The Institute of Agronomical Sciences was established at the Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources in 2021. The new organisation structure of Faculty was accredited by academical senate FAFR SUA at the session on April 21st, 2021. In force of the 1st September 2021 were originated four institutes at the Faculty. Institute of Agronomical Sciences consists of the Department of paedology and geology, the Department of Agrochemistry and Plant Nutrition, the Department of Plant Protection, the Department of Crop Production and Grassland Ecosystems and the Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Herbology. The task of Institute of Agronomical Sciences in the guarantee of modern education and implementation the new knowledge into agronomical practice. Subject teaching is provided by experienced and professional pedagogical staff who are the same time heads of final works at bachelor, engineering, and post gradual stage of university studies. The research institute is specialized on agroecological conditions of plants cultivation, agrotechnics and evaluation of final plant production with respect on ecology and sustainability of management on soil. The Institute disposes research basis, it is equipped by modern laboratories and regularly publishes high quality and internationally respected scientific publications. The Institute of Agronomical Sciences is the exclusive place of work in Slovakia from the point of view in determination, qualifications, and evolution of structural soil statement under various ecosystems, in various types of soil and in various ways of farming on soil in Slovakia. The research of soil is concentrating on natural and laboratory observation of biochemical and geochemical processes in soil and their influence on plants. The Institute is at the same time the only place of work which is occupied by the problems of complex plant nutrition and optimizing of fertilization the most important agricultural plants with the respect of particular soil, and climatic conditions of the cultivation. The systematic access, based on information about actual supply of nutrients in soil and during its vegetation and concentration on plants is enforced in nourishment and fertilization of individual plants, found by agrochemical analyses of soil and plants. The research in Institute of Agronomical Sciences in the sphere of plant protection is focused on agroecological study of weed, plant diseases and animal pests in economical most important field energetic crops to the importance of insects in agroecosystems, entomofauna of parasitics plants and ecology and genetics of entomopatogenic funguses. Within the innovation in agronomy the institutional research is concentrated on testing the superabsorbents absorbing water around plants root system, nanofertilizers economical exploitation to environment and analysing physiological parameters in production process of plants in depending on agrotechnical interfere and terms of starting the growth phase in conditions of climatic changes. Research in the lawn sphere, permanent grass growth and their cultivating, which comes out from needs of the development of feeding industry focused on biology, ecology, and experimental agrotechnic is very exceptional. From the point of view of sustaining agriculture in conditions in the Institute of Agronomical Science research of functional relations of main components of agroecosystem sustainability plays the key role. The research in this sphere comes out of European model of polyfunctional agriculture and actual conception in European Union. The systematic access which enables realisation of agricultural production, protection together with sustainable exploitation of natural resources is also very important. The ways out in research of this trend is described in improvement proposals of soil structure, elimination of soil oppression, preventing soil erosion, and the soil contamination by fertilizers, the growth of soil fertility and permanent production of healthy food resources.
Pedagogical activity
The Institute of Agronomical Sciences at the Faculty of Agrpbiology and Food Resources, as the only place of work in Slovakia, sustains education in the crop farming sphere. Subject structure in the Institute is chosen in the way to provide the graduates complex agronomical educations with a change of extending their knowledge in various agricultural spheres depending on chosen study programme. The teaching is closely specific and primary specialized in agroecological requirements and cultivation technology of field crops with the accent on environmental protection, sustainability of soil economising and production of plant products in demanding quality.
Scientific research activity
Within the particular workplaces in the Institute of Agronomical Sciences, they are the dealing with various grand agencies (VEGA, KEGA, SRDA, GA FAFR) they address not only agricultural practice but also the students with their interesting themes. The sphere of research is concentrated on agronomy as a whole, there are therefore included problematics of analysing of basic mechanical, chemical, and physical soil characters, evolution influences of system, economic on particular soil quality, research of sustainable and ecological systems of arable land, the demand of developing fodder growing contributing concentrating on biology, ecology and experimental agrotechnic. Testing of innovative accesses in plant cultivation plays important part in research activity, as for example using the superabsorbents absorbing water around root system and exploitation of nanofertilizers economical to environment, comprehensive nutrition of agricultural crops with the accent on application of products from various production technologies which are source of nutrients and organic substances. The experimental part is concentrated on problematic in weed infestation and its regulation as well as the research of plant protection against pathogens and their resistentional ability are highly demanded in agricultural practice. The experimental activity of workplaces in the Institute of Agronomical Sciences responds flexible to actual situation in agriculture and together with scientific activity is contributed to solving the demands.
Cooperation with practice
We are concentrating on testing the innovation access in field crops, such as using superabsorbents absorbing water, using nanofertilizers economical to environment and biologically active substances, analysis physiological parameters of production process depending on agrotechnical interfere, starting terms of productional process of growth phase and various cultivation systems in conditions of global climatic changes. Workplaces in the Institute of Agronomical Sciences give possibility to complex solutions in grass growth problems with emphasis at improvement its generic diversity by studying ecologisation of cultivating systems and permanent sustainable grass growth using by enforcing low input systems of farming. Exploitation of productional and quality parameters of permanents grassland, in various means of farming and using their extra functions, revitalisation of rudelising areas of pastured growth in national parks and protected landscape area and weedy grassland renovation, quality grass lawns in condition of low input caespestechnic and possibility of their improvement. In various places of Institute there are realized physical (grainy composition of soil, dynamism and mechanism of aggregation process in various soil types, structural conditions of soil hydro physical characteristics) and chemical characteristics (evaluation of contests and quality of organic substance in soil of Slovakia under the influence of various systems of economy and fertilization of plant remains, organic carbon sequentition, sorbtive ability of soil, soil reaction and contents of carbonates) in soil in Slovakia. We provide chemical analysis of nutrient soil state and plant materials, organic and mineral fertilizers, chemical analysis vegetal samples from the viewpoint of evaluation their quality for agricultural or nonagricultural use, testing growth productional process in controlled conditions. We deal the cooperation with practice in consultation level and lectural activities. We organizationally and professionally guarantee professional and scientific meetings, workshops and conferences on Slovakian and international levels.
