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.

Watermelon is a popularly consumed vegetable well known for its health and nutritional value. It is rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C, and other bioactive compounds with high antioxidant properties. The quality and productivity of the watermelon can be enhanced by using the right cultivars and production techniques.The objective of this study was to determine the selected quantity and quality parameters between the most popular watermelon cultivars (Farao F1, Constellation F1, Red Star F1, and Bonanza F1) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was conducted during the growing season of 2021 in the region of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The examined parameters were: fruit number and weight, rind thickness, total soluble solids (TSS), and vitamin C content in marketable fruits. All examined parameters showed significant differences between cultivars. Farao F1 exhibited the highest fruit weight (12.43 ± 0.91 kg fruit-1), TSS content (11.70 ± 0.91 Brix), and vitamin C content (6.47 ± 0.75 mg/100 g). On the other hand, Bonanza F1, a mini cultivar, exhibited the lowest fruit weight (2.26 ± 0.52 fruit-1), rind thickness (0.55 ± 0.19 cm), and TSS content (8.55 ± 1.44 mg/100 g).

The tractor is a key driving unit in modern agricultural production. This study explores the possibilities and capabilities of farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) compared to other CEFTA members in purchasing an adequate, quality, and suitable new tractor. The research analyzes the process of trade liberalization in Southeast Europe, including the Agreement on Amendment and Accession to CEFTA. The study covers an analysis of ten global tractor brands across 110 different models that are available in CEFTA countries market. The average tractor prices and prices per kW of power were calculated by brand, and a brendization (according to the Analytical Hierarchy Process method (AHP)) into three groups: A, B, and C was performed. The research results showed that New Holland brand tractors are the most expensive, while Foton brand tractors are the cheapest. In terms of price per kW, Ferrari brand tractors are the most expensive, while ArmaTrac brand tractors are the cheapest. Differences in the purchasing power of farmers in BiH compared to CEFTA members were also analyzed, with a focus on differences in average salary in countries across three years (2018, 2019, and 2020). The purchasing power of farmers was determined by calculating the purchasing power coefficient (PPC), which showed that farmers from Serbia and farmers from Montenegro have the highest purchasing power for all examined tractor brands, while Moldova is the weakest by this indicator, and theoretically, farmers do not have the ability to purchase tractors of any examined brand. Farmers from BiH do not have the purchasing power to buy Kubota and Ferrari brand tractors but have the purchasing power to purchase Foton, ArmaTrac, and Case brand tractors.

The effects of different water stress (control, low, moderate and severe) on some morphological and physiological characteristics of spinach plants were evaluated. The results showed that water stress strongly affects spinach plant growth and metabolism. The increasing water stress decreased the leaf area, petiole length and biomass accumulation, resulting in dramatically lower spinach yields. Photosynthetic pigment contents increased in response to low and moderate level water stress; however, under severe stress conditions their content started to decrease. The increase in water stress also resulted in a higher proline accumulation as well as total phenolic and flavonoid contents. These results lead to the conclusion that spinach plants could produce protective macromolecules and antioxidants in large quantities even under severe drought conditions, suggesting that spinach can be considered a drought-tolerant plant species from a survival point of view.

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.

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.

The speed of growth, as well as the height of plants on sown lawns, are important from the point of view of the possibility of obtaining a larger number of swaths if the growth is faster, and obtaining a higher yield, if the plants are of a higher age, at the same crop density. Sown lawns, usually called grass-leguminous mixtures in practice, comprise different types of grasses and legumes. Depending on the variety, growing conditions, vegetation cycle and the like, in principle, the plants of the first vegetation cycle (first cutting) reach the highest height. Considering the mentioned facts, the proposed research aimed to analyse the influence of the vegetation cycle and the mixture on the height of grasses and legume plants in the plant community under different defoliation regimes. The three-year research results showed that the height of the plants at mowing depended on the species (mixture), year (age of plants and weather conditions) and vegetation cycle. In general, the plants of all species are the lowest in the year of sowing. In the second and third years, the plants of the first cut are the tallest, with almost all mowing regimes. However, the tallest plants in the first swath are in the flowering phase of the plants, where among the tested species, the tallest plants are orchard grass in all mixtures (average 91.99 cm), followed by Italian ryegrass (average 82.77 cm). The lowest plants are bird's foot trefoil (average 48.97 cm).