LABORATORY “PLANT-SOIL INTERACTIONS”

Leader

Associate Professor Maria Geneva, PhD

Building 21, Office 210
Phone: +359 2 979 26 16
Mobile: +359 887 268 150
Е-mail: boykova2@yahoo.com

FIELD OF RESEARCH

Genetic resources, the efficiency of mineral nutrition and stress tolerance of cereals.
Development of protocols for micropropagation of endangered traditional and non-traditional for Bulgaria medicinal plants.
Microorganism-plant symbiotic interactions. Influence of various environmental stress factors in separate and combined inoculation with microorganisms on productivity and quality of yield in plants.

SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS

(2023-2026) КП-06-Н76/5 “Biotechnological approaches for targeted accumulation of secondary metabolites in the medicinal plant Arnica montana L. and study of the biosynthetic pathway of sesquiterpene lactones”. Project leader: Assist. Prof. Maria Petkova

(2021-2025) КП-06-Н56/8 “ Influence of newly synthesized amino acid nanofibers carriers of biologically active agents on in vitro propagation and accumulation of secondary metabolites in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni”. Project leader: Assist. Prof. Maria Geneva

(2016-2021) A bilateral joint research project between Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics – BAS and Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Nitra, Slovakia, entitled “Evaluation of plant response to drought stress and N deficiency based on the investigation of the relationship between photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism of Bulgarian and Slovak bread wheat varieties”, Project leader: Prof. Dr. S. Misheva, members: Assoc. Prof Dr. K. Kocheva, Assist. Prof. Dr. P. Petrov, Assist. Prof. Dr. T. Karceva.

Project KP-06 N31/17, supported by the Bulgarian NSF for the period (2019-2022). Project title: Genome wide association study of grain yield, grain protein content and grain nitrogen concentration in Bulgarian bread wheat germplasm. Project leader: prof. Svetlana Misheva. Participants: associate prof. Konstantina Kocheva, assistant prof. Tania Kartseva.

(2019-2021) (EBR) research project with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Center for Agricultural Research, Martonvashar, on the tittle: “Role of bio-active compounds in the response of cultivated plants to stress. Effects on photosynthesis and interaction with plant hormones “, leader from the Bulgarian side: Assistant Professor Dr. Violeta Peeva, participant from the laboratoty Prof. Dr. Svetlana Misheva.

(2019-2022) ( EBR) research project with Research Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants at the National Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt, on ” Introduction of new medicinal and aromatic plants for the pharmaceutical industry and improvement of their production through the use of biotechnological techniques “, Leader from the Bulgarian side: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Geneva, participants Assistant Professor Dr. Elisaveta Kirova, specialists – Mariana Sichanova and Madlen Boychinova.

(2018-2021) research project № 15-18 funded by the Agricultural University of Plovdiv on the tittle: “Growing lettuce in unheated greenhouses and outdoors in the transition to organic farming”, project leader Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kostadinov, Coordinator on behalf of IPPG-BAS Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Geneva, Participants from the Laboratory Plant-Soil Interactions: Assistant Professor Dr. Elisaveta Kirova, specialists – Mariana Sichanova and Madlen Boychinova.

(2016-2021) A bilateral joint research project between Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics – BAS and Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Telangana, India № КП-06-India-9, entitled “ Exploring the natural diversity in tomato germplasm for phosphate starvation responses ”, project leader Assist. Prof. Kiril Mishev, members from PSI: Assoc. Prof Dr. Grigor Zehirov.

(2017-2020) Project ДН11/8/15.12.2017, финансиран ФНИ-МОН, на тема: ДН11/8: „Small NudC proteins: effective regulators of development and stress tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana“, Project coordinator: Prof. Valya Vassileva, members from PSI: Assoc. Prof Dr. Grigor Zehirov.

(2016-2021) ДН06/12/19.12.2016: Study on adaptive mechanisms to drought in Bulgarian winter wheat varieties, Project coordinator: Assist. Prof. Anna Dimitrova, members from PSI: Assoc. Prof Dr. Grigor Zehirov.

(2018-2022) Д01-205/23.11.2018 National Scientific Program of the Ministry of Education and Science “Healthy foods for a strong bioeconomy and quality of life”, head of IPPG-BAS Prof. Violeta Velikova, participants from the Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions Assoc. Dr. Maria Geneva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Grigor Zehirov.

(2018-2022) Д01-230/06.12.2018, National Scientific Program of the Ministry of Education and Science “Environmental protection and risk reduction of adverse events and natural disasters” RP.I.7 Task 5 – “Genetic, epigenetic and physiological-biochemical basis of plant resistance to adverse conditions of environment ”, leader Prof. Dr. Valya Vasileva, participants from the Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions Assoc. Prof. Dr. Grigor Zehirov.

BUL5014 (2016-2021) national project supported by the IAEA entitled “Screening of cereal germplasm stress response and adaptation potential by advanced nuclear, omics and physiological approaches” (national project supported by the IAEA, principal coordinator Prof. Dr. L. Stoilov, members from the PSI: professor Dr Svetlana Misheva, Assist. Prof. Dr. T. Karceva, associate professor Dr Grigor Zehirov).

Scientific Achievements

Scientific Publications

Research Team

	Maria Geneva – Associate Professor, PhD Office 210, Lab. 120 Phone.: +359 2 979 26 16; +359 887 268 150 Е-mail: boykova2@yahoo.com Professional interests: Nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza, symbiotic systems, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, phytoremediation, antioxidant activity, medicinal and aromatic plants.
	Svetlana Misheva – Professor, PhD Office 319, Lab. 320 Phone: +359 2 979 36 77; +359 979 36 74 e-mail: s_landjeva@mail.bg Professional interests: Wheat genetics and cytogenetics, genetic control of abiotic stress tolerance, water deficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, plant genetic resources.
	Kalina Ananieva – Associate Professor, PhD Office #208 Phone: (+359 2) 979 36 50 E-mail: kalivanova@yahoo.com Professional interests: leaf senescence, hormonal regulation of senescence, abiotic stress, photosynthesis, cytokinins, proteins.
	Konstantina Kocheva – Associate Professor, PhD Office 321, Lab. 320 Phone: +359 2 979 36 76; +359 979 36 74 Е-mail: konstvk@abv.bg Professional interests: Mineral nutrition, water stress, photosynthesis, biochemical analyzes, cytogenetic, histochemistry.
	Grigor Zehirov – Associate Professor, PhD Office 320, Lab. 322a Phone: +359 2 979 63 60 Е-mail: grigorz@gmail.com Professional interests: Legume- nodule bacteria symbiosis. Mineral nutrition and abiotic plant stresses. Eco physiological aspects of Crocus sativus growth.
	Petar Petrov – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 321, Lab. 320 Phone: +359 2 979 36 76, Е-mail: pivanovp@abv.bg Professional interests: Light microscopy, leaf morphology, transpiration, drought tolerance, membrane stability, cell division, cell enlargement, plant hormones, meristems.
	Elisaveta Kirova – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 301, Lab. 123 Phone: +359 (2) 979 2635; Tel: +359 (2) 979 2692 e-mail: elisab@abv.bg Professional interests: Abiotic stress (drought and salinity), mechanisms of plant adaptation, biological nitrogen fixation, ROS and antioxidant defense system (enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms), stress markers, electrophoretic detection of antioxidant enzymes, regulation of plant membrane permeability.
	Tanya Kartseva – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 321, Lab. 320 Phone: +359 2 979 36 76, +359 979 36 74 e-mail: tania_karceva@abv.bg Professional interests: Plant genetics, genetic diversity in wheat, mutant genes, Triticum aestivum, Solanum lycopersicum, osmotic stress, biochemical markers, nitrogen use efficiency.
	Kamelia Miladinova-Georgieva – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 210, Lab. 120 Phone: +359 2 979 26 16 Е-mail: kameca@abv.bg Professional interests: Phytoremediation, plant in vitro culture, medicinal and aromatic plants, secondary metabolites, antioxidant defense system.
	Madlen Boychinova – MSc Lab. 123 Phone: +359 2 979 26 92 Е-mail: boychinova@abv.bg Professional interests: Field and laboratory experiments.
	Angelinka Petrova – MSc Lab. 320 Phone: +359 2 979 36 74 Е-mail: dendiani@abv.bg Professional interests: Field and laboratory experiments.
	Janet Mincheva – MSc Lab. 120 Phone: +359 2 979 26 75 Е-mail:jeni_36@abv.bg Professional interests: Field and laboratory experiments.
	Mariyana Sichanova – MSc Lab. 120 Phone: +359 2 979 26 75 Е-mail: m.sichanova@abv.bg Professional interests: Field and laboratory experiments.
	Emilia Gesheva – MSc Lab. 322А Phone: +359 2 979 63 60 Е-mail: egesheva04@yahoo.com Professional interests: Laboratory experiments.
	Katelina Prokopova – MSc Lab. 327 Phone: +359 885220092 Professional interests: Laboratory experiments.