The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (IAMB.) located in the southeastern Italy. The aim of this research was to evaluate macronutrient (NPK) status of cauliflower grown in three inert substrates (perlite, gravel and pozzolana). Nutrient losses were very low due to a good management practice and control of fertiliser application. The highest NPK nutrients application efficiency was obtained in phosphorus, 97.2%. Among nutrients, potassium was lost in the highest percentage (11.6%). Obtained losses did not cause high pollution of the soil and ground water.

Biodiversity plays a critical role in the sustainable development and is essential for the human well-being, livelihoods and cultural heritage of people. A number of autochthonous cultivars and landraces of many crops, grasses, legumes are still grown in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite the dominance of improved cultivars and hybrids. Autochthonous cultivars and genotypes are important in order to ensuring genetic variability, which is essential for the food production in the future. The most important commercial and agronomic traits within the groups of autochthonous genotypes should be evaluated and put in the information database, which will also serve as a source of valuable data for the future breeding programs. This paper shows the present situation regarding the preservation of agricultural biodiversity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the possibilities for the sustainable food production and rural development.

Effective improvement in crop coefficient (Kc) estimates is particularly important for mid-season Kc values, because mid-season Kc refers to the peak Kc values and relies on the period of growing season that is usually the most relevant for irrigation and the most sensitive to water stress, thus when accurate scheduling should be applied. The relationship between crop coefficient and growing parameters (temperature) was investigated for tomato (cv. Dracula) on the basis of experimental data obtained from the experimental station of Bari University and CNR-Bari "E. Pantenelli", located in Policoro (Southern Italy). A strong relationship was observed between crop coefficient and temperature suggesting good potential for use of a growing degree days approach for estimating crop evapotranspiration. The overall results for tomato grown under semi-arid conditions, indicates that the initial Kc can be neglected and that the Kc and crop evapotranspiration (ET c_model) can be modelled through the three-stage growing cycle and linear relationship between Kc and cumulative growing degree days. Furthermore, this work has confirmed that peak Kc estimation can be improved by applying the corrections for relative humidity, wind speed and plant height as suggested in FAO 56.