cd<Pb<Cu<Zn<Cr<Ni<Mn<Fe and were under the allowed maximum for unpolluted soils, except for Ni and Cr. However, transfer of Ni and Cr from the soil to the ragweed as well as their bioaccumulation was not intensive. Established metal contents ratio from plant tissues (root and shoot) to soil for both elements, represented their bioaccumulation factors (BAF), which were extremely low in the roots, as well as in the shoots, both in average less than 0.2. On the other hand, Zn showed a tendency to accumulate in ragweed shoots (BAF=2.07). The study showed that uptake and accumulation of PTEs in the ragweed was mainly influenced by their content in the soil, as well as specific characteristics and biological role of each element. Hence, content of PTEs in the ragweed tissue could be used as the soil contamination degree indicator.

The study evaluated nine empirical methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration (ETo) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) across different climatic zones. The methods compared were the Hargreaves–Samani method (HS), the modified Hargreaves–Samani method (HM), the calibrated Hargreaves–Samani method (HC), the Priestley–Taylor method (PT), the Copais method (COP), the Makkink method (MAK), the Penman–Monteith method based on air temperature and overall average windspeed (PMT2), the Penman–Monteith method based on air temperature and regional average windspeed (PMT1.3), and the Penman–Monteith method based on air temperature and site-specific windspeed (PMTlok). These methods were tested against the “Food Agricultural Organization-Penman Monteith approach” (FAO-PM). The evaluation was performed using data from 20 meteorological stations in BiH, considering a common irrigation season (April–October) for two periods (2000–2005 and 2018–2022). The stations represented three climatic zones: semi-arid (SA), dry sub-humid (DSH), and moist sub-humid (MSH). The performance and ranking of the ETo methods were analyzed using the TOPSIS method. The trend of ETo during the common irrigation season for the period from 2018 to 2022 was determined using the Mann–Kendall test. The results of the study indicated that the HC method showed the best performance across all three climatic zones. The average root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.67 mm day−1, 0.49 mm day−1, and 0.50 mm day−1 for the SA, DSH, and MSH zones, respectively. As an alternative to the HC method, the PT method is recommended for its favorable results in both periods and in all zones. On the other hand, the HS method exhibited the highest average overestimation, particularly in the MSH zone, where ETo values were 18% higher compared with those of the FAO-PM method. The COP method also showed high overestimation and was not recommended for use. Regarding the MAK method, it resulted in underestimation during the period from 2000 to 2005, ranging from 17% in the DSH zone to 11% in the MSH zone. However, its performance improved during the period from 2018 to 2022, for which it ranked second place in the MSH zone. Among the PMT methods, the PMTlok, which utilized local average windspeed, yielded the best results. Despite performing well in the neighboring country of Serbia, the HM method showed poor overall performance in BiH. The findings of this study can serve as a foundation for further research in BiH to enhance irrigation practices in response to climate changes.

Agricultural practices in Bosnia and Hercegovina demand different improvements, including smart management of land and water resources. A new H2020 project started in 2021 in this regard. The objective of this publication is to spread knowledge about SMARTWATER project by describing different achievements in two years of implementation (2021-2022), to invite target groups to participate in the action and to promote smart agricultural practices. Presented results indicate that the implementation is at a satisfactory level. Project consortium will continue with efforts, including twinning, networking, research, dissemination and increasing competency and fund rising skills.