PhD defence of the young researcher Artem Medkov (NULES, Ukraine)

On August 11, 2026 a young researcher of the NULES team, Artem Medkov, successfully defended a PhD dissertation entitled”Adaptation of Miscanthus × giganteus under the Influence of Plant Growth Regulators on the Technogenically Contaminated Lands.” The defence was held in a hybrid form at the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management (IAEM) of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine. The PhD dissertation was supervised by Associate Professor Tetyana Stefanovska, Co-Director of NATO G6094, and Professor Liliia Yanse, IEAM. The official opponents were Professor Oleh Kovalenko, Mykolaiv Agrarian University, and Associate Professor Andriy Herts, TVHNPU.

The main part of the PhD research was carried out at the demonstration M×g plantation established within the NATO SPS G4687 in Dolyna, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine at the post-military site of the former SU Army tank polygon. Since 2023 the plantation has been under multiyear monitoring within G6094 on which Advanced M×g Phytotechnology has been tested. The multiyear results showed the essential increasing of the biomass productivity and improving of soil heath under the plant’s multiyear vegetation.

The PhD study of Artem Medkov was focused on the impact of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on the adaptation and phytoremediation potential of M×g at Dolyna site. An important part of the research was the application of soil nematode communities as bioindicators to assess changes in soil ecological status under the different PGRs treatment’s strategies. The PhD research of Artem Medkov contributed to the validation of Advanced M×g Phytotechnologies supported by PGRs for the restoration of degraded slightly contaminated soil at the areas affected by the military activities.