Milica Fotiric Aksic

University of Belgrade · Faculty of Agriculture

This paper reports on a study investigating the viability and senescence of plum ovules when exposed to different constant temperatures over two years. The research was conducted on the primary and secondary ovules of four plum cultivars: ‘Mallard’, ‘Edda’, ‘Jubileum’, and ‘Reeves’. The results show that the first indication of ovule viability loss...

The fruit processing industry generates large quantities of by-products well known to be rich in bioactive compounds with numerous nutritional properties and beneficial effects for human health. We developed a strategy to valorise raspberry seeds and obtain valuable ingredients with potential application in cosmetic skincare formulas. Cold press ex...

The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of two locations and seven cultivars on the profiling of metabolites in organically grown plums (Prunus domestica L.) fruit in Norway. P, K, and Ca were most abundant in the studied fruits, while Ba and Sr formed a clear line between the locations. The most abundant sugars were glucose, fructose...

Citation: Meland, M.; Frøynes, O.; Fotirić Akšić, M.; Pojskić, N.; Kalamujić Stroil, B.; Miralem, M.; Konjić, A.; Gasi, F. Genetic Characterization of European Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Accessions from Norway Using ECPGR-Selected SSR Markers. Agronomy 2024, 14, 732. Abstract: In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the conservation proc...

This paper presents some features of apple production in Norway, the northernmost apple-growing country in the world. Acceptable growing conditions prevail along the fjords in western Norway and around the lakes in eastern Norway at 60° north. These specific mesic climate conditions are associated with very long summer days (18 h daylight mid-summe...

In this work, 12 apple cultivars grown organically in three regions of Norway (Telemark, Ullensvang, Viken) were analyzed in terms of fruit quality, with the aim of equating different growing regions under specific climatic conditions. Apples were analyzed for concentration levels of minerals, sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids, total phenolic c...

The mineralization of nitrogen in apple orchard soil will increase the soil supply. An incubation study to test the soil potential and the validity of analytical methods was conducted at 3, 8, 15, and 20 °C for up to 128 days on soils from western and south-eastern Norway. Soils with the highest pH showed the highest mineralization. The mineralizat...

In this study, the possible use of seeds after fruit processing to obtain unconventional cold-pressed edible oil was investigated. For this purpose, seeds of quince, sour cherries and plum were used. Fatty acid composition, antioxidant activity, peroxide and acid value, oxidative stability, and tocopherols and phytosterols content were determined i...

Agricultural production is already, and obviously, affected by climate change. Adapting to climate change includes reducing future risks to ensure yield quality and quantity and considers seizing any potential opportunities induced by climate change. In higher latitude areas, such as Norway, cold climate limits the cultivation of fruits. An increas...

The commercial apple production in Norway is limited to the small regions along the fjords in the southwest part of the country and around lakes or near the sea in the southeast with favorable climate. Due to the rapid rate of climate change over the recent decades, it is expected that suitable heat conditions for apple growing will expand to the a...

In order to determine the pollinizer success rates between twelve apple cultivars in 2021 and 2022, 671 apple embryos were collected from 19 different orchards in Ullensvang (southwestern Norway) and Svelvik (southeastern Norway). Genomic DNA was extracted from the collected embryos and, afterward, a genetic characterization with 15 polymorphic mic...

The aim of this study was to find the chemical parameters for the differentiation of plum cultivars grown along the fjord areas of Western Norway and Eastern Norway, having specific agroclimatic conditions. Chemical analysis of the fruits confirmed the contents of 13 quantified elements, 22 sugar compounds, 11 organic acids, 19 phenolic compounds,...

The topography and morpho-anatomical characteristics of floral nectaries and the chemical analysis of nectar have been studied in seven pear cultivars with different susceptibility to Erwinia amylovora. The susceptible cultivar Williams, the moderately resistant cultivars Bella di guigno, Poire de Cure and the low susceptible cultivar Alexander Luc...

Viticulture is of great economic importance in the southern part of Bosnia and Herze-govina, thanks to favorable climatic conditions and a long-standing tradition of growing vines. The assortment is dominated by international varieties, as well as some autochthonous and domesticated varieties. The subject of the research is the analysis of the qual...

Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) seeds are rich in bioactive compounds and nutrients and hence with a great potential to be employed in production of functional foods. This work aimed to evaluate the fatty acid composition of seed oil from wild and cultivated rosehip collected at different locations in the Republic of Serbia. Unsaturated fatty acids were d...

Domesticated international (standard) apple cultivars, together with resistant apple cultivars are the core of the Serbian apple production. Furthermore, autochthonous cultivars are characterized by a good adaptability to the local environmental conditions and represent a valuable source of genetic variability, as well as an important source of the...

The peach stones and kernels are easily available biowaste which could be useful for the extraction of nutritionally important compounds such as fatty acids. Except in industry, characterization of stones and kernels could be useful in pomology to describe different cultivars, and for selecting new parents in a breeding program. A total of 25 sampl...

Considering the health-benefits of berry fruits consumption and increased market demands for food authenticity as one of the most important quality assurances, phenolic profiling by high-performance thin layer chromatography and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry was combined with multivariate analysis fo...

Blueberries, which are recognized by their colored fruits and exquisite flavor and taste, are a great source of bioactive substances with potential functional properties. For the purpose of this study, the blueberry cultivars ‘Duke’, ‘Chandler’ and ‘Bluecrop’ were picked at four different times. The aim of the study was to compare the cultivars and...

Raspberries are considered valuable fruits due to their high levels of nutrients and phytochemicals, which have many beneficial effects on humans. As many external factors affect the composition of these fruits (the type of cultivation, soil characteristics, ripeness, storage time and post-harvest technologies, cultivar/genotype, and climatic condi...

In order to best conserve, as well as utilize, traditional apple germplasm in Norway, an apple heritage cultivar collection was established in Ullensvang, western Norway, which aims to become the National Clonal Germplasm Repository. The establishment of the apple heritage cultivar collection was preceded by a molecular study that aimed to genotype...

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of different storage periods and temperatures on pollen viability in vitro and in vivo in plum genotypes ‘Valerija’, ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ and ‘Valjevka’. In vitro pollen viability was tested at day 0 (fresh dry pollen) and after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage at four different temperatures (4, −20, −...

Using modern analytical techniques, a comprehensive study of the chemical composition of fruits from apple cultivars grown in Western Norway during 2019 and 2020 was done. Metals, sugars, organic acids, antioxidant tests, and polyphenol content have been observed. In all investigated samples, the most dominant sugars were glucose, fructose, and suc...

This study evaluates the effect of two contrasting years, in terms of climatic parameters, on kernel morphology and content and on the composition of oil, tocopherols and the 11 macro- and micro-elements in almonds. Low precipitation and high temperatures increased the content of tocopherols, Cu and Zn but decreased the kernel ratio, the oil conten...

The aim of this study was to compare total phenolic content (TPC), radical-scavenging activity (RSA), total anthocyanin content (TAC), sugar and polyphenolic profiles of two apple cultivars (‘Discovery’ and ‘Red Aroma Orelind’) from organic and integrated production systems in climatic conditions of Western Norway. Sixteen sugars and four sugar alc...

Research background: Considering the importance of consumption of berry fruits with proven health-beneficial properties and difficulties in quality control of products of specific botanical and geographic origin, a fingerprint method was developed, based on advanced data analysis (pattern recognition, classification), in order to relate the variab...

Wild fruits are underutilized plants that are well adapted to the local climatic conditions. Extreme environmental conditions due to climate change or variability are a threat to wild-growing species, crop production, productivity, and livelihood. Wild fruit fields could be affected by not meeting winter chilling requirements, which is specific for...

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of shoot age on the biological and chemical properties of 13 black currant cultivars with different origins and ripening times. Phenological observations together with examined pomological and chemical characteristics were studied in two consecutive years at the experimental field near Belgrade, Se...

Product authentication is one of the most important food quality assurances. Considering the importance of consumption of berry fruits with proven health-beneficial properties, high sensory values and rich composition in bioactive substances, the aim of this study was to evaluate a straightforward and simple procedure for the protein fingerprinting...

Compatibility and synchrony between specialized tissues of the pistil, female gametophytes and male gametophytes, are necessary for successful pollination, fertilization, and fruit set in angiosperms. The aim of the present work was to study the development and viability of embryo sacs, as well as fertilization success, in relation to the fruit set...

This study evaluated the effective pollination period (EPP) in four European plum (Prunus domestica L.) cultivars (‘Mallard’, ‘Edda’, ‘Jubileum’, and ‘Reeves’) during two years (2018–2019) under the environmental conditions in western Norway. The pollination of plum cultivars was carried out one, three, five, seven, and nine days after anthesis (DA...

Persian walnut (or English walnut) growing dates back to 7000 BC in Persia, a gene center of Juglans regia L. The top leading countries in walnut production are China, the USA, and Iran accounting for ~75% of world production. Nuts are an essential component in human nutrition because their consumption provides the required amount of energy (720 kc...

The aim of this study was to prove that under in vitro conditions, the adhesiveness of the callus between rootstock and scion, the development of callus cells at the points of fusion, and the presence of phenolic components are closely related to the level of (in) compatibility of the grafting combinations between Sato-zakura cherry cultivars (‘Ama...

Norwegian plum production is characterized by climatic limitations, different flowering time, deficiently of wholly-adapted cultivars and appropriate pollen donors for cultivars that can be grown in this region. This study evaluated the progamic phase of fertilization and fruit set in four European plum cultivars (´Mallard´, ´Edda´, ´Jubileum´, and...

Apple production generates large amounts of apple pomace including seeds, leading to high transportation costs, public health hazards and undesirable odor. A new reuse strategy of this kind of waste could solve environmental issues and/or create unconventional sources of health beneficial products. In total, seeds from 75 apple cultivars grown in N...

Norwegian pear (Pyrus communis L.) production has been in decline for the last 25 years. This was mainly because of old cultivars, with low yields and poor consumer appeal, could not compete against strong competition from imported pears, mainly 'Conference'. Since 1994, the Norwegian breeding company, Graminor Ltd., has released several new pear c...

This study was conducted with the aim of developing fruit spirits by utilizing old (autochthonous) apple and pear cultivars that can be attractive to both consumers and producers. Consumers of spirits could enjoy the unique flavor, and producers could gain an opportunity for brand development. In total, eight old apple cultivars (Sarija, Žuja, Samo...

Since the European pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a self-incompatible fruit species, synchrony and compatibility between female parts of the mother plant and male gametes from the pollen donor must be fulfilled. Besides pollination and fertilization, normal embryo and zygote development is one of the prerequisites for the satisfactory yields in pears....

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of shoot age on biological and chemical properties of 11 red currant cultivars (with different origins and ripening times. Phenological observations and pomological characteristics were studied and chemical analysis was conducted from 2013 to 2018 at experimental fields near Belgrade, Serbia. The t...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the thinning efficacy of metamitron (Brevis ®) as fruitlet thinner compared to ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) and ethephon (Cerone) as flower thinning agents to 'Rubinstep' apple. The thinning efficacy of the flower thinning agents was compared to different timings (8-10 and 12-14 mm fruitlet diameters) and dosage...

The diploid Celina/QTee ® ('Colorée de Juillet' × 'Williams'), one of the most promising pear cultivars developed by the Norwegian breeding program Graminor, was launched in 2010. In Norway, the flowering is medium to late, while the fruits ripen in the beginning of September. The fruits are attractive with an intense red blush (50%) on a green bac...

The study was designed to investigate chemical composition and kernel quality of almond cultivars ‘Troito’, ‘Marcona’ and ‘Texas’ grafted on Myrobalan plum seedlings and ‘GF 677’ rootstock under drought stress. Oil content varied from 53.34% (‘Marcona’) to 58.11% (‘Texas’), and protein content was in a range from 17.36% (‘Texas’) to 23.02% (‘Troito...

This work investigates the release of toxic elements from wood into the experimental spirit models and the safety risks for consumers. The spirit models were prepared as ethanolic extracts using the procedure which reproduces maturation of spirits. Investigation included staves of wood species commonly used in Balkan cooperage: mulberry, Myrobalan...

Norwegian pear production is low due to climatic limitations, a lack of well-adapted cultivars and suitable pollinizers. However, nowadays it is increasing as a result of newly introduced and bred pear cultivars. Since cross pollination is necessary for high yields and good fruit quality, the aim of this investigation was to find the most suitable...

Apples are an important source of bioactive compounds, especially mineral nutrients. Minerals (both macro- and micro-elements) are responsible for the functioning of the human body, and involved in the metabolism and production of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins and enzymes. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the con...

The triploid pear cultivar ‘Ingeborg’ is currently the main commercial pear cultivar grown in Norway. However, fruit set and subsequent yields of this cultivar have proven to be variable and overall rather low. In order to promote the fruit set, different bioregulators were applied during and after bloom and compared with an untreated control. Inve...

Establishing the use and purpose of wild plant remains recovered from archaeological layers is in many cases far from straightforward. When discovered in a mortuary context, they are generally interpreted as remnants of ritual eating or drinking, offerings to the dead, or mnemonics, if not as accidental inclusions in the grave fills. In the Mesolit...

The main focus of this study is to assess radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of the 11 wood extracts: oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Q. robur L., and Q. cerris L.), mulberry (Morus alba L.), myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), and wild cherry (Prunus avium L.). High-performance thin-l...

European plum cultivars (Prunus domestica L.) are hexaploid and partially self-fertile or self-sterile requiring compatible pollinizers with overlapping bloom times. Therefore, inter-planting of different pollinizer cultivars is recommended. In order to identify successful pollinizers of the plum cultivars ‘Edda’, ‘Opal’ (self-fertile), ‘Jubileum’,...

The profile of flavan‐3‐ols and proanthocyanidins in five different Rosa species (R. canina, R. glutinosa, R. rubiginosa, R. multiflora and R. spinosissima) was estimated on high performance TLC cellulose plates. Differences in flavanol and proanthocyanidin profiles of the extracts were evident, among which Rosa spinosissima stood out with catechin...

Cherries (Prunus avium L. and Prunus cerasus L.) are economically important fruit species in the temperate region. Both are entomophilous fruit species, thus need pollinators to give high yields. Since cherry’s flower is easy-to-reach, bees and other pollinators can smoothly collect nectar as a reward for doing transfer of pollen to receptive stigm...

In recent decades there has been a significant demand to recover waste from agroindustry, especially from fruit processing. One of the most important residues is seeds that can be processed and incorporated into the human diet. Species that belong to Prunus (apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), sweet cherry (P. avium L.), sour cherry (P. cerasus L.), nec...

Large amounts of fruit seeds are discarded yearly in different producing industries, which is a waste of a potentially valuable resource as well as a serious disposal problem. Plum is the most important type of commercial fruit in Serbia and seeds could be obtained as a byproduct of alcoholic beverage processing. Their exploitation should be greate...

High tunnels offer an intensive and protective production system for many fruit crops. In May 2014, two tractor-accessible Haygrove ® multibay tunnel systems were installed on a 10% slope at the experimental farm at Nibio Ullensvang, western Norway (60°19'8.03"N, 6°39'14.31"E). Feathered 1-year old European plum cultivar 'Opal' on rootstock 'St. Ju...

Chemical characterizations of leaves and fruits that were obtained from organically and integrally produced strawberries (′Favette′, ′Alba′, and ′Clery′) and blueberries (′Bluecrop′, ′Duke′, and ′Nui′) from western Serbia were undertaken in this study. Phenolic analysis was done while using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a...

The aim of this research was to analyze sugars and phenolics of pollen obtained from 15 different ‘Oblačinska’ sour cherry clones and to assess the chemical fingerprint of this cultivar. Carbohydrate analysis was done using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD), while polyphenols were analyz...

The objective of this study was to determine and compare the sugar profile, distribution in fruits and leaves and sink-source relationship in three strawberry (‘Favette’, ‘Alba’ and ‘Clery’) and three blueberry cultivars (‘Bluecrop’, ‘Duke’ and ‘Nui’) grown in organic (OP) and integrated production systems (IP). Sugar analysis was done using high-p...

The almond tree, Prunus dulcis, is a species that belongs to the Amygdalus subgenus inside the Prunus genus, the Rosaceae family and the order Rosales. The almond kernel has been used as food for the mankind, due to its oil-rich and high-calorie content. As consumers are more interested in healthy life styles, almonds are emerging as some of the mo...

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) is a small deciduous tree or a bush that grows spontaneously in and near oak forests in central and southern Europe and south-western Asia, and can live up to 200 years. It is known mostly for its edible fruit – orange or red drupes the size of olives and with sharp astringent taste. It is also known for its tough a...

Wild fruits grown in Serbia, i.e., elderberry (Sambucus nigra), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), are rich in secondary metabolites. In this study, the polyphenolic composition of wild fruit extracts and their antioxidant capacity were investigated by in vitro assays. Elderberry was chara...

The presence of pollinators in orchards is crucial to obtain high fruit set and yields of fruits. Despite the fact that sour cherry cultivars are mainly autogamous, insect visits are still of great importance for their propagation. In order to attract and reward pollinators, flowers have to provide adequate nourishment to them. Besides nectar, bees...

Cherries (Prunus avium L. and Prunus cerasus L.) are economically important fruit species in the temperate region. Both are entomophilous fruit species, thus need pollinators to give high yields. Since cherry’s flower is easy-to-reach, bees and other pollinators can smoothly collect nectar as a reward for doing transfer of pollen to receptive stigm...

Recently, search for new natural sources of compounds with health-enhancing properties prompted interest in fruit kernels. This paper aims to assess peach kernels as a source of nutritionally important compounds, such as phenolic compounds. A total of 25 kernels from various peach germplasm differing in origin and ripening time were characterized b...

This study was carried out in order to determine the rootstock effect on content of oil and most abundant fatty acids (oleic acid and linoleic acid), oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio, total phenolic content (TPC) and radical-scavenging activity (RSA) of almond kernels. The experimental orchard was established in 2006 in Surduk (North Serbia). C...

BACKGROUND The compositional, functional, and nutritional properties of fruits are important for defining their quality. Fruit seeds should be better exploited as they are also considered to be a good source of bioactive components. Twenty macro, micro, and trace elements were identified and quantified in the seeds of 70 genuine wild and cultivated...

Apricot seeds could be obtained as a byproduct in different juice or conserve producing industries. Disposal of large amount of apricot seeds is wasting of potentially precious sources of phytochemicals. This study encompassed apricot cultivars that have different origin and flowering time with the aim of providing valuable information about the su...

The carbon stable isotope content of Cornelian cherry stones collected from wild tree stands in Serbia, SE Europe, was measured using elemental analyser-isotope ratio mass spectrometry, with the aim of recording natural carbon isotope composition of the fruit stones and its possible variation. The results show a significant variation in the carbon...

The correlation of dehydrogenase isoenzyme profile with plant/tree vigour of twenty genotypes belonging to the genus Prunus and the subgenus Cerasus as well as to four commercial rootstocks (Colt, Gisela 5, Gisela 6 and MaxMa 14) was investigated in this study. Principal component analysis was applied for the classification of the cherry rootstocks...

Vitality of pollen, in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth (pollen tube length and pollen tube growth rate) were investigated in Oblačinska sour cherry in order to determine the differences between clones which have divergent yielding potential. For this purpose two ‘Oblačinska’ sour cherry clones with high fruit set and high yields (II...

Abstract. ‘Ingeborg’ is currently the main commercial pear cultivar grown in Norway. However, fruit set and subsequent yields of this cultivar have proven to be variable and overall low averaging 10–20 t·haL1. Pear seeds found in ‘Ingeborg’ fruits are often underdeveloped, suggesting that incomplete fertilization might be a major cause of poor frui...

Several in vitro biotechnological techniques have been developed, all of which require a reliable protocol to produce a responsive callus mass. One of these techniques is callus fusion in vitro, which is reliable for the early detection of (in)-compatibility of scions and rootstocks. In this paper, the possibility to obtain friable callus tissues w...

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'Oblačinska' sour cherry, an autochthonous cultivar, is the most planted cultivar in Serbian orchards. Since fruit trees in temperate zone reward insects by producing nectar which ‘quality’ affects the efficiency of insect pollination, the aim of this study was analyzing of sugars and polyphenolics in floral nectar of 16 'Oblačinska' sour cherry cl...

Flowering is one of the most important factors in plant fertility. Fruit set in fruits is directly influenced by the beginning, sequence, flow, duration and abundance of flowering. The objective of this study was to evaluate the variability of flowering in 41 'Oblačinska' sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) clones, and to recommend earlyflowering genot...