Bosnia and Herzegovina's specific geographic location and history have contributed greatly to its diverse autochthonous apple germplasm, which has until now never been adequately investigated. Although readily available molecular markers such as SSR markers can be a very good tool for estimating the genetic diversity of this material, the value of these cultivars for future breeding purposes cannot be determined without examining commercially important pomological characteristics. In this research, eleven autochthonous and four well-known international apple cultivars, all maintained in the largest B&H ex situ collection, were analyzed using 10 SSR markers. Also, pomological characteristics such as fruit weight, fruit size and shape, harvest time and color of skin were examined on thirty fruits for each cultivar during a three year experiment. A principal coordinate analysis and a cluster analysis were conducted in order to determine the relationships among cultivars. Microsatellite analyses revealed high diversity among the eleven autochthonous apple cultivars which did not cluster closely with the international ones. The total number of detected alleles exceeded 90 for the 10 microsatellites. Five genotypes were confirmed triploids and no synonyms were detected. Also, analyses of commercial pomologic characteristics showed high variation among the autochthonous apple cultivars and some exhibited desirable traits.

Genetska varijabilnost određene vrste predstavlja važan izvor novih pozitivnih osobina u procesu oplemenjivanja. Najbolji nacin ocuvanja genetske varijabilnost kod vocaka postiže se podizanjem ex situ kolekcija gdje se osim konzervacije u nastavku vrsi karakterizacija, evaluacija i upotreba ovih resursa. Podizanje i održavanje ex situ kolekcionih zasada zahtjeva znacajne aktivnosti, te je stoga važno osigurati da kolekcije sadrže genetski divergentne, a ne genetski uniformne genotipove. U sklopu ovog istraživanja analizirano je devet autohtonih i tri referentna, moderna kultivara jabuke upotrebom 10 SSR markera, i to u cilju: identifikacije potencijalnih homonima, određivanja genetskih odnosa, izrade genetskog identifikacijskog kljuca za sve autohtone kultivare jabuke i detekcije potencijalne intruzije tj. neregistrirane introdukcije modernog sortimenta u autohtoni. Autohtoni genotipovi su uzorkovani iz kolekcionog zasada najvece BiH ex situ kolekcije jabuke u sklopu vocnog rasadnika „Srebrenik“, Spionica i sa on farm lokacija na podrucju opcine Stari Grad, Sarajevo. Podaci dobijeni analizom amplificiranih DNK fragmenata služili su za utvrđivanje genotipa za identifikaciju i izracun genetske udaljenosti na osnovu slicnosti između genotipova upotrebom koeficijenata slicnosti (Diceov koeficijent), te prikazani u vidu dendrograma upotrebom UPGMA algoritma. Svi autohtoni genotipovi su identifikovani kao genetski razliciti tj. potvrđeno je prisustvo homonima. Takođe, utvrđeni su odnosi unutar i između homonima, kao i ostalih genotipova. Izrađen je i genetski identifikacijski kljuc na bazi 10 SSR markera za sve kultivare, a intruzija modernog sortimenta u autohtoni detektovana je u jednom slucaju. Spram dobijenih podataka zakljuceno je da u postojecoj ex situ kolekciji u Srebreniku nisu adekvatno reprezentirani genotipove sa podrucja opcine Stari Grad, Sarajevo, te da postoji izraženo prisustvo homonima (sorti nepoznatog imena) unutar ovog BGR-a.

The value of the landscape in the karst region of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is the foundation of its existence and the key role in its appearance and formation is played by geomorphology and the soil. Through history the man has created a „cultural landscape” which is completely adapted to the natural conditions. He further enriches the space and makes it more appealing. Soils in B&H karst are extremely heterogeneous and form a real pedological mosaic. Found on the Mesozoic sediments of limestone and dolomite of the Middle and Upper Jurassic and Early and Late Cretaceous are Bare rocks (barren land), Rocky grounds (Lithosol), Limestone-dolomite Black soil (Calcomelanosol) and Brown soil on limestone and dolomite (Calcocambisol). A specificity of these rocks are the screes that are transported down the hillside. A series may occur on them in which, if shale materials are contained, Rendzina appears as a calcareous soil. In addition to the above mentioned limestone and dolomite, there are marly limestones of Jurassic and Cretaceous age and Quaternary sediments on which Alluvial soils (Fluvisol) developed as well as the soils of karst fields which are sometimes very porous and skeletal and sometimes heavy and clayey on impermeable substrate (hydromorphic soils). The paper will provide an overview of characteristic soil types in the Sub-Mediterranean upper and lower karst region of B&H taking into account a range of properties that make them sensitive and vulnerable within the ecosystem. These should include a lack of water on the surface and large fluctuations in the amount of water during the rainy and dry seasons and whimsicality of climate in general, which has a huge impact on the state of biodiversity and human lives in this region.