Agronomy Faculty

Agronomy Faculty and the Academy are of the same age. Both were founded in 1865.

Agronomy Faculty trains learned agronomist in specialities: Agronomy with specializations in agribusiness crop production and fodder production technology of storage and processing of crop production, Selection and Genetics of agricultural crops with specialization in biotechnology, Plant protection.

The Faculty has 14 Departments: agriculture and experimental methods, plant production, meadow cultivation, plant physiology, biotechnology, selection and seed production of field crops, genetics, chemical means of plant protection, phytopathology, entomology, technology of storage and processing of field crop products, meteorology, agricultural machines and tractors. There are also 6 research laboratories and observatory.

There are 4 academicians and 2 corresponding members of the RAA, 32 professors and Doctors of Science, 65 assistant professors and Masters of Science. The faculty trains over 600 students and post-graduates.

Universally trained graduates can apply their knowledge and skills in the system of agro industrial complex and other branches of economy as well.

Graduates work successfully in different branches of agro industrial complex, in Russian and foreign firms, cooperative societies, joint-stock companies, research and educational centres Researches at the faculty are carried out in the following directions: 1) raising the productivity of agricultural lands and quality of crop production; 2) development of adaptive-landscape system of agriculture and management of soil fertility; 3) researches in remote hybridization and improvement of breeding methods and zonal placing of seed production; 4) development of methods of plant biotechnology, raising of healthy planting material; 5) improvement of storage and processing of crop production and production of ecologically pure products.

Faculty of Agricultural Chemistry, Ecology and Soil Science

The Faculty of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science was open in 1929. In 1990 it was renamed into the Faculty of Soil Science, Agricultural Chemistry and Ecology.

The Faculty provides training in two specialities and with qualification of an agronomist:

- Agricultural Chemistry and Agricultural Soil Science with specialization in quality expertise and certification of agricultural objects and production; agro ecological and economic land evaluation; forest melioration of agro-landscapes and planting of greenery;

- Agro ecology with specialization in ecological expertise; ecological safety in agro-industrial complex.

Scientists of the Faculty pay great attention to problems of recovery of land from radioactive and heavy metal contamination and chemical pollution. Problems of ecologically safe production and work safety at agro-industrial enterprises are also of great importance.

The Faculty comprises the following 13 Chairs: Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, Safety Living, Geology and Landscape Science, Forestry, Melioration and Geodesy, Microbiology, Non-organic and Analytic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Soil Science, Radiology, Physics, Physical and Colloid Chemistry, and Ecology. There are eight research laboratories, including agricultural chemistry, agronomic soil science, agro-ecology, nuclear technology in agriculture, forestry, microelements, and regulation of mineral nutrition with the use of polymers. Two museums namely V.R. Williams Soil and Agronomy Museum, and Mineral and Geology Museum play an important role in specialist training.

Every year about 1,100 students, including international students, study at the Faculty.

Training is provided by highly skilled faculty members, including academicians of RASHN V.I. Kirjushin and N.P. Panov, a corresponding member of RASHN N.N. Dubenok, 36 professors, 72 associate professors and senior lecturers, 24 assistants, and 38 research scientists.

Graduates of the Faculty are known for their proficient basic knowledge. They are in great demand in management bodies of agricultural production, design organizations of land development, land banks, agro-chemical services, and agricultural firms where they can work as expert-ecologist, quality expert of agricultural and food production, specialists in ecological expertise of land resources, as well as research scientists of scientific and research institutes and educational institutions.

The Faculty conducts the research in the following directions: geography, genesis and soil fertility; agro-ecological land expertise; organic matter in soil; optimization of plant mineral nutrition; study of migration processes, transformation and uptake of macro-and micro elements in a system of soil-plant-biosphere; effect of heavy metals on crop yield and produce quality, soil fertility and environment; nuclear diagnostics and mobilization of biophilic elements from difficult to access soil forms; molecular acoustics of biological objects; and efficiency improvement of reclaimed land.

A number of scientific schools have been founded at the Faculty, which now have strong scientific traditions.

The School of Development of the soil forming and soil fertility conception with its founder - the academician V.R. Williams, and his successors at different time periods - the academician V.P. Bushinsky, professors S.P. Yarkov, I.P. Grechin, I.S. Kaurichev, academicians N.P. Panov and V.I. Kirjushin, professors V.I. Savich, N.F. Ganzhara, N.N. Ignatiev, V.D. Naumov, R.F. Baibekov, A.D. Fokin, A.I. Karpukhin, and others.

The school of the Theory of plant nutrition and rational use of fertilizers with its founder - the academician D.N. Pryanishnikov, and his successors - professor A.G. Shestakov, the academician V.M. Klechkovsky, professor A.V. Peterbugsky, professor P.M. Smirnov, the academician B.Y. Yagodin, professors V.V. Kidin, I.P. Derjugin, Y.P. Zhukov, and V.A. Demin. The school of Biological forests and forest planting with its founders - professors V.T. Sobichevsky, and M.K. Tursky, and their successors - N.S. Nesterov, V.G. Nesterov, V.P. Timofeev, N.G. Vasiliev, and V.K. Khlyustov.

The school of Agricultural melioration and efficiency improvement of meliorated land with its founder - the academician A.N. Kostyakov, and his successors - professor A.A. Cherkasov, the academician S.F. Averyanov, the academician B.B. Shumakov, professor V.V. Kolpakov, professor P.A. Volkovsky, and a corresponding member of RASHN N.N. Dubenok.

The chemical scientific school with its founders - professors P.A. Iljenkov, G.G. Gustafson, academicians I.A. Kablukov, N.Y. Demjanov, and their successors - professors E.N. Gapon, N.V. Williams, V.V. Williams, I.N. Zaozersky, D.A. Knyazev, G.D. Klinsky, I.I. Grandberg, V.N. Drozd, A.A. Iblev, R.A. Khmelnitsky, V.N. Knyazev, S.N. Aljeshin, N.M. Przhevalsky, S.N. Smarigin, and S.E. Starikh.

The Timiryazev school of microbiology with its founder  - an academician N.N. Khudyakov, and his successors  - an academician E.N. Mishustin, professors V.I. Butkevich, M.V. Fedorov, V.T. Emtsev, V.K. Shilnikova, O.D. Sidorenkop, and A.A. Vankova.

The school of agro-ecology with its founder  - professor V.A. Chernikov, and his successors  - professors I.M. Yashin, L.V. Mosina, and I.I. Vasenev.

The Faculty has postgraduate and doctorate programs, where 1,152 Candidates of Science and more than 150 Doctors of Science have been trained.