Department of Entomology

The Department of Entomology was established in 1983 in the structure of the Faculty of Plant Protection and Agroecology. It is the successor of the department of Agricultural Entomology founded in 1921 at Kliment Ohridski  Sofia University, as well as the departments of Plant Protection and Entomology at the Agricultural Academy – Sofia, Paisii Hilendarski Plovdiv University and Vasil Kolarov Higher Institute of Agriculture, Plovdiv. 

A number of well-known scientists have been working and teaching at the department: prof. Asen Lazarov, prof. Vasil Popov, prof. Marin Dirimanov, prof. Stoyne Grigorov, prof. Georgy Sengalevich,  prof. Todor Simidchiev, prof. Dobry Burov, prof. Rada Angelova, prof. Angel Harizanov, prof. Troyka Babrikova, prof. Antonia Mateeva, prof. Ivanka Lecheva, assoc. prof. Georgy Trenchev, assoc. prof. Anton Pavlov, etc. 

Till now (2018) the Department of Entomology has been involved in the training of students from all faculties of the Agricultural University - Plovdiv. The educational process is provided by highly qualified teaching staff: 4 professors, 3 associate-professors and 1 assistant professor. The Department of Entomology is involved in more than 20 bachelor`s and master`s degree programmes and the number of subjects taught exceeds 70.

Basic subject are:

• General Entomology
• Agricultural Entomology
• Non-insect Pests (helminths, mites, rodents)
• Plant Quarantine
• Biological Control
• Forecast and Signalization of Pests and Diseases
• Integrated Pest Management
• Phytosanitary monitoring and expertise
• Pests and Diseases in Storage Products and Materials
• Plant-Pest Interactions
• Protection of Ornamental Plants

The teaching process aims at providing students with up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in the field of plant protection. 

The department offers a doctoral programme in plant protection for Bulgarian and foreign students.  

There are five seminar halls for laboratory classes equipped with the necessary technical means for conducting modern educational process. Students have access to 3 scientific laboratories for plant protection equipped for conducting high-level  research work. Part of the classes are held in the experimental field, where students receive practical skills in a real environment and can carry out scientific open-field experiments.

The Department of Entomology has a rich collections of insects and other crop pests, as well as plant parts damaged by pests. The collections are used to illustrate  the teaching material. 

The department`s teaching staff participates in the development and implementation of national and international research projects.
The main directions of research activities at the department are:

Harmful and beneficial entomofauna, acarofauna and nematofauna in different agrocenoses;
Ecological-friendly methods for plant protection;
Monitoring, forecast and signalization of pests on agricultural crops;
Organic agriculture;
Taxonomy of pests on agricultural plants;
Invasive insect, helminth and mite species;
Biological control of invasive weeds.