The Faculty of AgriSciences at Mendel University in Brno hosted the 32nd annual international conference MendelNet this year. A total of 76 PhD students participated, not only from the Czech Republic but also from Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary. The conference took place in eight thematic sections, where doctoral students presented the results of their research addressing current challenges in agriculture, the environment, and new technologies.

MendelNet has become a traditional conference that brings together not only doctoral students but also their mentors and other experts. Although the event has a competitive character, its main goal is not merely competition but rather to support the active exchange of experience and professional knowledge among young scientists. Each year, the conference covers a broad spectrum of research topics in the field of agriculture – from agroecology and animal nutrition to applied chemistry and biochemistry.

This year, the participants competed in a total of eight sections: AgroEcology, Wildlife Research, Animal Biology, Animal Production, Plant Biology, Plant Production, Technics and Technology & Food Technology, and Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry. The evaluation committee, which this year also included experts from Slovakia and Hungary, assessed not only the professional quality of the presentations but also the participants’ performance before a professional audience. The committee further evaluated time management as well as the quality and formal design of the presentations.

This year’s conference once again demonstrated strong international cooperation among academic institutions across Europe and openness to new trends in agricultural and environmental research. The participants had an opportunity to reflect on their achievements and outline their future research visions. MendelNet thus continues to represent an indispensable platform for PhD students preparing for scientific careers not only in the Czech Republic but also in a broader international context.

This year, students presented their projects in a total of eight sections. Based on the decisions of the expert committees, the overall winners of each section were:

AgroEcology – Brenčič Martina – The Use of SEM/EDX for the Characterization of Suspended Particulate Matter, Mendel University in Brno

Wildlife Research – Wiśniowska Izabela – The relationsheep between age and foraging ecology on mercury concentrations on Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans) from southern Poland., The University of National Education Commission, Krakow (Poland)

Animal Biology – Pénzes Noémi – The Effect of Cemtirestat on Viability and Gene Expression in Rat Primary Osteoblasts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra

Animal Production – Malý Petr – The effect of sorghum silage in dairy diets on dietary and milk fatty acid profile and milk lipid quality indicators – preliminary results, Masaryk University

Plant Biology – Panda Klára – Nowhere to Hide: Comparing LTR Retrotransposon Dynamics in Holocentric Cyperids and Monocentric Grasses, Masaryk University

Plant Production – Hammad Sherwan Yassin – Site-Specific Weed Management in Sunflower field Using UAV Multispectral Imagery and Machine Learning, Hungarian University for Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) & Slezák Vojtěch – A Case Study on Economic Benefits of Precision Weed Management in Winter Wheat, Mendel University in Brno

Technics and Technology & Food Technology – Rátkai Márton – Mathematical Models for a Solar Pot, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry – Malásková Magdalena – Smart Lipid Nanocarriers for Brain Delivery of Acetylcholinesterase Reactivators, Mendel University in Brno