The protection of landscape and biological diversity on small Mediterranean islands represents a significant challenge in the context of intensive anthropogenic pressure and land-use change. The aim of this study was to determine the composition of ornamental flora in private gardens on the island of Koločep (IPA, Natura 2000 site), the smallest inhabited island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic, with special emphasis on invasive (IAS) and potentially invasive (PIAS) plant species, and to analyse their relationship with landscape changes and property types. A total of 161 private gardens were analysed, representing all private gardens on the island. In total, 2095 plant records corresponded to 255 unique horticultural taxa from 82 families. Allochthonous species dominate in the gardens (73%). Private gardens represent the primary pathway for the introduction of IAS and PIAS taxa on the island. The taxa with the highest invasion intensity were Ailanthus altissima and Carpobrotus edulis, while among PIAS species, high invasive potential was observed for Mirabilis jalapa and Diospyros virginiana. The study highlights the need for systematic monitoring of ornamental flora and landscape transformation, and the promotion of horticultural practices focused on autochthonous species in gardens, in order to preserve island biological and landscape diversity.

Local citrus germplasm is a valuable resource for biodiversity conservation and the preservation of traditionally maintained plant material. This study characterized 16 deliberately selected citrus accessions from private gardens in southern Croatia, each represented by a single tree, using 99 IPGRI descriptors and a panel of 15 SSR markers. The objectives were to identify the variables with the highest relative discriminating power, evaluate phenotypic relationships among the selected accessions, and determine their molecular correspondence with well-characterized reference cultivars. Phenotypic analyses identified 20 variables with the highest relative discriminating power. Hierarchical clustering and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed phenotypic structuring that broadly reflected the initial field-based horticultural group assignments. Multilocus SSR analysis identified five distinct 15-locus SSR profiles among the 16 Croatian accessions. The Croatian sweet orange, lemon, and sour orange accessions shared their respective 15-locus SSR profiles with the corresponding analyzed reference cultivars. Among the accessions initially assigned to the mandarin group, two distinct multilocus SSR profiles were identified: one was shared with the analyzed Citrus clementina reference cultivars, whereas the other was shared with the analyzed Citrus deliciosa reference cultivars. The observed variation should not be interpreted as an estimate of overall citrus diversity in southern Croatia because the accessions were selected in part for their morphological and pomological distinctiveness. The combined use of phenotypic and molecular characterization provides a basis for documentation, conservation, and further evaluation of local citrus germplasm.

Zdravstveno stanje jedan je od ključnih čimbenika kakvoće sadnog materijala agruma. Terenskim i labaratorijskim istraživanjima utvrđena je zaraženost Citrus Tristeza virusom koji uzrokuje smanjenje bujnosti i rodnosti većine matičnih stabala agruma u nasadima Doline Neretve, najvažnijem području uzgoja te kulture u Hrvatskoj. Problem je prisutan već dugi niz godina jer se za nove nasade koriste pupovi iz proizvodnih nasada CAC kategorije (Conformitas Agraria Communitatis), dakle sa već zaraženih stabala. Matični nasadi viših kategorija zasnovani prema shemi EPPO, do sada nisu uspostavljeni. Podizanje takvih nasada, u predosnovnoj, osnovnoj i cerftificiranoj kategoriji, neophodno je za proizvodnju zdravog sadnog materijala, što je sadržano i u Direktivi Vijeća Europske unije (2008/90/EZ) o stavljanju na tržište reprodukcijskog sadnog materijala i sadnica namijenjenih proizvodnji voća. To je bila ujedno i polazišna točka pokretanja projekta „Podizanje kvalitete matičnih nasada agruma, jezgričavih i koštićavih voćnih vrsta u Republici Hrvatskoj“ Ministarstva poljoprivrede. Tako proizveden visoko kvalitetni sadni materijal omogućit će povećanje produktivnosti nasada agruma, te bolju pomološku vrijednost. Ovim člankom, o postupku uspostavljanja certifikacijske sheme, su analizirani dostupni podaci o Italiji i Španjolskoj koje su vodeće europske zemlje u području agrumarstva. Konzultirana je i referentna znanstvena literatura.

Suočeni s ekološkim izazovima povezanim s masovnom upotrebom sintetičkih insekticida, poljoprivredni sektor sve više istražuje alternativne pristupe zaštiti bilja. Botanički insekticidi, iako poznati stoljećima, dobivaju na značaju u ekološkoj poljoprivredi, osobito u voćarstvu, gdje postoji potreba za učinkovitom, ali ekološki prihvatljivom zaštitom usjeva. Iako su botanički insekticidi prirodni spojevi s poviješću dugom više stoljeća, sintetički insekticidi su postali dominantni zbog brzog djelovanja, niskih troškova i širokog spektra učinkovitosti. No, dugotrajna upotreba sintetičkih insekticida rezultirala je negativnim posljedicama, ostavljajući štetne posljedice na okoliš, ljude i neciljane organizme. Ovaj rad analizira primjenu botaničkih insekticida u voćarstvu poput piretrina i azadiraktina. Također, razmatra se rastuća upotreba insekticida na bazi eteričnih ulja, posebice u posljednjem desetljeću. Primjena botaničkih insekticida je u skladu s načelima ekološke i održive poljoprivrede, i u voćarstvu predstavlja važan korak prema održivom gospodarenju i smanjenju negativnih utjecaja sintetičkih sredstava.