Agrochemistry Department named after Academician of NAAS B. S. Nosko

Main areas of scientific activity

• Agrochemical support of agriculture.
• Assessment of damages due to a decrease in soil fertility.
• Diagnosis of mineral nutrition of plants.
• Environmental aspects of fertilizer application in agriculture.
• The effect of anhydrous ammonia on soil and ecological characteristics.
• Monitoring of soil fertility and cycling of C, N, P, K, S and trace elements in the soil-fertilizer-plant system.
• Fertilization and land suitability for organic production.
• Research on carbon emission and sequestration.
• Modern soil and plant diagnostics.
• Ecological and agrochemical assessment of land and soil suitability for organic production

The most important research results

• Monographs "Anthropogenic evolution of chernozems", "Agrochemical aspects of environmentalization of agriculture", a guide for employees of AIP "Fertilizers";
• Normative and methodical provision of accurate determination of the content of mobile compounds of phosphorus and potassium and total nitrogen in soils;
• Conceptual model of biological agriculture based on the creation of zones of trophic comfort of plants;
• System of fertilization of agricultural crops based on accurate diagnosis of soil fertility;
• Technologies for effective use of phosphorites from local deposits in Ukraine;
• The department is the first among the CIS countries to develop a system of national standards for methods of determining nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the country's soil. The use of these regulatory documents can increase the efficiency of fertilizers by 30-50%.

Main achievements in international activities

The Agrochemistry Department conducted research in cooperation with international partners within the framework of the following bilateral agreements:

• with International Plant Nutrition Institute – «Evaluation of the potassium status of Ukrainian soils on the basis of modern soil diagnostic techniques and development recommendations for the rational and efficient application of potassium fertilizers» -2011-2012
• with SoilCares ResearchV. – «Assessment of soil fertility and nutrition of winter wheat based on wet chemistry methods and sensorlab of SoilCare for development satellite diagnosis» – 2016 and «Scientific and Technical Providing for Introducing SoilCares Laboratory to the Agroholdings in Ukraine» – 2017
• with Syngenta – «Monitoring and assessment of the “carbon footprint” on soils used for agricultural crops» – 2021-2022

Employees of the department contributed to the preparation of a number of international publications under the auspices of FAO: “A protocol for measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of soil organic carbon in agricultural landscapes – GSOC-MRV Protocol”. Rome, 2020, “Global status of black soils“. Rome, 2022, The International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers. Rome, 2020. (translation into Ukrainian – 2023)

In 2024-2026, the Agrochemistry Department will participate in the implementation of the project "Future Agricultural Resource Management and Water Innovations for a Sustainable Europe" ("FARMWISE") within the framework of the "HORIZON-Europe" program.