The Royal Agrarian University handed over a device for the determination of dry matter and starch in potatoes for use by SNAU.
The cooperation of the Sumy National Agrarian University with the Royal Agrarian University (Great Britain) began very recently (in 2022), but it has already become a successful experience in building international relations and mutual assistance in the field of education and science.
The first step on the path of joint activity was participation in the “Twin Universities” project, which was caused by the complexity of the functioning of educational institutions during the period of a full-scale invasion. RAU provided several of our teachers with the opportunity to evacuate and undergo internships, financed the provision of alternative energy sources, etc.
Subsequently, SNAU representatives had the opportunity to adopt the experience of the British university. The delegation has repeatedly made study visits to RAU, you can read about the last one at the link: https://snau.edu.ua/delegaciya-snau-vidvidala-korolivskij-agrarnij-universitet/.
In addition, SNAU jointly with RAU implements the double degree program “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security” for the master’s level of higher education.
Currently, RAU scientists handed over to SNAU a device for determining the content of dry matter and starch in potatoes, the Potato Dry Matter Field Kit.
Dry matter varies between cultivars and between seasons in the same field. The Potato Dry Matter Field Kit device demonstrates this variability of tubers from field samples. The results can be compared to bulk sample methods by averaging multiple readings.
Students of the Faculty of Agrotechnologies and Natural Resource Management are using it in scientific research while writing their master’s theses.
It should be noted that SNAU is the only institution of higher education in Ukraine that deals with potato breeding. After the start of the full-scale invasion, our university became the only state institution on the Left Bank specializing in potato seeding and breeding. This is the main agricultural crop that is researched at the Faculty of Agrotechnologies and Natural Resource Management, so the availability of the Potato Dry Matter Field Kit device in the scientific laboratory will improve the quality and efficiency of experiments and bring our students and employees to a new level of creating expert knowledge.
We sincerely thank our partners, the Royal Agrarian University, for their help and support! We are sure that together we will be able to reach incredible scientific heights and to improve the level of world research!
