The idea of addressing the problem of the genetic specificity of mineral nutrition at an international level arose four years ago in a proposal for this topic to be included in the program of the II Congress of the Federation of European Societies for Plant Physiology (FESPP) as a separate section. The Organising Committee of the II Congress of FESPP which was held in Santiago de Compostella in 1980 arranged a special session and it was clearly successful. A special scientific meeting where the genetic aspects of plant nutrition in their widest sense could be presented and discussed comprehensively appeared to be necessary and that is how this Symposium came to be organized by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Much progress has already been achieved in this field, and bearing in mind the importance of this problem, particularly at the present moment, it is necessary for us both to acquaint ourselves with what has been achieved so far, and even more to direct attention and effort to the fundamental problems for the future.

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Theoretical and practical approaches to the genetic specificity of mineral nutrition of plants.- Section I: Cytological and anatomical changes in different genotypes caused by altered nutrient supply.- Light and electron microscopic investigations of the reactions of various genotypes to nutritional disorders.- Genetically determined adaptations in roots to nutritional stress: correlation of structure and function.- Ultrastructure of the root cells of two pea genotypes depending on Se in the growth medium.- Section II: Absorption, translocation and accumulation of ions in different genotypes.- Plant genotype differences in the uptake, translocation, accumulation, and use of mineral elements required for plant growth.- Cation fluxes in excised and intact roots in relation to specific and varietal differences.- Genotypic differences in calcium and magnesium nutrition in sunflower.- A study of the electrophysiological organization in roots of two Plantago species: direct measurement of ion transport to the xylem using excised roots.- Concentration of critical nutrients in tolerant and susceptible sorghum lines for use in screening under acid soil field conditions.- The effect of selenium on ion uptake at two nutrient levels.- Differences in sulphate and phosphate uptake and utilization within Zea mays L. species.- Factors responsible for genotypic manganese tolerance in cowpea ( Vigna unguiculatdf).- Efficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium use by corn, sunflower, and sugarbeet for the synthesis of organic matter.- Differences in phosphate absorption in various barley genotypes.- Free-space binding and uptake of ions by excised roots of grapevines.- The accumulation of phosphate in roots of different genotypes of maize.- Efficiency and kinetics of phosphorus uptake from soil by various barley genotypes.- Variation among species and varieties in uptake and utilization of potassium.- Application of root zone feeding for evaluation of ion uptake and efflux in soybean genotypes.- Effect of genotype and iron, applied to soil, on the chemical composition and yield of corn plants.- Section III: The influence of mineral nutrition on physiological, and biochemical processes of genotypes.- Varietal differences in physiological and biochemical responses to changes in the ionic environment.- Genotypic differences in the mineral metabolism of plants adapted to extreme habitats.- NaCl-induced modifications of nitrogen absorption and assimilation in salt tolerant and salt resistant millet ecotypes (Pennisetum typhoideum L. Rich.).- Soil preference of populations of genotypes of Asplenium trichomanes L. and Polypodium vulgare L. in Belgium as related to cation exchange capacity.- Adaptation of selected trees and grasses to low availability of phosphorus.- Comparison of K+-Na+ selectivity in roots of Fagopyrum and Triticum.- Genetic differentiation in Taraxacum and its relation to mineral nutrition.- The effect of nitrogen on the activity of some enzymes of nitrogen metabolism during ontogenesis of maize kernel hybrids.- Changes in ion composition and hexitol content of different Plantago species under the influence of salt stress.- Influence of chlorate ions on some characteristics of maize seedlings with different protein content.- Efficiency of nitrogen utilization and photosynthetic rate in C3 and C4 plants.- Genetic differentiation of various physiological parameters of Plantago major and their role in strategies of adaptation to different levels of mineral nutrition.- Genotypic differences in growth and photosynthesis of young barley plants.- The effects of mineral nutrition on the photosynthetic and respiratory activities of leaves of winter wheat and maize varieties.- Nutritional differentiation within the species Dittrichia viscosa W. Greuter, between a population from a calcareous habitat and another from an acidic habitat.- Section IV: The influence of mineral nutrition on yield and quality of different genotypes.- Responses of various crop species and cultivars to fertilizer application.- Genetic specificity of nitrogen nutrition in leguminous plants.- Changes in contents of N, P and K in maize hybrids at different nutrient regimes.- A triaxial ratio diagram and its use in comparative plant nutrition.- Tolerance of barley and other cereals to manganese-deficient calcareous soils of South Australia.- Bacterial disease and the iron status of plants.- Fertilizers and nutrient relations in some genotypes of cereals.- Nitrogen fixation in soybean depending on variety and R. japonicum strain.- Characteristics of sugar beet varieties on chernozem semigley in Baranja.- Section V: Genetical investigations concerned with selection of genotypes for a more effective use of mineral elements.- The search for and interpretation of genetic controls that enhance plant growth under deficiency levels of a macro-nutrient.- Rationale of selection for specific nutritional characters in crop improvement with Phaseolus vulgaris L. as a case study.- Low input varieties: definition, ecological requirements and selection.- Biomass and harvest index as indicators of nitrogen uptake and translocation to the grain in sorghum genotypes.- Genetic basis of mineral nutrition in Triticum aestivum. II. Effect of the cytoplasm on the absorption of nutrient elements.- Genetic variability of the efficiency of nutrient utilization by maize (Zea mays L.).- Genetic differences in phosphorus absorption among white clover populations.- Genetic variation in nitrogen nutrition of grasses and cereals: possibilities of selection.- Variability and genetic control of aluminium tolerance in sorghum genotypes.- Genetic basis of N-utilization in wheat.- The ear-leaf percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines and their diallel progeny.- Genotypic variation and inheritance of mineral element content in winter wheat.- Genetical differences in the cation accumulation capacity of mitochondria.- Genetic variability in the systems of absorption and utilization of mineral elements. A review.