Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is a complex problem that complicates the barley selection and breeding process. The knowledge of the relationship between cereal phenology and climatic data is important for understanding GEI and the physiological pathways responsible for the interaction effect. The grain yield of twenty winter barley genotypes in six environments was observed. Factors influencing the variability were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was applied to determine the most relevant environmental variables in certain stages of development that explained GEI effects. Biplot with environmental variables explained 43.7% of the GEI. The barley was generally the most sensitive to the environmental conditions (relative humidity, maximum temperature and its variation, sun hours, and precipitation) during the anthesis and filling stage (May) which caused GEI. Temperature variables did not show significance only in the vegetative phase. Different genotypes responded differently to environmental factors. Genotypes NS-525, NS-589, and J-103 were highlighted as widely adaptable, and Zaječar was a suitable and reliable location for yield testing. The GEI information presented in this paper can be useful in traditional plant breeding and future breeding programs through molecular research of crop developmental genes and examination of physiological processes in two-row barley.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the most important cereals in the world, and in Serbia it ranks third in terms of cultivated area, after corn and wheat. However, the production of spring barley faces challenges caused by climate change, which have a negative impact on grain yield and grain quality. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the influence of genotype, growing season and their interactions on the productive traits of spring two-row barley. The research was conducted in Kragujevac during 2022 and 2023 growing seasons, where the experiment was set up using the method of random assignment in four replications. As plant material, three two-row spring barley genotypes were used: Jadran, Scarlett and L-1/6-95. The results of the research show that the factor of growing season had a dominant effect in the expression of the number of grains per spike, number of grains per m², thousand grain weight, and grain yield, with the largest share in the variation of the number of grains per m² (77% of the treatment sum of squares), while it did not significantly affect the expression of grain weight per spike, which was mostly influenced by the genotype (62.5% of the treatment sum of squares). In the second season (2023), which was characterized by lower temperatures and evenly distributed rainfall, higher values of number of grains per spike (by 12.95%), number of grains per m² (by 55, 21%), grain weight per spike (by 11.82%), and grain yield (by 46.36%) compared to the first season (2022). However, the higher amount of precipitation during the grain filling phase in 2023 season had a negative impact on the thousand grain weight, which was 5.96% less compared to 2022. These results indicate that excessive rainfall at the grain filling stage can negatively affect grain quality. Also, the factor of genotype had a significant influence on the variation of all traits, except for the number of grains per spike. Genotype Scarlett stood out as the most productive, with the highest average values of number of grains per spike (24.4), number of grains per m² (7821), thousand grain weight (47.3 g), grain weight per spike (1.25 g), and grain yield (3.64 t ha-1). On the other hand, genotype L-1/6-95 had slightly lower values of all these traits, while genotype Jadran had the lowest values in all parameters (except thousand grain weight). These results confirm that genotypes have a significant impact on productive traits, where the genotype Scarlett proved to be the most suitable for production in our agroecological conditions. The high correlation coefficient between grain yield and the number of grains per m² (0.988) confirms that the number of grains per m² is a key trait for achieving a high grain yield of two-row spring barley. On the other hand, a highly significant negative correlation was obtained between the number of grains per m² and the thousand grain weight (-0.500), which is the result of the influence of excessive rainfall in June on grain filling, which did not negatively affect the number of grains. Nevertheless, a high value of the thousand grain weight was found in all genotypes, which makes them suitable for use in the brewing industry. Knowing the influence of genotype and the growing season and their interactions emphasizes the need to adapt agrotechnical practices, to choose appropriate genotypes to achieve high yield and high grain quality.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a widely cultivated vegetable whose growth and development are significantly modulated by light quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different LED light treatments during the seedling stage on pepper subsequent development and yield after transplanting into a greenhouse. Commercial sweet pepper variety Morava was used as the plant material. At the phenological stage of first true leaf formation, the plants were placed in closed plant growth chambers under four light treatments: multispectral white light-emitting diodes (W LEDs), monochromatic blue LEDs (B LEDs), red LEDs (R LEDs), and a mixed (50:50% ratio) red and blue LEDs (RB LEDs). The seedlings were cultivated for either 20 or 27 days under a 12/12 h (light/dark) photoperiod at a controlled temperature of 23 ± 2 °C. After 20 and 27-day exposure periods, five uniform seedlings per treatment were transplanted into larger plastic pots and transferred to a greenhouse, where they were grown under natural daylight for an additional 51 and 44 days, respectively. At the full maturity stage, the number of fruits and yield per plant, chlorophyll content, and total soluble sugar content were recorded. The results show that the number of pepper fruits per plant was significantly influenced by both the light treatment and its interaction with the duration of light exposure. In contrast, the fruit weight, total soluble sugar content, and chlorophyll content depended exclusively on the duration of exposure to the light treatments. A 27-day red light treatment applied at the first true leaf stage significantly increased fruit number and weight while proving statistically equivalent to other leading treatments in optimizing sugar and chlorophyll accumulation.

Under pronounced climate changes, identifying wheat genotypes with high yield potential and high stability across environments is becoming essential. A multi-environment trial (MET) with 15 wheat genotypes was conducted across three localities (Pančevo, Kragujevac, and Kruševac) during two growing seasons (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). The study evaluated genotype stability and adaptability for the number of grains per spike and assessed the discriminatory power of the test environments. The GGE biplot presented the combined genotype (G) + genotype × environemtnt (GE) effects, with PC1 and PC2 explaining 58.88 and 19.98% of the total variation, respectively. The spelt wheat lines achieved the highest values for the number of grains per spike and were positioned closest to the “ideal genotype”. Among the bread wheat genotypes, the line KG-40/1 showed the highest value and was narrowly adapted to the environmental conditions of Pančevo and Kragujevac in 2022/2023 season. The genotypes KG-9/1, KG-43/1, and NS 40S demonstrated high stability and high numbers of grains per spike. Environment Pančevo 2023/2024 exhibited the greatest representativeness and discriminative ability, making it the most suitable for genotype evaluation. These findings provide a practical basis for selecting stable and well-adapted genotypes in future wheat breeding programs.