Maize is one of the most important agricultural crops worldwide, due to its high production potential and the multiple uses of its products. In the context of the need to maintain high yields and preserve soil fertility, the use of green manures together with mineral fertilizers can represent a sustainable solution. For this purpose, during the period 2024–2025, at the Turda Agricultural Research and Development Station (Cluj, Romania), a field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of two cover crops used as green manures, white lupin (Lupinus albus) and phacelia (Phacelia sp.), on the Turda 344 maize hybrid. Within each agrofund (classical, after lupin, and after phacelia), five fertilization variants were tested, consisting of basic fertilization and the supplementary application of mineral fertilizers and biostimulants. The results highlighted the major influence of climatic conditions on yield and grain quality, with the experimental year having a significant effect on the main parameters analyzed. In 2024, under basic fertilization, lupin and phacelia increased grain yield by 8.0% and 1.4%, respectively, compared with the classic agrofund, while in 2025, phacelia maintained a yield advantage of 1.4%. The highest yields were obtained in 2025, when climatic conditions were more favorable, and additional fertilization with ammonium nitrate determined the highest values, reaching 9748 kg/ha in the phacelia agrofund (+6.3% compared with the basic fertilization), 9544 kg/ha in the lupine agrofund (+7.2%), and 9612 kg/ha in the classical agrofund (+6.3%). Additional nitrogen application also led to the highest values of thousand kernel weight, highlighting the essential role of nitrogen in the grain filling process. Grain quality analysis showed that variations in starch and protein content had an inverse evolution between the two experimental years, suggesting the influence of climatic conditions and nitrogen availability on grain composition.

European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) is the most important pest of maize, for the conditions on Romania. Through injuries produced, both on the stem and ears, it favors the penetration of the spores of Fusarium sp. in the plant. In this paper, some results were presented regarding the reaction of the new maize creations and some perspective hybrids from Agriculture Research and Development Station Turda (ARDS Turda), to the attack of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) larva and the fusarium ear rot (Fusarium sp.), in the period 2020-2022. The climatic conditions during the summer period, recorded at ARDS Turda, were more favorable to the attack in 2021 and 2022 compared to 2020 for the European corn borer, respectively, more favorable to the attack in 2022 compared to 2021 for the fusarium ear rot. Turda 380 and Turda 2020 hybrids showed a tolerance to the attack of European corn borer larva and the lowest values of fusarium ear rot attack. Turda 332, HST A483-11 and HST A483-39 hybrids were more sensitive both to the attack of Ostrinia nubilalis and Fusarium sp.

Spring barley is a crop of major agronomic and industrial importance, widely used for malting and well suited to short crop rotations due to its reduced vegetation period. Under current climate change conditions, the identification of genotypes that combine high yield potential with stable performance across diverse environments is of increasing importance. During the period 2021-2023, a total of 25 spring barley genotypes were evaluated at the Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Turda in a comparative field trial arranged in a randomized block design with five replications. Grain yield was assessed in relation to key agronomic traits and grain quality parameters. Two advanced breeding lines, To 2033/18 and To 1990/18, recently registered as the varieties Ioana and Dumbrăvița, were additionally tested within the national SITRV multilocation network. The variety Ioana achieved grain yields ranging from 6,000 to 7,700 kg/ha, with maximum values recorded at the Dej and Sibiu locations, indicating a high yield potential under favorable conditions. Dumbrăvița recorded yields between 5.500 and 6.800 kg/ha and showed a high degree of yield stability across environments. Protein content varied between 10.28% and 11.38%. Compared with the standard variety Romaniţa, both newly registered cultivars demonstrated clear genetic progress. Ioana is a high-yielding malting-type variety recommended for intensive cropping systems, while Dumbrăvița is characterized by high stability and ecological plasticity, being well adapted to variable pedoclimatic conditions.

Spring barley is sensitive to weeding especially in the early stages of vegetation (sprouting-flowering-first internode), in the absence of effective crop maintenance measures it loses out in weeds fight and yield is considerably reduced. The research carried out at Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda in the years 2022 and 2023 aimed to know the dependence of technological factors and climatic conditions on the culture and yield of spring barley. The predominant weeds in the crop were dicotyledonous species. Control was carried out with 0.12 l/ha product based on amidosulfuron 100 g/l + iodosulfuron-methyl-Na 25 g/l + mefenpyr diethyl 250 g/l (safener) + 0.6 l/ha product based on 2,4 D acid from DMA salt. The results showed the effectiveness of weed control treatments and the suitability of spring barley for no-tillage system, with yields exceeding 5000 kg/ha in both experimental years.

Heat stress is among the most critical abiotic constraints on cereal productivity, necessitating intensified breeding strategies. While elevated temperatures can occur at multiple developmental stages, heat stress during the post-anthesis period is particularly damaging, as it disrupts grain formation and filling, leading to substantial yield reductions. Although the study was conducted in a region traditionally favourable for barley cultivation, long-term meteorological records reveal a steady increase in post-anthesis temperatures over the past three decades, increasing crop vulnerability. Under these conditions, evaluating varietal performance and heat tolerance in line with current climatic trends is essential. In this study, chemical desiccation was applied to simulate heat stress by inhibiting photosynthesis, enabling assessment of the capacity of spring barley cultivars to remobilize assimilates from vegetative tissues to the grain. Ten cultivars were evaluated over three years under both stress and non-stress conditions, focusing on key yield components.

Reducing nitrogen inputs while maintaining grain yield and quality is an important objective for sustainable barley production. This study evaluated 39 winter barley genotypes (20 six-row and 19 two-row) under two N management treatments following pea as the preceding crop during two contrasting growing seasons (2021–2022 and 2022–2023) under rainfed conditions. Both treatments received the same basal fertilization, while the fertilized treatment received an additional 46 kg N ha⁻¹ as urea. Yield response to additional N differed between barley types and growing seasons. In six-row barley, grain yield increased by 5.9% in 2021–2022 but decreased by 4.8% in 2022–2023, whereas two-row barley maintained positive responses of 7.9% and 5.9%, respectively. Additional N consistently increased grain protein content by 17.2–21.7% in six-row and 17.1–19.0% in two-row barley, while starch content decreased in both barley types. NDVI generally increased following additional N application. GGE biplot analysis revealed substantial genotypic variation in performance and response across the four year × nitrogen combinations evaluated at the experimental location. Overall, two-row barley showed a more consistent yield response to additional N across the two growing seasons, while the identified genotypic variation provides useful material for selecting winter barley adapted to reduced N inputs following a legume preceding crop.