Lyophilization (freeze-drying) is one of the most suitable methods used for a long term preservation of pathogens. The aim of this paper was the application of lyophilization for storage of three significant plant pathogens: Fusarium graminearum, Helminthosporium gramineum, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. gylicinea, respectively. The plant material was collected continuously (during a four year period 2002-2006), depending on a plant development stage, from different localities in Vojvodina. Pathogens were isolated from diseased parts with characteristic symptoms, and placed on nutritive media specific for a certain pathogen, using standard phytopathological methods. Lyophilization was carried out in marked and coded ampoules by freezing and drying of pathogen suspension and nutritive medium. Revitalization of lyophilized isolates was done after four days. High percentage of revitalization was characteristic for all studied isolates, and it ranged from 85-92%, confirming that lyophilized pathogens would be capable of keeping viability for a long time in the collection. Besides above mentioned pathogens, there were 200 isolates in the collection, originating mostly from field and vegetable crops. Each isolate that was put into the Collection, was followed by all the necessary data such as: name of the pathogen, number of isolates, locality, host plant year of isolation, name of the researcher and other relevant data

The analysis of the administrative public utility bodies in charge of water treatment and distribution revealed the need for improvement and a clear definition of the place and role of the administrative-planning bodies for water delivery, as well as the improvement of the implementation of works in water supply systems. In this research, the assessment of the organizational performance of the water treatment plant is performed by means of the process functions method. Furthermore, this method improves the efficiency of operations in the water treatment plants through the evaluation of job implementation in the field of water supply. The concept of process functions includes the analysis of key jobs necessary for timely and successful task implementation by each job role within the organization. This method is most extensively applied in the organizational sciences, such as human resource management – organizational design, including the analysis of functional organizational charts, while its application is limited in engineering sciences. Since the most important resource of any organization is the human capital (i.e., its employees), this paper focuses on a water utility company “Naissus” from Serbia regarding its evaluation of organizational performance. Furthermore, the aim of this study is to introduce process functions as a standard analytical method, thus connecting all activities within the water treatment plant in order to optimize its operations.

The city is an invention of human civilization that is distinguished, among other things, by the presence of infrastructure systems that assist public utility management. Globally, there is a growing awareness of the vital role that water and waste management play in sustainable development. The sustainable management of utility systems is unquestionably in the public and state interest. Therefore, this chapter presents current good practices and general ideas that constitute a foundation for beginning sustainable water and municipal waste management efforts in any activity. It also discusses the fundamental ways of improving sustainability in the municipal waste and water supply management sectors.