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Soybean Production in Croatia - Current Status and Perspectives

In Croatia, soybean production has had a positive trend both in area and unitary yield. In the last ten years, the acreage in soybean has been on a steady rise and has reached a maximum of over 50 000 ha and the average yields around 3 t/ha. The eastern part of Croatia is the main soybean-growing region (70% of total acreage). The reasons for the soybean production increase are: favourable production conditions, cultural practice advances, genetic improved varieties, support of government and high market demands. Genetic improvement of soybean is the result of continual and intensive breeding work. National breeding programs have organised at the two institutions: Agricultural Institute Osijek (70% in production) and Faculty of Agriculture Zagreb. Breeding programs have developed varieties with high and stable grain yield (>3.5 t/ha) and grain quality (protein >40%, oil >20% content in the seed), high tolerance to main diseases and resistance to lodging and pod shattering as well as wide adaptability. Local varieties are GMO-free and within maturity groups: 00, 0 and I. Regarding to high agronomic performances, local varieties cover 80% of total soybean acreage in Croatia. Croatian's soybean output has thus far been unable to meet the domestic demand for this crop. The country's soybean production could be increased by increasing the area sown to the crop, less/non further increasing the area under other oilcrops due to adverse crop rotation with soybean, increasing yield per unit area and collaboration and intergration of the Danube region. Successful crop production and management of problems associated with crop growing cannot be carried out without the support of versatile research work. In soybean breeding, researh is focused on: grain yield, grain quality, tolerance to biotic and abiotic factors, development of soybean and Bradyrhizobium genotypes with higher capacity of N2 fixation. Development of new varieties, with better agronomic performances, contributes to productivity enhancement, as well as, production of safe and high quality feed and food in balance with nature.

soybean; status; perspectives; Croatia

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