MendelNet– 32nd Annual Ph.D. Student Conference

MendelNet is an interdisciplinary student conference that provides a unique platform for students and their mentors to meet and collaborate across fields primarily related to agricultural sciences. The main goal of the conference is to actively present specific research topics, share knowledge, and exchange experiences among participants from various disciplines.

Presentations are primarily intended for Ph.D. students, but the conference is also open to students of master’s and bachelor’s programs. In this way, the event supports young researchers in their professional development and fosters interdisciplinary dialogue.

This year’s 32nd edition of the conference also serves as an opportunity to reflect on students’ achievements and to outline future research visions.

The conference has a competitive format – individual contributions are evaluated by expert juries based on their scientific quality and relevance to the field. The best presentations will be awarded.

Term: November 5, 2025
Venue: Mendel university in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno
Registration: July 1 to September 30, 2025
Official language: English

Open sections

There will be a number of different sessions on offer covering a range of topics, but for organisational purposes in the case that it becomes necessary, you might find yourself in a slightly different topic group than the one you signed up for. This will obviously be avoided wherever possible but might be necessary to provide a smooth and efficient grouping process.

This section is focused at the problematics of breeding, growing, plants’ fertilization and plant protection (field crops, medicinal, aromatic and spice herbs, fruit and vegetable, ornamental plants, permanent cultures). The proceedings are expected from the fields of: growing technologies (soil processing, long-term experiments, monocultures, precision farming etc.), pedology, quality of plant production, phytopathology, entomology, herbology, growing models, monitoring, soil organic matter, diagnostic methods etc.

The Animal Production section is predominantly focused on the research of breeding, nutrition, reproduction, and sustainable production systems for farm animals, pets and wildlife in captivity. The relevance and importance of this section is enhanced through the inclusion of animal health and welfare studies, natural resource management and value added enterprises.

In the section Fisheries and Hydrobiology reports from the whole area of freshwater fisheries are expected, from ichthyology and hydrobiology, through the fish farming and nutrition, fish management, to the quality of the fish meat, fish diseases and ecotoxicology. Additionally, data will be presented on water quality and environmental pollution. Furthermore, aquatic communities’ research results and effects of climate change on water ecosystems will also be discussed.

The section covers a problematic of wildlife in context of agriculture, forestry and biological conservation. There will be presented different studies dealing with biology, ethology and biodiversity of all animals including the most modern methodological approaches. Multidisciplinary studies (ecology, conservation, multi-taxa approach) are welcome.

The section of Agroecology and Rural Development focuses on ecological and environmental problems related to cultural and rural landscape. It covers the topics of landscape planning, land remediation, protection against erosion or water systems revitalization, changes of structure and use of rural landscape and their consequences for biodiversity and ecological stability. Besides that, it covers climate change topic, soil water balance, water quality and crop modelling, drought and desertification, water and wind erosion (erosion models) and problems of irrigation and its perspective. Part of the section is devoted to all aspects of waste management. Rural development segment is aimed at multifunctional utilization of the countryside including small towns, the peripheral regions and to the problems connected with suburbanization process.

The section is aimed on presentation of the advances in the quality food production. This includes the preparation of high quality and technologically suitable raw materials of both plant and animal origin, the development of suitable technological processing methods and, last but not least, the quality assessment of the final product, whether in terms of sensory, microbiological or hygienic parameters.

The scope of contributions in the Plant Biology section includes the field of experimental morphology, physiology, taxonomy and biodiversity of plants. Methods used in experiments range from basic phenotypic analysis through image analysis and high-resolution confocal microscopy or electron microscopy for molecular and cellular studies, modern molecular biology and biotechnology approaches, genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, gene cloning and genome editing, etc.

The section Animal Biology is focused on the molecular and cellular bases of animal cytology, genetics, biotechnology, biodiversity and molecular taxonomy, cell biology, physiology, development biology and immunology. High-quality contributions using new methodological approaches are welcomed: these include new molecular biology approaches for genomic and proteomic analysis, high-resolution confocal microscopy and image analysis, electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and single-cell and patch-clamp recording for electrophysiology studies.

The section is devoted to the advancement and dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge concerning: Automotive Engineering; Civil and Structural Engineering; Computer Science; Engineering in Agriculture, Environment and Food; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Materials Science and Engineering; Mechanics of Materials, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment.

The section covers all chemical and biochemical topics including analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, (bio)sensing, inorganic and organic synthesis, applied molecular biology as well as nanotechnologies and nanomedicine, biocompatibility and toxicity testing, omics, and other related ones.

Certificate of Participation:

Active participation in the conference will be confirmed by a certificate of participation. The following conditions must be met in order to receive the certificate:

  • completion of the registration form,
  • submission of the presentation abstract (which may be published in the conference proceedings upon request),
  • active presentation of the contribution in English (15 minutes: 10 minutes for the presentation itself and 5 minutes for discussion).
Registration Fee:

There is no fee to sign up for any of the sessions, or the event in general, however of course this does not include food or accommodation, which participants will need to organise themselves, as they wish. 

Registration form:

If you want to apply to be a presenter during the conference you need to apply via the registration link. Registration will be open from the 1st July to the 30th September 2025 and the event itself will be held on the 5th November 2025.

On behalf of the organisation team, we would like to inform that in case you cannot find an important detail regarding the conference, that we are available to help at the following email address: mendelnet@mendelu.cz

Archive

  1. David Caha, Five years of research on Moth (Lepidoptera) communities along an altidudinal gradient in Králický Sněžník Mts. (Czech republic), Mendel University in Brno
  2. Radoslav Krchnavý, Fungal accumulation of lead near firing ranges, Technical University in Zvolen
  3. Kateřina Kuchaříková, Evaluation for Spot spraying of Herbicides in Precision Agriculture, Mendel University in Brno
  1. Lukáš Harabiš, Utilization of liquid fertilizer produced by aerobic digestion of solid waste from fish farming in indoor cultivation of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), Mendel University in Brno
  2. Vojtěch Slezák, Optimizing Herbicide Application Using UAV-Base Weed Detection: A Comparison of Classification Techniques, Mendel University in Brno
  3. Tomáš Kaplánek, Utilizing UAVs and Satellite Imagery for Mapping of Crop Damage by Common Vole (Microtus arvalis), Mendel University in Brno
  1. Petr Malý, The application of gas chromatography for the evaluation of technological and health indicators of bovine milk fat after dietary changes, Masaryk University
  2. Veronika Božena Hendrychová, Qualitative parameters of the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) for applications in the food industry, Mendel University in Brno
  3. Sawadi Francisco Ndunguru, In ovo amino acids: Insights from domesticated and laboratory model species, University of Debrecen
  1. Sitárová Ema, Effect of the addition of thistle pomace to the complete diet of rabbits on their zootechnical and health parameters under stress conditions, Mendel University in Brno
  2. Skoupá Kristýna, Degenerative changes in myofibrils after anabolic steroids application, Mendel University in Brno
  3. Reda Gebrehaweria Kidane, Effect of amino acid supplementation on top of restricted feeding in Japanese quails, University of Debrecen
  1. Hanzalík Matej, Electromechanical FEM simulation of strain gauge, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
  2. Hirschová Linda, Enhancing Sewage Sludge Dewaterability Through Electric Field Application, Mendel University in Brno
  3. Kotásková Michaela, Zinc content in surface water generated by wastewater treatment plant in the Moravian Karst environment, Mendel University in Brno
  1. Eliška Birgusová, Molecular imprinting particles as solution for estradiol water contamination, Mendel University in Brno
  2. Jana Kurcová, Novel approach for synthesis of fluorescent probes based on dihydroxanthene fluorophores for selective detection of albumin, Mendel University in Brno
  3. Jan Příborský, Study of the toxicity of plastic particles in aquatic environment using proteomic mass spectrometry methods, Mendel University in Brno

Photos from the 31st MendelNet international conference can be found under this link.

Programme_sections24 MendelNetStáhnout

Book of abstracts from the MendelNet 2024 conference can be found under this link.

  1. Zurak Dora, Kernel physicochemical properties affect the carotenoid profile and yolk colour parameters in laying hens fed diets differing in maize hybrid (University of Zagreb)
  2. Zuzanová Anna, Effects of milk allowance and physical structure of starter on feed intake and growth performance of Holstein calves (Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production FA MENDELU)
  3. Ndunguru Sawadi Fransisco, Amino acids regulate reproduction allocation in Japanese quail (University of Debrecen)
  1. Nagy Viktor, New method of arbuscular mycorrhizal spore extraction from soil (Masaryk University)
  2. Pismarović Laura, The effect of phenolic acids on reduction of herbicide use in control of invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (University of Zagreb)
  3. Skendžić Sandra, Detecting Climate Change-Induced Stress in Winter Wheat with Proximal Sensing and IoT Sensors (University of Zagreb)
  1. Stočes Dominik, Unraveling the interplay of environmental variables, fluctuating asymmetry, and meristic traits: assessing disturbance levels across varying forest habitats (Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture FA MENDELU)
  2. Kovaříková Ester, Design of vital additives to support food waste composting (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry FA MENDELU)
  3. Harabiš Lukáš, Optimization of aerobic digestion conditions of solid waste from recirculating aquaculture systems for production of liquid fertilizers (Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture FA MENDELU)
  1. Plačková Klára, Can Laminaria and Phytophthora extracts protect the plants? (AF MENDELU, Masaryk Univesity)
  2. Molnárová Katarína, Perchlorate-Tolerant Microalgae: Exploring Adaptation and ResourceEfficient Cultivation for Sustainable Martian Applications (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry FA MENDELU)
  3. Berková Veronika, Molecular interplay between rapeseed seedlings and an endosymbiotic microbe in the early response to salinity stress (Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology FA MENDELU)
  1. Skoupá Kristýna, The mechanism of muscle growth after the use of anabolic steroid hormones (Department of Morphology, Physiology and Animal Genetics FA MENDELU)
  2. Mihaľ Michal, Comparisom of effect of sea buckthorne and its flavonoid isorhamnetin on human ovarian granulosa and cancer cells in vitro (University of Agriculture in Nitra)
  3. Shihabi Mario, The Influence of Chromosomal Position and Sex on Inbreeding Variation in Domestic Animals (University of Zagreb)
  1. Brandić Ivan, Development of new nonlinear mathematical models for modelling the higher heating value of biomass (University of Zagreb)
  2. Gajdaczek Tomáš, Development of an unmanned aerial vehicle for precision agriculture (Department of Technology and Automobile Transport FA MENDELU)
  3. Kovál Adam, Effect of addition of insect raw material on selected properties of meat products (Department of Food Technology FA MENDELU)
  1. Bahelková Michaela, Cadmium accumulation in organ tissues after inhalation of cadmiumbased nanoparticles (Masaryk Univesity)
  2. Birgusová Eliška, Effect of modification materials on the stability of antibodies for an estradiol detection sensor (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry FA MENDELU)
  3. Gruberová Eliška, Passive Diffusion vs. Active pH-Dependent Encapsulation of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor K2359 into Ferritin (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry FA MENDELU)
  • Special Achievement Award: Malý Petr, Identification of counterfeit pharmaceuticals by UV-IFS method (Masaryk Univesity)

Photos MendelNet 2023

Programme MendelNet 2023Download

1994-2021