The joint stand of the University of Debrecen and Marton Genetics won the most beautiful stand award on AGROmashEXPO 2022. The experts of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management of the University of Debrecen presented the research findings supporting the Hungarian space programme at a space station-like stand on the International Agriculture Exhibition held on 26-29 January.
At the 300-square metre-stand of the University of Debrecen (UD) and Marton Genetics on the 40th AGROmashEXPO International Agriculture and Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, the visitors had the chance to get to know more about the connection between artificial intelligence and plant breeding. At the stand, the Department of Applied Plant Biology of the UD Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management presented the tools and plant materials developed under the DE‑SPACE programme.
– Our aim was to show at our stand the increasingly advanced technologies present in agriculture as well and the research findings primarily in connection with plants and space food with which the sector could effectively contribute to the space programme. The point is to bring the galactic research closer to the visitors, said Szilvia Veres, Vice-Dean of Scientific Affairs, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management to hirek.unideb.hu.
On the exhibition organised at Hungexpo, the visitors could get to know the unique space-pepper growing device, Capsitron, that was developed as part of a mutual cooperation with jFermi Ltd, and also with the special fermentor (jFermi) that is capable of producing algae-space food. Among others, the Biodrome Biomaker-Space of the Department of Applied Plant Biology of the UD Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management provided the venue for the developments.
– Several companies visited the stand at the Expo and offered their cooperation in connection with space and space plant research. Consultations were carried out at the event with Marco Aurélio Schetino de Lima Honorary Consul in Brazil regarding the commencement of the cooperation in the fields of agricultural science and innovation and, among other things, the space plant research. Furthermore, the Expo provided an excellent opportunity to promote UD’s agricultural programmes. The young adults visiting the exhibition also asked about the educational and research opportunities offered by the UD Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, said Miklós Fári, professional supervisor and university professor, Department of Applied Plant Biology of the UD Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management.
The patron of the exhibition was Bertalan Farkas cosmonaut. At the joint stand of the University of Debrecen and Marton Genetics, the visitors could also look at the landing unit of the SOYUZ‑35 spacecraft. On 3 June 1980, after their 8-day-long space travel, Bertalan Farkas and Valery Nikolayevich Kubasov entered the Earth’s atmosphere with the more than 3 metre high space capsule weighing 2,600 kg.
The space programme of the University of Debrecen, DE‑SPACE, was launched in 2019. As part of the project, six research groups conduct scientific studies in connection with space research in the fields of agriculture, medicine, environment, technology and information technology.
Additional information is available at the link below: https://space.unideb.hu/
Press office – ÉE
Photo: MÉK Archives, AGROmashEXPO
Translation of the original article https://hirek.unideb.hu/node/10769