Guest lecture on the topic "Scientific support for the development of agriculture in the Rivne region in the conditions of climate change and martial law"

Ms. Olena briefly told those present about her career and introduced everyone to the work and scientific research of the Institute of Agriculture of Western Polissya.

The lecturer spoke about the mechanical composition of the region's soils, which determines the possibility of growing agricultural crops: winter wheat, sunflower, soybeans, and corn for grain. Accordingly, the soil cover of the Rivne region is divided into:

1. Sandy soils.
2. Fine soil with clay content 0–10 %.
3. Clay soils with a clay content of 10–25 %.
4. Clay soils with a clay content of 25–40 %.
5. Clay soils with a clay content of over 40 %.

Soils are naturally acidic, with high phosphorus and potassium content. According to the qualitative assessment, agricultural lands in Rivne region have the lowest quality score in Ukraine (only 5% of high quality).

Analyzing the air temperature, the speaker demonstrated on pictograms how the annual heat balance changes – from 1.5 degrees to 2.3 degrees. Changes in temperature and precipitation (i.e. climate change) made it possible to grow sunflower, soybean, and corn for grain in the Rivne region. The largest area of land is sown with soybean – 27%, with sunflower – 19%.

One of the issues of the scientific report was the spread of weeds on agricultural lands of the region. Thus, the most common plants of Western Polissya are disappearing, and instead of them, there have appeared those that are not inherent in our region - ragweed, hogweed, field bindweed. These wild crops were found singly in the 80s-90s of the last century, but today they have taken root, multiply and pose a danger to human health.

The current direction of scientific research is the productivity of bioenergy crops, which was presented in the form of comparative tables for 2016-2024. The scientist gave examples of technologies for growing such crops, namely: energy willow on chernozems, and miscanthus on sod-podzolic soil. After all, these plants are alternative sources of energy and are used during the heating season (pallets).

The lecture was a great opportunity for students to learn about advanced scientific developments and their practical application to ensure food security and sustainable development of our region in the current difficult conditions. In addition, Olena Vasylivna invited students to visit the research fields of the Institute of Western Polissya.

Thank you to Olena Vasylivna for her informative and inspiring speech.