AN AGRICULTURAL PROJECT IN YUGOSLAVIA

Work has begun under a major project in Yugo­ the progress made with the preliminary arrangements. slavia to extend atomic energy applications in agri­ They inspected the remodelling of the existing facil­ culture, especially in respect of crops and livestock. ities at Zemun and reviewed the specification and The principal aim of the project is to expand research ordering of new equipment. They also settled some and training in the use of nuclear techniques and to details regarding the recruitment of experts for the improve farm production. The research and most project and discussed how their work was to be co­ of the training will be conducted at the Institute for ordinated. The specific areas in which these experts the Application of Nuclear Research in Agriculture, will work include soil fertility, soil chemistry, soil Forestry and Veterinary Sciences at Zemun, near physics, soil-plant relationship, plant physiology, Belgrade. The United Nations Special Fund is con­ plant breeding and veterinary sciences. tributing US $546 400 to cover the cost of equipment, training and expert services, and the Yugoslav Gov­ Another task accomplished during the visit was ernment is contributing the equivalent of over $1.2 detailed formulation of the training programme which million in the form of land, buildings, equipment, will form an important part of the project. Anumber staff and other services. IAEA is the Executing of fellowships will be awarded to Yugoslav graduate Agency for the project and all Special Fund assist- students for specialized training outside the country ince is being provided through it. On the Yugoslav in such subjects as soil fertility and plant nutrition, jrovernment side, the Counterpart Agency is the plant physiology and genetics, animal biochemistry federal Nuclear Energy Commission of Yugoslavia. and nutrition, and endocrinology. About 80 post­ graduate students will be trained at the Institute An outline of the project was published in this at Zemun and, in addition, short-term training will Bulletin in October last year (Vol. 4, No. 4). Since be given to a number of advanced research workers. then, the detailed plan of operation has been drawn lp and most of the experts and staff appointed. Pro­ The research will be aimed at better use of cessor Cyril L. Comar, of Cornell University, USA, fertilizers, improved irrigation and drainage, better las been appointed Project Manager, and Dr. Milovan breeding and selection of crop plants, and better live­ Tovanovic, of Yugoslavia, Project Director. stock management. The main areas of research Soon after the signing of the plan of operation will therefore be (a) plant physiology and nutrition, n Belgrade last April, Dr. Comar and a staff member (b) plant breeding, and (c) animal husbandry. if IAEA's Unit of Agriculture visited Belgrade to see Plans have been made to include in the green­ The plan of operation for the agricultural house facilities at Zemun a battery of growth chambers project in Yugoslavia being signed in Belgrade by Mr. Eric E. Ward (left). Resident Represent­ in which it is possible to simulate varied climatic ative of the UN Technical Assistance Board conditions (e. g. light, humidity, temperature). In and Director of Special Fund Programmes in these chambers it will be possible to grow plants in Yugoslavia, and Mr. Slobodan Naki cenovic. an atmosphere in which the carbon dioxide is labelled Secretary of the Federal Nuclear Energy Commi s si on of Yugos 1 avia. (Photo Tanj ug) with radioactive carbon (carbon-14). The radiocarbon will thus be assimilated by the plants in a perfectly normal way and be synthesized into the plant material, 1 and this radioactive material within the plants will j 1 serve as a valuable tracer for the investigation of various metabolic pathways. Further, the labelled j Ki plant material will be added to soil and it will then be r r possible to study the mechanism by which the organic material is decomposed in soil. With the help of nitrogen-15 investigations will .; be carried out to see what happens to the nitrogen 5 that is available to plants from the air and from ferti­ \ lizers. The aim of these investigations will be to achieve maximum plant response to fertilizer nitrogen. H This is a matter of great importance because in­ w / 9m iSs adequacy of nitrogen fertilization is a serious limiting i53i5M i factor incrop production in Yugoslavia. If ways could be found to increase the efficiency of the utilization of fertilizer nitrogen by plants, there would be a great saving in the use of an expensive fertilizer.

20 An experiment on the seed-dressing of grains Blood samples of poultry being taken for with pesticides at the Institute for the experimental purposes at the Zemun institute. Application of Nuclear Research in Agriculture, (Photo Tanjug) Forestry and Veterinary Sciences at Zemun, near Belgrade. (Photo Tonjug) Experiments will also be carried out to evaluate larvae are being used in this work. The investigations the relative merits of different methods of fertilizer will now be further expanded to cover other parasitic application. This will be done with labelled fertilizers diseases. on different soils and with different plant species. These are some of the major research activities A gamma radiation field will be constructed near to be carried out under the project. Other research the Institute at Zemun. Here, growing plants will plans will be developed as the work progresses. The be irradiated for biochemical and genetic investi­ work will be conducted under the guidance of ten ex­ gations . perts and consultants selected by IAEA. Equipment In the field of animal husbandry, an extensive worth $258 700 will also be supplied by the Agency programme is already under way for the investigation from the resources made available by the UN Special of immunization against lung worms. Irradiated Fund.

21