Mirjana Vasic

The increasing environmental and health concerns associated with conventional chemical coagulants have stimulated the search for natural, biodegradable, and renewable alternatives for water and waste-water treatment. This study investigated different cultivars of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) as potential sources of natural coagulants and evaluated the effects of cultivar, harvest year, extraction solvent, pH, and raw material origin on coagulation activity. Natural coagulants were obtained from 12 common bean cultivars by ultrasound-assisted extraction using distilled water and 0.5 mol/L NaCl. In addition, the feasibility of utilizing harvest and sorting residues of the Sremac cultivar as a source of natural coagulants was evaluated. Coagulation performance was assessed by jar tests using kaolin-based model water with an initial turbidity of 200 NTU at pH 6, 8, and 10. All investigated cultivars exhibited coagulation activity, although substantial differences were observed among the extracts. The highest activities were obtained from the Balkan, Gradistanac, and Maksa cultivars, with maximum coagulation activities of 95.4% ± 0.08%, 94.5% ± 0.22%, and 90.1% ± 0.08%, respectively. In general, pH 6 was the most favorable condition for coagulation, while extracts prepared using 0.5 mol/L NaCl frequently exhibited higher activities than those obtained using distilled water. The harvest year also affected coagulation performance, particularly for the Levac cultivar. Extracts obtained from bean sorting residues showed lower coagulation activities than those prepared from the corresponding cultivar, although their use may provide a means of valorizing an otherwise low-value waste material. Overall, the results demonstrate that common bean, particularly the Gradistanac, Balkan, and Maksa cultivars, represents a promising and readily available source of natural coagulants for water and wastewater treatment.

This study presents a tentative analysis of the lipid composition of 47 legume samples, encompassing species such as Phaseolus spp., Vicia spp., Pisum spp., and Lathyrus spp. Lipid extraction and GC/MS (gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection) analysis were conducted, followed by multivariate statistical methods for data interpretation. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) revealed two major clusters, distinguishing beans and snap beans (Phaseolus spp.) from faba beans (Vicia faba), peas (Pisum sativum), and grass peas (Lathyrus sativus). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) yielded 2D and 3D score plots, effectively discriminating legume species. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) achieved a 100% accurate classification of the training set and a 90% accuracy of the test set. The lipid-based fingerprinting elucidated compounds crucial for discrimination. Both PCA and LDA biplots highlighted squalene and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (C18:3) and 5,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid (C20:4) as influential in the clustering of beans and snap beans. Unique compounds, including 13-docosenoic acid (C22:1) and γ-tocopherol, O-methyl-, characterized grass pea samples. Faba bean samples were discriminated by FAMEs of heneicosanoic acid (C21:0) and oxiraneoctanoic acid, 3-octyl- (C18-ox). However, C18-ox was also found in pea samples, but in significantly lower amounts. This research demonstrates the efficacy of lipid analysis coupled with multivariate statistics for accurate differentiation and classification of legumes, according to their botanical origins.

Dry beans belong to pulses, species from Fabaceae family. Its dry grain is used in human nutrition. It is valued as traditional and modern food and medicine, protein source, and high-energy concentrated food. It is an important crop in agricultural production and international trade of many countries, economically viable and good preceding crop. Dry beans are considered the national dish of all people from Balkans, and it is inviolable in Serbia. Crossing of important trade routes, land and climate, turbulent history, which caused frequent population migrations, led to a great divergence of bean germplasm in our area. Domestic bean populations are exceptional genetic potential for breeding of new varieties that could give satisfactory results in these environmental conditions, with the application of appropriate cultivation technology. Areas under beans in Serbia are declining. Due to short vegetation and other biological traits, bean is very intensive and sensitive crop. This is emphasized by exceptional sensitivity to polyphagous insects, as well as the presence numerous pathogens. Low average yield is affected by weather, primarily high temperatures and drought. Yields could be increased by correct and timely application of modern agronomic knowledge, irrigated cultivation, in a joint crop or by sowing as second crop.

Due to the narrow range of available herbicides, weeds are one of the limiting factors for intercropping of dry bean and maize. Various benefits of this production method have been confirmed by the results of many authors. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using a cycloxydim-tolerant maize hybrid to expand the ability of weed control in intercroping systems with bean. Three-year field trials were conducted from 2015 to 2017, at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in the vicinity of Novi Sad. Cycloxydim-tolerant maize and dry bean were sown mechanically in alternating strips, with one strip consisting of 4 rows of maize and the other strip containing 6 rows of bean. Combinations of herbicides based on dimethenamid-P, linuron, bentazone and cycloxydim were studied. The effect of herbicides on the number of weeds, fresh weed mass and grain yield of bean and maize was evaluated. No phytotoxicity of the herbicides was observed on the crops, indicating the safety of their use in this production system. The most common weeds were Chenopodium album, Datura stramonium and Sorghum halepense developed from rhizomes. Herbicides had a significant effect in reducing the abundance and fresh mass of the above-ground weed parts. A special contribution of the results obtained is the unique ability to control S. halepense using the cycloxydim-based product. Owing to the above-mentioned possibility, a significant reduction in the number and mass of S. halepense shoots developed from rhizomes was achieved (100% in 2015 and 2016, and >90% in 2017). The results of our trials confirm the contribution of the extension of the choice of herbicides with cycloxydim in this system of intercropping with dry bean and cycloxydim-tolerant maize.

In South-Eastern Europe, the majority of runner-bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) production is based on local populations grown mainly in home gardens. The local runner-bean plants are well adapted to their specific growing conditions and microclimate agro-environments, and show great morpho-agronomic diversity. Here, 142 runner-bean accessions from the five South-Eastern European countries of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Romania were sown and cultivated in their respective countries and characterised using 28 quantitative and qualitative morpho-agronomic descriptors for Phaseolus spp. based on inflorescences, leaves, plants, pods and seeds. For each of these morpho-agronomic descriptors, the accessions can be classified into two or three specific groups. The highest correlations were observed within the fluorescence, seed and pod traits. The highest variability, at 76.39%, was between the different countries, representing different geographic origins, while the variability within the countries was 23.61%. Cluster analysis based on these collected morpho-agronomic data also classified the accessions into three groups according to genetic origins. The data obtained serve as useful genetic information for plant breeders for the breeding of new bean varieties for further studies of the morpho-agronomic traits of the runner bean.

The characterization of 41 common bean cultivars and landraces from breeding collection of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia, was done based on phenotypic traits and microsatellite markers. Phenotypic traits were chosen from Bioversity International descriptor list. In addition, main yield components were investigated. Analysis of phaseolin type revealed affiliation of cultivars and landraces to Mesoamerican or Andean gene pool. Cultivars and landraces demonstrated significant diversity level with regard to studied phenotypic traits. Identified variation showed high potential for developing new cultivars with desirable combination of traits. Principal component analysis based on phenotypic traits separated bean cultivars and landraces in two groups, which corresponded to Mesoamerican and Andean determined according to phaseolin type. Putative hybrids, with combination of traits between gene pools were also identified. Analysis of microsatellite data, using twenty-two SSR primer pairs, showed medium gene diversity in studied material. Microsatellite-based cluster analysis separated genotypes in two discrete clusters and several subclusters. No clear separation according to gene pool was found between the clusters, however grouping according to gene pool and patterns of phenotypic variation, following these gene pools, were observed within subclusters. Knowledge on detailed relationships of cultivars and landraces based on phenotypic and molecular data would facilitate identification of candidates for future breeding.

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, the scientific journal of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic