Optimizing the micropropagation protocol for Rosa canina L. elite genotype propagation in the Belgrade area

Rosa canina L. (dog rose) is an important ornamental, edible and medicinal plant. It has been used as a rootstock for ornamental roses, grown in plantations for fruit harvesting and it is suitable for revegetation of abandoned mine lands. The propagation of native genotypes that are well adapted to local conditions can provide planting material for both revegetation and plantation purpose. Micropropagation is the most suitable method for a rapid vegatative propagation of selected wild genotypes, but an increased presence of pathogens as well as higher contamination rate during culture establishment were expected. An occurrence of a specific Fe-chlorosis during in vitro propagation of roses is also possible. Therefore, the optimal period and disinfection protocol for establishing sterile in vitro culture of selected genotypes of dog rose was investigated, as well as an effect of increasing the FeEDTA concentration in the MS medium during multiplication phase. The obtained results showed that the optimal time for taking initial explants corresponds to optimal time for taking green cuttings in traditional vegetative propagation by softwood cuttings, and the best results were achieved using shoots collected in the first week of May, when the flowers were open. The iron chelate concentration in the medium affected the mean number of shoots, and doubling of its concentration resulted in a considerably higher number of shoots per explant.

Recent advances in the assessment of soil erosion vulnerability in watersheds

Water induced soil erosion has always been a matter of concern in watersheds as they increase the soil vulnerability towards erosion. If unchecked, the eroded material reduces the capability of the river to carry the adequate amount of water and increase the amount of sediments in the watershed area. Determining vulnerability of soil to erosion plays a key role in identifying the extent of fragility and helps in making appropriate plans for conservation. Among various methods present to assess soil erosion vulnerability, there is a need to understand the frequently used methods so far and its advancement with time. Various models have been used in past two decades (1991-2019) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is the most used model because of its quantitative ability to estimate the average annual soil loss due to erosion in a watershed and its compatibility with the GIS interface. Different approaches like MCDM, SWAT etc. are being utilised to study soil erosion vulnerability of watersheds. This review showed that the frequently used MCDM method is a Compound Factor (CF) method and that RUSLE is a most used quantitative approach. The review identifies 14 different methods which includes 4 methods which provide quantitative estimation while the other 10 methods are used for qualitative assessment of soil erosion vulnerability. Being the most adopted approach, various modifications of different factors of RUSLE introduced by researchers have made it more efficient with time. This review identifies the trend in advancement of various approaches and methods to study soil erosion vulnerability of watersheds around the world and also how various studies are distributed in the Himalayan and non-Himalayan region. The review also provides an understanding of the status of various current approaches to study soil erosion in a watershed and lists the improvements adopted in the frequently used approaches during 1991 and 2019.

Finding coefficients for correction of potential value of wood assortments in real on the example of beech from thinning cuts in Serbia

Calculating the value of wood in forests has always been a job full of challenges for the appraiser, especially if in that case the condition is not to cut down trees. As one of the possibilities, the method of "model" cutting can be used, which is practically the only one that allows assessment value without cutting trees. It consists in estimating the volumes of assortment classes only on the basis of tree dimensions (d and h) and valid standards for forest exploitation products, and later, by multiplication with prices, the required value is obtained. As other characteristics of the tree (wood defects) are not taken into account in this procedure, it is obviously an ideal (maximum) value. In order to harmonize it with the real value, which is always lower than the "model" value, a request is imposed for the correction of the "model" value with appropriate coefficients. In this research, an attempt was made to obtain such coefficients for material from thinning in beech high (5,973 trees) and coppice (1,842 trees) forests and to check the degree of accuracy during their application.

Evaluation of business efficiency of a selected forestry company from the South Backa District area

The paper evaluates the efficiency of a forestry company, which operates in the territory of South Backa District. For this purpose, an analysis of financial indicators of operations, i.e., liquidity, indebtedness and solvency was performed. After that, the movement of basic indicators of business efficiency is shown: productivity, cost-effectiveness, and profitability. The aim of the research is to conduct a financial analysis of the business of the analyzed company. The purpose of the research is to identify problem areas in the business operations of the company within the South Backa District, as well as to eliminate them. The subject of the research are: balance sheet and income statement of the selected company. The period taken into consideration is 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Moisture content changes of beech and ash elements during two years in room conditions

The subject of this paper is the analysis of moisture content (MC) changes of beech and ash wood during two years in room conditions (heating during winter; no air conditioning during summer). The registered MC changes are primarily the result of changes in relative humidity of the air (measured by capacitive probes). The average relative humidity of the air in the interior is lower today than in the past, as also shown in this experiment (the average relative humidity of air during two years was 44%). The lowest wood MC was reached on very cold winter days when the heating was on even during the night - between 5% and 6%, and the highest one at the beginning of June: 10.4-10.9%. As expected, the wood did not reach equilibrium moisture content - during winter, MC is by about 1% higher, and in summer it is lower by up to 2.5% than the equilibrium. The recommendation that the sawn timber from which the interior products will be made should be dried at 7-8% MC was confirmed.

Contribution to methods and techniques of scientific research: Structure of the scientific research report - 1. Introductory chapter

During the conduct of the research, at the very end of the process, there is a need for all results, with accompanying explanations and notes, to be communicated to the professionals and scientific public. In order to make it easier and more accurate for the reader to be aware of the facts presented in the report, it is necessary that the authors maintain certain report structures. In this regard, it is necessary to introduce young researchers, who are trained to carry out research work, first and foremost the students of master and doctoral academic studies, a little more extensively and in detail, with the structure of the introduction.

Measures and activities for managing protected areas under climate changes: The analysis of regulatory frameworks in selected countries of central and southeast Europe

The paper analyses regulatory frameworks (strategies and laws) in the field of nature conservation and forestry, i.e. measures and activities for managing protected areas under climate changes in selected countries of central and southeast Europe. This research aims to identify the presence of different measures and activities in strategies and laws on nature conservation and forestry, as well as their systematization and comparison. The analysis has been conducted for 5 countries: Germany (the federal state of Baden-W?rttemberg), Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Republic of Srpska). It can be concluded that the level of representation of observed measures and activities for managing protected areas differs within the regulatory frameworks of the selected counties. Within the strategies and laws on nature conservation, it can be noticed that they comprise a larger number of measures and activities for managing protected areas than in the field of forestry. Additionally, there is a clear distinction between the European Union member states and those who are not members. Some activities are insufficiently or barely implemented in both nature conservation and forestry.

Contribution to methods and techniques of scientific research: Structure of the scientific research report - 2. Methods and data collection and processing

This part of the presentation, related to the structure of the research report, is devoted to the part that covers the presentation of applied methods and techniques in the research, as well as the presentation of the basic data, the methods of preparation for their processing and the processing techniques themselves. This means that there are practically two intercon?nected units. On one side is a description of the methods, techniques and protocols used to gain new knowledge related to the chosen research problem, and on the other is elementary data, which was used and processed according to the selected methods.

Valuation of water purification service of Renukawetland, India: A Ramsar site

Wetlands are very important ecosystems from the ecological, productivity and conservation perspective. Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by wetlandsquantifies the various benefits derived from wetlands and puts a value on their conservation. One such wetland of importance is the Renuka wetland, which is a natural wetland located in the Western Himalayas, in the State of Himachal Pradesh of India. The article aims to assess and evaluate the wetland for its water purification service. The study is based on multisource data and conventional evaluation method. The results show that the average depth of the Renuka wetland is 6.01 m and average volume was determined as 1072530.176 m3. The economic value of water purification service for Renuka wetland is estimated to be INR 31.9 million(0.44 million USD) thus identifying the Renuka wetland as a significant healthy ecosystem. The water purification value itself advocates its proper management and conservation.

The second national forest inventory of the Republic of Serbia

The forestry sector of Serbia, other users, as well as international organizations and conventions express the need for an increasing volume, specific structure and high reliability of information on the growing stock of Serbia. To meet these requirements, NFI-2 has undergone significant changes compared to NFI-1. In methodological terms, the changes are reflected in the fact that NFI-2 is a two-phase inventory. In the phase of photo-interpretation of the images, land categories are identified, changes occurred in the period 2006-2019 and field works are planned. Unlike NFI-1, all four circles on the cluster have a permanent character, the centers of the circles are better secured, which ensures their easy findings in NFI-3. The field phase is realized using high-precision instruments, digital records of measured or estimated values and online transfer to the database. The control of field works is performed through three levels, which significantly reduces the possibility of the appearance of rough and systematic errors. The scope of information has been significantly expanded, especially in the field of biodiversity assessment, nature protection, carbon storage, bioenergy, etc. Conceived in this way, NFI-2 is compatible with the inventories of most European countries, except in the area of its institutional organization in Serbia, which has not been resolved.