Increased energy consumption and climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, pose significant risks to global sustainability. Concerns about using agricultural land for fuel production and its competition with food production have made feedstocks like corn (Zea mays) highly controversial. This study explores the potential of alternative feedstocks, such as hemp (Cannabis sativa) and cucurbits (family Cucurbitaceae), for biofuel production amidst environmental concerns linked to fossil fuel usage. Hemp is widely acknowledged as a promising feedstock for sustainable biorefinery due to its agricultural adaptability and its ability to produce oil and carbohydrates. Cucurbits seeds are characterized by a high oil content, which can be utilized in the food industry or for energy production as biofuel. As a byproduct of cucurbits processing, a significant number of seeds often remains, which constitutes waste. By examining hemp and cucurbit byproducts and waste, which are suitable for bioenergy production, this research highlights the promise these alternative feedstocks hold for the biofuel industry. Utilizing these resources presents a viable route to diminish dependence on fossil fuels and transition toward a more environmentally sustainable energy future.

Pseudogley soils in Serbia are characterized by poor chemical and physical properties that limit maize yields. Nevertheless, they are still used on large areas due to their favorable topographic position and lack of better-quality soils. It is common practice to regularly apply mineral fertilizers to these soils, but this does not increase maize yields to an economically sufficient level, although the doses are increased. At the same time, the inappropriate application of mineral fertilizers deteriorates soil chemical properties. Lime is only moderately used in Serbia despite its known benefits, whereas manure is not satisfactorily used. Therefore, a two-factorial experiment was set up as a randomized block design with three replications and conducted near Kraljevo, Serbia, to investigate the effect of mineral fertilizers, manure and lime on maize growth. The experiment included three fertilization regimes: F—application of common fertilizer doses, LF—application of the same fertilizer doses with 3 t·ha⁻¹ of lime, and LMF—application of the same fertilizer doses with lime and 30 t·ha⁻¹ of manure. The response of four maize hybrids to different fertilization practices was investigated. The soil was acid, poor in humus, and contained an increased content of mobile aluminum. There was a significant increase in the 3-year average yield of all hybrids in LMF- and LF-treatments compared with F-treatment, 30.7 and 25.6%, respectively. The increase in yield was accompanied by an improvement in soil chemical properties after three years, i.e., increased soil reaction in LF- and LMF-treatments, increased content of available phosphorus, an increase in base saturation by 61 and 75%, and aluminum immobilization by 2.55 and 4.19 fold, respectively, compared to initial conditions. The hybrid NS 640 demonstrated the highest yield when only mineral fertilizers were used, which indicated its tolerance to the unfavorable physical and chemical soil properties and suggested that it can be recommended for growing on pseudogleys without applying amelioration practices. The hybrids NS 6030 and ZP 606 achieved statistically significantly higher yields than the other hybrids when lime and manure were applied, which indicates that adequate fertilization coupled with soil improvement practices should be used in order to achieve satisfactory yields. The obtained results showed that liming can be considered as a longer-term sustainability practice in maize production in Serbia on pseudogley soils, and that there is an array of maize hybrids which can be grown depending on management strategies applied.

Lime application combined with complementary sustainable management practices increases crop yields, but liming is only modestly applied in Serbia. This study investigated the influence of liming (1000 kg/ha) combined with the common application of mineral fertilizers on maize yield and the chemical properties of pseudogley soil. The experiment was conducted near Kraljevo, Western Serbia, on the maize hybrid ZP 606 sown in a two-year monoculture. The experiment had three treatments: fertilizer, fertilizer + lime, and a control treatment. The soil is acid, poor in humus, and contains an increased content of mobile aluminum. There was a significant increase in yield under the fertilizer and lime + fertilizer treatments, compared to the control. The yield of maize in the limed treatment was 4.4–9% higher than in the fertilizer treatment. The positive effects of liming on soil are related to an increase in pH, base saturation, and available phosphorus, and a decrease in available aluminum. In the fertilizer treatment, there was a small decrease in pH and base saturation, whereas the amount of aluminum remained high, indicating that the further application of fertilizers without lime can increase aluminum content and foster its toxicity. The long-term sustainability of maize production in Serbia should include liming as a regular management practice on pseudogley soil, with the utilization of smaller doses of lime because of the potential CO₂ effects. To improve soil health, food, and environmental security, and to incorporate new crops, developing a framework promoting liming as a sustainable management practice is of high importance.

Lime application with other complementary sustainable management practices increases crop yield, but liming is modestly applied in Serbia. This study investigated the influence of liming (1000 kg/ha) combined with the common application of mineral fertilizers on maize yield and the chemical properties of Pseudogley soil. The experiment was conducted near Kraljevo, Western Serbia, on maize hybrid ZP 606, sown in a two-year monoculture. The experiment had three treatments: fertilizer, fertilizer+lime, and control treatment. The soil is acid, poor in humus, and contains an increased content of mobile aluminum. There was a significant increase in yield under the fertilizer and lime+fertilizer treatments, compared with the control. The yield of maize in the limed treatment was 4.4–9% higher than in the fertilizer treatment. The positive effects of liming on soil are related to an increase in pH, base saturation, and available phosphorus and a decrease in available aluminum. In the fertilizer treatment, there was a small decrease in pH and base saturation, whereas the amount of aluminum remained high, indicating that further application of fertilizers without lime can increase the aluminum content and foster its toxicity. The long-term sustainability of maize production in Serbia should include liming as a regular management practice on Pseudogley soil, with the utilization of smaller doses of lime because of the potential CO2 effects. To improve soil health, food, and environmental security, and incorporate new crops, developing a framework promoting liming as a sustainable management practice is of high importance.

Pseudogley soils in Serbia are characterized by poor chemical and physical properties that limit maize yields. Nevertheless, they are still used on large areas due to their favourable topographic position and lack of better quality soils. It is common practice to regularly apply mineral fertilizers to these soils, but this does not increase maize yields to a satisfactory level, although mineral fertilizer doses are increased. At the same time, the inappropriate application of mineral fertilizers deteriorates soil chemical properties. Lime is only moderately used in Serbia despite its known benefits, whereas manure is not satisfactorily used. Therefore, a two-factorial experiment set up as a randomized block design with three replications was conducted near Kraljevo, Serbia to investigate the effect of mineral fertilizers, manure and lime on maize growth. The experiment included three fertilization regimes: F – application of common fertilizer doses, LF – application of the same fertilizer doses with 3 t・ha−1 of lime, and LMF – application of the same fertilizer doses with lime and 30 t・ha−1 of manure. The response of four maize hybrids to different fertilization practices was investigated. The soil was acid, poor in humus, and contained an increased content of mobile aluminium. There was a significant increase in the 3-year average yield of all hybrids in LMF- and LF-treatments compared with F-treatment, 30.7 and 25.6%, respectively. The increase in yield was accompanied by an improvement in soil chemical properties after three years, i.e. increased soil reaction in LF- and LMF-treatments, increased content of available phosphorus, an increase in base saturation by 61 and 75%, and aluminium immobilization by 2.55 and 4.19 times, respectively, compared to initial conditions. The hybrid NS 640 demonstrated the best results when only mineral fertilizers were used, which indicated its tolerance to the unfavourable soil chemical properties and suggested that it can be recommended for growing on pseudogleys without applying reclamation practices. The same hybrid achieved significantly lower yields when lime and manure were used. The hybrids NS 6030 and ZP 606 achieved statistically significantly higher yields than the other hybrids when lime and manure were applied, which indicates that adequate fertilization coupled with soil improvement practices should be used in order to achieve satisfactory yields. The obtained results showed that liming can be considered as a longer-term sustainability practice in maize production in Serbia on pseudogley soils, and that there is an array of maize hybrids which can be grown depending on management strategies applied.