The Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops was founded in 1938 pursuant to the decree issued by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, establishing the Agricultural and Research Station in Novi Sad, which later developed into the Institute. Owing to the successful work and excellent results implemented in agricultural practice, the Institute has made a name in the international science.

The fundamental and applied research programs, which are the Institute’s core activities, are focused on the development of cultivars of field and vegetable crops, a large number of fodder and industrial crops, medicinal and spice plants. The breeding programs place emphasis on producing high yields of superior quality and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Special-purpose cultivars also have a prominent place in the programs. In addition to plant breeding, the Institute also develops the technology for production of own cultivars. The results are immediately put into practice in several ways: through the seed, in the form of soil cultivation technology, breeding technology or through protection measures for specific cultivars.

So far, the Institute has developed over 1200 cultivars, with a little over 1000 cultivars registered and grown abroad. The cultivars developed at the Institute take part in the open competition in the global market in more than 30 countries, from Argentina, through EU countries, Ukraine and Russia, to China and India.

The Institute has a formidable expert team of more than 100 researchers, of which 93 hold a PhD. They are assisted in their work by more than 300 highly educated specialists of various profiles, which guarantees the quality of everything that the Institute offers: seed, technology, training and services.

The Institute follows its positive development trend by maintaining the Quality Management System in compliance with the international standard ISO 9001 and Environmental Management System in compliance with ISO 14001.

The Institute is a state-owned institution operating under the authority of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. In that capacity, the Institute carries out numerous state-funded scientific projects and it also takes part in the international scientific cooperation though international projects. We can say that the Institute is the leader in the field of agricultural research, both in the country and the region, especially in the field of plant breeding.

In addition to the scientific and research work, the Institute also develops its commercial sector. Several years ago, the Institute has created a new trade mark “NS seme” (NS Seed) which has already become a synonym for high quality and good yield. “NS seme” has become a recognizable brand name from Serbia, which is not an easy task to accomplish, and one of the best export products. The interest for growing NS cultivars is constantly growing, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe.