The Department of Horticulture (DH) was established on September 1, 2008, following the division of the former Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture into two independent units. DH is the guarantor of the bachelor’s degree program in Horticulture (HORTIB) and the follow-up master’s degree program in Horticulture (HORTIM). The Department provides instruction in a wide range of subjects related to pomiculture, olericulture, floriculture, viticulture and enology, nursery production, the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms, as well as fruit and vegetable processing technologies and other horticultural disciplines.
A broad selection of horticultural courses guaranteed by DH are offered not only within the HORTIB and HORTIM programs but also across several other bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources (FAFNR), both in Czech and English. The Department also manages the Demonstration and Research Station in Prague-Troja, which serves as a key educational and research facility not only for DH but also for other departments within the Faculty and the University. The station supports student training, experimental work for theses and dissertations, practical teaching in orchards, greenhouses, and fields, as well as research projects and technological experiments.
The department's research activities focus on:
- Fruit growing: Shaping and pruning fruit trees, regulating growth and fruit set, and evaluating the global assortment of plum and cherry varieties.
- Vegetable production: Assessing the effects of biotic and abiotic factors and exploring ways to regulate them to ensure profitable and high-quality production while promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.
- Sustainable cultivation systems: Optimizing the use of green manure and cover crops in vegetable production.
- Automation and robotics: Exploring the implementation of automated and robotic technologies in modern vegetable production processes.
- Mycology: Cultivating edible and medicinal mushrooms on non-traditional or alternatively treated substrates for use in food production, pharmaceuticals, biodegradable composite materials, and the biodegradation of organic pollutants.
- Floriculture: Investigating assortments of ornamental plants suitable for extreme environments, including roof gardens and vertical green walls.
Cooperation of the Department in the field of education, research, and popularization of horticulture:
The Department maintains active collaborations with numerous partner organizations across the academic, research, and professional sectors. Due to the strong public interest in horticulture, department staff frequently present horticultural topics on various radio and television programs and contribute articles to magazines dedicated to popularizing scientific research and innovations.
The Department of Horticulture cooperates not only with other departments within the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources (FAFNR) but also with other faculties of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, including the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences. In addition, the Department works closely with many domestic and international universities, research institutions, professional associations, and private companies.
These partners include, for example, Mendel University in Brno, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Technische Universität Graz, Uniwersytet Rolniczy im. Hugona Kołłątaja w Krakowie, the Czech Agrifood Research Center, the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology in Holovousy Ltd., the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, the Landscape Research Institute, the Fruit Growers Union of the Czech Republic, the Vegetable Growers Union of Bohemia and Moravia, Moravoseed Inc., Semo Inc., Reprosam, Hanka Mochov, Bramko Semice, Montano Valtr, the Agricultural Cooperative Dolany, Arboeko Obříství, Albaflor, and Ryznerova hlívárna Kojátky, among others.
