Advances in the production and utilization of alternative crops achieved at Department of hops, sorghum and medicinal plants of Institute of field and vegetable crops

Abstract

The research program of the Department of Hops, Sorghum and Medicinal Plants of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad deals predominantly with alternative crops, i.e., those that are grown at a relatively small acreage; their production is typically intensive but, as a rule, it is more profitable than the production of conventional crops such as corn, wheat, etc. The program of hop improvement includes breeding, production of transplants, development of cultivation technology, extension service and pilot brewery tests. Two high quality and high yielding hop cultivars, Aroma and Robusta, are currently in commercial production. The program of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) improvement deals with two sorghum types, broomcorn and grain sorghum. The broomcorn breeding is aimed at the development of F1 hybrid varieties. Grain sorghum, represented by the F1 hybrids Alba and Gold, is a novelty in the domestic crop production, which exceeds corn in the tolerance to unfavorable environmental conditions while maintaining an excellent quality as cattle feed. The millet program includes the proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), the italian millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) represented by foxtal millet and large-headed millet, canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.) and the buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.). The cucurbit (Cucurbita sp.) program includes the naked seeded oil pumpkin as well as the hulled oil pumpkin, along with summer squashes (zucchini and patty pan squash). The program of tobacco (Nicotaina tabacum L.) improvement deals with two tobacco types, Burley and Virginia. Three varieties have been developed within the hemp breeding program, a dioecious variety Marina, a monoecious variety Helena and a hybrid variety Diana. The results of the selection and breeding program of medicinal and aromatic plants are also reviewed in the paper, including the characteristics of most important registered varieties, promising lines and improved varieties of medicinal and aromatic species with conserved genetic identity. The initial breeding was aimed at the improvement of yield performance and essential oil content. The next step concentrated on the composition of certain dominant oil components, while the current program is focused on cultivars for special purposes, e.g., flowers/leaves/roots exclusively for tea, raw material for production of oil, extracts and isolation of pure active substances. Production of high quality liquid concentrated extract for hot drinks (tea) is discussed. Results of agrotechnical trials and improvement of agricultural machinery and processing of medicinal plants are also presented.

Program naučno-istraživačkog rada Odeljenja za hmelj, sirak i lekovito bilje Instituta za ratarstvo i povrtarstvo Novi Sad najvećim delom se odnosi na alternativne kulture koje se proizvode na relativno malim površinama. Njihova proizvodnja je u većini slučajeva radno intenzivna ali se sa jedinice površine obezbeđuje veći profit u poređenju sa proizvodnjom konvencionalnih kultura, kao što su kukuruz, pšenica, itd. Program unapređenja proizvodnje hmelja (Humulus lupulus L.) obuhvata oplemenjivanje, proizvodnju sortnih sadnica, ispitivanje tehnologije proizvodnje hmelja, saradnju sa praksom i rad mikropivare. U proizvodnji se sada nalaze dve veoma kvalitetne i visokoprinosne sorte Aroma i Robusta. Dva pravca unapređenja proizvodnje sirka (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) su sirak metlaš i sirak za zrno. Kod sirka metlaša oplemenjivanje je usmereno na stvaranje F1 hibridnih sorti. F1 hibridi sirka za zrno Alba i Gold poslužili su za uvođenje jedne, za našu proizvodnu praksu potpuno nove gajene biljke, sirka za zrno, koji se ističe boljom tolerantnošću prema nepovoljnim uslovima spoljne sredine od kukuruza, a zrno sirka kao stočna hrana je odličnog kvaliteta. Program rada na prosu obuhvata obično proso (Panicum miliaceum L.), italijansko proso (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) predstavljeno muharom i barom, svetlo seme (Phalaris canariensis L.) i heljdu (Fagopyrum esculen- tum Moench.). Rad na tikvama (Cucurbita sp.) obuhvata uljanu tikvu-golicu i onu sa ljuskom, kao i povrtarske tikve (cukini i patison). Unapređenje proizvodnje duvana (Nicotaina tabacum L.) odnosi se na duvan tipa "Berlej" i "Virdžinija". U procesu oplemenjivanja konoplje priznate su tri nove sorte: dvodoma konoplja Marina, jednodoma konoplja Helena i hibridna konoplja Diana. Dati su i rezultati oplemenjivanja sorti lekovitog i aromatičnog bilja u Srbiji. Prikazane su osobine najznačajnijih registrovanih sorti, perspektivnih linija i poboljšanih domaćih sorti čiji se genetski identitet održava. U početnoj fazi selekcija je bila usmerena na prinos i sadržaj etarskog ulja. Sledeći korak bilo je izučavanje sastava najzastupljenijih komponenti etarskog ulja. Najnoviji trendovi podrazumevaju oplemenjivanje sorti za posebne namene: cvast/list/koren za čajeve, sirovine za proizvodnju etarskog ulja, za ekstrakate i izolovanje čistih aktivnih materija. Prikazani su i rezultati agrotehničkih istraživanja, mehanizacije i prerade lekovitog i aromatičnog bilja. Posebno je istaknuta uspešna proizvodnja kvalitetnih čajnih koncentrata.