Creating wheat genotypes characterized by high grain yield, high protein content, and favorable amino acid composition is the main goal of breeders, especially in developing countries where wheat is a staple food. An experiment with 20 wheat genotypes, released through breeding activities in the Serbian region at different periods and adapted to its pedoclimatic conditions, was conducted with the aim of determining the genetic potential of the analyzed genotypes for grain yield and quality. Due to the divergence of the examined wheat germplasm, the factor of genotype had the largest share in the variation of all yield parameters (>66%). The genotypes Zadruga and Agrounija exhibited superior abilities for overall grain yield. Also, genotype Zadruga stood out in a distinct cluster group due to high values of both thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant. A continuous improvement in protein content was found, with newer genotypes having 17.13% higher protein content compared with older genotypes. Genotype Sloga stood out with the highest protein content (13.93%). On the other hand, the old genotype Balkan was distinguished by the highest content of nonessential amino acids (61.5 g 100 g⁻¹ protein), which makes it a good genetic resource. Genotypes Agrounija (32.62 g 100 g⁻¹ protein) and Tanjugovka (32.47 g 100 g⁻¹ protein) had the highest content of essential amino acids. The highest AAS value was established for tryptophan (1.81) and the lowest for lysine (0.61). Genotypes Tanjugovka and Zadruga had the highest AAS, i.e., protein completeness. The genotypes Zadruga, Tanjugovka, Agrounija, and Sloga have demonstrated high-yield capacity and possess a favorable amino acid profile, making them promising candidates for enhancing the nutritional quality of wheat and potentially benefiting human health.

Wheat yields in production often fall below the genetic potential of varieties, creating a persistent challenge in improving productivity. This study investigated the effects of genotype, sowing date, sowing density, and fertilization model on wheat yield, as well as their interactions, to identify optimal management strategies. Field trials were conducted during two successive growing seasons in the Semberija region, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, using three wheat varieties. The experiment followed a randomized split-plot design with three replications, including three varieties, three sowing dates, five sowing densities, and three fertilization models. Data were analyzed with four-factor ANOVA, and significant differences were tested using Fisher’s LSD at the 0.05 and 0.01 probability levels. The results showed that average yields exceeded 8,000 kg ha⁻¹ in the first year, but decreased with delayed sowing. Yield losses due to late sowing could not be offset by increasing seed density, although 400-500 seeds m⁻² proved optimal. Fertilization effects varied across conditions, with the second fertilization model producing the highest yields under favorable circumstances. Overall, both individual treatments and their interactions significantly affected yield, underscoring the importance of tailoring sowing and fertilization practices to specific varieties and environments.

In this study, 20 winter wheat genotypes developed by three Serbian breeding institutions were evaluated to assess their genetic potential for yield-related traits, protein content and amino acid composition. The study aimed to quantify variation among genotypes and to identify genotypes with favorable combinations of agronomic performance and nutritional quality using a multi-trait approach. Considerable variation was observed among the genotypes. ‘Pobeda’ and ‘Kompas’ showed consistently high grain yield per plant across the two growing seasons. The highest protein content was recorded in ‘KG-58’ (15.37%), followed by ‘Lepenica’ (14.38%) and ‘Rana niska’ (13.98%). ‘Stepa’, ‘KG-78’, ‘Ravanica’, ‘Jasenica’, and ‘Levčanka’ exhibited high contents of non-essential (>60 g 100 g⁻¹ protein) and essential amino acids (>32 g 100 g⁻¹ protein), and belonged to the same cluster for both amino acid groups. Lysine was the most limiting essential amino acid (amino acid score, AAS = 0.67), while phenylalanine + tyrosine had the highest score (2.05). ‘Ravanica’, ‘Jasenica’, ‘Levčanka’, and ‘KG-78’ showed the highest lysine AAS, highlighting their potential for improving lysine content in wheat breeding. The multi-trait genotype–ideotype distance index (MGIDI) identified ‘Sila’, ‘Pobeda’, and ‘Partizanka’ as the closest to the agronomic ideotype, characterized by high values for all evaluated agronomic traits, while ‘KG-75’, ‘KG-78’, and ‘Jasenica’ were selected based on their essential amino acid composition. These selected genotypes may serve as valuable genetic resources for crossing and the development of wheat varieties with high yield and improved nutritional quality.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important agricultural crop, but its yield often varies due to unfavorable climatic conditions and agrotechnical factors. The research aimed to determine the influence of climatic conditions and sowing density on the number of rows of grains per cob, the thousand kernel weight, the number of plants in the harvest and the grain yield of different maize hybrids. The experiment was conducted in Leskovac, Republic of Serbia, during four growing seasons (2014-2017) on alluvial soil. The research included six maize hybrids from three FAO ripening groups (400, 500 and 600) in three sowing densities (71.428, 57.143 and 47.619 plants per ha). The results show that the sowing density, the hybrid and the climatic conditions significantly influenced the yield components and the total grain yield. The increase in sowing density caused a decrease in the thousand kernel weight and the number of rows of grains per cob. At the same time, above-average temperatures and a deficit of precipitation negatively affected the yield, especially during 2015. The highest yield was recorded with hybrids from FAO group 500, medium sowing density. The results indicate the need for a localized approach in the selection of hybrids and adaptation of agrotechnical measures in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.