Institute for Vegetable Crops is a scientific research institution. The founder of the Institute is the Republic of Serbia. The main goal of this institution is the research and the experimental development in biotechnology. The Institute for Vegetable Crops deals with scientific-research work of general interest for the Republic of Serbia. The main goal is accomplished through applied and main researches and focused on meeting the needs of the end users. The Institute is registered at the Economic Court, Pozarevac (Registration No 5-309-00)
Managing bodies of the Institute are the Board of Directors and the General Manager. The expert body of the Institute is the Scientific board.
The Institute does the scientific researches in order to achieve the general interest as the accredited research-development Institute. Besides the scientific research there are other businesses that actively promote and advertise the scientific researches.
The Institute for Vegetable Crops has celebrated 70 years of successful work in year 2016.
Work at the Institute is organized within seven organization units:
- Department of Genetics and Vegetable Breeding,
- Department of Agro-technique and Vegetable Physiology,
- Department of Plant Protection,
- Department of Seed Production,
- Department of Seed Processing and Packaging,
- Laboratory of Seed Quality Control and
- Department of Common Affairs.
There are ten PhDs and two doctoral students at the Institute. Their research work goes toward the genetics and breeding of vegetables, physiology and agrotechnique, seed production, phytopatology and plant protection. The research programmes are focused of resolving current problems in growing various vegetable species, preservation and research of genetic pool and studying of certain specifics of vegetable crops. The results of research are new data and methods that can be applied at the vegetable production process, new approaches in selection and seed production and most important new hybrids and varieties of different vegetable species. The Institute is the most known for its varieties and hybrids of pepper and tomato that are being sold not only in Serbia nut in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Belarus, Romania, Montenegro, Italy and Albany.
The results of the scientific research are being presented at the scientific meetings in the country and abroad. By participating at the international scientific meetings and specializations they represent the Institute in many countries all over the world. The researchers of the Institute are involved at national and international projects. Institute cooperates with scientific organizations, faculties, high schools, agricultural professional services, Government and competent ministries, as well as with foreign embassies and international institutions. The greatest income is from selling seeds of Institute’s vegetable varieties, made by researchers throughout many years of scientific work.
The Institute has about 140 hectares of arable land with possibility of watering. A part of this area is used for experiments, maintenance of vegetable species collections, research of the variety trials and the largest surfaces are used for seed production of vegetable and field crops. Besides the open field, the Institute has around 1.1 hectare under greenhouses (glass and plastic shields) that is used for various trials in controlled conditions, selection and production of hybrid seed of tomato and pepper. There are four laboratories within the Institute: Laboratory for Biotechnological research, Laboratory for plant protection, Laboratory for Chemical Research and Laboratory for Seed Quality Control. The Institute has all the necessary mechanisation for production of vegetable and field crop seed, also has storage space for preserving seed and machines for proceeding and packaging of seed.
The quality management system is in the function of constant striving of more professional business and better connection of vegetable production and the latest results of scientific work. The final aim is the satisfied buyer – end user. Professional scientists, laboratories, library and all-day, free internet access are available for those young people who decide to improve their skills in the field of vegetable breeding at the Institute.
Since its foundation in 1946 till today, the Institute gave a large number of researchers that gave the exceptional contribution to development of vegetable science in Serbia, either by writing scientific papers or by creating new varieties and hybrids of vegetable crops.
Looking at the organisation of work, number of new varieties and its selling at the market, the Institute for Vegetable Crops is one of the leading scientific and seed producing institutions regarding vegetables in Serbia today.
