This paper analyses the effects of the biochar application morphologi?cal traits in maize and soybean under semi-controlled conditions. During the study, the in?creasing doses of biochar (0%, 0.5%, 1, 3, and 5%) were incorporated in three soil types: Alluvium, Humogley and Chernozem to determine plant height and shoot weight. The ex?periment was set up as fully randomized design with three repetitions. The plants were grown in pots of 5 l with controlled watering and N fertilization. The research results have shown that there are differences in terms of biochar effects on soils. The greatest effect on plant height and shoot weight was obtained when the biochar was applied to Humogley soil and lower effects were found on the Alluvium soil. The increase in aboveground mass of maize and soybeans was significantly conditioned by adding different doses of biochar. Based on these results, it can be concluded that adding biochar can significantly affect the growth of plants. This is a consequence of the changes it causes in soil, which requires further tests to complement the current findings. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR031072 i br. TR031073]

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of soil type and forage crops on the content of magnesium in soil and roughages, as well as forage quality regarding Mg content for the prevention of animal disease ?tetany?. The trial was carried out on chernozem and humogley under alfalfa and red clover. Samples for determination of Mg content in plant and total Mg content in soil were digested using the apparatus Milestone Ethos 1. The content of Mg was determined using the apparatus ICP-OES Vista Pro-Axial Varian. The average total Mg content in soil of the tested sites was 0.64%. Total Mg content in chernozem was higher than in humogley. A higher total Mg content was in the deeper horizon. A significant positive correlation was found between total Mg content in soil and soil pH as well as the content of CaCO3. The average Mg content in forage crops was 0.28%. A higher Mg content in the dry matter was observed in crops grown on humogley. Mg content was significantly higher in red clover. There was no risk for the occurrence of animal disease ?tetany? regarding Mg content in crops, because the ratio K/(Ca+Mg) was below 2.2, and K and Mg content in the dry matter of crops was below the critical value. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR31072: Stanje, tendencije i mogucnosti povecanja plodnosti poljoprivrednog zemljista u Vojvodini]

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of using microbial strains as residue decomposers and to determine the effect of these strains on chemical and microbial properties in the residue-amended soil. Greenhouse experiment consisted of eight Bacillus treatments, three Trichoderma treatments, and their combination, all applied to non-sterile chernozem soil amended with wheat straw. Incorporation of wheat straw improved soil chemical and microbial properties, while the extent of residue decom?position under microbial strains was intensified. Microbial treatments significantly affected the soil pH, the content of carbonate, total carbon, soil organic carbon, humus, and available phosphorus and potassium. Bacterial and fungal treatments also significantly influenced the total microbial number, ammonifiers, N2-fixers, fungi, actinomycetes, oligotrophs, copiotrophs, and cellulolytic microorganisms. The effect of microbial treatments varied depending on the applied strains and examined properties, with Bacillus strains being more promising residue decomposers compared to Trichoderma strains. The most effective microbial strains could be used as potential decomposers of crop residues. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR31072]