The 7th International Scientific and Practical Conference «Innovative Developments by Young People in Modern Vegetable Farming»
On September 16, 2026, the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS hosted the 7th International Scientific and Practical Conference of Young Scientists, «Innovative Developments by Young People in Modern Vegetable Farming,» dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Dnipropetrovsk Research Station of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS.
The history of the Dnipropetrovsk Experimental Station began in 1936 with the establishment of a horticulture department under the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Grain Farming. On January 18, 1947, in accordance with an order from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Ukrainian SSR, the station was separated from the Ukrainian Research Institute of Grain Farming and placed under the methodological and organizational authority of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Vegetable Growing. At every stage of its development, the institution’s scientific achievements have been at the forefront of the practical needs of agricultural production and the latest trends in agricultural science. The priority tasks include breeding new high-yielding watermelon and melon hybrids with high fruit quality. Over the entire period of operation of the Dnipropetrovsk Experimental Station of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS, 83 varieties of watermelon, melon, and pumpkin for various purposes and with different maturity groups have been developed.
Conference Topics:
- Breeding of vegetable, melon, and less common crops.
- Cultivation techniques for vegetable and melon crops in open-field and protected-field systems.
- Fundamentals of vegetable and melon seed production.
- Storage, processing, and quality of vegetable products.
- Innovation and investment in the development of the vegetable market.
Sixteen research institutions and higher education institutions from Ukraine and abroad participated in the conference. Scientific findings were presented by researchers from the Institute of Genetics, Physiology, and Plant Protection (Moldova), the Latvian University of Natural Sciences and Technologies (Latvia), the Institute of Climate-Oriented Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS), the Institute of Potato Growing of the NAAS, the National Scientific Center «Institute of Agrarian Economics» of the NAAS, the «Biotechnika» Engineering and Technology Institute of the NAAS, the State Biotechnology University of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety Testing, the Central Ukrainian National Technical University of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, S.Z. Gzhytsky Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Uman National University under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS, the Dnipropetrovsk State Station of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS, and the «Mayak» State Station of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the NAAS.
We are confident that the 7th International Scientific and Practical Conference of Young Scientists will serve as an effective platform for the further advancement of agricultural science and practice, as well as for the implementation of completed research findings into production; furthermore, the exchange of the latest experiences, knowledge, and ideas has helped identify paths for the further improvement and intensive development of the vegetable-growing sector.