HYDROCHEMICAL AND STATISTICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATERCOURSES ROMANIA-SERBIA, AS POTENTIAL SOURCES OF WATER FOR IRRIGATION

8th International Scientific Conference Modern Trends in Agricultural Production, Rural Development and Environmental Protection (2026) [pp. 143-151]  

 

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Radoš Zemunac , Milica Vranešević , Maja Meseldžija  

 

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/8thMTAgricult.143Z

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

The increasingly pronounced lack of water resources and their irrational exploitation and insufficient protection, along with the unfavorable consequences of extreme climatic events, represent a limiting factor of economic development in many regions of the world, including the region of Southeast Europe. The surface waters of Vojvodina (northern Serbian province) are used for irrigation, supply of industry, tourist and sports-recreational activities and transport. Irrigation represents by far the largest consumer in the total consumption of fresh water at global scale, hence it is necessary to rationalize the quantities and monitor the quality of water used for this purpose. The study conducted a qualitative assessment of the usability of water for irrigation on three important transboundary watercourses in the period 1980-2020. All three analyzed watercourses belonged to Ca-Mg-HCO3 water type. Trend analysis of parameters important for irrigation showed mostly decreasing or values without a statistically significant trend. Agronomic classifications have indicated the existence of a danger of triggering the process of soil salinization, and refere to caution when using water from these watercourses.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:

hydrochemistry, irrigation water quality, transboundary watercourses, Romania-Serbia

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / ПРОЈЕКАТ:

The research funds were provided by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation under Contract No. 451-03-34/2026-03/200117 dated 05 February 2026, and by the Provincial Secretariat for Higher Education and Scientific Research of AP Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia), as part of the project entitled: Development of new water quality indices for Vojvodina in the context of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection (AQUA-QUAL) (contract no. 003876050 2025 09418 003 000 000 001).

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