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.

In the Balkans, the production of globally cultivated green leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) can be slow due to reduced quality and intensity of solar insolation. Our research aimed to investigate the effects of artificial illumination and the duration of light exposure on the growth and quality of two lettuce genotypes seedlings: Genesis and Jukebox. The research was conducted at the Institute for Vegetable Crops Smederevska Palanka, Serbia. Lettuce seeds were sown in 9 styrofoam containers per genotype, filled with commercial substrate. In the phase of three leaves, plants were placed in plant growth chambers under multispectral white (W) LEDs and monochromatic blue (B) LEDs (three containers per LED and genotype), while three containers were kept in the greenhouse and served as control. The plants were cultured in plant growth chambers for 25 days under a 9h/15h and 10h/14h (light/dark) photoperiod, to simulate outdoor conditions. Morphological growth parameters (number of leaves and plant weight) were measured on the 11th and 25th days. Chlorophyll content was measured on the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th days. Plants grown under W and B LEDs had a significantly higher number of leaves, plant weight, and chlorophyll content than plants grown in a greenhouse. Using energy-efficient white and blue LED lights in lettuce seedling production during 18-25 days positively impacts seedling quality, and with this seedling production, the plants can achieve high yields and quality.

The expression of genes that induce the transformation of meristems into the reproductive stage in oilseed rape is realized in conditions of low positive temperatures for a certain period of time. Such a flowering process is called the vernalization pathway. A four-factor field trial with 6 genotypes of head cabbage was set up at the Institute of Vegetable Crops in Smederevska Palanka, of which three parental genotypes were divergent by geographical origin: Scc, B and N, and three more F1 hybrids were selected by diallel crossing: Scc x B, Scc x N and B x N. In order to achieve a different vegetative stage, seedlings were sown at three sowing dates: August 15th, September 1st and September 15th. Transplanting was done on October 20th. The results of sowing head cabbage within the sowing period for oilseed rape were the induction of the flower mechanism, the absence of the head formation phenophase, and the realization of a stable seed yield. The experiment was performed in vivo in the control version and in the treatment with gibberellic acid - GA3. The influence of all four factors: season, genotype, sowing date and GA3 treatment showed statistical significance for the yield components as well as for the yield itself and seed quality. The three seasons in which the experiment was evaluated differed in temperature during overwintering: 2010/2011 was moderately cold, 2011/2012 was extremely cold, while 2012/2013 was warm. In the cold season, the seed yield was low, and reduced to the biological maintenance of the species, while the highest seed yield was achieved in the third - warm (2012/2013) season in the first sowing period. The experiment also confirmed the existence of an identical flower mechanism in the species Brassica napus L. and Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important vegetable species both because of the areas in which it is grown and because of its diverse uses from fresh to various products in industrial processing. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality pepper fruits for industrial processing, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a new variety of peppers with a high yield and dry matter content. After a multi-year selection process, the Moravska lepotica was created using the pedigree method of selection with a high content of dry matter and color, very large and attractive fruits. It is recognized by the Decision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia, No 320-04-3330/2/2021-11 dated 22.12.2022.

In the process of cabbage breeding and seed production, one of the most important characteristics is the time of flowering. In order to investigate the influence of genotype, season and term of sowing on the flowering process, as well as the genetic control of this trait, an experiment was conducted with three genotypes of cabbage N, B and Scc of different geographical origin and different vegetation length, as well as three new F1 hybrids N x Scc , B x Scc and B x N obtained by hybridization between genotypes. The experiment was conducted during three temperature different seasons S1, S2 and S3 (average cold, cold and warm seasons), in three different sowing terms: August 15 (I), September 1 (II) and September 15 (III). During the winter period favorable for vernalization, two treatments with 300 ppm GA3 were performed. A statistically significant influence of all examined factors: genotype, year, sowing term and gibberellin GA3 treatment, on flowering time was determined. AMMI analysis determined the degree of adaptability of genotypes depending on the growing season, sowing terms and GA3 treatment for the trait time of flowering. The highest stability based on ASV values for flowering time was shown by hybrid BxN and its parental component genotypes B and N, while the hybrid Scc x B proved to be the most unstable in terms of flowering time. The pattern of relative expression of the most important flower repressor BoFLC2 gene showed a certain correlation with the flowering time of genotypes. The lowest quantitative expression of this gene was found in genotype B and it had the earliest flowering in all seasons, while genotype N had the highest relative expression of the BoFLC2 locus and the latest flowering.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of light treatments applied during the seedling stage and the use of Nervosol organic fertilizer after transplanting on the morphological and physiological parameters of purple leafy lettuce. Our results show that both light treatments and organic fertilizer significantly increased the number of leaves, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content, although in different ways; while the highest number of leaves and fresh weight were observed under blue light treatment combined with organic fertilizer, the chlorophyll content was found to be the lowest under the same source of light.