Jelena Golijan Pantović 1, Vera Popović 2, Viliana Vasileva 3,*, Snežana Dimitrijević 4, Marko Popović 5, Marija Gavrilović 6 and Ljubica Šarčević Todosijević 7
1 Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
2 Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21101 Novi Sad, Serbia
3 Maize Research Institute, Agricultural Academy, 5835 Knezha, Bulgaria
4 Institute for Vegetable Crops, 71 Karadordeva St., 11420 Smederevska Palanka, Serbia
5 Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Dr. Sime Milosevic 16, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
6 Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, Bulevar despota Stefana 68, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
7 Visan Medical Sanitary School of Applied Sciences, Tošin bunar 7a, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
* Correspondence: viliana.vasileva@gmail.com; Tel.: +359-886065461
(Received: 20 November 2025 Revised: 12 March 2026 Accepted: 20 March 2026 Published: 30 March 2026)
ABSTRACT
Maize (Zea mays L., Poaceae family) is the most domesticated plant species in the world. At the global level, the growing trend of expanding the area under organic plant production is evident. The use of genetically modified hybrids is prohibited in organic production. One of main prerequisites for the successful organic maize production is the use of hybrids that are well adapted to local conditions and tolerant of most abiotic and biotic stress factors. Among the most widely grown are NS 3014, NS 4015, NS 5043, NS 540, NS 6010, NS 6030, NS 640 and NS 7020, which belong to different FAO maturity groups and are well adapted to the agro-ecological conditions of the country. In Serbia, organic crop production takes place on an area of 25035.11 ha, while cereal production is in second place with an area of 3838.54 ha. Considering the importance of maize as a field crop and the place it occupies among types of cereals, the goal of this paper was to point out the importance and state of certified organic maize production. Among all grain types, wheat occupies the largest area under organic plant production (1128.77 ha), while oats (636.4 ha) are in second place, and maize occupies the third position with a total of 591.18 ha (maize for silage occupies an additional 303.98 ha). As for the regional distribution, largest areas are represented in area of Vojvodina (384.65 ha) and slightly less in the region of Šumadija and Western Serbia (160.58 ha). There is a growing trend in the demand for organic corn around the world. Considering the needs of the market, maize organic production in Serbia is small, especially in comparison with the areas under conventional production. Organic production is Serbia’s export opportunity.
Key words : maize; areas; hybrids; organic farming
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