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Research and Teaching of Physics in the Context of University Education Nitra, June 5 and 6, 2007

OVERVIEW OF CURRENT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ACTIVITY OF THE INSTITUTE OF AGROPHYSICS

Jozef Horabik Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences Lublin, Poland

Physics, with its research tools and mathematical methods of description and interpretation, found applications in many branches of science that developed to interdisciplinary fields as biophysics, astrophysics, geophysics, and most recently - agrophysics. Agrophysics as a branch of science applying physics to the investigations of properties of materials and the processes involved in the production and processing of agricultural products, especially in relationships between soil, plant, atmosphere and soil, plant, machine, agricultural products. Particular attention is given to sustainable plant and animal production, modern agricultural technologies, and quality of raw materials and food products. The scientific activity of the Institute concentrates on studies of physical properties and processes important for proper management of soil environment and development of sustainable agriculture and food production. It covers also elaboration and improvement of specific methods of physical measurements, computer modeling and monitoring. Monitoring equipped with appropriate measuring systems constitutes a basic tool in study of the environment. The Institute develops agrophysical metrology that takes care on elaboration, optimization and standardization of agrophysical measuring methods. Modeling and computer simulation concerns environmental and technological processes as: mass and energy exchange in soil-plant-atmosphere system and agricultural products, regulation of physical, physicochemical, hydrophysical, thermophysical and biological properties of soil and plant structures, optimal fertilization systems, physical characteristics of granular materials (soils, grains, flour) as well as physical aspects of agricultural products processing. Specific and complex character of modelled processes results from broad range of interacting objects as atmosphere, soil, plant, machine, product and to include their individual features as: colloidal or polydispersive composition, capillary, cellular or tissue build up, temporal and spatial variability, inhomogeneity, biological activity. Results of agrophysical research find their broad applicability in environment protection, soil science, crop production, soil tillage, agricultural engineering, food technology. For example the equipment for measurement and monitoring of moisture, water potential, salinity and temperature (TDR) elaborated in the Institute of Agrophysics has been used in many domestic and foreign research institutions. The scientific activities at the Institute of Agrophysics in the field of sustainable agriculture have been recognized by the EC experts and in 2003 the Institute obtained, for the following three years, the status of the Centre of Excellence for Applied Physics in Sustainable Agriculture “AGROPHYSICS”. The Institute has the right to confer the PhD and DSc degrees and professor titles in the field of agronomy-agrophysics. In 2004 the doctoral studies have been established in the Institute. At present the studies gather 14 PhD students. In 2006 the International Research and Education Centre has been established in the Institute in the frame of Neighbourhood Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine INTERREG IIIA/TACIS CBC. As part of the activities of the Centre a group of 8 young scientists from the Ukraine were enrolled for one year research training to the Institute of Agrophysics to conduct research concerning food quality and environmental protection together with Polish PhD students.