PhD in Agricultural Sciences at Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)

Key details

• Host institution: Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra
• Location: Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Trieda Andreja Hlinku 2, Nitra, Slovakia
• Application deadline: May 31, 2026

Funding

Not funded by a EU programme

Funding level (from listing): partial or not via EU framework — confirm on the official call.

How to apply

• Application portal / instructions: Official application link.
• Context on Euraxess: Original listing.

About the position

Job Offer: Biostimulants as a Tool for Optimizing Mineral Nutrition of Pepper

Institution: Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

Supervisor: doc. Ing. Miroslav Šlosár, PhD.

Workplace: Institute of Horticulture FHLE SUA in Nitra

Field of Study: Agriculture and Landscape

Study Program: Horticulture

Form of Study: Full-time / Part-time

Theses

Intensive cultivation of pepper is associated with high demands for mineral nutrition, which increases both the environmental and economic burden of production. There is a growing need to identify approaches that enable more efficient use of nutrients and reduction of inputs while maintaining yield and fruit quality. The application of biostimulants may contribute to the optimization of mineral nutrition in pepper under reduced fertilizer rates. It is expected that biostimulants will positively influence plant growth and nutritional status and help maintain yield and fruit quality comparable to standard fertilization practices. The study will monitor growth, yield, and selected quality parameters of fruits under both standard and reduced fertilization regimes. The results are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the use of biostimulants as a tool for optimizing mineral nutrition in pepper and to support environmentally and economically sustainable production.

Rationale

Efficient use of mineral fertilizers and the reduction of inputs are among the main goals of modern crop production. Pepper, as an intensively cultivated vegetable crop, places high demands on nutrient availability, creating opportunities to explore innovative approaches for optimizing plant nutrition. Biostimulants represent a potential tool to enhance the efficiency of nutrient uptake and utilization by plants, thereby enabling a gradual reduction of mineral fertilizer doses without negatively affecting yield or fruit quality. Despite the increasing use of biostimulants in practice, their effectiveness in targeted optimization of pepper fertilization under intensive production conditions remains insufficiently studied. Addressing this topic is expected to generate scientifically based knowledge applicable in practice and to support more environmentally and economically sustainable cropping systems.

Financial Coverage

• VEGA – planned project (submission 2026; implementation period 2027–2029): Biostimulants in more environmentally friendly cropping systems: reduction of mineral fertilization and chemical plant protection (working title)
• Coverage of costs associated with experiment implementation: collaboration with a grower + Collection of Horticultural Crops
• Coverage of costs associated with laboratory analyses: ongoing projects at the Institute of Horticulture (central purchase of chemicals and laboratory supplies at the Institute of Horticulture)