Abstract :
The main agricultural region of Serbia has favourable soil and climatic
conditions for successful crop production. However, rainfall is frequently a
limiting factor for high yields and production stability. The amount of rainfall
and the distribution vary from one year to another. Rainfall variability is
particularly pronounced during the growing season. Droughts of variable
intensity, i.e., short or long periods with insufficient rainfall, occur practically
every year. The need for irrigation in the agricultural regions is evident because
the droughts occur frequently, cover vast expanses, significantly reduce yields
and cause extensive damage, in general, to crop production and to agriculture. In
the climatic conditions of Serbia, irrigation is a supplementary practice, which
favourably affects the yield and the stability of the cultivated crops, especially in
dry years. The effects of irrigation and cultural practices vary from one year to
another. Annual yield variations are pronounced in favourable years. Yield losses
in dry years may range from a few percent to 50%. In years with extremely
severe droughts, the losses may be as high as 80–100%. The positive effects of
irrigation are evident, to a variable degree, almost every year. In extremely dry
years, irrigation can double the yields of field crops or lead to yields that are 3–4
times higher than those in nonirrigated conditions (Dragovi? et al., 2005).
