Department of Technology and Plant Protection

The department develops tasks related to technologies for the production of vine propagating material, wine and table grapes and improvement of integrated systems for management and control of vine pests including:

optimisation of technologies for the production of vine propagating material;
establishing appropriate vine cultivation systems to increase the quantity and quality of grapes and the longevity of vineyards;
preserving soil fertility, improving the productivity of the vines and increasing the profitability of wine-growing production;
establishing criteria for the resistance of vine plants to low winter temperatures;
diagnostics, evaluation and optimization of the nutrition of the vine in vines and rootstocks.
establishing technical means and technologies to mechanise the main working processes in vineyards under conditions of creating diversity in terms of vine planting sizes, cultivation technologies, increased environmental requirements and energy and resource savings;
studies on the economic and organizational problems of viticulture, competitiveness and sustainability of the production of table and wine grapes, the development of wine tourism;

Towards plant protection the research work shall cover the carrying out of experiments, observations and analyses under field and laboratory conditions on the diagnosis and integrated protection against pests in vineyards, which shall include:

application of modern molecular methods in the diagnosis of systemic diseases on the vine;
studies on the distribution and species composition of insect vectors and host plants of viruses and phytoplasmas;
maintenance and study of a collection of isolates responsible for systemic diseases of the vine;
sanitary selection to obtain and maintain healthy vine stock and basic propagating material;
monitoring of economically important pests (IPPs) on the vine;
establishing the influence of various biotic factors on the vine as a host;
an assessment of new and introduced vine varieties for their response to IS;
research into methods and means of combating weed vegetation and their impact on the vine plant.

Four scientific laboratories are available to carry out the research work in the department:

– Laboratory of Soil Science and Agrochemistry – for the preparation and analysis of soil samples;

– Laboratory of Plant Physiology – for the preparation and analysis of plant samples;

– Plant Protection Laboratory – to diagnose and identify phytopathogenic fungi, insects and weeds;

– Laboratory of Biotechnology and Phytosanitary Diagnostics – to detect and identify phytopathogenic viruses, bacteria and phytoplasmas.

Composition of the department	Scientific competence	Useful links
Prof. Dr. Nikolay Miladinov Genov - Head of Department Email: nikolay_genov@ive.bg	Plant protection and biotechnology, phytopathology and molecular diagnostics.	NACID PROFILE
Prof. Dr. Eng. Emil Sashev Tsvetanov Email: tsvetanov@ive.bg	Vine-growing, irrigation of the vine, water deficit, vine propagating material	NACID PROFILE
Prof. Neli Nikolova Prodanova-Marinova, PhD Email: neli_npm@ive.bg	Plant protection (herbology) - biology of weeds, spreading, fighting. Viticulture - production of vine planting material.	NACID PROFILE
Chief Assistant Dr. Daniela Tsvetanova Dimitrova Email: dimitrova_d@ive.bg	Agricultural economy, competitiveness and sustainability of grape and wine production	NACID PROFILE
Chief Assistant Dr. Vladimir Zahariev Dimitrov Email: vl_dimitrov@ive.bg	agricultural economy; Marketing; Wine tourism; Sustainability ; Digital marketing	NACID PROFILE
Chief Assistant Dr. Yordanka Gospodinova Belberova Email: ybelberova@ive.bg	Vine-growing; Green pruning; Determination of leaf surface; Determination of potential fertility; Physiology	NACID PROFILE
Ace, please. Nikolay Ivanov Iliev Email: nikolay_iliev@ive.bg	Leaf fertilization and diagnosis of mineral nutrition of the vine	NACID PROFILE
Ace, please. Katina Ivanova Ivanova Email: k_ivanova@ive.bg	Plant protection:Phytosanitation diagnostics of economically important diseases on the vine	NACID PROFILE
Ace, please. Denislav Mariyev Ivanov Email: denislav_ivanov@ive.bg	Plant protection, enemy monitoring, forecasting and signalling, innovative approaches, biological and integrated plant protection	NACID PROFILE
Ace, please. Tsvetomira Iliycheva Ilieva Email: tsvetomirailieva@ive.bg	Viticulture, planting stock, grafting, stratification, rooting, vine propagation	NACID PROFILE