The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and phytotoxicity of herbicides in combinations and to determine their economic feasibility in the soybean crop. The trials were placed at two locations, Pobeda and Budisava (Serbia), during 2016 and 2018, organized in a randomized block design with four replicates of all herbicide combinations (metribuzin + S-metolachlor; imazamox + oxasulfuron + typhenesulfuron-methyl; metribuzin + S-metolachlor + imazamox + oxasulfuron + typhenesulfuron-methyl; and bentazon + imazamox + typhenesulfuron-methyl). At the first location, 16 weed species were determined, while in the second location, 14 were determined. The highest reduction in the number of weeds was achieved at the first location, using a combination of herbicides metribuzin + S-metolachlor + imazamox + oxasulfuron + typhenesulfuron-methyl with a total efficacy that ranged from 96.98% to 97.40%. Only on the second location bentazone + imazamox + tifensulfuron-methyl showed passable phytotoxicity on soybean, during both years. Based on the established economic justification, in the combinations of metribuzin + S-metolachlor + imazamox + oxasulfuron + typhenesulfuron-methyl, yield was increased for 2350 kg/ha or 1.91 times more, according to the untreated variant at first location. The economic injury level at the most effective combination of herbicides was 52.70 weeds/m².

Rodents belong to the group of occasionally economically significant to very significant pests. Some species, especially synanthropic species, cause material damage in various ways. Successful and sustainable management of rodent control strategies requires different procedures such as prevention and rodent control measures. The present study gives an overview of the most common rodent species and methods for estimating the rodent population to assess the risk of economic damage that may occur due to rodents feeding in field crops, gardens, orchards, and young forest plantations, as well as contamination of stored food. As a prerequisite for effective integrated control of mice and voles, it is necessary to implement an adequate long-term monitoring system of these species, as they are primary pests. The integrated approach improves the treatment efficacy and reduces the treatment costs but also is considered ecologically friendlier compared to conventional measures. An integrated approach should provide an effective strategy for rodent management and control in all types of rodent habitats, from agricultural and forestry production fields to residential and public areas. By combining different preventive measures, it is possible to prevent the presence of pests, which will therefore result in a reduction of pesticide use.

Flame weeding is an alternative method of weed control. Essentially, it is a supplement to other physical and mechanical processes used in organic production. Weed control costs have a large share of the total cost of crop production. This study aimed to investigate hand weed hoeing’s cost-effectiveness, accompanied by inter-row cultivation and flame weeding applied in organic maize production using two different machines to determine the economically best solution. For this purpose, the prototype flame weeder and commercial flame-weeding machinery were used. Designed primarily for smaller fields, the prototype flame weeder was equipped with a cultivator and a 70 kg propane bottle. Commercial Red Dragon flame weeder, fitted with an 800 kg propane tank and featuring no cultivation implements, is designed for larger areas. The analysis has shown that hand hoeing produced a higher yield (8.3 t/ha in total), but it contributed significantly to the production costs. The costs per hectare decreased when the prototype flame weeder and the commercial Red Dragon flame weeder were used compared to hand hoeing. More beneficial economic impacts were recorded when the prototype flame weeder was used (489.39 €/ha) than in applying the Red Dragon flame weeder (456.47 €/ha). The efficacy of flame weeding is somewhat limited and could be enhanced by additional hand hoeing, if the effect of the machine in terms of weeding is observed. However, the analysis has shown that, in this case, investments in additional hand hoeing are not economically justified because the operating costs incurred therein (168 €/ha) were not met by a yield increase of 500 kg/ha, i.e., a surplus revenue of 100 €/ha. Moreover, the economic impacts of flame weeding would be considerably more significant in larger fields.

Sub-lethal doses of herbicides can promote plant growth and have a positive effect on an organism this is called hormesis. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of sub-lethal doses of glyphosate on soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) (1.8, 3.6, 7.2, 36, 180, and 720 g ha⁻¹) and Amaranthus retroflexus L. (7.2, 36, 180, 720, 1440, and 2880 g ha⁻¹). Different biological parameters, such as phytotoxicity, fresh weight, root length, content of photosynthetic pigments, and shikimate concentration, were measured. Glyphosate in doses of 1440 and 2880 g ha⁻¹ destroyed A. retroflexus plants. A fresh weight of A. retroflexus at a dose of 36 g ha⁻¹ was reduced by 76.31%, while for the soybean it was reduced by 19.26%. At the highest dose, the shikimate concentration was 145% in the soybean, while in A. retroflexus, the concentration increased by 58.80% compared to the control plants. All doses of glyphosate were statistically significantly different in terms of chlorophyll a content, while higher doses in A. retroflexus caused chlorophyll b to decrease. The change in the production of carotenoids was not statistically significant. The results showed that sub-lethal amounts of glyphosate did not lead to stimulation of measured parameters of soybean.

Crop production is largely unprotected and exposed to a great number of production factors. On the other hand, farmers are exposed to fluctuations in the market prices of their products every year, which often has a negative impact on the profits made. There are various risk management measures in plant production, and insurance is certainly one of the most effective instruments. One of the recent insurance models is Whole-Farm Revenue Insurance (WFRP), which is an American insurance model that has been applied since 2015. The essence of WFRP is to ensure that all crops on the farm are secured against production and market risks with only one policy. The aim of the research in this paper is to present WFRP as an entirely new model of revenue insurance on the example of a typical Serbian farm specializing in crop production. The WFRP model works by determining the insured revenue before the start of the production year. If at the end of the production year, for any reason, the realized revenue falls below the level of insured revenue, the farmer is entitled to indemnification. Due to the drought that hit the region where the analyzed farm is located, the yields were reduced, and thus the expected revenue was also reduced, and the farmer was entitled to damages of $5697. On the other hand, it is the farmer’s obligation to pay $373 to the insurer as a risk transfer fee. The authors proved that even such complex insurance models can be applied in countries such as Serbia, where awareness of the importance of insurance of agricultural production is still not developed.

Weed control in apple tree (Malus domestica [Suckow] Borkh.) orchards continues to be a major problem. Weeds compete with fruit trees, which is manifested in production quality and quantity. The aim of this study was to determine the weed flora of apple orchards with different floor management practices and to investigate the efficacy of the diquat, oxyfluorfen, glyphosate, and fluazifop-P-butyl herbicides. Experiments were conducted during 2015 and 2016 in orchards under intensive (Ruski Krstur) and extensive (Sombor) floor management. Annual, perennial broad-leaf, and grass weeds were identified. Dominant weed species in both apple orchards were Poa annua, Hordeum murinum, Conyza canadensis, Portulaca oleracea, Cynodon dactylon, Sorghum halepense, Carduus acanthoides, Amaranthus retroflexus, Cirsium arvense, Chenopodium album, and Solanum nigrum. After the first and second assessments, the best results occurred with glyphosate in both orchards and total efficacy ranged from 88.42% to 98.32% in the orchard under intensive floor management and 90.32% to 95.55% in the orchard under extensive floor management. Diquat and oxyfluorfen have shown good results, but their efficacy was lower than for glyphosate. Fluazifop-P-butyl, as a selective herbicide, showed low efficacy at both sites; it had high efficacy on grass weeds, but no effects on broad-leaf weeds.