Department of Mycology and Phytoimmunology

History
The Department of Mycology and Phytoimmunology was established in 1993, based on a specialization that had existed since 1925. It is the only department in the Ukrainian higher education system that trains professional mycologists.
Research on fungi in Kharkiv began immediately after the founding of the University and has a 200-year history. Beginning with F. A. Delavigne (1767–1826), prominent mycologists and phytopathologists such as V. M. Chernyaev, M. V. Sorokin, L. S. Tsenkovsky, A. O. Potebnia, T. D. Strakhov, and T. V. Yaroshenko worked at the University.

The Cryptogamic Flora of Ukraine (V. M. Chernyaev, 1845) is one of the earliest mycological works describing genera and species new to science, accompanied by numerous watercolor illustrations.
A major contribution to the development of Ukrainian science was made by the phytopathological school founded by T. D. Strakhov — Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honorary Academician of VASKhNIL, and a Merited Scientist of Ukraine. Over nearly 40 years of active scientific and organizational work, T. D. Strakhov created a new direction in phytopathology — the experimental study of diseased plants in all their interrelations with the pathogen and the environment — and formulated the theory of plant immunity. He was also the founder and scientific director of the Ukrainian Research Institute for Plant Protection.

Since 1993, the Department has been headed by Professor V. I. Hlushchenko, a representative of the new generation of Strakhov’s school. Since 2000, the department has conducted systematic studies of the mycobiota of the Kharkiv region and other areas of Ukraine and initiated research in fungal biotechnology.

For Applicants
Kharkiv mycologists have significantly expanded knowledge about fungi. They have described more than 60 new species and identified around 20 new genera of fungi and fungus-like organisms, as well as discovered new groups such as cellular slime molds, trichomycetes, and labyrinthulids, and established new orders and classes of fungi.

The Kharkiv Mycological Herbarium (Fungarium), founded in 1825 by V. M. Chernyaev, is the oldest and the second largest in Ukraine, currently containing more than 37,000 specimens.

Today, the department conducts research in many fields of modern mycology and phytopathology. It focuses on studying the mycobiota of Ukraine, identifying the most dangerous plant pathogens and developing control methods, publishing original textbooks and manuals for higher education institutions, and maintaining active collaborations with scientists from many countries.

The department offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Biology with a specialization in Mycology and Phytopathology, both full-time and part-time.

Graduates of the department can work in mycological, phytopathological, and microbiological laboratories; in plant production and plant disease protection sectors; in food and pharmaceutical industries; in biotechnology enterprises using fungal cultures; in environmental monitoring and plant quarantine services; in biological and medical research institutes; and in educational institutions.

Research
The main research areas of the department include: biodiversity and taxonomy of fungi, fungal ecology, phytopathology, plant immunity, medical and veterinary mycology, mycotoxicology, studies of fungi destructors and material protection, industrial cultivation of macro- and microscopic fungi, and fungal biotechnology.

The department has two research branches — at the V. Ya. Yuriev Institute of Plant Production and the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences.

The department is engaged in the state-funded research project:
“Development of scientific and practical foundations for supporting biodiversity of natural ecosystems of Left-Bank Ukraine under anthropogenic landscape transformation.”

As a result of the department’s research, a two-volume monograph “Fungi of Nature Reserves and National Parks of Left-Bank Ukraine” was published, as well as contributions to the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Each year, the department hosts 2–3 postgraduate students and several PhD candidates.

Staff
The department employs nine staff members, including one Doctor of Science and three Candidates of Science (PhD holders).

Educational Process
The department provides general courses such as Soil Science, Virology, and Applied Mycology, as well as the section Fundamentals of Plant Immunity within the course Immunology for students of the School of Biology.

Specialized courses for Bachelor’s students:
Fungal Ecology, Fungal Taxonomy, Fungal Genetics, Pathogenesis, Agricultural Phytopathology, Forest Phytopathology, Medical and Veterinary Mycology, Mycological and Microbiological Toxicology, Organization of Scientific Work and Computer Technologies, Field Research Methods.

Special Practicums:
Plant Disease Diagnostics, Experimental Mycology Methods, Physiological and Biochemical Research Methods, Industrial Cultivation of Fungi.

Specialized courses for Master’s students:
Molecular Foundations of Plant Immunity, Molecular Bases of Pathology, Molecular-Genetic Methods in Mycology, Plant Protection, Plant Quarantine, Theoretical Taxonomy, Biocorrosion of Materials, Mycosozology, Teaching Methodology in Higher Education, Research Methods in the Field, Occupational Safety.

Special Practicum: Fungal Biotechnology.

The department’s staff have published textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, educational manuals for higher education institutions, and a complete set of multimedia learning materials for all general and most specialized courses.