Pollination by insects is a key contribution to many crops, with managed honeybees being “hired” to support pollination services in agricultural and natural habitats. The aim of this work was to contribute data to the scientific literature on Bosnia and Hercegovina that addresses an important aspect of local food sustainability through natural but managed pollination services that the European honeybee Apis mellifera provides, and to provide insights into existing agricultural subsidies. To our knowledge this is the first pollination management overview based on a standardized approach in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We analyzed results from Europe-wide online questionnaire, administered under COST Action project “Super B “, and compiled data from available sources on pollination service subsidies. The data on beekeeping practices and perceptions of pollination structure were collected using a questionnaire with 178 items grouped into twenty-seven thematic sections and were provided by 109 beekeepers. The study examines beekeeper perceptions and motivations for crop pollination in relation to their demographic characteristics and technological practices. Beekeepers’ perception of mass flowering crops showed a lack of trust in intensive agriculture driven by perceived risks of pesticide contamination and bee mortality. Agri-environment management and subsidy systems at the global and EU level were compared with local policy frameworks, with the intention to promoting more visible and compensated pollination practices in the country. The findings highlight the need for locally adapted and structured recognition of pollination service as well as better options for constructive engagement in pollination services through adequate subsidies. The collected data can serve as a starting point for structuring pollination services and as a step toward improving the pollinator potential of bees, addressing pollination needs, and enhancing local practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the broader agricultural pollination service market.

There are increasing calls for greater availability of plant genetic resources (PGR) for use in plant breeding to help counter the adverse impacts of a changing climate and threats from pests and diseases, particularly in a context of reduced agricultural inputs, and the needs of the increasing human population. Managing and promoting ex situ and in situ conservation of PGR requires an effective data and informatics foundation. However, in situ data management is particularly undeveloped, especially when compared to ex situ documentation. The work presented here is a consolidated descriptor list to support in situ conservation of PGR. The consolidated PGR descriptor list is based on numerous partial lists collated from historic PGR activities, biodiversity conservation and protected area networking activities. New descriptors for in situ conservation activities were developed where gaps were identified. The draft consolidated PGR descriptor list was reviewed and revised through a process of consultation with experts in PGR documentation and in situ conservation. In total, 171 descriptors were identified, of which seven are defined as mandatory, 47 are defined as core descriptors and 29 are newly developed descriptors for in situ conservation of PGR. The descriptors cover all aspects of in situ conservation, from gathering passport data (for which there are already well-established descriptors), to monitoring and managing crop wild relative and landrace populations. Recommendations are made for the most effective use and future development of descriptors and how they could be used to further develop and support in situ PGR conservation implementation.

There are increasing calls for greater availability of plant genetic resources (PGR) for use in plant breeding to help counter the adverse impacts of a changing climate and threats from pests and diseases, particularly in a context of reduced agricultural inputs, and the needs of the increasing human population. Managing and promoting ex situ and in situ conservation of PGR requires an effective data and informatics foundation. However, in situ data management is particularly undeveloped, especially when compared to ex situ documentation. The work presented here is a consolidated descriptor list to support in situ conservation of PGR. The consolidated PGR descriptor list is based on numerous partial lists collated from historic PGR activities, biodiversity conservation and protected area networking activities. New descriptors for in situ conservation activities were developed where gaps were identified. The draft consolidated PGR descriptor list was reviewed and revised through a process of consultation with experts in PGR documentation and in situ conservation. In total, 171 descriptors were identified, of which seven are defined as mandatory, 47 are defined as core descriptors and 29 are newly developed descriptors for in situ conservation of PGR. The descriptors cover all aspects of in situ conservation, from gathering passport data (for which there are already well-established descriptors), to monitoring and managing crop wild relative and landrace populations. Recommendations are made for the most effective use and future development of descriptors and how they could be used to further develop and support in situ PGR conservation implementation.

Agroecological practices are prerequisites for many agri-environmental schemes in Europe and are increasingly being integrated into the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Against the backdrop of recent protests by farmers in many European countries, with various grievances based on perceived tightening of environmental regulations and economic pressures, these protests raise questions about how farmer perceptions might hinder the adoption of agroecological practices. A series of workshops with farmers, farm advisors, and other supply chain stakeholders were organized between 2022 and 2023 in different European countries to facilitate knowledge sharing and to learn farmers’ and stakeholders’ views. Exercises were conducted during the workshops to explore the extent to which farmers were adopting practices that directly or indirectly promote biodiversity. The third and final phase aimed to better understand the motivations, needs, and potential trade-offs associated with implementing different agroecological practices, as well as their combination to promote functional biodiversity. The active participation of stakeholders was beneficial for collectively reflecting on relevant agroecological transition pathways, particularly farmers rational for implementation of agroecological practices for more sustainable agriculture in Europe. The results highlighted that participants had relatively good knowledge of agroecological practices and an inherent understanding of their benefits. Future new practices considered by the participants were mainly intercropping, the use of organic mulches, and direct seeding. Currently used practices, most often combined with others, include diversified crop rotations, biocontrol, and cover crops. The two main combinations were ‘diversified crop rotation - cover crops’, and ‘biopesticide-biological control’. The main reasons for implementing different practices were that these practices are easy to implement and inexpensive, have a proven track record of success, or were subsidized. The main existing and potential future barriers to the implementation of agroecological practices were identified as lack of knowledge, appropriate financing, market opportunities, and lack of information. To overcome these obstacles, the strategies discussed in this article can facilitate or expand the implementation of agroecological practices. This work may thus be of interest to decision-makers in determining how to consider the views of farmers and technical advisors in developing policies.

The production of high-quality planting material for the most commonly used woody species in urban greening is a complex challenge influenced by several factors. One of the key factors in seedling production, especially in pots, is the selection of an appropriate substrate. Testing various substrates for different species is an ongoing process. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, four of the most frequently used taxa for urban planting in the region were tested: two varieties of northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), namely 'Smaragd' and 'Columna', as well as European boxwood (Buxus sempervirens L.) and Forsythia (Forsythia × intermedia). One-year-old rooted cuttings were transplanted into two-liter pots using five different substrates: plain soil, compost, lumbrico humus, peat, and a combination of all these substrates. At the end of the growing period, morphometric parameters of the seedlings were measured, and based on these measurements, quality indices were determined. The results showed that each species and variety responded differently to the various substrates. Generally, the best results for most of the taxa were obtained using locally produced lumbrico humus and compost. However, some seedlings, such as Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd', exhibited similar growth characteristics across all substrates tested. Considering the varying costs of the substrates, it is possible to plan the production of these seedlings with significantly better quality while also reducing production costs.

Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a valuable medicinal and aromatic herb produced for its bioactive compounds and commercial applications. However, commonly used methods for rosemary propagation have various limitations that impose the need to create appropriate protocols for in vitro propagation of this species. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of light quality and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on rosemary micropropagation. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with varying concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP), meta-Topolin (mT), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), under different light treatments: fluorescent light (FL) and blue (BL), red (RL), and red-blue (RBL) LED lights. The highest fresh mass was formed by explants grown in medium with mT at 1.0 mg/L + 0.1 mg/L NAA under BL (88.05 ± 2.94 mg), while FL with the same PGR combination resulted in the highest dry mass (12.89 ± 0.55 mg). FL, in combination with 1.0 mg/L mT + 0.1 mg/L NAA, produced the highest number of new shoots (2.07 ± 0.04), and RL, in combination with cytokinin-free MS medium, induced the longest shoots (13.16 ± 0.37 mm). The highest number of nodes (3.91 ± 0.08) was recorded under BL in the cytokinin-free medium. For in vitro rooting, BL combined with 0.1 mg/L mT + 0.5 mg/L IBA produced the highest rooting percentage (80.00 ± 5.77%), the highest number of roots (3.92 ± 0.15), and the longest roots (75.30 ± 1.76 mm). This treatment also resulted in the highest plantlet establishment rate (71.13 ± 4.43%), confirming the synergy between BL and mT + IBA in improving the efficiency of rosemary rooting and acclimatization. These results enable a more straightforward selection of the optimal light spectrum and PGR concentrations for individual stages of the rosemary micropropagation process and highlight the potential of LED lights as a more efficient alternative to traditional fluorescent lamps. What is already known about this subject? Previous research on various plant species has shown that light quality and PGRs are important factors in regulating and directing multiplication, rooting, and general development of in vitro plants. LED lights, especially those in the blue and red spectra, showed positive effects on the processes of photomorphogenesis and, in general, the growth and development of explants. However, research on the micropropagation of rosemary has usually been focused on callus formation and active compound production and rarely on developing effective protocols for producing high-quality planting material. What are the new findings? This research showed the potential of LED lighting to outperform standard fluorescent light during in vitro rosemary propagation. Also, mT was found to be more effective than 6-BAP in promoting shoot proliferation and multiplication. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to simultaneously investigate the synergistic effects of light quality and PGRs on rosemary micropropagation. What are the expected impacts on horticulture? The findings of this research provide an efficient and integrated approach to the in vitro propagation of rosemary. Energy-efficient LED lights and optimal PGR combinations allow commercial growers to produce high-quality planting material.

Mixing different cultivars has been recognized as a promising strategy for the reduction of pest pressure and the enhancement of crop performance. However, this applies only in specific combinations, creating a need to select cultivars that interact synergistically in mixtures. We propose a trait-based laboratory method to identify complementary pairs of cereal cultivars based on their ability to prime one another’s defense response through volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, we screened 25 locally-grown cultivars from six European countries to assess their responsiveness to volatile priming under controlled conditions. The tested cultivars exhibited three primary types of volatile interactions: no interaction, one-way interaction (where one cultivar responded to volatiles from another) and two-way interaction (where both cultivars reciprocally responded). Subsequently, the efficacy of these cultivar pairs was evaluated over a three-year period in field trials where aphid infestation, natural enemy abundance and plant traits (height, number of plants per 1-meter, Thousand Grain Weight (TGW) and yield) were assessed. Field trials results demonstrated that only specific cultivar mixtures led to a significant reduction in aphid infestation, indicating a robust genetic and environmental interaction. Mixtures in which both cultivars exhibited two-way interaction under controlled conditions, demonstrated reductions in aphid abundance in comparison to monoculture controls. In contrast, the abundance of natural enemies was not significantly affected by cultivar mixtures, and there were no notable changes in plant traits. We propose that the strategic pairing of cultivars, which actively engage in volatile interactions in the laboratory, can effectively reduce aphid pressure in the field without compromising plant traits or crop yield, thereby reducing reliance on chemical control. Given the role of aphids as vectors of economically significant viruses, reducing their population could also limit the spread of plant diseases in the field. This approach underscores the importance of understanding plant interactions at a chemical level to optimize cultivar pairing and develop sustainable pest management strategies.

Food sovereignty is the human right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and the right of people to define their own food and agriculture systems. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. In contrast to food security, which focuses on ensuring that enough food is available, food sovereignty emphasizes control over food production and distribution by local communities. Shifting the focus from food security to food sovereignty essentially represents a reconnection between nature, food, and people. The right to seeds is at the basis of each community’s food sovereignty, what is possible to achieve only in the system of farmers’ seeds. Farmer seed systems are a critical contribution to food sovereignty and farmers’ rights. For over 10.000 years, people have freely saved, selected, exchanged, and sold seeds, using and reusing them for sowing and food production. The farmers’ seed system is defined by the long-standing continuous renewal and free distribution of seeds and knowledge among people. Seeds are gifted, shared, or traded in informal and formal markets. These seeds are more resilient to climate change, pests, and pathogens, and they also ensure a more diverse food system and a dynamic global ecosystem. Today, farmers’ rights to seeds, crucial for their survival, are seriously threatened and are in decline worldwide. These seed systems are undermined by inadequate legislation and insufficient support from governments and public research, primarily as the result of a protected seed market based fundamentally on intellectual property rights and trade agreements. Farmers’ seed systems are vital for preservation of plant genetic diversity of all agricultural crops. It is increasingly expected that global climate change, combined with other factors, will significantly alter this agricultural biodiversity. Broad efforts will be needed to help reduce the climate vulnerability of current agricultural production systems and building more resilient and adaptive agroecosystems. The farmers’ seed system and the associated traditional agricultural practices are key factors for adaptation.

Cereals, primarily wheat and corn, make up a significant part of the diet in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cereal landraces are still an important part of the global agrobiodiversity in the country, although the maize and wheat landraces, were reduced from the sowing areas, in the second half of the 20th century, as in many other countries, because of the introduction of high-yielded cultivars into production. Considering the turbulent history, in addition to the industrialization that was carried out in the second part of the 20th century, as well as the migration of humans from the countryside to the cities, all together contributed to the loss of many local populations of local maize and wheat landraces. However, during and after the 2000s, several collection missions were carried out. Different activities started and the collected accessions were stored in gene banks. In the country, there is only one breeding institute today that deals with maize and wheat breeding and selection, which makes this country constantly dependent on imported seeds. Cereal genetic resources are bearers of good traits, such as resistance to stress conditions, but also as a material that carries some undesirable properties. These genetic resources should be seen also as a part of the common heritage and should be preserved and maintained for the use of current and future generations.

The cultivated apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is an economically important fruit crop in countries worldwide, including Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH).The gene bank activities in BIH were initiated in the 1930s and continued until the war in the 1990s, when much of the documentation was lost. Since then, uncoordinated efforts were made to establish apple collections in different regions, but a comprehensive analysis of genetic resources was lacking. This prompted the current study where we present the first thorough overview of the national genetic resources of BIH apples. Thus, we analyzed 165 accessions in the apple gene bank at the Institute for Genetic Resources (IGR) established at Banja Luka using the 20 K apple Infinium® single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. We combined the results with previously published data on the germplasm collections at Srebrenik and Goražde, genotyped using the Axiom® Apple 480 K SNP array. In total, 234 accessions were included in the study of which 220 were presumed to be local cultivars and 14 were known international reference cultivars. We identified numerous genotypic duplicates within and between collections and suggested preferred names to be used in the future. We found the BIH germplasm to have relatively few parent-offspring relationships, particularly among local cultivars, which might reflect the country’s history and patterns of apple cultivar introduction. A number of cultivars unique to BIH and a weakly defined genetic group were identified via STRUCTURE analysis, representing interesting targets for future research and preservation efforts.