dc.description.abstract | Genetic markers have been used at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad (tFVCNS)
for many years, both for seed quality control and for research purposes. The first laboratory in
Serbia that started applying the electrophoresis of isoenzymes was at the IFVCNS, in 1986. The
distinct advantage of laboratory seed purity control is that the seed can be inspected until the
next sowing at different stages, before harvesting or ripening, during or after seed processing. In
addition to conventional laboratory methods in identifying pathogens, serological and molecular
methods are used nowadays. The main feature of these methods is that they are fast, reliable and
suitable for analysing a large number of samples. Determination of the presence and distribution
of viral and bacterial diseases of paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) were performed using serological
and molecular detection. ln addition to determining the presence and distribution of pepper virus,
identification of the most important and most frequent virus isolates was performed using the
reverse transcription method followed by a polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Differentiation
of Xanthomonas spp., the causative agent of the bacterial pungency. of pepper, was carried
out using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the hrp gene (HrpB
region) and the PCR method, thus confirming the similarity of studied strains with the species
X. euvesicatona. According to the valid legislation in Serbia, commercial cultivation of genetically
modified organism (GMO) crops is not allowed. The laboratories involved in GMO analyses have
been accredited according to ISO I IEC 17025:2006 standard and ISTA standards, and authorised
by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management for analysis of seeds and product
consignments of plant origin from import. All laboratories use internationally recognised methods
and participate in testing the expertise for GMO analysis in inter-laboratory comparisons. Our
laboratory for seed testing has conducted several studies in order to demonstrate the presence
and quantity of Roundup Ready soybean in crude oil, assess DNA degradation, DNA amplification,
and GMO quantification during tofu production, to report on the validity of labels on imported food
samples from different countries and uptake of GM food derived from soybean into the food chain
in Serbia. | sr |