History
The Department of Plant Physiology was founded in 1889 by Vladimir Ivanovich Palladin, who established a scientific school of plant physiologists.
From 1897 to 1903, the department was headed by Professor V. A. Rotert. Among his students was V. K. Zalessky, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR and Honoured Scientist of the Ukrainian SSR, who served as Head of the Department from 1903 to 1936.
From 1936 to 1948, the department was led by Yevheniya O. Shatalova-Zalesska, a student of V. K. Zalessky. Between 1949 and 1974, the department was headed by Professor H. K. Samokhvalov, who initiated ecological and physiological research on the influence of environmental factors on plant growth and development.
Professor H. I. Semenenko, a follower of V. K. Zalessky, served as Dean of the School of Biology for over 14 years (1948–1962). His pioneering research on nucleic acid metabolism in plants was the first in Ukraine and gained wide international recognition.
In 1964, the department was renamed the Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. From 1975 to 1993, it was chaired by Professor M. D. Tymashov, a student of Y. O. Shatalova-Zalesska and H. I. Semenenko. In the 1980s, he established a new research direction at the department — the study of stress and adaptive mechanisms in plants.
In 1998, Professor Tymashov was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of Kharkiv National University.
Since 1993, the department has been headed by Dr. of Biological Sciences V. V. Zhmurko.
For Applicants
The department offers Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Biology with two specializations: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and Microbiology and Virology, available in both full-time and part-time formats.
Graduates of the department work as teachers of biological disciplines in secondary and higher educational institutions (Levels I–IV of accreditation), as research fellows in biological, medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural research institutes, as well as in healthcare facilities — clinical, biochemical, or bacteriological laboratories.
The department also offers PhD programmes. Currently, two postgraduate students and two PhD candidates are enrolled.
Research
The main research focus of the department includes:
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the physiological and genetic regulation of plant development;
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physiological and genetic regularities of morphogenesis in plant cell and tissue cultures in vitro;
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the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of plant–microorganism interactions.
Additionally, research continues on the adaptation mechanisms of plants to adverse environmental factors and the formation of fungal community structures in forest soils.
From 2008 to 2012, department staff and graduate students published 14 papers in professional journals, 35 conference abstracts (including 22 co-authored with students and 1 international publication, presented at the Congress of the European Plant Biology Society, Finland, 2008).
Between 2005 and 2010, the department received one patent for an invention.
In recent years, staff members have participated in 8 international conferences, including three abroad. The department has organized several conferences and round tables.
In 2008, the department hosted the international conference “Regulation of Plant Growth and Development: Physiological, Biochemical, and Genetic Aspects”, which gathered over 130 scientists.
Each year, during the autumn-winter season, the department organizes the “Palladin Days” — a scientific seminar featuring reports from faculty, invited researchers from Kharkiv and other Ukrainian institutes, and student presentations.
Over the past eight years, the department has completed one doctoral dissertation (V. V. Zhmurko, specialization Plant Physiology) and four PhD theses (specializations Plant Physiology, Botany, and Biochemistry).
Academic Activity
Faculty members teach three core courses for 1st–3rd-year Biology students:
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Plant Anatomy
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Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
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Microbiology
They also deliver the Microbiology course for Philosophy students (specialization Valeology) and Radio Physics students (specialization Biophysics).
Special Courses for Bachelor’s Degree (Plant Physiology and Biochemistry):
Plant and Microorganism Biochemistry (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids), Intracellular Signalling Systems in Plants, Plant Ecophysiology, Mineral Nutrition of Plants, Modern Problems and Directions of Plant Physiology, Fundamentals of Scientific Research, Photosynthesis, Phytohormones, Physiology of Flowering, Industrial Microbiology.
Practical Training:
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, In vitro Culture Techniques for Cells, Tissues, and Organs of Higher Plants, Microbiological Research Techniques.
Specialization “Microbiology and Virology”:
Industrial Microbiology, Intracellular Signalling Systems, Mineral Nutrition of Plants and Basics of Soil Microbiology, Microbial Synthesis, Ecology of Microorganisms and Viruses, Fundamentals of Scientific Research, Plant and Microorganism Biochemistry, Microbial Metabolism, Modern Problems of Microbiology, Biology and Systematics of Bacterial Groups.
Practical classes cover cultivation and identification of microorganisms, modern microbiological methods, sanitary, clinical, soil, and water microbiology, and plant tissue and cell culture techniques in vitro.
Master’s Level Courses (both specializations):
Use of Computer Technology in Scientific Research, Methods of Teaching in Higher Education, Genetic Engineering and Plant Biotechnology, Antibiotics, Quality Control of Plant Raw Materials, Occupational Safety in the Field.
Special Practicum: Modern Molecular Biology Methods.
Specialization “Plant Physiology and Biochemistry”:
Secondary Metabolites, Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Applied Plant and Microorganism Biochemistry, Physiology of Transgenic Plants and Biosafety, Biological Fundamentals of Microbial Genetic Engineering, Stress Physiology, Systemic Nature of Plant Physiological Functions, Methodology and Organization of Physiological and Biochemical Research in Plants.
Specialization “Microbiology and Virology”:
Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Scientific Documentation and Standards in Microbiology, Biological Fundamentals of Microbial Genetic Engineering, Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses, Plant Viruses, Methodology and Organization of Microbiological Research.
In recent years, the department staff has published two university textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education and Science (Plant Anatomy, 2004 and 2007; Plant Biochemistry, 2007), three secondary school textbooks, and nine educational and methodological manuals for higher education institutions.