The Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences was established in september 2021 by merging the Department of Plant Physiology, the Department of Environmental Studies and Biology and the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding. These departments have been developed since the establishment of the Slovak University of Agriculture as pedagogical and scientific research basic workplaces, which have developed national and international scientific and technical cooperation, scientific education and scientific projects with the aim to distribute new knowledge in national and international research, based on up-to-date knowledge. By joining these basic workplaces, The Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences offers more qualified educational environment for students, as well as an interdisciplinary scientific space with plant research opportunities beginning from the molecular level, through the whole plants to the level of ecosystems in a changing environment, including specific environmental aspects as well.
The institute develops the following topics:
In the field of plant physiology — research is focused on plant adaptability and the impact of climatic extremes on plants. Research is focused into the photosynthesis mechanisms and primary biomass production processes in strategic agricultural crops, in conditions of drought, high temperature, salinity, UVB, photoinhibitory and fluctuating radiation. The effects of industrial nanoparticles and the possibilities of improving the physiological state of plants under conditions of environmental stress are also investigated. Attention is focused to the secondary metabolism of plants, using the knowledge in disease prevention and healthy nutrition too.
In the field of structural and systematic botany, dendrology, the activities focus on the study of reproductive and population biology, research on the diversity of vascular plants (invasive and endangered taxa, quarantine weeds) and plant communities in Slovakia (especially alpine and saline grassland phytocenoses). The research is significantly involved in the study of the vegetation structure of agricultural land biocorridors.
The attention in the field of genetics and plant breeding is focused on using genetic technologies methods for genome mapping, application of miRNA stress based markers, gene expression analysis, research on genomic and transcriptomic allergene variability of plant food resources as well as on agrobiodiversity protection and utilization. Genetic resources evaluation is focused on image databases for computer network developement and diversity detection using molecular genetics methods. Development of biometrics and statistics for biodiversity analysis.
In the field of environmental protection and creation of environment, the attention is focused on soil, water, air, as basic components of the environment, nature and landscape protection, measures to achieve and maintain ecological stability of the landscape, the impact of human activities, especially agriculture on the environment and environmental monitoring. In zoology, the research is focused on the taxonomy and bionomy of individual species with emphasis on their position and importance in specific social and agricultural practice.
Education
The Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences guarantee education of courses focused on Environmental Protection and Shaping, Ecology, Zoology, Botany, Reproductive and population biology of plants, Physiology, Ecophysiology, Production Plant Physiology, Plant Stress Physiology, Plant Pathophysiology, Production Ecology and Climate Change, Methods in Plant Ecophysiology, General and Production Ecology, Genetics, Plant Breedning and Seed Production, Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources, Plant Biotechnologies, Genetic Technologies, Basics of Biosafety, Experimentation and Biometrics and Data analysis in agrobiology.
Research
The field of Plant Physiology: Photosyntesis and environment, Drought Resistance, High Temperature Tolerance, Salinity Tolerance, Plant Phenotyping, Effect of heavy metals and industrial nanoparticles on plants, Mitigating the impact of climate change on plants.
The field of structural and systematic botany: Research on expansive and quarantine weeds, saline grassland vegetation, protected and endangered species, palynological, embryological and cytometric analyses of botanical species.
The field of genetics and pland breeding: Genomics, variability of expression and gene regulation of allergens in plants. Molecular markers on the basis of microRNA sequences in the relation to function of adaptation mechanisms of plants to environmental stress. Biodiversity analysis, economical value and genotype selection for target utilization and cultivation.
The field of environmental protection and creation of environment: Biodiversity of ecosystems/agroecosystems, research on biology and diversity of Coleoptera: Carabidae, Odonata, epigeon, Dragonfly Biotic Index, research on surface water quality (watercourses and wetlands), soil quality research.
Cooperation
- Department of Agriculture, Food & Environment, University of Pisa, Italy
- Department of Biology and Animal Environment, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovak Republic
- Department of Ecology and Geography of Plants, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Belgrade, Serbia
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Plant Physiology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovak Republic
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University, Ukraine
- Faculty od tropical Agrisciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Forestry, Sopron University, Sopron, Hungary
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Institut of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Institute for Teacher Education, Faculty of Central European Studies, University of Constantine the Philosopher, Nitra, Slovak republic
- Institute of Biological and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
- Laboratory of Bioclimatology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland
- Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Botany of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Research Institute of Plant Production, Piešťany, Slovak republic
