PHOTO // From grafted watermelon to smart agriculture: how Moldova's Technical University trains specialists for agriculture of future

At a time when drought and climate change are putting increasing pressure on agriculture in Moldova, applied research is becoming essential. One example comes from the Faculty of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences of the Technical University of Moldova (UTM), where students are testing technologies that could make crops more resistant to water stress.

A recent experiment carried out by the faculty focuses on grafted watermelon, compared with non‑grafted plants. The students monitored plants’ development from the earliest growth stages through fruit formation and ripening.

According to the institution, the results were encouraging: grafted plants produced more fruits, showed vigorous development and the fruits were uniform and well formed. More importantly, the plants performed well under water stress conditions, without additional irrigation or fertilization during the vegetation period.

The experiment also has an important practical component for the agriculture affected by drought. Grafting can help enhance the resilience of horticultural crops and improve water use efficiency and the results achieved by the students provide a starting point for further research.

A faculty with tradition, but oriented toward the agriculture of the future

The faculty is presented as one of the oldest university structures in the agricultural field of the country, with 90 years of history. Presently, students’ training combines traditional disciplines with research, modern technologies and current agricultural challenges.

The educational offer includes bachelor’s programmes, such as Agronomy, Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology, Plants’ Protection, Animal Science, Agri‑food Product Safety, Agribusiness and Rural Development, Forestry and Public Gardens, Ecology and Agricultural Biotechnologies. The official UTM list also includes the programme, Crop Breeding and Genetics.

For the 2026 academic year, UTM has also introduced a new bachelor’s programme – Smart Agriculture – which shows the direction in which specialists’ training is evolving: more technology, data and modern solutions applied in agriculture.

At the master’s level, students can continue their specialization in such fields as horticultural sciences, integrated protection of plants and agroecosystems, agroecology, conservation agriculture, food safety, animal husbandry management and apiculture and biotechnologies in animals’ reproduction.

From the laboratory straight into agriculture

An important advantage of the faculty is its strong focus on practical training and applied research. Students have access to agricultural fields, teaching and experimental farms and laboratories where they can test technologies and cultivation methods. The faculty is also developing partnerships with universities from abroad, including through the Erasmus programme, which enables mobility for students and teaching staff.

Research conducted by the academic staff covers such topics as the use of biofertilizers and microelements, increasing plants’ resistance and productivity, technologies for producing grapevine planting material, sustainable management of agroecosystems and identifying plants’ genotypes better adapted to climate change.

According to information provided by the institution, the faculty has more than 60 teaching staff members and its research activities are closely linked to the needs of agricultural producers and companies in the sector.

In a sector where drought, soil degradation and climate change are becoming increasingly serious challenges, the faculty is striving to move agriculture from the realm of tradition alone into the one of research, technology and adaptation.

And the experiment with grafted watermelon is a simple but relevant example: an idea born from students’ curiosity can, through research and testing, become a solution for farmers who will have to produce more with increasingly limited water resources.