Common Units for Scientific Support

Among greenhouses a new experimental greenhouse was constructed in 2003 is outstanding for its modernity. The total area of the building of 340 m² is divided into five equal vegetation units, each of the surface area of 43 m², and a common service area that leads to each unit and in which management system is centrally located. All five of greenhouse units are equipped with irrigation system with the possibility of fustigation. Application of different water and fertilization regimes are possible in the units. A system for collecting effluents useful for their return into the breeding system (recycling, regeneration of the previous feeding solution) is installed in three of the five units. This greenhouse, as well as other older greenhouses, is used for a series of experiments, of researchers from the Institute, who want to ensure the experimental conditions of controlled irrigation and plant nutrition, and research not hampered by adverse weather conditions. Among the beneficiaries are primarily scientists who deal with new technologies in vegetable crops, plant nutrition and physiology of plants.

Greenhouse for virus free citrus reproduction was built in 2002. Its surface area is 1024 m² (16x64 m). It is intended for preservation of pre-identification citrus plantations, with the aim of maintaining a healthy plant material. It allows partial thermal insulation, aeration, preventing entry of insects into the building, irrigation and fertigation.

As a form of protected areas Institute also posses controlled environment rooms and vegetation chambers that are used for growing plants in fully controlled conditions (temperature, light, humidity). In addition to studying the growth and development of plants, if required by the needs of research, other living organisms, such as insects and fungi are bred in there. Besides vegetation chamber CONVIRON PGV36 which is outstanding for its modernity and technical performance, there are also two smaller vegetative chambers (Kambic RK-900CH and Nuve TK-120) and three control environment rooms.

The Institute established perennial (permanent) collection plantations of indigenous varieties of olives, almonds, cherries, sour cherry, figs, pomegranates, and grapes, citrus and medicinal sage. They are located at sites Duilovo and Kastel Stari. The significance of these plantations is in the preservation of indigenous gene pool and biodiversity of the Adriatic region of Croatia, and the further selection and breeding with the aim of obtaining new cultivars of high quality. They also represent wealth in terms of the continued use through scientific experiments.

In addition to perennial crops, seasonal crops of vegetables, flowers and herbs are grown in trial fields, too.

In the library the literature has been collected from the time of the founding of the Institute in 1894. Already in 1898 the fund amounted to about 4,000, mostly in German and Italian. Today the library has about 5,000 titles of books in German, Italian, Russian, French and Croatian, 250 titles of scientific journals with about 20,000 bits (one in an uninterrupted series of 35 years and over), about 15 reference collections with about 300 volumes, statistical materials since 1926 to date, projects and reprints. Among the titles that are now on the shelves with publications on contemporary developments in the biotechnological sciences there is a number of very precious and rare specimens of which some are in manuscript, and most of them dating from the second half of the 19 century. The oldest book dates back to the distant 1760.

The Institute keeps also part of the rich and valuable collection of insects of Peter Novak, entomologist and collector and one of the pioneers of studying entomopfauna of Dalmatia. The collection includes insects of orders: Homoptera, Heteroptera and Coleoptera. Some examples date from the late 19th century.