Guest lecture by Professor Oner Setin: modern approaches to conservation of soil fertility in irrigation conditions

On April 29, 2026, within the course "Soil Reclamation" for applicants for the educational degree "Master" of the educational and professional program "Protection and Soil Recovery Technologies", a guest lecture by Professor Oner SETIN (University of Dikle, Turkey) was held.

Given the current climate challenges, the growth of the shortage of water resources and the need to ensure sustainable use of soils in agriculture, the topic of the lecture "Prevention of erosion and preservation of soil fertility in irrigated agriculture", proposed by the professor, aroused great interest of the audience.

A special emphasis of the guest lecture was made on the key reasons for the development of erosion processes in irrigation, typical mistakes that occur in the process of organizing irrigation water use, and effective measures to prevent them. Real cases on the choice of irrigation method, taking into account erosion risks, soil and climatic features of a particular economy, as well as the ways and solutions that help to find a balance between compliance with soil protection (erosion-safe) irrigation regimes and profitability of agricultural production have become practically valuable. Professor Oner SETIN generously shared practical experience in implementing effective technologies for water management in arid regions.

The key idea of the lecture was the professor's guidance: "Isgraion should be considered not only as a tool for increasing yields, but as a comprehensive management system that directly affects soil health in the long run."

Traditionally, the most vegetable part of such events is Q& &A-section. The listeners asked their questions both during registration for the event and directly during the meeting.

Of course, most students were interested in the choice of optimal ways of irrigation, preventing soil degradation, minimizing nutrient losses, as well as the possibility of adapting international experience to the conditions of Ukraine. A lively discussion showed an extraordinary interest in sustainable farming practices using precision irrigation technologies. The question of future agronomists to the professor: "Is drip irrigation always an undeniably the best choice? Perhaps there are cases when classical sprinkling is the best option?” - prompted the audience to a deeper conversation and joint discussion.

Teachers of the Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection also joined the event, which added a deeper soil science context to the topic of discussion. Professor of the Department Yurii KRAVCHENKO gave examples of effective practices of regenerative agriculture, which he studied not only in Ukraine, but also in China, where they met and collaborated with Professor Oner SETIN for the first time.

At the end of the meeting, the guest lecturer conveyed an invitation to the entire academic and student community of NUBiP of Ukraine to participate in the International Conference on Rational Water Management: Science, Politics and Practice (ICOSUWAM2026), which will be held at the University of Diccle (Dyyarbakir, Turkey) from September 29 to October 2, 2026. Detailed information about the event can be found by the vocation (https://www.dicle.edu.tr/ /siteler/ /icosuwam-2026).

The lecturer wished Ukrainian students to be active in gaining knowledge and practical experience, emphasizing that participation in international scientific events opens up new professional opportunities, promotes the exchange of ideas, cooperation with scientists from different countries and the introduction of advanced world practices in the domestic agricultural sector.

The general feedback of the participants about the event was formulated as follows: "The lecture helped us to better understand that irrigation is not only a matter of providing plants with the necessary moisture, but also an important element of maintaining the balance of the entire soil system."

We sincerely thank Professor Oner SETIO for a meaningful lecture, openness to cooperation and willingness to share their experience. All participants of the meeting are for their activity and interest in the event.